"Computational Thinking (CT) is a problem solving process that includes a number of characteristics and dispositions. CT is essential to the development of computer applications, but it can also be used to support problem solving across all disciplines, including the humanities, math, and science. Students who learn CT across the curriculum can begin to see a relationship between academic subjects, as well as between life inside and outside of the classroom."

"Many states in the Northeast & Islands Region have increasingly begun to view proficiency- or competency-based learning (P/CBL) as a way to boost graduation rates and prepare students for success after high school. In P/CBL approaches, students demonstrate mastery of a defined set of proficiencies or competencies in their courses in lieu of completing credit requirements based on time spent in class. Although many states in the region are adopting P/CBL policies, full implementation of this reform is still in progress, and more information is needed to help states define P/CBL, inform their policymaking, and effectively confront barriers to and leverage facilitators of implementation."

"oin the growing national and regional conversation about proficiency- and competency-based learning, the school and district reform that departs from traditional Carnegie unit and seat-time requirements for students. REL Northeast & Islands researchers will present a new study on definitions and policies related to competency-based learning and implementation across the region, and a representative from the New Hampshire Department of Education will discuss the implementation of a competency-based program in several pilot districts."

"The most recent issue of the NY Review of Books has an extensive essay by Andrew Hacker on "The frenzy about high-tech talent." It's behind a paywall, alas,  but I'll try to provide some cognate links that are accessible to all.  Here's his main argument: "A recurring complaint is that not enough of our young people and adults have the kinds of competence the coming century will require, largely because not nearly enough are choosing careers that require the skills of STEM…[Michael Teitelbaum's 2014 book]  Falling Behind? makes a convincing case that even now the US has all the high-tech brains and bodies it needs, or at least that the economy can absorb."

"For families of youth with disabilities, the transition from high school to employment, postsecondary education, and life in the community presents a variety of significant challenges. PACER's National Parent Center on Transition and Employment website offers innovative tools, reliable research, and interactive training to help address the needs of families across the country."

Great article, and nice links to resources on universal design.

"The OLC Institute offers hundreds of workshops designed to help educators worldwide strengthen teaching strategies, delivery methods and learning activities. They are expert led and designed to improve quality in every facet of online education. Visit www.onlinelearning-c.org/learn for full program schedule."

"There are places in the world where kids go to school not in classrooms, but in the woods. The Forest Schools movement became popular in Scandinavia in the 1950s. Forest schools can take many forms - from just one day a week in the woods to schools where there are no buildings: all day, every day is outdoors. These schools serve mostly younger children - 4- to 7-year-olds - but there are some forest school programs that serve older students, too."

The "Digest of Education Statistics, 2013," from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), is the 49th in a series of publications initiated in 1962. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education -- from pre-kindergarten through graduate school -- drawn from government and private sources, but especially from surveys and other activities led by NCES. The digest contains data on the number of schools, students, and teachers, as well as statistics on educational attainment, finances, libraries, technology, and international comparisons. Details on population trends, education attitudes, labor force characteristics, and federal aid supplies helpful background for evaluating the education data.