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Could Donald Trump make social security great again — and win over 7 million voters in the process?

By Kirsten Schmitz Donald Trump has promised to make America great again. One thing he says he won’t look to change? Social Security. While maintaining the Social Security status quo might seem at the very least unobtrusive, it neglects an opportunity to extend coverage to the over 1 million teachers and 6.5 million government workers whose jobs...
By Guest contributor | July 21, 2016
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Free summit encourages teachers educating teachers

For the second year, the California Teachers Summit is holding what they call the state’s largest teacher training to encourage and inspire fellow educators. The free summit is planned at 38 locations throughout the state on Friday, July 29, and is expected to attract 15,000 traditional, private and charter school teachers for lectures, seminars and individualized smaller breakout...
By Mike Szymanski | July 20, 2016
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Sold-out crowd expected at King’s best-practices sharing session on Saturday

A groundbreaking summit that plans to share best practices between LA Unified traditional school and charter school educators is at capacity with more than 350 people signed up for the Saturday event planned by Superintendent Michelle King. From the moment she was appointed to the position in January, King said she planned to find ways to...
By Mike Szymanski | July 20, 2016
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Flashback: That time Arne Duncan, Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton traveled the country talking about education

By Peter Cunningham In the spring of 2009, newly-elected President Barack Obama took a meeting in the Oval Office with civil rights leader Al Sharpton. Reverend Sharpton told the White House he wanted to talk about education so Education Secretary Arne Duncan also attended. Sharpton also brought along an unlikely guest: former House Speaker and GOP...
By Guest contributor | July 20, 2016
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New video: Gov. Scott Walker talks education and school choice outside the RNC

(Cleveland, Ohio) — During a special forum organized around the Republican National Convention, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker offered some unexpected advice on the best way to sell school choice measures – talk about improving traditional schools too. “People who truly believe in education, they recognize greatness whether it’s coming from a charter school, a choice...
By Carolyn Phenicie | July 20, 2016
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GOP convention commentary: Is obsession with local control of public education out of control?

A new RNC dispatch from Peter Cunningham, executive director of Education Post: If Republican conservatives stand for one thing above all else when it comes to public education, it is local control. Just as some conservatives see tax cuts as the only answer to an ailing economy, some also see local control as the antidote to...
By Guest contributor | July 19, 2016
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5 things the Pence pick could mean for the future of federal education policy

By Max Marchitello The Veep-stakes are over! The pick is in. Mike Pence, the sitting governor of Indiana, will run as Donald Trump’s vice president. Although he has only been governor for a few years, Pence also served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Putting those records together, Bellwether Education Partners’ Max Marchitello takes stock of what...
By Guest contributor | July 18, 2016
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Exclusive: Amendment adds imaginary testing standard to Democratic education platform

Democrats added a misleading reference to standardized tests to the party platform over the weekend, requiring they meet a reliability standard that doesn’t actually exist. “[W]e believe that standardized tests must meet American Statistical Association standards for reliability and validity,” the amendment reads, saying this would “strike a better balance on testing, so that it...
By Matt Barnum | July 15, 2016
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GOP sets the stage for Cleveland convention: Here’s where 18 RNC elites stand on education

It’s no secret that Donald Trump’s views on education (and, to be fair, many other policy areas) remain a mystery. But he won’t be the only one on display at next week’s convention proceedings in Cleveland. (Bookmark our coverage of the RNC over at our #EDlection2016 live blog) Along with vice-presidential pick Mike Pence, several of the announced speakers...
By Carolyn Phenicie | July 15, 2016
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Demolition of long-closed West Valley schools to begin Monday, leaving empty lots

*UPDATED LA Unified will begin demolition Monday at the first of two schools to be razed in the West San Fernando Valley. But no new construction is planned, leaving empty lots in residential neighborhoods. The Oso Avenue and Highlander Road elementary schools have sat mostly empty for more than 30 years, becoming eyesores and a source of...
By Craig Clough | July 14, 2016