High school graduation rates for 2012 mostly remained flat for New York State, which education officials said should be considered a success given that most graduating seniors last year no longer could receive a Local diploma, and had to meet the Regents diploma standards instead. For New York City, the 2012 overall graduation rate dipped slightly to 60.4 percent from 60.9 percent in 2011 among those graduating in June while the numbers are slightly higher for those graduating in August of last year.

The city launched a new award for excellence in the classroom. The first winners of the Big Apple teaching award went to 11 teachers from a mix of schools. Check out who won:

Special education reform has made is possible for more children with disabilities to attend their local schools. A segment of this population relies on technology to learn and get around. A WNYC reporter visited a recent showcase of the latest technology for students, organized by students.

At the graduation ceremony for Teachers College, a group of students and faculty protested the awarding of an honor to Merryl Tisch, chancellor of New York State Board of Regents, because of her support for standardized testing. TC granted the honor to Tisch for her years of service advocating for the state’s public school systems.

Listen to a story from two teenagers who offer an inside look at the current culture of marijuana, and hear their takeaway on what parents should think about if they find a joint in their kid’s bedroom.

An old florescent light fixture broke, and the smoke not only forced the evacuation of the building but also re-ignited the fight over how to replace toxic fixtures in the schools as quickly as possible.

The City Council speaker and Democratic candidate for mayor said she wants to add more gifted and talented seats and find ways to enroll more Black and Latino students in the city’s elite programs.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented a $69.8 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that contains about $800 million in one-time revenue and calls for reduced spending on education. Proposed cuts include $135 million for after-school and early childhood education programs and a reduction of 1,800 teaching positions through attrition over the next two years as a result of the city’s failure to reach a deal with the unions on a teacher evaluation plan.

WNYC’s Brian Lehrer spoke to the author of an article about tensions in the East Ramapo school district. Then he interviewed Rockland County legislator Aron Wieder, the former school board president, who responded to claims that members of the local Orthodox Jewish community are abusing their power on the school board to gut the public schools. Listen to both interviews and join the conversation.

Teachers and parents swapped stories about the English Language Arts exams that wrapped up Thursday. Hear Beth Fertig on the Brian Lehrer Show take callers’ questions and try to clarify some confusion around the state tests.