Afternoon Announcements June 16, 2014

Not just a barista:  Starbuck employees given scholarship opportunity for higher education –  

U.S. Dept. of Ed. Secretary Arne Duncan responds to Vergara ruling: ‘With commitment and collaboration, we can ensure that disadvantaged students have strong, effective teachers’ U.S. Dept. of Ed HOMEROOM blog

Latino students in California are narrowing the gap in education equity as they surpass the number white students accepted to the state’s nine undergraduate universities for the first time ever: The Huffington Post

Starbucks employees are given an incentive to take on a Higher Ed degree as an online based program from Arizona State University offers up scholarships nprEd

Understanding the implications of the Common Core State Standards – through the eyes of 9-year old.  The New York Times

D.C. officials’ proposal for new public school boundaries would provide a pathway for disadvantaged students to gain better access to neighborhood schools The Washington Post

National Education Association president posts video response to an advertisement he says ‘portrays children as commodities to be profited from’ in the wake of teacher union debates Politico

Is tenure a friend or a foe to the public education system? The Huffington Post

Momentum appears to be building for moratorium, as The American Association of School Administrators call for more time for educators to get the CCSS ‘right.’ The Washington Post

In a letter to Sec. Duncan, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says he has no intention of freezing accountability for teachers and schools following a new statewide standardized test for K-12 students required to maintain a waiver from some federal education requirements: The Courier Journal

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced are the two assessment exams aimed at testing Common Core curriculum. Could updating these assessments for the technological age help students excel? eSchoolNews

From school safety to lesson plans to effective teaching, eSchoolNews lists 10 new ed-tech products making waves in the month of June.

Pop star Katy Perry supports education during her U.S tour this summer USA Today