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The Los Angeles Unified School District has declined to release to the Los Angeles Times the names of teachers and their scores indicating their effectiveness in raising student performance.  

The district says giving names to the Times could cause jealousy among instructors, lead to poor school morale and result in parents demanding teachers with high ratings.

CPS proposals for new teacher assessments could include making student achievement part of teacher evaluations. (Tribune)

"According to a National Association for Gifted Children’s report released last week, gifted students are being held back by inadequate teacher preparation and professional development, little public accountability and inconsistent access to services," columnist Esther Cepeda writes in the Sun-Times.

IN THE STATE

Northwest Suburban High School District 214 has begun discussing the tentative 2011 tax levy, which includes an overall increase of 2.4 percent. (Daily Herald)

IN THE NATION

Third-graders at a Dallas elementary received stellar math and reading scores on a state standardized test, but school district investigators say they missed nearly a year of instruction in some other subjects, AP reports.

Newt Gingrich has some unconventional ideas about education reform. He wants every state to open a work-study college where students work 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time in the summer and then graduate debt-free. (The New York Times)

A new poll finds that a strong majority of California voters is willing to pay higher taxes to boost funding for public schools even in a grim economy, according to the Los Angeles Times. And, in another poll, about half of California voters believe that teachers unions are too powerful.

Three years from now, all school districts in Ohio will start using new online state tests that will replace the standardized No. 2 pencil-and-paper assessments, but it's unclear who will pay for the computers and software upgrades that may be needed. (Dayton Daily News)

A group, Better Education for Kids, with connections to Gov. Chris Christie and former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, is making a big push into New Jersey politics. (AP/The Republic)

At least seven people are expected to turn themselves in to the authorities next week on allegations of cheating on college admissions exams as part of a scandal on Long Island. (New York Times)

Third-graders at a Dallas elementary received stellar math and reading scores on a state standardized test, but school district investigators say they missed nearly a year of instruction in some other subjects. (Austin Statesman)