Gates Foundation Gives $335M for Teacher Quality

"Three school districts and a coalition of charter schools have agreed to be test kitchens for some radical ideas for improving teacher quality — from paying new teachers to spend another year practicing before getting their own class to letting student test scores affect teacher pay. In exchange, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is handing them the biggest pile of cash it has spent on education reform in about a decade."

Teacher Shortage Has Given Way to Teacher Glut

"Since last fall, school systems, state education agencies, technical schools and colleges have shed about 125,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the same time, many teachers who had planned to retire or switch jobs are staying on because of the recession, and many people who have been laid off in other fields are trying to carve out second careers as teachers or applying to work as substitutes to make ends meet."

Physical Education Helps Curb Teen Obesity

"U.S. researchers say regular physical education helps curb obesity in teens from low-income homes."

Racial Achievement Gap Still Plagues Schools

"American schools have struggled for decades to close what's called the 'minority achievement gap' — the lower average test scores, grades and college attendance rates among black and Latino students."

Obama Offers States Rewards For Overhauling Schools

"The Obama administration will soon be awarding billions of dollars in education grants to help local school districts raise the bar on student achievement. In order to qualify for the money, schools may have to grade not only students, but also teachers."

Study: Texas' Teacher Merit Pay Program Hasn't Boosted Student Performance

"For the $300 million spent on merit pay for teachers over the last three years, Texas was hoping for a big boost in student achievement. But it didn't happen with the now-defunct program, according to experts hired by the state."

Report: States Set Low Bar for Student Achievement

"Many states declare students to have grade-level mastery of reading and math when they do not, the Education Department reported Thursday. The agency compared state achievement standards to the more challenging standards behind the federally funded National Assessment of Educational Progress."

More Districts Use Income, Not Race, as Basis for Busing

"Struggling to improve schools that have large populations of poor and minority students and under legal pressure to avoid racial busing, a small but growing group of school districts are integrating schools by income."

Schools' Zero-Tolerance Policies Tested

"Parents and elected officials across the USA are demanding that schools slacken zero-tolerance policies that are meant to reduce violence because strict adherence has lead to some students being forced out of school for bringing items such as eyebrow trimmers and a Cub Scout's camping tool to campus."