Response to intervention—an educational framework that promises to raise achievement through “progress monitoring” of lesson plans—sparks interest. Supporters push for widespread implementation, but critics fear its implications on special education
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/01/23/20rtireact.h27.html

School Funding Litigation/Policy

AZ republicans craft a spending plan that includes no new school construction and a potentially illegal plan to deny inflation funding for public schools in order to “buy some breathing room to determine if the growth pace of school-age youngsters is slowing”
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/byauthor/221273

GA governor is recommending more cuts in the state's funding formula for public schools
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/01/17/austerity0118.html

NYC schools are likely to receive $100 million less in operating aid than expected, in the budget that governor Spitzer will unveil on Tuesday
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/nyregion/21empire.html?_r=1&ex=1358571600&en=12cf40a3885f866c&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=login

NY school plan will slow growth: “Governor Spitzer’s budget proposal will have something for everyone -- to complain about, that is”
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=656958&category=STATE&newsdate=1/21/2008

WV Department of Education presented its 2009 budget requests to the House Education Committee on Monday, and the reaction was one of disappointment
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1911852864

State Roundup

AZ public schools will be required to teach four hours of English a day to students who aren't proficient in the language, but school officials are concerned about where they're going to find the money, space and teachers to support the program
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/221593

Opinion – It's hard to say what's more shameful: CA’s high school drop-out rate or the fact that we don’t know the actual number
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/20/EDNHUF6QI.DTL&feed=rss.education

MD may be majority white, but its public schools no longer are - Schools are adapting to serve rapidly diversifying populations
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/21/AR2008012101974.html?wpisrc=_rsseducation

Poll says parental involvement is the biggest problem faced by D.C schools – it also finds that a majority of parents support school takeovers and that views are divided along racial and socioeconomic lines
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/20/AR2008012002386.html?wpisrc=_rsseducation

Department of Education data says MD’s student-teacher ratio has improved significantly over the past 10 years, but it still hovers in the middle of the pack when ranked against other states
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/18/AR2008011803914.html?wpisrc=_rsseducation

ME proposal seeks healthy school breakfast for students that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=159192&zoneid=500

NY will embark on an ambitious experiment to measure 2,500 teachers on how much their students improve on annual standardized tests
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/nyregion/21teachers.html?hp

School report cards angry NYC parents concerned with the system, which one mother criticizes for “boiling everything that happens in an entire school to a letter grade”
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2008/01/21/schools_report_cards_anger_nyc_parents/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Education+news

WV Education Association tells governor that the 5 ½ proposed salary increase will not lift the state from its 48^th ranking on teacher spending
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/section/News/2008012113

Published Monday, Jan. 28, 2008