Education News from Washington Post

Finland is always held up a model for education reform. Here's a tweet from Pasi Sahlberg, an international education expert and author of "Finnish Lessons," about what Finnish teachers think about some of the American reforms:

Members of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors have asked the Faculty Senate to rescind its vote of no confidence in the board, according to the senate’s leader, a move that came in June amid the failed ouster of President Teresa Sullivan.

The University of the District of Columbia, in the midst of leadership turnover, has named a veteran administrator to be the interim replacement for a president it fired in December.

James Earl Lyons Sr. will take over at UDC on March 20, the Board of Trustees announced. Board Chairwoman Elaine Crider said Lyons has “an impressive academic history” as past president of three universities: Bowie State in Maryland, Jackson State in Mississippi and California State-Dominguez Hills.

The father of a 7-year-old suspended from his Anne Arundel County school for nibbling his breakfast pastry into the shape of a gun filed a formal appeal Thursday, asking that the second-grader’s school records be wiped clean of the offense.

March 14, you may be surprised to learn, is Pi Day. Why? It's 3-14, which is pretty close to 3.14, pi.

If you don't remember much from geometry class, pi, represented for centuries by the Greek letter " " is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. It is the most recognized mathematical constant in history.

A Rhode Island state senator was one of the first of some 50 adults who have agreed to take a version of the state's standardized test, part of an action aimed at protesting a new high school testing graduation requirement that students say is unfair.

The Prince George’s County Board of Education this week recognized a parent, who spends four days a week volunteering at her local school, and several students, teachers, and schools for their work, during an awards ceremony at Laurel High School.

The nation’s leading association of university professors released a scathing report on Thursday that criticized the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, especially its leader, for ousting U-Va. President Teresa Sullivan last summer for reasons that were “procedurally and substantively arbitrary.”

For the nation’s oldest Catholic university, the arrival of a new pope is always a big deal.

But for Georgetown University, the election of Pope Francis on Wednesday marked a singular moment. The Jesuit institution of higher learning in Northwest Washington contemplated the first time a Jesuit prelate had risen to become the Bishop of Rome.

Dozens of Rhode Island legislators, city officials, and other adults will take a version of the state's high-stakes standardized tests for students to focus attention on a new state graduation testing policy that is threatening to hold back large percentages of students.

The debate over the Common Core State Standards continues. Here an author writes about potential problems with Common Core implementation regarding reading instruction. This was written by Laura Robb, a veteran teacher, teacher mentor and author of books on reading for middle school teachers, early literacy and professional development. She has also created curricula for The Great Source Education Group.

When former superintendent William R. Hite Jr. abruptly resigned last summer to take a job in Philadelphia, the Prince George’s County Board of Education found itself scrambling to find someone to temporarily lead the system.

Some D.C. parents, teachers and activists are warning that their schools stand to lose key staff and programs next year despite a promised 2 percent increase in per-pupil funding.

At Maury Elementary on Capitol Hill, for example, enrollment is projected to grow by 18 students to 330 next fall. But according to initial 2014 budget allocations released late last week, several full-time positions would shrink to part-time — including the librarian, the art and music teachers, business manager, social worker and psychologist.

The Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly received the prestigious Governor’s award for educational excellence, one of 36 Fairfax County schools to garner achievement honors, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) announced Wednesday.

It all started with one teacher who got fed up.

Teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle recently banded together to boycott mandated standardized district tests called the Measures of Academic Progress because, they say, the exams are bad measures of student learning. The action has served as a flashpoint in the growing revolt against high-stakes standardized tests around the country.

Montgomery County teachers could receive more than $40 million in compensation increases for fiscal 2014, if employees approve a tentative contract agreement with the public school system.

Teachers have until March 21 to vote on the contact, which includes $18.6 million in raises for employees. That would bring compensation up to more than $40 million when combined with $22.1 million in raises that start this May to make up for step increases missed in 2011.

SWSXedu was a big hit in Texas last week, where technology companies (such as Rupert Murdoch's Amplify Education) hawked their new education gadgets that they promised would help kids learning by providing "individualized" instruction. Really? Here's a skeptical view on that notion from educator Sabrina Joy Stevens, who attended SWSXedu and came away disturbed. Stevens is a teacher-turned-education activist based in Washington, DC. She currently works at the American Federation of Teachers.

The U.S. Education Department is being sued by a nonprofit organization for promoting regulations that are alleged to undercut student privacy and parental consent. The rules allow third parties, including private companies and foundations promoting school reform, to get access to private student information.

Student proficiency in math and reading improved at the median D.C. public charter school over the past five years, while student proficiency at the city’s median traditional school declined, according to a new analysis of school data.

Latinos, the largest minority group in Northern Virginia, are attending increasingly segregated schools, according to a report released Tuesday that examines enrollment patterns across the state during the past two decades.