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As public school students get their fill of lazy, carefree summer days, their state school boards are grappling with new federal Common Core Standards slated to go into effect this year. States that were quick to grab onto the funding that was dangled with the standards are now realizing that implementation of those standards is meeting more than a little resistance. As students play outdoors with friends and enjoy long, leisurely bike rids, their local schools are embroiled in a battle, with no sign of a resolution in time for the fall semester.

This video explains Common Core.

Teacher Complaints Have North Carolina Rethinking Plans

North Carolina was one of the 45 states in the country to sign on for Common Core Standards, thanks to the $166 million state school districts received in Race to the Top funding. However, as the state tries to rewrite curriculum – and fast – to accommodate the new standards, education officials are realizing the process of switching over to the new requirements won’t be easy.

reports that the state department of education has received numerous complaints about new tests in a wide range of subjects. The tests were originally written to be used as means for evaluating teachers. Effective teacher evaluations were a key component to the state’s compliance with the new federal standards. However, a large number of teachers have complained

Math and science are the backbone of the education system in the United States today, as STEM fields come to the forefront of the global marketplace. However, if one examines the test scores of U.S. students, it becomes clear that students in this country are not taking sufficient math and science to make the grade. As the U.S. continues to fall in math and science rankings on a global scale, many educators and business leaders are leading the charge for more rigorous math and science requirements in high schools. Will more math and science really make the U.S. more competitive?

U.S. Lagging Other Industrial Countries

Last year, William Bennett, the former U.S. Education Secretary, reported at that the United States scored 23^rd in math and 31^st in science among the 65 top industrial countries in the world. The also issued a report, citing a warning in a report from the United States National Academies that stated the U.S. was losing ground in both math and science skills. Even as the U.S. has made some improvements in math and science test scores over the past decade, the country still lags behind many other countries across the globe in these key areas.

In addition to losing a global competitiveness, the U.S. may be cheating itself out of future math and science advancements. The CNN article also reported that only 26 percent of the high school seniors in this country score

Texas high school students may see fewer standardized tests in the future, thanks to new legislation that recently passed the state House and Senate. Known as House Bill 5, the bill reduces the number of standardized tests required for high school graduation from 15 to just five. While state lawmakers are patting themselves on the back for getting this legislation to the desk of Texas Governor Rick Perry, not everyone is happy about the changes coming to the Texas education system.

Texas at Forefront of Education Changes

Serving as the first in line for education reform is nothing new to Texas, according to a report at the . This state was one of the first to embrace No Child Left Behind and tougher standardized testing for all public school students. Now, all eyes are on the state once again, as lawmakers work to revamp graduation standards that would tone down the stringent standardized testing and accountability the state has supported for many years.

House Bill 5 encompasses education reform that drops the number of tests students must take for high school graduation. The five proposed tests that would be left in the standards would cover English reading and writing, Algebra I, U.S. history, and biology. In addition, the new bill would allow students to pursue a base high school diploma that does not require the completion of Algebra II or other high-level math and science courses.

ABC Local reports that the new

Recess has been a core component of the public education experience as long as most adults can remember. However, pressure from high-stakes testing and other concerns often make outdoor playtime a casualty in the quest to improve academic performance. Some school districts have limited the amount of outdoor time students get in a school day, while a few have eliminated the practice altogether. Now, a New Jersey lawmaker is on a whole new quest – to guarantee public school students in her state get the outdoor time they need to succeed.

About S-1501

The new bill that has been introduced to the New Jersey state senate is S-1501, according to . The bill, authorized by State Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) requires all public schools to provide at least 20 minutes of recess time daily to students in grades K-5. The measure recently passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee and is now headed to the full Senate for consideration.

This bill is nothing new to Turner, who has been advocating for mandatory recess time in schools since 2009. Turner, who is also a college administrator, firmly believes that students perform better academically when they receive a “play break” during the school day. reports that Turner has plenty of experts and research in her court, backing up the idea that daily breaks should be an integral part of the learning process.

This video offers a look at mandatory recess in

An anti-bullying bill in the throngs of the state legislature in Minnesota recently passed a major hurdle. The Minnesota House approved the bill designed to strengthen schools’ responses to bullying in a vote that mostly ran along party lines. While many applaud this step forward as a way to protect children from damaging behavior in school more effectively, others have voiced concern that state lawmakers are overstretching their reach to the public school system.

About the Bill

According to , House representative Jim Davnie (DFL-Minneapolis) introduced the new anti-bullying bill. Davnie says that the bill is necessary because the current 37-word anti-bullying law for the state is inadequate in protecting bullied victims. Davnie asserts that if his bill is passed, it would take Minnesota from being one of the weakest states in the country on bullying to “instead, being a leader in building safe and supportive school climates for all students.”

According to a report at Minnesota Public Radio, one of the most important features of the bill is the fact that it defines bullying. Davnie explains, “It established clear definitions of bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, and intimidation, and then sets a high bar for school involvement.”

This video from Minnesota Public Radio examines the issue of bullying in Minnesota public schools.

The new bill identifies bullying as any word or action that “disrupts a student’s education.” It also lists bullying