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School bullying prevention efforts falling short, state audit says
Responding to concerns that schools should do more to stop bullying, a new state audit found that most schools do not track whether their anti-bullying programs have made campuses any safer and that schools are inconsistent in how they record and resolve bullying incidents. Oversight and guidance from the California Department of Education has been insufficient, the audit said, noting the department went four years without noticing that it was not monitoring schools to ensure they were addressing student complaints, as required by law. EdSource

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Are high-risk and district No Child waivers illegal?
An unprecedented set of recent Education Department decisions about No Child Left Behind waivers is at the least an overreach and at the very worst illegal, a chorus of critics say. Last week, the department declared NCLB waivers for Kansas, Oregon and Washington state “high-risk” because each state has more work to do in tying student growth to teacher evaluations – a major requirement for states that want out of the more arduous provisions of the law. Politico

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LA Unified students have never known high school without metal detectors
On January 21, 1993, Demetrius Rice was shot at Fairfax High School when a gun hidden away in a classmate’s backpack accidentally fired. “It was a boom that you never forget,” said David Tokofsky, a former Los Angeles Unified School District teacher and board member who was at Fairfax that day. That incident led the district to begin performing random weapon screenings using metal detectors. Twenty years later. Metal detectors are still in schools. KPCC

Are a Lack of Coordination and Investment to Blame for US Ed Outcomes?
Editorial: If the US wants to reach the lofty heights of success enjoyed by South Korea’s education system, it needs to change its approach to education funding. Specifically, the country should invest more resources and money to make sure that income plays no role in the quality of education delivered to American students, no matter which side of the tracks they happen to come from. EducationNews

Cyberschools Grow, Fueling New Concerns
The number of full-time cyberschools serving Texas public school students will double in the coming school year despite a history of lackluster performance and a new law limiting the number of online courses that public school students are allowed to take at the state’s expense. That law’s sponsor said its goal was to encourage virtual learning models that blended online classes with a traditional classroom experience. New York Times 

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Education Secretary: Tech Will Never Replace Great Teachers

Everyone wants to hangout with Sal Khan. The popular founder of the innovative Khan Academy is a good person to rub elbows with — even if you’re the Obama administration’s top education official. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan fielded Khan’s questions about the future of U.S. education in a Google Hangout on Friday. Khan has been widely praised for his free educational site which he started in 2006. Integrating technology in the classroom was one of Khan’s top questions for Duncan. “Technology can help to strengthen teaching,” Duncan told Khan. “Technology is never going to replace great teachers.” Mashable