Looking back at eight years of trying to influence education policy, Bill Gates said it’s been harder than he expected. But he isn’t giving up on investing in improving teacher quality. (Hechinger Report)
A new initiative at Harvard University aims to fix America’s “non system” of supporting quality teaching. (Teacher Beat)
A new study found that in 50 of the largest U.S. cities, fewer than 1 in 3 students take either the ACT or the SAT, which most colleges require for admission. (NPR Ed)
One of the central promises of the Common Core — that families and policymakers could compare how students are doing across states because they use the same standards and tests — could be unraveling as Ohio officials opt to interpret their test results differently than other places. (Washington Post)
Schools might worsen racial and economic achievement gaps in math, two new studies said. (EdWeek)
Teachers at a California charter school dreamed up a tool to let them customize the day for individual students. Facebook helped them build it — and now is taking it national. (Hechinger Report)
Encouraged by his teachers, a black teen from West Baltimore is hoping his creative efforts will help redefine the neighborhood beyond images of violence and poverty. (The Atlantic)
Thousands of district teacher jobs that would be lost are becoming a political issue in the debate over a massive charter expansion proposal there. (L.A. Times)
A Florida school district is settling a lawsuit with the families of three students who died within months of each other after their high school principal hypnotized them. (Slate)
A special education teacher shares her experience working to meet her own son’s special needs. (The Mighty)
From New York City, a primer for parents about classes that mix students with and without disabilities. (Insideschools)
Incoming education secretary John King has neither the carrots nor the sticks that his predecessor, Arne Duncan, wielded. (Politics K-12)
A look at King’s recent efforts to push New York schools to integrate reveals the depth of his challenges ahead. (Chalkbeat)
A parent exhorts his peers: Ask not what a school can do for your own child. Ask what it can do for all children. (Notebook)
