On January 20, Barack Obama was sworn in as 44th President of the U.S. and Arne Duncan was confirmed by the Senate as U.S. Secretary of Education.

New Jersey, the first state in the nation to require flu shots for young schoolchildren, set a Dec. 31 deadline for parents to obtain flu vaccinations for their children.

A $10 billion promise would be the largest new initiative for young children since Head Start began in 1965.