See the new look of NASBE’s weekly education news dispatch. Enjoy the NASBE State Ed Smartbrief!  

OREGON STATE BOARD BANS NATIVE AMERICAN-THEMED MASCOTS — In a 5-1 vote, the Oregon State Board of Education banned Native American-themed mascots. Schools there have until 2017 to get rid of all references to tribal customs and traditions in sports or will face state funding cuts. Supporters of the ban have worked for years to [...]

Muskego Schools spell out protection for religious beliefs in an addition to their current discrimination, harassment and bullying policy, which reflects new national guidelines to ensure the ability to express one’s faith.   View Full Article

NASBE Project Director Whitney Meagher discusses childhood obesity, school food and nutrition, and physical activity policies on Education Talk Radio. Listen to Podcast

Court rulings have provided precedent about how K-12 students may express their opinions—even potentially offensive ones—on campus, but a new set of guidelines attempts to provide further clarity for school administrators under pressure to curb bullying and harassment. View Full Article

Check out NASBE’s App for Android on Google Play! Download HERE. We have recently (05.23.2012) updated the NASBE Mobile App and optimized it to be more user-friendly and allow for a better reading experience on your android mobile device. Find out more information by visiting the app page on Google Play! or by reading the .PDF Overview [...]

BILL REQUIRING COLORADO COMMITMENT TO ASSESSMENT CONSORTIA RESCUED AT THE LAST MINUTE — A bill requiring the Colorado State Board of Education to commit to joining one of the consortia developing assessments for the Common Core State Standards was rescued at the last minute and will be sent to Gov. John Hickenlooper for signature. As [...]

California is among a handful of states that haven’t taken the U.S. Department of Education up on its offer of wiggle room on the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act. But that doesn’t mean the state wants to stick with the NCLB law as it is. View Full Article

UTAH BOARD CHANGES STATE’S STATUS IN SMARTER BALANCED CONSORTIUM — The Utah Board of Education voted to change the state’s role in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium from that of a governing member to an advisory member. Since governing members of the Consortium must adopt the assessment it develops, the Utah board decided to change [...]

One thing is certain; educators should be strong proponents of lay governance and work to preserve the institutions. As proponents of lay leadership in education governance they should pay close attention to governance debates and challenges taking place in their own states and across the nation. The attacks on governance are real and the ongoing [...]