This year marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The law fundamentally changed the way students with disabilities are educated in America, and the way states fund their K12 education programs. IDEA requires the federal government to provide 40 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in […]

Joseph Davis was named superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant School District in Missouri in February. He is currently the superintendent of Washington County Schools in rural Plymouth, North Carolina. Davis will be the second African-American superintendent in Ferguson-Florissant, which came into the national spotlight after the shooting of teenager Michael Brown. The district is in danger […]

You think math and English have high standards? Try the arts. The National Core Arts Standardswere released in October. They update the initial standards released in 1994, which included instructional guidelines for dance, music, theater and visual arts. The new standards add media arts such as animation, film, gaming and computer design. They emphasize developing […]

Education advocacy group ASCD is calling for a two-year moratorium on using standardized test results for teacher or school evaluations. The move represents a growing push nationally to cut back on testing and limit its use as an accountability measure because it may not accurately reflect a teacher's classroom performance. "We're not saying Á¢†˜Don't test,' […]