July 15, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 36
Mathematics
Report Roundup
NRC Calls for Bolstering Preschool Math
A new report from the National Research Council says math instruction is often neglected in early-childhood education.
Accountability
Texas Accountability Law Touches on High Schools
Gov. Rick Perry has signed legislation that will make some significant changes in the state’s accountability system and budgeting requirements for schools.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Cyber Safety
Companies that do an extensive amount of business online should provide resources and information to parents and children about online safety.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Childhood Obesity
Elementary school students who eat school-provided lunches are more likely to be overweight than peers who brown-bag it every day.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Duncan's 'Chicago Model' Needs Special Scrutiny
To the Editor:
With billions of dollars and millions of children’s lives at stake, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s claims about his record in Chicago merit special scrutiny, especially if federal education funds are tied to requirements that districts across the nation rapidly replicate the “Chicago model” of school reform.
With billions of dollars and millions of children’s lives at stake, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s claims about his record in Chicago merit special scrutiny, especially if federal education funds are tied to requirements that districts across the nation rapidly replicate the “Chicago model” of school reform.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Native American Students
In states that enroll the most American Indian students, the proportion of such students who score at proficient levels on state tests has increased since passage of NCLB.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Latino Teens and Biculturalism
Latino adolescents are happier and healthier if both they and their parents have one foot firmly planted in Latino culture and the other in U.S. culture.
Federal
Accountability Looms Large as Charter Proponents Mull Future
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says charters' goal "should be quality, not quantity."
Standards
Report Roundup
What Works Clearinghouse
The latest reports from the federal What Works Clearinghouse give favorable ratings to the evidence supporting two computer-based reading programs.
School & District Management
Key Teams Tapped in Standards Push
The two national organizations coordinating a push for common academic standards have named the 29 people who are deciding what math and language arts skills students will need to know and when.
School & District Management
N.Y.C. Mayor Keeping Firm Hold on Schools
After the state law expires due to political infighting, the new board signals no appetite for change.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
Cheating
Cheating using cellphones and other mobile devices—such as sending friends test answers by text message—is widespread among middle and high school students.
Education
Report Roundup
School Behavior
Fifth graders who participated in a school-based social-and-emotional development program were about half as likely to engage in bad behaviors as those who did not take part in the program.
Federal
News in Brief
U.S. Department of Education OKs Modified Texas Assessment
Texas has become the first state to have its "alternate assessment aligned to modified academic-achievement standards" pass the U.S. Department of Education's peer-review process.
Standards
News in Brief
Louisiana Governor Approves 'Career Track' High School Diploma
Gov. Bobby Jindal has approved legislation creating a new public school curriculum with lowered academic standards.
Federal
News in Brief
House Panel OKs Ed. Dept. Budget Boosting Teacher Incentive Fund
The U.S. House of Representatives last week took its first action on the U.S. Department of Education's fiscal 2010 budget.
Education
News in Brief
Swine Flu Shots Seen Likely at U.S. Schools
U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children among the first in line—at their local schools—the Obama administration said last week.
Student Achievement
News in Brief
Poll Finds No Agreement on Pay
Despite the rising profile of pay-for-performance plans, there is no consensus that such a system for teachers and other district employees is workable.
School Choice & Charters
Girls-Only Online School Prepares for Opening
The first girls-only online school is slated to open this fall, launched by a consortium of private all-girls schools.
International
Singapore Crafts Vocational Ed. With Industries in Mind
The country has revamped its trade-oriented academic classes and moved many low-achieving students into in-demand jobs.
Law & Courts
Strip-Search Case Clarifies Scope of School Officials' Power, Liability
Arizona officials violated a student’s Fourth Amendment rights, but can’t be sued in this case, the high court ruled.
School Choice & Charters
Greater Latitude Allowed in Private School Tuitions for Spec. Ed. Placements
Even when a student has never received special education services from public schools, federal law authorizes the payments, the justices rule.
Federal
Arizona Officials Notch Win in Clash Over ELL Services
The justices ruled that the lower courts didn’t fairly consider “changed circumstances” that had occurred since parents in Nogales sued.
Teaching
Opinion
Assessing the Teaching of History
"With all the money spent on history assessments, it turns out we know little about their effectiveness," writes James M. Banner Jr.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Building Character in Crisis
"Only as we teach integrity will kids be ready for democracy," write Patrick F. Bassett, Paul D. Houston, and Rushworth M. Kidder.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Bullying: Protect Gays, and Others Who Are Vulnerable
To the Editor:
Joleen Hanlon’s Commentary “A Tragic Lesson in Anti-Gay Bullying” (May 27, 2009) highlights the terrible fallout from hurtful words and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, youths. In it, she emphasizes how sexual orientation often is the reason for bullying in schools.
Joleen Hanlon’s Commentary “A Tragic Lesson in Anti-Gay Bullying” (May 27, 2009) highlights the terrible fallout from hurtful words and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, youths. In it, she emphasizes how sexual orientation often is the reason for bullying in schools.
Curriculum
Letter to the Editor
Massachusetts Battled 'Fad for How-To Skills'
To the Editor:
I read with interest Tony Wagner’s online Commentary “Accountability 2.0” (June 11, 2009) because my state, Massachusetts, is engaged in a spirited policy debate of the type Mr. Wagner describes, one about high academic standards and the softer approach that 21st-century skills represent.
I read with interest Tony Wagner’s online Commentary “Accountability 2.0” (June 11, 2009) because my state, Massachusetts, is engaged in a spirited policy debate of the type Mr. Wagner describes, one about high academic standards and the softer approach that 21st-century skills represent.
Federal
Letter to the Editor
Question on NCLB: To Kill or Not to Kill?
To the Editor:
Diane Ravitch’s viewpoint in her Commentary “Time to Kill ‘No Child Left Behind’” (June 10, 2009) is about what I would expect. In the decade or so I have been in education and following her opinions, she frequently has expressed resistance to change.
Diane Ravitch’s viewpoint in her Commentary “Time to Kill ‘No Child Left Behind’” (June 10, 2009) is about what I would expect. In the decade or so I have been in education and following her opinions, she frequently has expressed resistance to change.