By Michele Molnar on the ED Week site 

Leaders To Learn From: Linda L. Clark

  Being innovative is "sort of in my DNA," says Linda L. Clark, the superintendent of the West Ada school system in Meridian, Idaho.

"I've had a mantra for a long time: Make no small plans, for they have no power to stir the soul," she said. A great-aunt often shared that philosophy, and Ms. Clark has taken it to heart as she has led the 37,000-student district-the largest in Idaho-since 2004.  Lina Clark is a long-time member of the HML.

Why More Schools Are Letting Their Students Sleep In Sarah Klein on the Huffington Post site

  Younger Americans die earlier and live in poorer health than their counterparts in other developed countries, with far higher rates of death from guns, car accidents and drug addiction, according to a new analysis of health and longevity in the United States.

Researchers have known for some time that the United States fares poorly in comparison with other rich countries, a trend established in the 1980s. But most studies have focused on older ages, when the majority of people die.

Education Department Terminates Contracts With Debt Collectors Accused Of Wrongdoing  by Shahien Nasiripour  on the Huffington Post site
 

  The U.S. Department of Education, under fire for its lackluster oversight of STUDENT LOAN contractors, said Friday it will terminate its relationship with five debt collectors after accusing them of misleading distressed borrowers at "unacceptably high rates."

The surprise announcement follows years of complaints about allegedly illegal debt-collection practices by Education Department contractors, the department's seeming lack of interest in ensuring that borrowers are treated fairly, and the relative opacity of the entire operation.

The Strange History of How the Common Core SBAC Test Monster was Adopted in Washington State  by David Spring  on the Living the Dialogue site
 

  The corporate press likes to say that Common Core and the Common Core-aligned Smarter BALANCE Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test were adopted in Washington state in 2010 or 2011. This might cause one to believe that Common Core and SBAC were adopted a long time ago. In fact, the Common Core was adopted by the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, in 2010 who signed some kind of informal agreement in the summer of 2010. However, Superintendent Dorn does not have the authority to change Washington state laws. So the actual bill to adopt Common Core and SBAC was not voted on by the legislature until the last week of June 2013. 

Just think about Social Security, The New Deal, freeing the slaves, or child labor laws... all represent great turning points in our nation that progressives made possible. The fact is, our entire history - from our revolution to HEALTHCARE REFORM - is filled with progressive accomplishments, and it's hard to sell the Conservative brand to people who know that history.

Many of the today's biggest political issues, like our privacy rights, would not even be up for debate today had it not been for the attack on education.

  Modern conservative politics push the notion that people who flip switches, burgers or bedpans don't need "education."  They instead need "job training."  In Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's budget, someone crossed out this phrase: "to extend knowledge and its application beyond the boundaries of its campuses and to serve and stimulate society."  And added this instead: "to meet the state's workforce needs."  Walker backed down on the language change when it was exposed, claiming it was a "mistake."  Really it was just one more tired attack on the idea of education as a public good, one that helps people find fulfillment and meaning.