Weekend reads: How Republicans and teachers unions are uniting to reshape No Child Left Behind

  • In a rare example of bipartisanship in Washington, the Senate approved a sweeping rewrite of the No Child Left Behind act that would roll back the federal role in education and give states more flexibility to create their own accountability systems. (EdWeek)
  • An unlikely alliance played a big role in the bill’s passage: Republicans and teachers unions, who are united in their opposition to some accountability measures and who want to decrease the influence of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. (Vox)
  • The superintendent of Tennessee’s Achievement School District, Chris Barbic, announced that he is resigning at the end of this year; here’s seven lessons Barbic says his work has taught him about the challenge of improving schools. (Chalkbeat Tennessee)
  • The same advocacy group that successfully challenged some teacher job protections in California is now suing 13 school districts, arguing that they are ignoring a law requiring teacher evaluations to include test scores. (L.A. Times)
  • Roughly half of Washington’s high school juniors refused to take standardized tests this year, raising thorny questions for that state and others around accountability systems. (NPR Ed)
  • A reported exodus of teachers from Kansas raises questions that many states and districts share about how to best support teachers and keep them happy with their jobs. (The Atlantic)
  • Teachers say there’s a reason that “To Kill a Mockingbird” is still on so many eighth-grade reading lists: It resonates with students (even if some start out thinking it’s a hunting manual). (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
  • In the South and around the country, school districts are weighing changes to Confederate mascots and schools named after Confederate officials. (Schooled in Sports)