COLORADO
- A plan to fund performance rewards for Colorado’s universities received unanimous approval from the Commission for Higher Education Thursday. EdNews Colorado
- Is there something in the water? Two schools in Denver and Englewood shut down Thursday due to failures in their water systems. Denver Post, 9News
- In Boulder and Weld County, the number of whooping cough cases has outpaced last year’s as the illness sweeps the nation. Daily Camera, Times-Call
- Parents criticized Colorado Springs D-11 school district for their mid-morning decision to cancel school. Gazette
- Poudre School District placed its human resources director on leave without explanation. The director has been accused of pressuring staff to participate in a business scheme. Coloradoan
- A for-profit university in Denver has been fined $3 million for deceptive academic practices. Denver Post
- And at other universities, the money spent on athletes increased as much as three times more than that spent on students. CPR
- A lunch-time Bible study class is at the center of a formal complaint against the Colorado Department of Education by an employee. 9News
- A Delta school board member who made graphic statements about transgender students is standing by her comments. What’s more, she wants to open a school where the laws regarding transgender students do not apply. Denver Post
NATION
- An American shot in Libya was a teacher at Benghazi’s international school. AP
- Two students remember the time they met Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who died yesterday. WNYC
- Kids who play with their food are more likely to learn the names of what they’re eating, according to a new study. The Atlantic
- A news roundup inside a news roundup: Alexander Russo picks the most notable education stories of 2013. The Atlantic
OPINION
- The success of Common Core depends on teacher training, according to Lauren Vanderkam. AP via 9News
Rise & Shine
Each weekday morning, we search websites of various media, comb through RSS feeds and peruse Google alerts to bring you a roundup of the day’s top education headlines, in Colorado and across the country, by 8 a.m. If you’d like to suggest a story we’ve missed or a source we should add to the list, please email us at ednews@ednewscolorado.org.