The Denver Post – Colleen O’Conner

“Colorado is one of 19 finalists in the second phase of the federal “Race to the Top” competition, and independent observers say the state has a good chance of being among the 10 to 15 winners, who will be announced in September.”(more)

The Orange County Register – Martin Wisckol

“Gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown today posted an education-reform plan on his website. Among his proposals are an overhaul of higher education, several proposals for improving the quality of teachers, and an increased emphasis on science, technology, engineering, history and humanities.”(more)

San Jose Mercury News – Sharon Noguchi

“On Aug. 2, the state Board of Education will consider this major shift in how California’s public schools teach reading when it votes on a controversial set of national Common Core Standards. If proponents prevail, California will join the majority of states in adopting the first nationwide standards for public education. The goal in adding informational texts to the English-language standards is to prepare students for real-world reading, to use other courses such as science to teach reading, and to improve literacy and comprehension.”(more)

The San Francisco Chronicle – Jill Tucker

“California typically lands at or near the bottom in virtually every measure of public school performance nationally, but the academic content taught to the state’s schoolchildren is second to none, according to a study released Tuesday. That status has left the Golden State with a conundrum. To be more competitive for federal Race to the Top funds, the state must adopt common standards in English, math and other subjects to be in sync with most other states.”(more)

The Washington Post – Nick Anderson

“School boards in the District of Columbia and Massachusetts are on the verge of adopting national standards for English and math, adding momentum to a movement that in a few months has swept Maryland and two dozen other states.”(more)

The Guardian – Richard Green

“Design and technology is a compulsory national curriculum subject for all pupils to the age of 14, and it remains the most popular non-statutory GCSE subject. It teaches pupils of all ages designing and practical skills, it draws on knowledge and understanding from other subjects, but particularly science and maths, and provides students with the opportunity to be innovative and creative –all vital skills in a 21st-century curriculum.”(more)

Education Week – Stephen Sawchuk

“The common academic-content standards that dozens of states are now adopting are better overall than 33 individual states’ standards, according to an analysis released today by a Washington research-and-advocacy group.”(more)

The New York Times – Tamar Lewin

“Less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.”(more)

The Sydney Morning Herald – Jessica Mahar

“The president of the institute, Dave Macpherson, said technology offered students more than just ”chalk and talk” – it offered them literacy and numeracy skills. ”Kids want to get their hands on things, they want to see a rocket explode, they want to see things breaking, they want to be able to make a cutting board, they want to be able to cook a cake and taste it, they want to be able to sit at a computer and design a system, they want to make things and understand how and why,” he said.”(more)

Des Moines Register – Staci Hupp

“Iowa education leaders want to adopt new national standards for what students should master in English and math in place of a statewide blueprint in those subjects. State officials say the move will not derail work that has gone into the Iowa Core Curriculum, but some educators predict the switch will be a headache.”(more)