Idaho lawmakers look to improve public school funding system

A committee of Idaho lawmakers is now reviewing how the state’s public schools are funded. The Idaho State Board of Education recently received feedback on the issue. A group of lawmakers have also formed the Idaho Legislature’s Public School Funding Formula Interim Committee to help weigh in. Read more>>

The Oklahoma State Board of Education got its first look at recommendations for overhauling the state’s student testing program and approved a higher budget request for fiscal year 2018. The administration is looking to close the gap between state testing standards and the much-lower proficiency rates demonstrated by students on national tests. Read more>>

The lack of female superintendents across Texas and nation persists—with just only about 1 in 5 school systems run by females. Texas' percentage, however, has steadily increased since 1999 when females headed just 7 percent of districts, according to state data. Read more>>

Ray Bendici

As teaching has evolved with the increase of educational technology, so has the classroom space itself. Many schools are creating more comfortable, coffee shop-like collaborative environments with a new breed of desks, chairs and work tables. Read more>>

Schools are supposed to be safe places for kids, but a new study found that school zones are becoming increasingly dangerous. The study found sharp increases in distracted walking and unsafe street crossing, resulting in more pedestrian injuries and deaths in those areas. Read more>>

As lawmakers scrambled during the special legislative session to plug a hole in the state’s budget of more than $600 million, it was clear education would take a hit. New Mexico's governor signed into the law the final budget bill, but not before vetoing $22 million in education cuts. Yet legislators and educators caution that the move isn’t necessarily a saving grace for school budgets. Read more>>

The State Board of Education released the 2016 A-F Report Cards for all public schools in Oklahoma. This year’s tally included 196 A’s, 455 B’s, 582 C’s, 319 D’s and 213 F’s. By contrast, in 2015, schools earned 212 A’s, 497 B’s, 536 C’s, 333 D’s and 183 F’s. Read more>>

Workers at private companies typically enroll in a 401(k) retirement plan approved by the employer, which is held responsible for the menu of investment options offered. But public school employees are often exposed to brokers who operate in a more unruly marketplace under different rules, which are defined by a patchwork of state laws and less stringent securities regulations. Read more>>

Any effort to boost graduation rates is worthwhile. But it always must go hand in hand with a hard look at the true value of the diploma. The skills needed to “be prepared” upon graduating high school are a shifting target in this rapidly evolving world. It’s not enough to make sure students get diplomas; they have to gain the knowledge and be able to apply it. Read more>>

A school is more likely to retain effective teachers, a new study reports, if it is led by a principal who promotes professional development for teachers and is characterized by collaborative relationships among teachers. A safe and orderly learning environment and high expectations for academic achievement among students are other findings. Read more>>

Fronteer's flagship Ally product provides educators with guidance for improving accessibility of their course materials, while checking posted course materials for accessibility issues and generating files in different formats to assist students who may require alternatives. Read more>>

Several Ohio school districts have turned to the Performance Matters Platform to help boost student achievement on the new assessments implemented just last year. The school districts incorporating the solutions include Hamilton, Olentangy, Indian Hill, New Albany-Plain and Canal Winchester Local, among others. Read more>>

The SaaS platform, which helps K12 school districts improve engagement and educational outcomes, is now running on Microsoft Azure's cloud platform as part of a global relationship between the two companies. Read more>>

After four months of searching, Jeremy Gulley has been named as the Indiana district's new superintendent. Gulley has worked for Jay Schools for 20 years and has been the director of teacher effectiveness for four years. Read more>>

Shannon Stanley was approved as the new superintendent of Boaz City Schools. The action came after the board accepted the resignation of interim superintendent Tim Morgan. Stanley comes to Boaz from her position as deputy superintendent of teaching and learning of the Jefferson County Board of Education. Read more>>

Superintendent Camille Wright announced her retirement as the top leader for the Alabama school district. She was hired as superintendent in 2013 as the first female superintendent in the history of the school system. She previously served as the director of instruction at Madison City Schools. Read more>>