Weblog

CNN.com this morning has a preview of an article appearing this week in Time magazine: How to bring schools into 21st century. The thesis:
Right now we’re aiming too low. Competency in reading and math — the focus of so much No Child Left Behind testing — is the meager minimum. Scientific and technical skills are, […]

While walking door to door yesterday I met a single mother of three struggling to provide for her family, raise her kids and better herself through education. Her oldest child, entering kindergarten this year, was just accepted to the full-day program at the local elementary school and is well on his way to becoming a bright student.

An interim legislative panel received results today from a commissioned study on the adequacy of school financing in Nevada. The conclusion? Nevada needs to do more to bring student achievement up to adequate levels.
As reported by the Reno Gazette-Journal this afternoon:
Thursday’s report is considered important by many lawmakers because it will frame the debate on […]

The Reno Gazette-Journal has a story today on schools and their preparations to offer full-day kindergarten this coming school year: “Schools gear for full-day kindergarten.” Presented with compelling testimony as to its value, the Legislature in 2005 allocated $22 million for full-day kindergarten at elementary schools with at least 55 percent of students on free or reduced-price lunches. Parents with kids at such schools are excited about the program. Says Glenn Duncan Elementary parent…

Assemblywoman Debbie Smith (D-Sparks) and Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell (D-Carson City) were featured on Nevada Newsmakers yesterday discussing the next session’s education agenda. Schools within schools to provide students with more direct support, increased emphasis on career and technical education, and receiving the results of the interim school financing adequacy study are just a few of the topics covered. Links after the jump.

As I often say when talking with folks about the importance of teaching technology to our kids, 12 years ago, the job “webmaster” didn’t exist. I’m thankful for the quality public education I received that prepared me for this 21st-century career.

What is it going to take to build true innovation in Nevada’s economy? There’s certainly no easy answer to this question, but it’s helpful to refine our definition of “innovation”…

You may not have seen this story from earlier this month… Northern Nevada is about to land another technology company: Apple.