Local school districts and teachers' unions in New York will now officially be allowed to decide together how educators should be evaluated, with some oversight from the state Education Department, and no requirement that standardized tests must play a role. The turnabout reflects in part the rising power of the state's teachers' unions in Albany.

Applying concepts founded in technology to support language acquisition for English learners helps to integrate the technological part of STEM in the classroom, says Lori Menning, a consultant for Cooperative Educational Service Agency 6. Her presentation at FETC in Orlando, Fla., connected technologies with best practices developed through research and classroom experiences.

The Virginia House of Delegates voted last week to require public schools to make Election Day a school holiday. The bill is a safety measure aimed at keeping unknown people out of school buildings while children are present. Limiting public access to school premises while classes are in session only makes sense.

One North Dakota bill would have mandated school board members be randomly drug tested at least once a year during their term. The other would have made school boards create a drug testing policy for staff or those receiving remuneration for services provided to the school district.