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Throughout 2013, Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½â€™s PreK-12 education team has brought you regular news and analysis of the goings-on in schools around the country and here in Washington, D.C. Below are the 10 biggest stories of the year. Check back in early 2014 for our key spots to watch in the coming year! 

1. Watching ESEA Waivers: February marks two years since states were first awarded waivers from No Child Left Behind’s most punitive provisions. , and even some , have applied. But the impact of those waivers is questionable, at best. Some states to meet their own plans. Waiver renewals among those of us who wondered how the Department of Education would ensure the waivers provide . And a Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ that from more than 20,000 schools in 16 states found that nearly 65 percent of schools in improvement under NCLB were no longer subject to those interventions. Still, , given the lengthy hearings and few results from earlier this year.

2. The Power of Pre-K: From to , and from to , policymakers dusted off the on the efficacy of pre-K programs and for expanding access–and . Though federal efforts to expand pre-K are likely to remain stalled as long as the budget crunch continues, momentum is building for smarter, earlier federal investments in young children.

3. Budget Dealings: The 2013 fiscal year a 5 percent sequester of federal dollars to federal programs, and yet more uncertainty about the 2014 budget process. Sequestration crunched schools’ budgets, particularly for needy students, and forced Head Start to . After a federal government shutdown and a subsequent agreement to delay the 2014 budget cuts into the new year, Congress that will avert the sequester, but hold appropriations funding essentially steady for the next three years. It does not, however, provide program-level funding past January 15 — of another federal shutdown. For more on that, check out EdCentral in the New Year.

4. Head Start Ups and Downs: The Office of Head Start finally announced in 2013 its first five-year grants to winners of Head Start — a policy that required some grantees to re-apply and compete for funds, and that, for a , attracted to current grantees. Meanwhile, though, Head Start programs continued a steady growth in quality improvement. Today, of Head Start teachers have bachelor’s degrees in early childhood, surpassing a requirement that half do by this fall. And despite the to the program in March, a proposal by President Obama to expand access to pre-K made Early Head Start a partner in the effort and for Head Start.

5. Tracking Grade-Level Reading: More and more states have begun adopting policies that require children to read on grade level by the end of third grade — and, in some cases, holding those students back until they meet the standards. Literacy gaps y, an issue some policymakers and educators are . Improving PreK-3rd grade education will require to help establish a well-connected and coordinated continuum of learning. and other community structures have a big role to play, too. Improving grade-level reading skills will require comprehensive, robust supports across the educational system and including families.

6. Common Core, Continued: As the first states began to fully implement the Common Core State Standards this year, controversies over the Common Core assessments, states’ timelines, and the standards’ cropped up repeatedly. Several states have of the PARCC assessment consortium, federal funding for which is before the tests are even fully rolled out. Other states are relying on assessments from other companies, further of testing. Some governors are requesting a to allow them to slow down Common Core implementation. And this is just the beginning of Common Core complications — expect another pile-up as test scores from the Common Core aligned assessments start to roll in.

7. Changing Demographics: With the ever-growing size of dual language learner students in the U.S., educators are beginning to ask the best ways to address that population’s needs. instead of English language learners, is just the first step. Especially in children’s earliest years, assessments appropriate for DLLs, bilingual teachers, a clear, aligned DLL curriculum, and family outreach . But in far too many schools, dual language learners fall farther and farther behind as their teachers  amidst all the other educator responsibilities they face. Immigration reform got its 15 minutes of fame this year, but the work on dual language learners is .

8. Looking at Teachers: The intense focus on improving teacher quality continued through 2013, with more states implementing more rigorous as a requirement of receiving NCLB. A Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ asked one especially important question: How will states use student achievement data to evaluate teachers in the untested grades and subjects, particularly those in pre-kindergarten through second grade? And efforts to shrink the gap in teacher quality between high- and low-income schools with reveal that money is not enough. Meanwhile, a new National Council on Teacher Quality—as well as a developed by the teacher preparation field itself—found that teacher prep programs are failing to equip many teacher candidates with the knowledge and skills they’ll need in the classroom, while another Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ highlighted two states that have made efforts to train current teachers to use on students.

9. Using Learning Technologies: Did you download apps for your little one this year? You’re not alone. As noted during a gathering at Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ for media there are nearly 100,000 education apps in the iTunes store, and technology plays an in children’s lives. Questions are still being posed regarding where and when different types of technology are helpful or harmful for young children, and experts urge administrators to in mind when making tech decisions.  Some parents than distractions and don’t fret about their use. In schools, it may be a different story, as some students still lack high-speed Internet to download good content in the first place. That’s why using the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate program to connect classrooms and in rural and low-income areas to broadband.

10. Lagging Adult Education: When the OECD released a report this year identifying as lacking basic skills necessary for the workforce, it through PreK-12 educators and analysts. what they want from their applicants, and applicants aren’t learning the skills they need–both academic and practical–to join the workforce. Still, though, it’s clear employers have the employee education bandwagon in force, so much work remains to be done. And note — this news story of key 2013 stories, too.”