By Donna Krache, CNN

(CNN) Last week a deal was reached between the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and the state’s Department of Education on how teachers would be evaluated.

The New York Times reports that the deal permits school districts to base 40 percent of a teacher’s review on how that teacher’s students performed on standardized tests (what’s sometimes referred to as “value-added” data), with half of that portion based on the student’s test progress from one year to the next.  The remaining 60 percent of the review will consist of “subjective measures”, including principals’ evaluations and observations.

Like 18 other states that qualified for federal grants under Race to the Top, New York was under a deadline to devise a plan to evaluate teachers, or lose this funding.

After the deal was reached,  Governor Andrew Cuomo is quoted as saying, “It’s a victory for all New Yorkers. Government works, and that makes this state a better state.”

Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School, disagrees.  In the Washington Post Answer Sheet Blog  she says she “was struck by the lack of logic and fairness” in the deal.  Burris, who was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the state’s School Administrators Association, co-authored “An Open Letter of Concern Regarding New York State’s APPR Legislation for the Evaluation of Teachers and Principals” which has been signed by nearly 1360 principals opposing the use of standardized test scores to evaluate educators.
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By Abigail Thernstrom, Special to CNN

Editor's note: Abigail Thernstrom is the vice chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author, most recently, of "Voting Rights and Wrongs: The Elusive Quest for Racially Fair Elections."

(CNN) - The Supreme Court has just agreed to take on the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. Abigail Fisher, a white woman, argues that she has been a victim of the university's race-conscious admission policies; the university contends that its drive for racial and ethnic diversity is educationally enriching - a benefit to all students.

Will the ugly discourse that generally characterizes debate over racially preferential policies disappear with the wave of a magic Supreme Court wand? It seems unlikely. The issue is a cat with many more than nine lives. It arrived in the early 1970s and, despite many attacks, some of which have taken the form of amendments to state constitutions, it has survived in pretty fine fettle.

The court will have only eight justices to hear the arguments. Elena Kagan, having been involved in the case as solicitor general in the Obama administration, has bowed out of participation. Her absence, however, leaves five justices likely to express at least some degree of skepticism about the racial preferences given to non-Asian minorities in the admissions process.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Abigail Thernstrom.

By Chuck Conder, CNN

Los Angeles, California (CNN) –For the better part of a century, Hollywood High School has been known as the high school of the stars: Judy Garland, Carol Burnett, Sarah Jessica Parker and James Garner are among the famous alumni.

But Judy Garland might not recognize her old alma mater today.

When she attended Hollywood High in the 1930’s the student body was almost all white.

Today, it is predominantly Latino, and made up of teens whose families came to America from every corner of the world. “Hollywood has always struck me as a place where it doesn’t matter where you are from,” said Principal Jaime Morales, who immigrated from Nicaragua. “You are welcome here.”

School valedictorian Karla Samayoa’s parents fled political turmoil in El Salvador. Though she was born in America, she still feels a strong connection to her Salvadoran roots.

Here's what the editors of Schools of Thought are reading today:

NPR: What's Behind The Rise Of College Tuition?
As tuition around the country rises, many prospective college students are questioning whether what used to be an affordable investment is now worth the financial burden.

Schooled in Sports: Arne Duncan, Education Media Develop Case of Linsanity, Too
While Jeremy Lin is helping the New York Knicks win games on the basketball court, some people are hoping that the Harvard-educated basketball phenom can be a role model for kids in the classroom.

Denverpost.com: Denver turnaround schools show "unreal" improvement in students' math scores
The Denver Summit Schools Network consists of 11 new and turnaround schools. Students in the turnaround schools receive two hours of math instruction and tutorials per day and recent test scores show marked improvement in the subject.

News 13: New dress code in the works for Volusia teachers
A Florida school district and the local teacher's union are in agreement over one issue – the district needs a dress code for faculty members.

TBO.com: New program has kids help kids with social pressures
Students in the "I Care About Me" program attend group sessions that work towards raising their self-esteem.

Ed Chang left his lucrative career as a physical therapist to invest in kids education instead.

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case on the University of Texas' race-conscious admission policies.

If health care reform, illegal immigration crackdowns, voting rights and TV indecency were not enough, now the nine-member bench is poised to add to its high-profile docket, wading into the divisive, sea-change issue of state-mandated racial diversity and affirmative action. Oral arguments would be held this fall, ensuring the court - however it decides the appeal - will be a major campaign issue. A ruling however will not likely be issued until early 2013.

A CNN viewer asks Education Contributor Steve Perry what schools can do to help students understand financial markets.

CNN's Gary Tuchman reports on a financially troubled school district where teachers get free plastic surgery.

Kindergarten teacher Terris King says more black men need to step up and teach. CNN's George Howell has his story.

By Laura Dinehart, Special to CNN

Editor’s Note:  Laura Dinehart is an assistant professor of early childhood education at Florida International University. Her research focuses on the development and early academic outcomes of children from birth to 5 years of age.

As a researcher in the field of early childhood education, I relish the idea of uncovering how factors in early childhood related to children, families, and schools, connect to children’s academic achievement once they enter school. As a parent, I often find it exasperating.

Take for example our recent findings of a study that looked at over 3,000 preschoolers in the state ofFlorida. We found that preschoolers’ early writing skills – their ability to copy letters, shapes, and numbers – significantly predicted both their grades and standardized test scores in second grade reading and math. As a researcher, this finding was important! Public schools all over the country are dropping handwriting from their curriculum and technology has taken over the need to write anything with pencil and paper. And while newspapers and media outlets highlight this work, parents all over the country are wondering, “Is this one more thing I have to work on with my child?”

As a parent of three young children, I get it. Parents spend time reading, counting, playing outside, doing puzzles, doing extracurricular activities, and finishing homework – now the handwriting too? Do our findings mean that kids with poor writing skills in preschool are doomed to fail? Of course not! In fact, every time I talk about these results, someone inevitably says, “I had horrible handwriting when I was a kid and I did really well in school.” At this point, our study has prompted fewer answers and more questions. Do the findings overwhelmingly demonstrate that teaching handwriting in preschool will result in an improvement in academic skills in the later years? I'm not so sure, just yet. I am comfortable with the notion that early writing skills can serve at least as an indicator of later achievement.
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