Morning Announcements: March 21, 2012

It’s the middle of the week. You’re almost there. Keep yourself motivated with the latest in education news.

Republican Congressman John Kline of Minnesota, who serves as the chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, wants to see Congress put more money into state grants for special education. Education Week reports that the sent a letter to the leading lawmakers on the House panel that oversees K-12 spending

Education Week offers analysis and coverage of a new report released today by the Center for American Progress. According to the findings, states have gone various directions in giving districts money through the federal School Improvement Grant program, the largest national effort yet to turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools,.

At a panel discussion on high-stakes testing, the chief academic officer of New York City’s public schools said that principals were not alone in being concerned about the state’s new teacher evaluation system. The New York Times reports that the chief academic officer also has qualms.

The Washington Post reports that the District of Columbia’s City Council approved a package of education bills intended to address some of the city’s most vexing issues, including students at risk of dropping out and schools with a shortage of exceptional teachers.