Dive Summary:

• Kansas Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker predicts next year will be "busy" for that state's education officials as the Kansas State Board of Education faces a series of policy decisions that impact everything from content students learn to the way teachers and administrators perform their jobs.
• At least four of the board's 10 members will also be new to the job starting in January, and a large percentage of the Legislature will be incoming freshmen.
• Also on the bill for the next year is the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards and deciding what assessments will be used to measure them, as well as a potential revamp of the way schools are accredited in the state.

From the article:

Thursday, October 18, 2012 Over the course of the next year, the Kansas State Board of Education will face a series of policy decisions that will affect daily life in classrooms throughout the state, touching everything from the content that students are taught to the way teachers and administrators go about their jobs. Furthermore, at least four of the 10 state board members will be new to their jobs starting in January, and they'll be working with a Legislature where a large percentage of members will be incoming freshmen. ...