Education

Secretary Spellings announced the release of non-regulatory guidance to implement a uniform and accurate measure of the high school graduation rate that is comparable across States. The uniform high school graduation rate is a critical step toward improving high school accountability.

Notices inviting applications have been issued recently under ED programs that include the following: Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program, Field Initiated (FI) Projects, and Research Fellowships Program.

Secretary Spelling made the following statement regarding the nomination of Arne Duncan as U.S. Secretary of Education: Arne Duncan is a visionary leader and fellow reformer who cares deeply about students. As the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Arne has advanced policies to hold schools accountable for providing all our nation's students.

As Americans prepare for a change in government, one thing that must not change is the remarkable progress being made by our nation's schools. Schools are expecting more from students. And our students are meeting the challenge.

Secretary Spellings visited Westcott Elementary School in Chicago and delivered remarks on No Child Left Behind and the importance of rewarding effective educators during an award ceremony for selected Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers and principals. Secretary Spellings joined CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley for the event.

Invites you to test your knowledge against students nationally and around the world. Pick a grade and subject: civics, economics, geography, history, math, or science. (Department of Education)

It may be harder for charter schools to get approval in Florida after an appellate court decision last week.

The fourth annual report by a charter school research project concludes that charters are “more different than alike”—in the populations they serve, their academic missions and results, and their responses to local needs and capacity.

A report by a charter-advocacy group outlines steps to recruit and prepare the next generation of leaders for the autonomous public schools.

A new report highlights the role of magnet schools in providing public school choice, and compares characteristics of students in those schools with those of students in the fast-growing charter school sector.

Following the tragic April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, the Department published final regulations to clarify and give schools greater flexibility in making determinations about disclosures of information from students' education records in order to address threats to the health or safety of students or other individuals.

Secretary Spellings delivered remarks on No Child Left Behind and the importance of closing the achievement gap in the U.S. at the All Stars Helping Kids 2nd Annual Sports, Business, and Philanthropy luncheon today at the Sports Museum of America in New York City.

Deputy Secretary Simon visited W.W. Ashurst Elementary School on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Va. today to recognize the school's success as a U.S. Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary School (DDESS) and to announce the donation of more than 12,000 free new books for distribution during the holiday season, through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.

American students in grades four and eight showed steady improvements in mathematics since 1995 and generally rank at least in the top one-third compared to other countries, according to an international education comparison. In the latest report of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the ongoing evaluation of 36 to 48 countries revealed that in 2007 the U.S. consistently rated at least in the top one-third and in some cases the top one-fourth of participating nations.