Weekend Reads: Why playing the Powerball probably didn’t help schools

  • You didn’t win this week’s Powerball lottery? Neither did schools. International Business Times
  • The Ethicist absolves a parent of sending his son to the low-scoring school in his neighborhood. The New York Times
  • Another answer: Thinking only about your own child fuels inequity and so is ethically troubling. The Billfold
  • Responding to a sweeping teacher “sickout” over school conditions, Detroit’s mayor visited one crumbling building — and found a dead mouse. The Detroit News
  • Decrepit school facilities have a negative effect on student learning, according to studies. The 74 Million
  • The Common Core popped up in Thursday’s Republican presidential debate, with a half-truth from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Politics K-12
  • A Brit says he sees promise but not a panacea in England’s growing sector of charter-like schools. The Educated Reporter
  • Chicago is the latest city to get a study concluding that poor schools have more low-rated teachers. Catalyst
  • More than 100,000 students in New York City pass through metal detectors to get into school every day. ProPublica
  • Los Angeles finally names a new schools chief — a top official who prefers to take things slowly. Los Angeles Times
  • A new TV comedy gets rave reviews for breaking down stereotypes about middle-school teachers. Hollywood Reporter
  • President Obama says little about education in his final State of the Union address. Here’s a rundown. The Hechinger Report