Morning bell: Around the table

Catania hosts DC edu-leaders

Dvid Catania hosted a casual dinner amongst leaders in DC education. There wasn’t a set agenda, but he wanted to bring leaders together.  (Post)

Can’t get a UDC degree in that

UDC is cutting 21 programs including Theatre Arts, Urban Studies, and multiple education disciplines. (Jacqueline Lawton)

3rd graders need to read

Students who learn to read by 3rd grade are 4 times as likely to graduate high school, so some states now will hold students back in 3rd grade if they cannot read, causing a brouhaha among education experts. (Post)

Debt: college’s new normal

Student loan debt is approaching a trillion dollars. The student debt level is reaching a dangerous level according to a report from State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.  (NYT)

Waivers, mapped

34 states have gotten a waiver from the Department of Education for parts of the No Child Left Behind Act. A map shows how some states set new benchmarks that vary by race and ethnicity. (Education Nation)

Report explores ESEA waivers

New state achievement standards based on race and ethnicity are the center of an NBC Nightly News Report. States that applied and received a waiver are now implementing these new standards.  (Education Nation)

Wealth affects graduation rates

Students from wealthy families are increasingly more likely to graduate from both high school and college than those from poor families, a new study shows. (Bloomberg)

New anti-“reform” organization

Diane Ravitch is starting a new organization, Network for Public Education, to support political candidates who “oppose high-stakes testing, mass school closures, and the ‘privatizing’ of public schools.” (Education Week)

And…

A new bill from Marion Barry would make all 3-year-olds go to preschool. (DCist) … A new documentary follows 9 female students rising out of poverty. (LA Times)