1. New Jersey Governor Christie has rolled back the impact of tests on teacher evaluations from 30% to 10% next year.
2. A new study finds that struggling first graders do significantly better when taught traditional math than progressive methods.
3. A move is afoot across the country to do away with extra pay for teachers who earn advanced degrees saying that doesn’t necessarily translate to better test scores.
4. A Coventry University (Britain) study found that overall there is no evidence that text message grammar–or lack thereof–is consistently related to poorer grammatical or spelling skills in school.
5. Former school cafeteria teacher, folk singer, and Utah teacher of the year Lily Eskelsen Garcia is the new president of NEA.