U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is stepping down at the end of the year; John King, who used to run New York’s schools, will take over. Chalkbeat
This week, Duncan urged the country to redirect its prison spending toward paying teachers more. Politics K-12
A landmark study finds that the benefits of Tennessee’s expanded pre-kindergarten program fade over time — and might even negatively affect participants in the long term. Chalkbeat
Chicago revises four years of graduation rates downwards after an investigation reveals that the rates were inflated. WBEZ
As in many places, D.C. is increasing Advanced Placement courses in its schools, but students aren’t keeping pace. Greater Greater Ed
A Memphis teacher offers his local education policy predictions as he announces a break from blogging. Bluff City Ed
Aggressive lobbying has kept schools spending big on graphing calculators that are less powerful than the average smart phone. Mic
An update on the state of education reporting finds lots of promise in Chalkbeat’s model. Columbia Journalism Review
A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit engineered by StudentsFirst that sought to limit teachers unions’ ability to spend on political action. The Los Angeles Times
The father of a New York City student murdered in a housing project is working to steer young adults away from violence. The New Yorker
After years of smaller-is-better initiatives, efforts to improve high schools are no longer focusing on size. The Hechinger Report
A Florida county that started screening all students for giftedness finds it among non-white students who previously had not been identified as gifted. The Washington Post
A teacher notes that the same type of parents who opt their children out of tests also use the scores as arguments against integration. Critical Classrooms
The latest update on Finland’s superior schools: Children decide what they learn in kindergarten. The Atlantic
