Quick Hits

High court: Schools are required to pay for private special education: Students do not need to have attended public-school special education to receive district reimbursement for private-school tuition, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday. Some school leaders fear the decision could drive up costs, while special-education advocates said it may cause school districts to improve services. Both sides worry the ruling has the potential to reduce cooperation between public schools and families. (Wall Street Journal), (New York Times)

Educators say early intervention may help curb dropout rate: Educators examined why students leave school and how they can entice more of them to stay during a Maryland dropout-prevention summit. Students who by the end of sixth grade are failing math and English, attending only sporadically or behaving poorly are at risk for dropping out, said Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland's state superintendent. (The Sun)

NYC principals say educators need time to prepare for the school year: A decision to eliminate two days for staff development before the start of the New York City school year has been criticized by the head of the principals' union, who says educators need that time to prepare. "It's very important that we set the tone correctly on Day One," said the union president. "You can't set it if you're trying to do 15 things at one time." (The New York Times)

Internet helps students learn with a global perspective: Some high-school students are working with teens around the world to expand their cultural horizons and learn more about other countries. "It's far more interesting to hear a person your age tell about the volcano than to read in a book about a volcano," said assistant teacher Natacha Steimer after a student in Guatemala told Maryland children about one he visits regularly. (The Washington Post)

ACLU: Black students in Mich. are more likely to be suspended, expelled: Black students in Michigan are suspended and expelled at a disproportionate rate when compared with their white peers, according to a American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan report. The group recommends that more uniform discipline policies be adopted. (The Detroit News)

Unions seek bigger role in charter schools: As the Obama administration pushes for more charter schools, a teachers' union is pushing for a bigger role in them. It's a new development for the charter school movement, a small but growing -- and controversial -- effort to create new, more autonomous public schools, usually in cities where traditional schools have failed. On Tuesday in New York, the United Federation of Teachers expects to formalize a contract with teachers at Green Dot New York Charter School in the Bronx, a high school run by Green Dot, a nonprofit group that operates charter schools. Ten other New York charter schools are unionized. (Boston Globe)

More Arizona students test out of ELL classes: The number of Arizona students moving from English-language-learning programs into traditional classrooms for the upcoming school year has nearly doubled from two years ago to 40,000. State schools Superintendent Tom Horne credits the increase to a new four-hour course that teaches grammar, reading and writing. But some educators say the true effect of the new program will not be known until current elementary-school students reach middle school, where English-language learners tend to fall behind their peers. (The Arizona Republic)

Hundreds of NYC teachers await hearings in "rubber rooms": About 700 New York City teachers are paid to sit and surf the Internet, read, write or do just about anything for eight hours a day while they await hearings for an array of alleged offenses. The practice, which has increased since Mayor Michael Bloomberg gained greater control over the schools, costs the city about $65 million annually. (Google/The Associated Press)

Department of Education wants to leave NCLB behind: The Department of Education is working to dismantle a red schoolhouse in front of its Washington offices that became a symbol of No Child Left Behind during the Bush administration. With the law now being called by its original name, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the department is working to rebrand it and is considering a contest to rename NCLB. (Washington Post)

Educational extremes can be found 20 miles apart in Los Angeles: A suburban high school with few low-income students and a dropout rate near zero and an urban campus where free lunch is ubiquitous and only a fourth of the students make it to graduation in four years exemplify the extremes of public schools, according to this article. Poverty and crime make it difficult for students at the urban school to stay motivated, says its principal, while the suburban students are focused on preparing for college. (Los Angeles Times)