“Literally taking food out of the mouths of kids.” Several California school districts have spent nearly $170 million intended for free or reduced-price lunches on other school expenses, like sprinkler systems and trash removal. The misuse of funds, according to the legislative oversight report, has meant that eligible students have been denied the reduced-price lunch program. (San Francisco CContinue Reading »

Reforming student aid. A lengthy policy brief released today outlines more than 30 recommendations for reforming the federal student financial aid system, including the elimination of tuition tax breaks—something Education Sector talked about last year. (New America Foundation)

Next to the hall pass. A two-year battle over bathroom vandalism at this Pennsylvania high school now means allContinue Reading »

No more forgotten lunch money. Students in one Florida school district pay for school lunches by scanning their palms, which are linked to their accounts. (USA Today)

Can creativity be taught? Respondents to a new survey say yes. And NASA arguably thinks so; the company hosts a monthly class for its employees aimed at boosting creativity. (The Daily Press)

Arne Duncan as SecretaryContinue Reading »

Looking for other sources. Kentucky education officials have created an independent foundation, called the Fund for Transforming Education in Kentucky, that will help raise money for school districts. (WFPL News)

Transparency in financial aid. Examples of students’ financial aid letters illustrate the inconsistencies and confusion that often trouble prospective loan borrowers. (ProPublicContinue Reading »

Accountability in school leadership. A new report encourages school principal reform by linking performance data to preparation programs and tracking trends that will better target professional development. (Center on Reinventing Public Education)

You decide who’s right. A tough review of last month’s widely cited Brookings Institution report on the effect of school vouchers on college eContinue Reading »

Devastating profits. Slate’s Matthew Yglesias says MOOCs threaten the very business model of traditional colleges: “The problem isn’t offering a higher quality product than what MOOCs offer, but how you pay for that stuff when the high margin low quality stuff gets competed away?” (Slate)

Killing two birds with one stone. A growing number of Ohio schools are taking a novel approach to acContinue Reading »

Can educators assess student performance in art, music, and physical education? Leaders in a Colorado district think so. (Slate)

“No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.” What other school-related songs would you add to this list? (Schools of Thought/CNN)

Big investment. New figures show that raising a kid tops $234,000 these days—and that’s before college tContinue Reading »

Mrs. Q unveils her identity. The Chicago educator who, last year, set off on a quest to buy school lunches, photograph them and blog about the quality — or lack thereof – daily, revealed her identity today via newspaper articles and an appearance on Good Morning America. The author of the “Fed up with lunch” blog had good reason: she released a book with the same name. (Chicago TribContinue Reading »

Free school lunch—even in the summer. Elementary schools in Florida, with funding from a federal Summer Food Service Program for Children grant, are serving free lunches to children without qualifying them based on family income. Taylor community schools have fed as many as 170 children in a day. (Kokomo Tribune)

NYC judge rules not to block school closures. The Manhattan Supreme Court dContinue Reading »

The Everything-BUT-Race-to-the-Top Edition:

What’s for lunch? The School Lunch bill gets slimmed down in the Senate. (New York Times)

Should school leaders use social media to listen—even to people who AREN’T USING THEIR INSIDE VOICES? (AASA)

In tough budget times, is there a better way to lay off teachers? (The New Teacher Project)

Could these “power sContinue Reading »