A first look at today's most important education news
The Brookings Institution releases two new papers on public-pension reform—one on political lessons learned in the reform efforts of Utah, Rhode Island, Illinois, and New Jersey and one on their recommendations for a model pension structure. (Brookings)
Mayor Bill de Blasio contends that with his proposed higher income tax, New York City will be able to add up to 29,000 new pre-K seats. (New York Times)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, for the first time ever, has issued guidelines regulating how food is marketed in schools, with the intention of cracking down on widespread junk-food advertising and teaching kids to make healthier eating choices. (NPR and Washington Post)
A new report out of the Center for Community College Student Engagement finds that black and Latino males attending community college have some of the highest educational ambitions of any other subgroups—but are also the least likely to realize those aspirations. (Hechinger Ed)
The latest in a string of concerns over student-data privacy, a recent study finds that cloud computing services used by some schools and districts to transfer student data are vulnerable to data mining for commercial purposes. In response to these and other concerns, the Department of Education is issuing new guidance on student data. (Digital/Ed and Politics K–12)
The Charters & Choice blog rounds up charter-school policy changes taking place in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.