National News

Unanimous Supreme Court Expands Scope of Special Education Rights

Posted on Thursday, March 23rd, 2017 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Mark Walsh, Education Week
Date: 3/22/2017
Link: Complete Article

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a major decision expanding the scope of students’ special education rights, ruling unanimously that schools must do more than provide a “merely more than de minimis” education program to a student with a disability. In Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the high court rejected the “merely… [Read More]

Obama Education Rules Are Swept Aside by Congress

Posted on Monday, March 13th, 2017 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Dana Goldstein, New York Times
Date: March 9, 2017
Link: Complete Article

With all the attention paid to President Trump’s lightning-rod secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, and her advocacy for private school vouchers, little public notice has been paid to the action on education in Congress — where lawmakers have broader power than Ms. DeVos to make changes to the nation’s school system. Now, Congress has done… [Read More]

State Pre-K Funding 2016-17 Fiscal Year: Trends and opportunities

Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Diffey, Parker & Atchison, Education Commission of the States
Date: January, 2017
Link: Complete Article

Birth to age eight represents a critically important window of opportunity to develop a child’s full potential and to shape key academic, social, emotional and cognitive skills. A child’s experiences during these years can set them up for future success or for failure, thereby exacerbating the achievement gap. An analysis of the 2016-17 state appropriations… [Read More]

High Court Argument to Center on Level of Benefits for Special Education

Posted on Tuesday, January 10th, 2017 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Christina A Samuels, Education Week
Date: 1/9/2017
Link: Complete Article

When the U.S. Supreme Court made its first substantive interpretation in 1982 of the main federal special education law, it was careful to say that courts should not impose their own view of education adequacy upon states and districts for children covered by the law. In that case, Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson… [Read More]

Trump Chooses Betsy DeVos For Education Secretary

Posted on Tuesday, November 29th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Eric Westervelt, NPR
Date: 11/23/2016
Link: Complete Article

President-elect Donald Trump has picked billionaire Betsy DeVos, a Michigan Republican activist and philanthropist who is a strong supporter of school choice but has limited experience with public education, as his secretary of education. DeVos, 58, is a former chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and helped push a failed 2000 ballot proposal to amend… [Read More]

3 Western Massachusetts teachers win White House award for excellence in science, math teaching

Posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Patrick Johnson, Masslive
Date: 8/22/2016
Link: Complete Article

Two elementary school teachers in Williamsburg and a high school science teacher from Springfield were among some 200 teachers nationwide selected as recipients of the 2016 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the White House announced Monday. Science teacher John Heffernan and math teacher Karen Schweitzer of the Anne T. Dunphy School… [Read More]

Distance Learning infrastructure project funded by USDA Rural Development

Posted on Monday, July 18th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Collaborative for Educational Services
Date: July 18, 2016

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced $23.4 million in grants to support 81 Distance Learning and Telemedicine projects in 32 states across the nation. Massachusetts’ Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) was awarded $337,356 for a distance learning hub in Northampton. The hub will enable distance learning services for 23 field sites across Massachusetts and… [Read More]

US Dept of Education announces webinar “Two Approaches to Improve Student Achievement in Rural High Schools”

Posted on Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Link: Complete Article

The U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) Program is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar with two i3 grantees working to improve achievement in rural high schools-the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) and the Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) model of school improvement. With approximately 30 percent of our nation’s 50+ million students… [Read More]

No Child Left Behind getting makeover

Posted on Thursday, December 10th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Jennifer C. Kerr, The Recorder
Date: 12/10/2015
Link: Complete Article

WASHINGTON — The way the nation’s public schools are evaluated — teachers, students and the schools themselves — is headed for a major makeover, with a sweeping shift from federal to state control over school accountability and student testing. The Senate on Wednesday voted 85-12 to approve legislation rewriting the landmark No Child Left Behind… [Read More]