1. $4 million in federal funds, ranging from $142,000 to $250,000, is being awarded to preparatory graduate schools for special education leadership positions.
2. The U.S. Department of Education has decided to evaluate states’ special education systems based on the academic performance of their students with disabilities. Previously, they were graded on compliance indicators.
3. Obama has now signed the Autism CARES Act that includes more than $1 billion in federal funding.
4. The U.S. Department of Education is awarding $28.4 million in grants to 40 states, D.C., and the Virgin Islands to reduce the cost of AP exams for low-income students.
5. The Obama administration will now require states to submit new plans to address the distribution of qualified teachers by April, 2015.
6. The U.S. Department of Education has kicked off a $250 million preschool federal grant competition. Pennsylvania alone could win as much as $20 million.
7. Come November, Missouri voters will vote on weakening tenure laws and tying teacher evaluations to student performance.
8. Two New York parent groups have filed anti-tenure law lawsuits similar to the California case.
9. Former CNN anchor Campbell Brown has filed a lawsuit in New York seeking to overturn New York’s tenure laws and other teacher job protections.