Seeking Money, Texas Schools Turn to Advertisements

"Districts across Texas are selling advertisements on buses, athletic stadiums and other pieces of school property to help make up for some of the money lost through state budget cuts."

Record Decline in Spending by States, Cities, and School Districts

"States, cities and school districts trimmed spending at the end of 2011 by more than any time in a decade, a USA TODAY analysis finds."

US Economy Losing Competitive Edge: Survey

"The United States is becoming less economically competitive versus other nations, with political gridlock and a weak primary education system seen as the main drag, according to a survey released on Wednesday."

Bankrupt Schools: Studying on a Shoestring

"A financial crisis threatens to shut down schools in the middle of term."

The Value of Teachers

". . .a landmark new research paper underscores that the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime."

Districts Pay Less in Poor Schools, Report Says

"Tens of thousands of schools serving low-income students are being shortchanged because districts spend fewer state and local dollars on teacher salaries in those schools than on salaries in schools serving higher-income students."

Poverty Dominates Many School Districts: Census

"Nearly half of all children in America live in school districts with high levels of poverty, according to U.S. Census data released on Tuesday that pointed to financial traps many public schools are caught in."

The Problem With Paying Teachers Less

". . . when conservative thinkers at the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation issued a paper on Tuesday arguing not only that teachers are overpaid, but when you factor in pensions, health care and other benefits, that total compensation for teachers is 52% higher than fair market value, it was bound to be controversial."

An Outside-In Effort to Help Poor Students Achieve

"Promise' program tests premise that what happens outside class can help breed success."

Study: Largest U.S. Group of Poor Kids is Now Hispanic

"For the first time in U.S. history, the largest single group of poor children in any racial or ethnic category is Hispanic, according to a new survey."

Middle-Class Schools Miss the Mark

"Middle-class public schools educate the majority of U.S. students but pay lower teacher salaries, have larger class sizes and spend less per pupil than low-income and wealthy schools, according to a report to be issued Monday."

School Superintendent Gives Up $800,000 in Pay

"Powell's generosity is more than just a gesture in a region with some of the nation's highest rates of unemployment. As he prepares for retirement, he wants to ensure that his pet projects survive California budget cuts."

Teachers Furious Over Executives' Raises

"More than 1,000 Chicago school teachers protested mere hours before the Board of Education voted to raise administrators' salaries. Teacher were informed last week that the schools do not have the funds to cover their 4 percent raises."

NYC Mayor Bloomberg's Budget Would Cut 1 in 12 Teachers

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Friday unveiled a shrinking budget that would cut corners throughout New York City— from classrooms, where public school children stand to lose one out of 12 teachers. . ."

American Teachers Under Attack

"With state budgets buckling, American teachers are facing the erosion of tenure protection, employee benefits, and other job protections that they fought for and won years ago."

U.S. Is Urged to Raise Teachers’ Status

"To improve its public schools, the United States should raise the status of the teaching profession by recruiting more qualified candidates, training them better and paying them more, according to a new report on comparative educational systems."

Teachers Say They Often Feed Students Who Come to School Hungry

"Two-thirds of these teachers, grades kindergarten through eighth, say they have students in their classes who regularly come to school hungry because they aren't getting enough to eat at home, and 63% of the teachers say the problem increased this past year."

Michigan Approves Plan to Close Half of Detroit Schools

"In an effort to close a yawning budget deficit, Michigan has approved a proposal to drastically shrink Detroit's troubled school system over the next few years."

Education Funding Crisis

". . .40 states are coping with budget shortfalls totaling $140 billion, which will threaten America's 14,000 school districts for the next five years, one analyst said Thursday."

Schools Get Shortchanged in Federal Impact Aid

"The Lawton School District is among the more than 1,300 school systems nationwide eligible to receive Impact Aid, and among the majority that each year receives less aid than it qualifies for."