Students Call For Action! Save Our Schools

Students Call For Action!:

Students Call For Action!

by Server

Students call for action!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 14th, 2013
WHAT: Students standing up for our education
WHERE: West Steps of the Colorado State Capitol
TIME: 11:00 AM to 3:00PM

Students call for action!

To Download Flyer Walkout In-Between Tests Action Flyer
On February 23rd, students gathered to discuss what is wrong with the current education system and how they could get their voices heard. From there, the students developed an action plan to have their voices heard.
We, the students, are standing up for our education. We no longer want to be part of the cookie-cutter system where everyone is taught the same and forced to take a standardized test that we memorize answers to, making us products of the public education assembly line.
In the past few years, the Colorado State Legislature has passed bills to change how our schools are evaluated. In result, schools have been labeled “Turnaround status” or have been shut down. Students have been confined to their desks to learn certain knowledge for the sake of the test, while putting aside classes for life-skills.
Teachers have to comply to the standardized test instead of teaching real-world experiences because if the school has low test scores it could result in them getting fired or their school shutting down. Starting next year, teacher salaries will be tied into students’ results on the TCAP.
March 14th is Defend Public Education Day. Students will participate by walking out of their classes or test on this day to make a stance and get their voices heard. Students will be gathering on the west steps of the Colorado Capitol to begin a peaceful protest to defend our education and ask for a better one. We believe that education should be a democracy not a dictatorship.
We encourage all students, parents, teachers, and citizens to join us as students stand up for our education. This will be the start of a revolutionary time where students will have a say in their educational rights.
For more information:
Alex Kacsh
akacsh@students4ourschools.org
720.232.1918
Bailey Lammon
brlammon@students4ourschools.org
719.440.2388

From Seattle to Chicago; The Case Against High Stakes Testing

by Server

From Seattle to Chicago; The Case Against High Stakes Testing

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 7:00 PM
Mount Carmel MB Church
2976 South Wabash Avenue
With Jesse Hagopian, teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle and leader of MAP test boycott and Karen Lewis, Chicago Teachers Union president
The well-publicized efforts of teachers, parents and students in Seattle in boycotting the MAP test there has brought the issue of the overuse and misuse of high stakes standardized testing to the national stage.
Join teachers, parents and students to understand the role high stakes testing is playing in undermining great teaching and learning in our schools.
Test scores are a key component of school rankings and closings, student tracking and promotion, principal evaluations, teacher evaluations, and all too often result in a limited and narrow curriculum in our classrooms. Tests unfairly discriminate against schools with low income students, students of color and students with disabilities.
We will discuss the many options for becoming involved in the growing movement against excessive standardized testing in our schools.
Download a printable flyer here: http://bit.ly/Yl1Jvg
Childcare will be provided
Sponsored by
More Than A Score
Chicago Teachers Union
CReATE
www.morethanascorechicago.org

Occupy DOE 2.0: The Battle for Public Education

by Server

Occupy DOE 2.0: The Battle for Public Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: United Opt Out National
Email: unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com 
Website: http://unitedoptout.com

OCCUPY THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2.0

The Battle for Public Schools
Administrators of the public education advocacy group UNITED OPT OUT NATIONAL are hosting the second annual event on the grounds of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC on April 4-7, 2013. We ask all of those in support of teachers, students and public schools to attend. The third day will include an organized march to the White House.
The event is a four-day gathering of progressive education activists endeavoring to resist the destructive influences of corporate and for-profit education reforms, which began in previous administrations and persist with the current one. We cannot and will not stand silent as the threats to dismantle our system of public education continue. These threats include the erosion of the teaching profession, excessive use of standardized testing, mandated scripted curriculum, the absolute disregard of child poverty, and reforms which disproportionately impact minority communities.
We ask that you join us, stand tall, and meet your responsibility as citizens to be heard above the din corporate influence. You will have the opportunity to hear speakers and converse with public school advocates from across the country, including Diane Ravitch, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, Stephen Krashen, Brian Jones, Deborah Meier, and many other students, teachers, and community members (visit the link below for full schedule details1).
Do not miss this free and unique opportunity to connect with like-minded public school advocates. Come gather information and strategies that can be used to fight corporate education reform in your own community. Join us and make your voice heard.

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If you require more information about the event, or to schedule interviews with the Administrators of United Opt Out National, please contact Peggy Robertson at (720) 810-5593 or via email writepeg@juno.com.

Dr. Raynard Sanders; Imperative Radio Introduces Save Our Schools

by Server

Dr. Raynard Sanders, Imperative Radio Introduces Save Our Schools

New Orleans Imperative 2 25 13
The New Orleans Imperative, which began broadcasting in March 2009, focuses on public education in New Orleans. It airs every Monday at 10:00 AM CST
Bess Altwedger and David Greene of Save Our Schools discusses the organization’s mission and concerns about the present state of public education. Save Our Schools is a national organization dedicated to public education as the cornerstone of a democratic society who are committed to education policy and actions shaped by diverse voices.
To Listen to The Show… New Orleans Imperative 2 25 13 Rebroadcast

Popout

Original audio source (new-orleans-imperative-2-25-13.mp3)

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee : Not all charters created equal | UTSanDiego.com

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee : Not all charters created equal | UTSanDiego.com:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee : Not all charters created equal

SAN DIEGO — Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., brought her controversial brand of reform to San Diego on Wednesday when she was featured as the keynote speaker at the California Charter Schools conference at the convention center.

Rhee is a champion of the school choice movement because she said it often gives options to students who are otherwise trapped into attending bad neighborhood schools.

Michelle Rhee

Although many charter organizers see her as the unofficial spokeswoman for their cause, Rhee said many are surprised to learn she wants to shut some of them down for poor performance or mediocrity.

Charters “want me to advocate for them,” Rhee told the U-T San Diego editorial board before delivering her speech Wednesday. “When we talk about charter accountability, they get a little squeamish.”

Charters are independently operated publicly funded schools that are 

UPDATE: Missouri Education Watchdog: MO Department of Revenue Gathering/Storing Biometric Data. Is DESE gathering Data on Students?

Missouri Education Watchdog: MO Department of Revenue Gathering/Storing Biometric Data. Is DESE gathering Data on Students?:

House Bill 616 Voted Out Of Committee

by Anngie

Representative Kurt Bahr's  house bill 616 was voted out of the Downsizing State Government Committee 7:5 today along party lines. HB616 requires the state to stop implementation of Common Core Standards and Assessments.

Parents, principals and teachers continue, as they learn more about the full scope of the Common Core initiative, to join the ranks of supporters of the Missouri Coalition Against Common Core. The slick marketing of this initiative to teachers and administrators over the last twelve months, paid for heavily by the Gates Foundation,  cannot overcome the deeply worrisome aspects of cost, loss of control and intrusive data collection on our children.

Many veteran teachers are all too familiar with the constructivist approach to teaching math inherent with CC and know that it does not work for a significant portion of students. Higher education teachers know that it will leave those unable to afford supplemental math enrichment in k-12 without the math skills necessary to complete college degree programs that rely heavily on mathematics like engineering without paying for extra math courses in college. Those in the language arts reject the heavy emphasis on informational text reading and analysis 

MO Department of Revenue Gathering/Storing Biometric Data. Is DESE gathering Data on Students?

by stlgretchen

Citizens are concerned with the Department of Revenue in Missouri and the recent discovery of secret data mining of their information when they renew their driver's license.  From The Dana Show andEXCLUSIVE: DHS Plans Backdoor Gun Registration? *UPDATES:

This from concerned citizen Eric Griffin and Missouri’s Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.  Department of Revenue is working with the Department of Homeland Security to install new hard and software to obtain data on Missouri citizens and transfer this information to DHS and unnamed third parties, says Kinder. Kinder and the Stoddard County Prosecutor today took legal action and held a press conference outlining the infringement on civil liberties as posted by the DoR and DHS. The move by the departments is related to the Real ID.

Griffin went to renew his driver’s license and was disturbed by how, and with whom, his 

NYC Educator: State of the State Education Funding.

NYC Educator: State of the State Education Funding.:

State of the State Education Funding.

by NYC Educator

Hi, I'm student lobbyist Governor Andrew Cuomo. Now I've been getting a little bit of a bad rap in the press lately because I took 240 million dollars away from New York City schoolchildren. But I did it for a good cause. The city and the UFT couldn't agree on an evaluation system, and someone must pay. As student lobbyist, it's my job to defend the children. That's why I'm making them pay.

I mean, honestly, they're city kids. They can't afford private schools and they won't notice if there a a few teachers missing. I mean, New York City already has 34 kids in a class, so if it goes up to 36 or 37, what's the dif?

And honestly, if the city pays a few less teachers, there will be more money for tax cuts for my buds. These are the kind of folks who will really notice if they have less money. Do you know how much it costs to maintain a yacht these days? Be thankful you don't have to fret over such things. That's why I took a principled stand against the millionaire tax, and a whole bunch of cash from the folks whose taxes I cut.

Now let's be frank. Sure I took the money from those kids, and sure I will fight like hell to keep from giving it back. 

Suspending some standardized tests could save state $15 million - latimes.com

Suspending some standardized tests could save state $15 million - latimes.com:

Suspending some standardized tests could save state $15 million

A plan to suspend California’s standardized testing for certain grades while new computerized exams are developed could save $15 million, the state’s top education official said Wednesday.
State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recommended to the state Board of Education that the savings be used instead to develop higher-quality tests linked to new uniform but voluntary academic standards. They have been adopted by 45 states, including California, which plans to roll them out in the 2014-15 school year.
The new standards are aimed at fostering more critical thinking, sophisticated writing and other higher-level skills.
“Rather than continuing to spend scarce dollars and precious class time on outdated testing, we can invest these resources in developing the next generation of assessments that will help students focus on critical 

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: Math Fail #1

Jersey Jazzman: NJ Teacher Evaluation: Math Fail #1:

NJ Teacher Evaluation: Math Fail #1

by Duke

Do the Broad-funded interns at the New Jersey Department of Education understand math?

I ask because their disastrous teacher evaluation proposals, announced with great fanfare last week, betray an embarrassing misunderstanding of the fundamentals of mathematics. It will take a few posts to catalog them all, but let's start with this:

A large portion of a "tested" teacher's evaluation will now include a metric called a "Median Student Growth Percentile," or mSGP. In a previous post, I showed how SGPs are woefully inappropriate for use in teacher evaluation, because they are purely descriptive measures: they do not measure how a teacher contributes to student learning.

But even if we put aside the problems of SGPs, there are still obvious problems with mSGPs; obvious, that is, to anyone with a basic understanding of the difference between a median and a mean.

The Educated Reporter: Is There Really a Shortage of STEM Teachers?

The Educated Reporter: Is There Really a Shortage of STEM Teachers?:

Is There Really a Shortage of STEM Teachers?

by Emily Richmond

EWA recently held a one-day seminar focused on STEM education at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. We invited some of the journalists attending to contribute blog posts from the sessions. Today's entry is from reporter Zachary Reid of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. You can find additional resources from the seminar, including materials from many of the presenters, here.

Session: Recruiting and Training STEM Teachers
Teachers with the background and skills to teach science and math effectively are often among the most difficult for schools to recruit and retain. This session examines several initiatives that intend to address this challenge.

Participants: Dale Mezzacappa, Contributing Editor, Philadelphia Public School Notebook (moderator)

• Richard Ingersoll, Professor of Education and Sociology, Board of Overseers Chair of Education, University of Pennsylvania 
• Michael Lach, Director, STEM Policy and Strategic Initiatives, University of Chicago

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A regional war over school funding in IL

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: A regional war over school funding in IL:

A regional war over school funding in IL

by Mike Klonsky

"We're not here to ignite a regional war over school funding fairness. And we certainly recognize the very real challenges every school district in Illinois is facing."  -- Republican Senator Christine Radogno

Yes they are. No they don't.

IL leads nation in cuts to education

As Gov. Quinn and the Democrats cut more than $300 million from the state's education budget, Republicans are claiming that Chicago's children are getting too big a share of that funding.  Radogno and the GOP claim is that Chicago is getting "a free lunch" based on the distribution of state poverty funds which naturally flow in greater proportion to Chicago rather than down-state or suburban schools.

Both parties link their attacks on public school funding to retiree pensions. Quinn, who would gladly stick it to the states elderly and infirm before 

EVER WONDER WHY UTLA DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT TEACHERS? WHY NOT POSE THAT QUESTION TO UTLA'S DISBARRED CARL JOSEPH - Perdaily.com

EVER WONDER WHY UTLA DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT TEACHERS? WHY NOT POSE THAT QUESTION TO UTLA'S DISBARRED CARL JOSEPH - Perdaily.com:

EVER WONDER WHY UTLA DOES NOTHING TO PROTECT TEACHERS? WHY NOT POSE THAT QUESTION TO UTLA'S DISBARRED CARL JOSEPH

by Leonard Isenberg

(Mensaje se repite en Español)

There is an eerie similarity between how the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) are run. Both leaderships are populated by refugees from the untenable classroom, who have sought upward mobility by getting as far away from a classroom as possible. In addition, there is another similarity: Both LAUSD and UTLA have leaderships that are at the mercy of entrenched bureaucracies that 

Special Late Nite Cap UPDATE 3-13-13 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Nite Cap UPDATE

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

CORPORATE ED REFORM

John Legend and the Well-Meaning Corporatists

by Jose Vilson

Davis Guggenheim, John Legend, Michelle Rhee

Last Wednesday, Huffington Post Education’s Twitter feed tweeted this out:

John Legend: out to save schools? huff.to/14pCkEs
— HuffPostEducation (@HuffPostEdu) March 7, 2013

In the pithiest attempt at a response, I said “From what?”
After a more thorough read on all the school board races around the country, I noticed a disturbing trend of pundits funding their favorite candidates in influential districts. Places like Chicago, West Sacramento, and Los Angeles started getting funding from people like Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee, and, yes, John Legend.
John Legend’s presence in this debate particularly disturbs me because of the allure and seduction of having a 

Connecting the Dots on Equity

by Lisa Hansel

As a young child, I loved those connect-the-dots coloring books. Searching for the next number was sometimes tough (but not too tough) and it was fun to watch the picture emerge from what was, just a few minutes before, a messy array dots. I’ve been thinking of that a lot recently as I’ve read, and [...]

Senate Bills 35 and 1 may be voted on in the Illinois Senate. Call NOW!

by Fred Klonsky

Read John Dillon’s blog post. And Glen Brown’s. They’re linked right down on the right column of this blog.
Then call your State Senator. Tell them no way.
In fact, call first. Then read.
Action time folks.
Get off the Internet and pick up the phone.

Teacher remixed: 5 ways to change our profession

by Chad Sansing

[Author's note: originally posted on Classroots.org.]

Maker @timmmyboy With More Pompadour Cc @drgarcia @leelzebub by giulia.forsythe

I am keenly missing the #dml2013 fellowship this week. While I’m not quite writing Ignite talks that will never be heard (or drawing sad-face slides), sniffle, I am thinking a lot about how public school teachers, in particular, can make it safe for kids to participate meaningfully in their own educations. As I look forward to the videos of this year’s Ignite talks, I am also thinking back to last year’s talks. Specifically, I’m thinking of Nishant Shah’sfantastic talk on remix. (Harlem Shake = aura remix?)
As #DML2013 looks toward democratic futures, I look for democratic education and a remix of what it means to be a teacher – a remix that is a return (as Nishant might say) to the essence of teaching and learning both at 

Update on Student Data Mining and Privacy Issues

by stlgretchen

From Mark Garrison in DataGate Update: Press Conference on Student Privacy:

There will be a press conference regarding growing concerns about student privacy this Thursday. Background to the issue can be found here, in addition to my recent post opposing the initiative.

It appears the New York State Department of Education will be issuing a “field memo” regarding the issue to school personal throughout New York State in the near future, likely in response to growing public concern, a concern that seems to be at least in part a result of growing opposition to the anti-public school reform movement (even more testing, more corporate charters, more 

DFER lies about Garfield - Substance News

DFER lies about Garfield - Substance News:

MEDIA WATCH: DFER pushes slick attacks against Garfield High MAP boycott -- penned by a 'fourth grade teacher' (charter school variety) who is now a DFER 'policy analyst'

George N. Schmidt - March 09, 2013

Back in the days before the movement against using body counts for "assessments" became stronger in Chicago (and across the USA), the late Jerry Bracey (whose books everyone should get and read before they go out of print forever) devoted an annual column in the Phi Delta Kappan to what he called the "Rotten Apple Awards." The "Rotten Apples" were awarded to the hacks and flacks who pushed corporate test-based "school reform" with the most mendacious vigor. In order to award the "Rotten Apples," of course, Jerry had to read what the Rotters wrote.

By the early 21st Century, the Phi Delta Kappan had been purchased, effectively, by the Broad Foundation, as Susan Ohanian, Jerry, and I reported at various points. (They didn't buy PDK outright; they just gave so much money to it that PDK effectively became just another mouthpiece for corporate test-based so-called "reform"). Suddenly, Bracey was told that the "Rotten Apples" would no longer be published in the PDK. For a time, the PDK continued publishing Bracey's annual "Bracey Report," but the "Rotten Apples" wound up being published after that in Substance.

The sellout by the editors of the PDK, like that by so many others in charge of the professional associations and journals 

Teaching Eight-Year-Olds to Sound Like Bankers Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

Common Core [sic] Standards (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):

Teaching Eight-Year-Olds to Sound Like Bankers by Susan Ohanian 

AFT Share My Lesson Common Core fulfillment mania strikes again, with a lesson on informative/expository writing (free registration required) that tries to make eight-year-olds sound like bankers. Warning: They may forever lose their voices in the process. We're told that this lesson satisfies this Common Core Standard: 

Students will be able to: Core Standard W.3.2b: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. Core Standard W.3.2c: Use linking words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information. 

There's a handout where kids can check off that they have used these words (Tell students that linking/transition words can be used to tie all their paragraphs 

How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community | Scathing Purple Musings

How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community | Scathing Purple Musings:

How Parent Trigger Brought Chaos and Divided a California Community

by Bob Sikes

Jeb Bush’s foundation paraded the professional organizers of Parent Revolution around the legislature this time last year to promote Parent Trigger. The California charter school-funded group got to spin their version of events in the two Parent Trigger fights in their state. They eventually prevailed in Adelanto, but at a cost Florida’s republican legislators and Bush’s foundations don’t folks to know about. Carlos Mendoza was chairman of the school board which was tasked with dealing with the signature application. He has given his blessing for me to use the comment he left in Gina Jordan’s StateImpact’s story on this year’s battle in Florida:

How quickly we forget. Parent trigger laws are not what you think. In Adelanto, parents wanted to remove their names from the petition because they felt mislead by the signature process strategy of signing two petitions. I was the board president when Parent Revolution – a lobbyist group – successfully bullied our small district in California with lawsuits to implement the Parent Trigger 

$15 Million Saved from Testing Suspension - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education)

$15 Million Saved from Testing Suspension - Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Projects Savings of More Than $15 Million from Testing Suspension Proposal

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson projected today that his recommendation to suspend standardized tests not required by the federal government starting next year would save more than $15 million, and called for the savings to be used to develop new high-quality assessments.

"Rather than continuing to spend scarce dollars and precious class time on outdated testing, we can invest these resources in developing the next generation of assessments that will help students focus on critical thinking and problem-solving— the skills they will need in college and their careers," Torlakson said.

The estimated savings and a summary of the state's current assessment system were detailed in a presentation today to the State Board of Education. The savings are broken down into contract savings and non-contract savings:

• Some $11,347,000 represents a reduction in contract costs and could be used for planning and facilitation of the transition to new assessments, and to further the development and/or acquisition of new assessments, particularly in mathematics and science.
• The remaining $3,750,000 represents a reduction in apportionments to local districts. These are local reimbursements that occur after the testing is completed.

Torlakson is sponsoring Assembly Bill 484 (Bonilla), which would enact his recommendations for transitioning California's schools to a new assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards. 

"These new assessments will provide our schools with a way to measure how ready students are for the challenges of a changing world," Torlakson said. "That's why, despite the budget and other challenges, California must move forward now so that all children—no matter where they come from or where they live—receive a world-class education."

The assessments proposed for suspension do not include those that are specifically mandated by the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act or used for the Early Assessment Program. This would suspend Standardized Testing and Reporting Program's (STAR) testing of second graders and end-of-course exams at the high school level.

The list of assessments proposed for suspension is attached. 

Torlakson's proposal is one of 12 that were in his January report to the Governor and Legislature—Recommendations for Transitioning California to a Future Assessment System—that would fundamentally change the state's student assessment system, replacing the paper-and-pencil based STAR Program assessments with computerized assessments developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium starting in the 2014‒15 school year. The state's existing STAR Program assessments are scheduled to sunset July 1, 2014.

Recommendations for Transitioning California to a Future Assessment System can be found on the Statewide Pupil Assessment System Web page. More information on California's efforts to implement the Common Core State Standards can be found on the California Department of Education's Common Core State Standards Web page.

Attachment:

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
Assessments that would be suspended during the 2013-14 school year 

(Not Required for Elementary and Secondary Education Act or Early Assessment Program)

Grade-Level Assessments

• Grade 2 ELA and Mathematics (CST and CAPA). 
• Grade 8 History–Social Science (CST). 
• Grade 9 ELA (CST, CMA, and CAPA). 
• Grade 9 Math (CAPA). 
• Grade 10 ELA (CST and CMA). 
• Grade 11 U.S. History (CST). 
• Grade 11 ELA (CMA and CAPA). 
• Grade 11 Math (CAPA). 
• Grade 2–11 Reading/Language Arts (STS). 
• Grade 2–7 Mathematics (STS).

End-of-Course Assessments 

Algebra I (CST and CMA) (for grades 9-11).
Algebra II (CST) (for grades 9-10).
General Mathematics (CST) (grade 9).
High School Summative Math (CST) (for grades 9-10).
Geometry (CST and CMA) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 1 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 2 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Integrated Mathematics 3 (CST) (for grades 9-11).
Biology (CST).
Chemistry (CST).
Earth Science (CST).
Physics (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 1 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 2 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 3 (CST).
Integrated/Coordinated Science 4 (CST).
World History (CST).
Algebra I (STS).
Geometry (STS). 

Notes: 

EAP: Early Assessment Program.
ELA: English-Language Arts.
CAPA: California Alternate Performance Assessment.
CMA: California Modified Assessment.
CST: California Standards Test.
STS: Standards-based Tests in Spanish.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Pass / Fail : States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students | 89.3 KPCC:

States to consider financial literacy requirements for K-12 students

by Vanessa Romo

Credit: Photo by 401K via Flickr Creative Commons
Schools have long tried to impart money management skills to students through a variety of programs: elective classes in partnership with banks and nonprofit groups, after-school programs that teach economic basics and “life-skills” to round out a student’s academic education.
Now a nonprofit promoting financial education, the Council for Economic Education, will be unveiling financial literacy standards next month, pegged to "financial literacy" month. They establish benchmarks for what kids show know about money by the end of 4th, 8th and 12th grade.  The group said it will be going state by state to get them implemented.
The lessons include:

• Earning income: Not just collecting a paycheck, but also collecting rent, stock dividends and interest on bonds. It also includes a discussion of the labor market and how education may lead to higher wages.
• Buying goods and services: How to plan, compare, budget and making choices in the marketplace.