The Reformers’ Obsession with ‘Young’ Teaching Talent (The Answer Sheet - September 1)

Secretary Duncan recently said, "We have to do everything we can to support teachers. I worry about losing too much of our great young talent." Young teachers are all the rage today, with their lower salaries and the relative ease with which they can be fired. But, the focus on youth ignores the value of experience.

Generation Limbo: Waiting It Out (New York Times - August 31)

With the economy to blame, about 14 percent of college students who graduated between 2006 and 2010 are looking for full-time jobs, according to a survey released by the Heldrich Center at Rutgers. The economic downfall has left in its wake a generation of well-educated 20-somethings who can't get their careers off the ground.

Majority of States' Standards Don't Mention 9/11 (Education Week - September 1)

Lessons about September 11th are filtered into American classrooms, but fewer than half the states explicitly identify the attacks in their high school standards for social studies, according to a forthcoming study.

CALIFORNIA: At His Charter School, Ex-UTLA Head Would Target Tenure (Los Angeles Times - September 1)

A.J. Duffy, once an anti-charter crusader and head of the United Teachers Los Angeles, hopes to open one or more schools in the South L.A. area by fall of 2012. He plans to make it more difficult for teachers to obtain tenure protections at his school and easier to fire them.

CALIFORNIA: State Senate OKs Part of California Dream Act (Los Angeles Times - September 1)

The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would provide thousands of undocumented students access to public financial aid for the first time. It is expected to return to the Assembly this week for concurrence on Senate amendments. If approved, it will be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.

CALIFORNIA: L.A. Unified Raises API Score but Fails to Hit U.S. Targets (Los Angeles Times - September 1)

Although L.A. Unified scored 728 last year on the Academic Performance Index - a 19-point increase -some schools still face sanctions because they didn't meet important federal targets on standardized tests.

FLORIDA: Scott Wants Fla. to Apply for Race to the Top (AP - September 31)

Governor Rick Scott wants Florida to compete in the next round of the Race to the Top competition. But, to apply for the grant state legislators must approve a budget with $3.4 million in federal funding.

ILIINOIS: Madison Teachers Join Chicago Union Fight (NBC Chicago - August 30)

Labor leaders from Madison joined the Chicago Teachers Union Wednesday for a pro-teachers rally. 

MICHIGAN: Detroit Public Schools Making Gains, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Says (Detroit Free Press - September 1)

Secretary Duncan said Wednesday that the Detroit Public Schools are on the road to improvement. He's encouraged by Michigan's leadership, including newly hired John Covington, DPS emergency manager Roy Roberts, Mayor Dave Bing, and state Superintendent Mike Flanagan. Duncan plans to visit Detroit on September 8th as part of a six-state school bus tour.

WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Teacher Retirements Double After Cuts To Benefits and Collective Bargaining (Huffington Post/AP - August 31)

Twice as many teachers decided to retire this year as compared to the previous two years. 

All statements and opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual contributors, and not of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation or NBC News.