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Morning Read: State Directs $381 Million To Retrofit Campuses

LA School Report | October 17, 2013



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Prop. 39 energy retrofit funds heading to California schools
State officials have directed $381 million to California schools to retrofit aging campuses for energy efficiency, releasing a list Tuesday that shows how much each district will get. The money comes from voter approval last year of Proposition 39, which raises taxes on out-of-state corporations. Sacramento Bee


Potential weaknesses in new school funding law demand attention
Commentary: There are great expectations that the historic – and necessary – reforms of California’s outdated and opaque school financing system signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown this summer will translate into improved student performance. However, there are several potential weaknesses in the law that could threaten its ability to produce the results Gov. Brown has in mind. EdSource


In final leg wrap-up, Brown OKs laws on cyber-bullying, background checks
Legislation that allows students to be suspended or expelled for cyber-bullying was among several education bills approved by Gov. Jerry Brown in the final week leading up to his Sunday signing deadline. AB 256 updates the law by adding to current anti-bullying statutes the offense of cyber-bullying. SI&A Cabinet Report


Stanford professor finds Rhee’s teacher evaluation system was effective
Score one for Michelle Rhee and performance pay. A study released Wednesday of the controversial teacher evaluation system that Rhee initiated when she was chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools has found that both its threats of dismissal and big pay incentives worked as intended. EdSource


Artists, designers lead campaign to rebrand STEM into STEAM
A modern day Leonardo da Vinci attending any of the nation’s high-functioning K-12 schools might have much to occupy his intellectual hunger given the growing emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math. But as the consummate Renaissance man, he would need to seek other outlets for his more artistic passions such as painting, music, sculpture and design. SI&A Cabinet Report


Melinda Gates Talks Teacher Quality

Q&A: Education Week Assistant Editor Stephen Sawchuk sat down last week in New York City with Melinda Gates, the co-chair and a trustee of the foundation that bears her and her husband’s names, to discuss its investments in teacher quality and other matters related to its work in the K-12 sphere. EdWeek


Poor children now the majority in U.S. public schools in South, West
A majority of students in public schools throughout the American South and West are low-income for the first time in at least four decades, according to a new study that details a demographic shift with broad implications for the country. Washington Post

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