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Jeremy Piven

Jeremy Piven has known his favorite teacher since the day he was born. His mother, Joyce, a talented drama teacher, gave Jeremy a head start on his acting career. While other kids were playing games, Joyce had Jeremy playing roles.

Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher.

Education News:
March 12, 2010

Every week we scour the headlines from around the nation and prepare brief executive summaries of the top education stories.

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This Week in Education

Kansas City to Close 28 Schools
(New York Times, March 11th) The Kansas City School Board voted to close 28 of the city’s 61 schools. The closings are part of the Right-Size budget plan which will save $50 million of a $300 million budget deficit. The plan also includes 285 teacher cuts. The bill comes in response to data that shows that the city’s public school enrollment has significantly declined over the past ten years.

Panel Drafts National Standards
(New York Times,March 11th) A panel assembled by several governors and superintendents has drafted a national set of math and English academic standards. The proposal lays out what the panel believes is necessary for students to learn on a year to year basis. Supporters of uniform standards hope that raising academic bar will bring consistency to varying state standards, especially for states who have lowered standards to meet the expectations of the No Child Left Behind law. The proposal has been widely endorsed by education unions, several businesses and education groups.

Are Teacher Layoffs Necessary for Reform?
(USA Today,March 9th) After a low performing Rhode Island school district fired its entire high-school teaching staff earlier this year, questions began to circle the risk of the district’s action. In spite of such concerns, President Barrack Obama was quick to endorse the layoffs, commending the intervention as an action for students’ wellbeing. When Education Secretary Arne Duncan released a list of 5,000 under performing institutions earlier this month, schools nation wide began to propose similar layoffs. Since then the debate about teacher layoffs and reform has grown in intensity.

Department of Education to Increase Civil Rights Effort
(USA Today, March 8th) The Department of Education wants to increase their civil rights effort in classrooms nationwide. On Monday Education Secretary Arne Duncan outlined the department’s expectations. In spite of the nation’s progress there are still barriers to equal education opportunities, said Duncan. The department will conduct several compliance reviews in order to ensure that progress continues to be made.

Non-Profit Coalition Hopes to Overhaul Detroit Schools
(Education Week, March 11th) A coalition of non-profits has proposed a 20 year $200 million dollar plan to overhaul the Detroit public school system. Under the proposal control of the district would fall to the city’s mayor who would work in partnership with the coalition. The program would be funded by several grants including donations from Skillman, Kresge, W.K. Kellogg, and Eli and Edythe Broad foundations, and the McGregor Fund. The coalition hopes to make Detriot the first major U.S city with a graduation of ninety percent.

Texas Curriculum Could Influence Other Schools
(USA Today, March 10th) Texas’ education board is set to vote on a new social studies curriculum that could impact classrooms across the country. The socially conservative board has advised curriculum changes that include Christian influences on the nation’s founding fathers. Because Texas is one of textbook publisher’s largest clients, such curriculum changes could affect textbook content nationwide.

Washington Passes New Reforms
(Education Week, March 11th) Washington state lawmakers have passed several reforms designed to help the state compete for the Race to the Top grant program. The reforms will allow the state to intervene in low performing schools, change the way teachers and principals will be evaluated and create smaller early childhood classrooms. Critics of the legislation say that the state does not have the funding necessary for such widespread reform.

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