• Some parents are confused by Common Core math. Others are learning from it. (Jay Mathews)
  • This week in Chicago schools: A rejected contract offer and preparation for midyear layoffs. (Catalyst)
  • Black Lives Matter leader Deray McKesson started his career at Teach For America. Now he’s running for mayor of Baltimore. (Medium)
  • “The recipe is love,” says a Los Angeles teacher whose students all pass the AP Calculus exam. (L.A. Times)
  • Long Beach attributes its gains to unique collaboration between its school system and colleges. Now, the rest of California could follow suit. (The Atlantic)
  • After overseeing Flint’s transition to toxic water, Darnell Earley oversaw Detroit’s schools. Until this week. (New York Times)
  • Teach for America is convening alums and others this weekend to celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary, and you can watch. (TFA)
  • This week marked the 52nd anniversary of the time half a million New York City children boycotted school to protest segregation. (Schoolbook)
  • Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is weighing a third-party presidential bid, would bring education policy experience to the race. (The 74 Million)
  • Unusually, Oklahoma is a red state with a thriving free public pre-kindergarten sector. (Hechinger Report)
  • A Tennessee father pens a satirical open letter to supporters of vouchers, which could get the green light in that state next week. (Dad Gone Wild)