Direct Education Scheduler

The state department of education is speaking out about its role in helping the Atlanta Public School District get back on its feet after a massive cheating scandal.

Their challenge includes figuring out how school funding could be affected if schools that cheated have to give back some of the achievement awards they received, while also helping students who were harmed.

Gideons Elementary School was one of the most serious examples cited in the 800-page CRCT standardized test cheating report released last week. Nearly a dozen teachers and the school’s principal confessed to playing a role in falsified test results.

It would be extremely costly to track down and help all of the kids who missed out on extra instruction. Also, the school may have to give back more than $21,000 in bonus awards it got for those high scores.

Tar Heels and Blue Devils are teaming up for this summer’s reading assignment for incoming students. Both UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke have selected the book “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer.

New students are asked to read the book before arriving, then they will participate in small group discussions. Foer himself will speak at both campuses on Aug. 25.

The book tells the story of Foer’s back-and-forth struggle with vegetarianism, which came to a head when he became a father. Realizing that he would be responsible for deciding what another person would eat, Foer began an in-depth investigation into the food industry. The book delves into the industrialization of agriculture and the methods used in food production.

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St. Paul, Minn. The budget agreement between Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders appears to ease funding cuts to the state’s public colleges.

The University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system had planned for $70 million in cuts to their funding over the next two years.

The budget deal being discussed adds $60 million to higher education funding. Officials at the University of Minnesota said the university will get $50 million, and that they expect the remainder will go to MnSCU. MnSCU officials said they’re not prepared to discuss the breakdown until it’s been agreed to by lawmakers.

Despite the extra money, funding for both systems will be about 15 percent less than they were forecast to receive.

The university and MnSCU are relying on program cuts, tuition increases and lay offs to make up for the decrease.

Could it be?

Is it possible?

Surely not.

Well, maybe.

Actually, who knows.

I certainly don’t (add this to the monster list of items I have no clue about).

The world is a pretty big place after all.

But I’ve been thinking (always dangerous).

This little blog now has 500 subscribers.

Over 800 people follow it on Google Reader.

The number of visitors per month is consistently between 15,000 and 25,000.

Yes, I said 25 thousand.

It’s hard to believe.

It’s hard for me to comprehend that educators from all over the world visit to read what I write (even more humbling… think how many people don’t visit).

I’m honored anyone would stop by to check in on Buddy the Dog and the Evil Spawn.

In the last month there have been visitors from all 50 states and 139 countries (finally, you show up Gibraltar and Tanzania).

Readers range from teachers to administrators to college professors to parents and finally my favorite group… educators to be.

So I’m not officially saying this is the #1 Superintendent’s Blog in the World.

But, I am saying… “Thanks”.