Quick Hits (9.28.11)

Pay inequity in high-minority schools. Teachers who serve African-American and Latino students are often paid less than their peers – to the tune of $2,500, according to a federal analysis. “The analysis compared the salaries of teachers in schools with the top quintile of enrolled African-American and Latino students, to the average teacher salary in the district.” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan calls it “a civil rights issue, an economic security issue, and a moral issue.” (Teacher Beat)

And the winner is … . The Common Core State Standards were rewarded Monday with the “Game Changer of the Year” title from the Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network. The prize goes to the law or policy that does the most for reform. In its acceptance speech, the Standards thanked all 45 states and the District of Columbia, which have welcomed them with open arms. (PIE)

‘Time is the enemy.’ A new report out by Complete College America says the longer a student spends in college, the less likely he or she is to graduate. “The longer it takes, the more life gets in the way of success,” the report states. (New York Times)

We’re counting on you. President Barack Obama gave his annual back-to-school speech to the nation’s schoolchildren Wednesday, calling on them to pursue higher education. “Our country used to have the world’s highest proportion of young people with a college degree. Now we’re 16^th. That’s not good enough,” he said in prepared remarks. Schools – and some teachers – decided individually if they wanted to televise the event in class. (Politico)