Month: April 2013
Luna deputy takes Boise principal’s job
Nick Smith — state superintendent Tom Luna’s chief deputy — says he wasn’t looking for a new job. But an opening as principal at Boise’s Lowell Elementary School was an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.
Teach reading as early as possible
Early years are the most important for establishing a foundation that will sustain long-term learning gains. Three quarters of students who are poor readers in third grade remain poor readers in high school.
Complex teacher ‘exodus’ debate is rekindled
Teachers, at the K-12 and college level, accounted for 7 percent of the state’s out-migration from 2008 to 2011, according to a recent Boise State Public Radio report. But the numbers do not necessarily signal an exodus.
Crapo, Risch split on Common Core
Idaho Republican Sen. Mike Crapo defers to state leaders who have worked on the academic standards. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, sympathizes with colleagues who want to cut off federal funding for Common Core.
Task force to assemble again on May 17
The 31 members of the governor’s Taskforce for Improving Education will spend its next meeting reviewing comments and suggestions gathered during a series of public forums.
Luna deputy takes Boise principal’s job
Nick Smith, the state Department of Education’s chief deputy superintendent since January, was one of four hires announced by the Boise School District Monday.
Idaho should reconsider Common Core
Common Core doesn’t get us where we need to be. Homogenization and standardization of education is not the answer.
Nampa ups the ante in union negotations
A new law, with roots in Proposition 1, allows school districts to require unions to prove they represent at least 50 percent of a district’s staff. The Nampa School District was quick to put this law into practice.
Hand-crafted timelines garnish Boise classrooms
Juno Van Ocker spent hundreds of volunteer hours to create graphic timeline sheets of Idaho history, and deliver them to 200 classrooms in Boise.
Trust the experts and talk to teachers
Bipartisan support for improving schools with Common Core State Standards hasn’t come without criticism, and the naysayers are growing. Ask Idaho educators what they think.