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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Duncan Emphasizes Teacher Quality Over Class Sizes – SchoolBook

Duncan Emphasizes Teacher Quality Over Class Sizes – SchoolBook:


Duncan Emphasizes Teacher Quality Over Class Sizes

When asked to rank the importance of class size among criteria for improving education, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan put it behind teacher quality although he said “in an ideal world” class sizes would be smaller.
“I have yet to go to a great school that doesn’t have a great principal; you need a great teacher in every single classroom,” Duncan said during a tour of Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-Tech) in Brooklyn.
In the final presidential debate before next month’s election, President Obama said to Governor Romney, “When you were asked about reduced class sizes, you said class sizes don’t make a difference. But I tell you, if you


Feds Say City Submitted False Counseling Claims

The city’s Department of Education falsely billed the federal Medicaid system for almost $700,000 in counseling services for low-income pupils with special needs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn.
The complaint from the Eastern District says the reimbursement requests were submitted between 2001 and 2004. During that time period, the Medicaid program paid $223 per month for each student who received two or more services in the month. The costs were shared by the state and federal governments. But the complaint alleges the city falsely claimed to have provided thousands of students with many more sessions than they actually received, in order to receive the maximum reimbursements.
A social worker, Dana Ohlmeyer, who provides psychological services to emotionally disturbed elementary and