Do Schools Challenge Our Students: What Student Surveys Tell Us About the State of Education in the United States (Center for American Progress): “Consider, for instance, that 37 percent of fourth-graders say that their math work is too easy. More than a third of high-school seniors report that they hardly ever write about what they read in class [... and] 72 percent of eighth-grade science students say they aren’t being taught engineering and technology.” Moreover, “students from disadvantaged background are less likely to have access to more rigorous learning opportunities.” Read the full report right here and check out this interactive state-by-state map of student engagement.

Fairfax considers first charter school (Washington Post: Virginia Schools Insider): “More than 100 parents, teachers and activists turned out Tuesday night for an informational meeting about the Fairfax Leadership Academy, which would be the first charter school in Northern Virginia if it?s approved by the county school board in October [...] Proponents of the Fairfax Leadership Academy say that the charter school model, which allows for more flexibility and experimentation than a traditional public school, will give the county a new way to attack that stubborn gap.” We talked about the approval of the first Montgomery County charter school last July; what do you think about a new charter in Fairfax?

Teens learn about non-profits through grant work (Boston.com): In philanthropy news from my hometown, “Teens from the Boys & Girls Clubs in Dorchester and Roxbury worked together to determine how to distribute $10,000 in grants as part of the Highland Street Youth Philanthropy Initiative, which provided the funding. The teens researched local organizations and their need, developed funding guidelines, reviewed applicants’ budgets, visited sites, and conducted interviews with possible grant recipients.” According to the foundation’s website, the Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) “engages and empowers youth to collectively choose and fund nonprofit organizations.”