November 2014     

American Education Week: Nov. 17 - 21

 "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility."

"An investment in knowledge always pays 
the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin

What's NEW?

Assessment News On November 4, 2014, members of the Assessment Task Force recommended that Iowa lawmakers adopt the Smarter Balanced assessments as Iowa’s new state test for public and accredited nonpublic schools starting with the 2016-17 school year.  The task force will continue to work on a final report, which is due in January to the Legislature, to the State Board of Education and to Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck.

340 Success Stories Through the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, 340 schools are receiving recognition for either their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Each of the schools—290 public and 50 private—has released one-page profiles detailing its work in providing all students with a well-rounded education, using technology in the classroom, and encouraging educator collaboration and stakeholder engagement to ensure that students succeed.


Did You Know? The makeup of the 114th Congress will set quite a few records, including more women and minorities than any previous Congress, the largest Republican majority in the House since before World War II, and the first Congress since World War II to not include a veteran of that war.