skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Wisconsin Educators Applaud Passage of New National Plan

play audio
Play

Thursday, December 10, 2015   

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin educators are pleased with the passage of an act that dramatically rolls back federal control of education. President Obama is expected today to sign the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which passed the U.S. Senate on an 85-12 vote yesterday.

The bipartisan support in the Senate mirrored the 359-to-64 vote in the House of Representatives earlier. The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the state's largest teachers organization, lobbied hard for passage because it returns a great deal of power to individual states.

Mary Kusler is director of government relations with the National Education Association (NEA).

"Every state will be required to adopt a set of college and career-ready standards," says Kusler. "It is very clear in the legislation that the federal government may not dictate, coerce, or require the adoption of the Common Core state standards, so it truly is up to the states."

The Wisconsin Education Association Council says the Act "returns decision-making for our nation's education back where it belongs - in the hands of local educators, parents and communities, while keeping the focus on students most in need."

According to Kusler, the legislation, which replaces the controversial No Child Left Behind law, puts children's needs ahead of politics. She says the NEA was pushing for a reduction in mandated testing, to try to remove the high-stakes consequences of the tests.

"We wanted to expand the multiple measures used to evaluate schools, districts and states, to include more than just test scores but to also focus on those opportunity gaps that we know impact so many of those children who are most in need," says Kusler.

WEAC also notes the new legislation puts restrictions on the U.S. Secretary of Education's authority, and prohibits the secretary from dictating specific mandates.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021