L.A. school board runoff grows expensive and contentious LAT: The race for the last available Los Angeles school board seat has turned both expensive, with almost $3 million spent in all... Duncan Denies Kansas' AYP WaiverEdWeek: While Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been issuing a ton of waivers from No Child Left Behind requirements, he's stopping short of offering the big one... Developments on 'Effectiveness' Materialize in Texas, Illinois EdWeek: In adopting the system, which is scheduled go into affect for the upcoming school year, Houston officially becomes the largest school district to use a "value added" method in teacher evaluations... Teachers at Cape charter to unionize Boston Globe: Teachers at a Cape Cod charter school [are] the second independently run charter school in Massachusetts to take the step, union officials announced yesterday. Appreciation Week Brings Little Cheer To Teachers NPR: May is the month when teachers win awards and have their appreciation week, but tight budgets and campaigns against public employees have lots of teachers feeling anything but appreciated... PETA pushes for anti-dissection ads in Pa. school AP: A national animal rights group has offered a cash-strapped school district an undisclosed amount of money if it allows ads in school promoting alternatives to animal dissection.... Ga. school system taken off probation, now stable AP: A Georgia school district that lost its accreditation due to its "dysfunctional" school board has been taken off probation by a national standards agency.... Fast-Tracking to Kindergarten? NYT: Enrichment programs like Kumon are gaining from, and generating, parental anxiety about what kind of preparation children need — and whether parents themselves have what it takes to provide it... Student Is Allowed to Attend Prom in Connecticut AP: James Tate was suspended for breaking school rules by the manner in which he asked a fellow student to be his date... Arne Duncan, Sidelined EdWeek: In case you haven't noticed, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been MIA from several recent events...
