A new wave of immigration. A recent study has revealed that Asians have now surpassed Hispanics as the fastest growing racial group in the United States.

New core standards for career and technical education.   The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium has released a new set of standards for CTE programs.

School confidence reaches record low. Only 29 percent of Americans claim to have confidence in public schools, a full 12 points lower than the historical average.

LeBron read “The Hunger Games.” To help gain focus, NBA star LeBron James reads books before games – including Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.”

English-learners having trouble. According to the U.S. Dept. of Education, only 17 states in the 2006-07 school year met the academic goals set for students learning the English language; only 11 states met the same standards in 2007-08.

Is higher education a right? 3 out of 4 Americans think so, according an online poll conducted by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Charter schools fighting back. The Texas Charter School Association is filing a lawsuit against the state of Texas, asserting that the state does not provide enough funding and that the limitations placed on charter schools violate the Texas Constitution.

PARCC seeking feedback. PARCC has released model content frameworks designed to be a bridge between CCSS and PARCC assessments, and they are seeking public input on the content through July 11.

Surveying the testers. According to a survey by the Whiteboard Advisors, 83 percent of political and policy insiders believe that PARCC is “on the right track” in its support for the CCSS.

Congress agrees on low-interest loans. House and Senate leaders have agreed to a one-year extension of the current interest rate on Stafford loans. More information can be found here.