Back-to-School Special: Arne Duncan Goes Off Script (School of Thought - August 25)

Andy Rotherham's interview with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, in which Duncan explains why he has the authority to offer NCLB waivers (hint: Margaret Spellings did it), that waivers don't mean a free pass from accountability, and why student athletes shouldn't be paid.

LOS ANGELES: Santa Monica-Malibu Schools Keep Chocolate Milk on Menu (LA Times - August 25)

The school board voted late Wednesday night not to ban chocolate milk from school cafeterias, deciding that the risk that kids would drink less milk outweighed the ill effects of sugary chocolate milk.

MEMPHIS: Tentative Agreement in Memphis School Merger (AP - August 24)

Memphis and Shelby County school officials say they have reached a tentative agreement on how a 23-member board of education will oversee the new school district once the two systems have been combined in 2013. The unified school district will have 150,000 students.

MISSOURI: Mo. Judge Weighs Block of Teacher Networking Law (AP - August 24)

A circuit court judge heard arguments on Wednesday against a law banning Missouri teachers from sending non-public messages to students and former students through social networking sites. The group of teachers who filed the injunction request say the law, which goes into effect this weekend, infringes on their rights. 

NEW YORK CITY: Baseless Smears Cheat our Students: Walcott Says N.Y.C. is Vigilant in Fight against Test Tampering (NY Daily News - August 25)

New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott writes in this opinion piece that New York City takes careful precautions to reduce the risk of cheating in standardized testing, and that it would be "foolish" to spend taxpayer dollars on erasure analysis.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Gray: Nearly all D.C. Schools to Open Thursday (D.C. Schools Insider - August 24)

D.C.'s mayor said that all but two of the city's schools will re-open on Thursday, two days after an earthquake in the area caused concerns about the structural integrity of school buildings.

CHINA: Migrant Kids in Limbo as Beijing Closes Schools (AP - August 25)

The Beijing government has closed 20 privately run schools for the children of migrant workers, saying the decision was made to give the students better educations. But parents and school officials say the schools were closed to clear space for housing developments. The 10,000 migrant students are not likely to get into Beijing's public schools because of strict residency rules.

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