November 11, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 11
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Quality
A new paper from the National Academy of Education argues that, while weeding out ineffective teachers is important, improving the supply of skilled teachers is "critical."
Federal
Report Roundup
9th Grade Bulge
Over the 2004-05 school year, more than 90,000 students from six states repeated 9th grade, according to a new report that is aimed at getting a statistical handle on what researchers call the "9th grade bulge."
Federal
Report Roundup
High School Exit Exams
The stakes attached to high school exit exams have risen since 2002, with 16 more states withholding diplomas from students who can't pass them than did so that year.
Federal
Report Roundup
Lead and Learning
At least 25 percent of students in Detroit’s public schools tested positive for elevated blood-lead levels between birth and age 5, possibly leading to a significant impact on their education achievement.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Ford Foundation Targets H.S. Reform
The Ford Foundation has committed $100 million to improving high school education in seven cities over the next seven years.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Miss. Schools Chief Selected
Tom Burnham, who led Mississippi's public school system for five years in the mid-1990s, has been chosen to return to the position.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Louisiana School Boards' Group Urges Rejection of 'Race to Top'
The Louisiana School Boards Association is encouraging its members not to participate in the federal Race to the Top program.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Hawaii Education Department Found to Have Underpaid Substitutes
A court ruling that held the Hawaii Department of Education underpaid substitute teachers millions of dollars from 2000 to 2005 has been upheld.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Opponents of Wake County Plan for Economic Diversity Sweep Board
A coalition of Wake County, N.C., school board candidates opposed to the district's economic-diversity policy has completed a sweep of seats in this year's elections.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
ACLU Sues Florida Over Low Rate Of H.S. Graduation in One County
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit against the state of Florida, arguing that it has failed to ensure that all students receive a high-quality education as required under the state constitution.
Federal
News in Brief
K-12 Common Standards Expected To Be Released in December
The second part of a draft of common, multistate standards is expected to be unveiled in mid-December, an official involved in the planning process said last week.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Los Angeles Leaders Rethink Plans For Parent Input on Changes
Leaders in the Los Angeles Unified School District have backtracked on a plan that would have allowed parents to "trigger" changes at their children's schools.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Wisconsin Lawmakers Remove 'Data Firewall'
The Wisconsin State Assembly has passed a bill that removes a ban on using student test results to evaluate teachers in order to be eligible for $4 billion in federal stimulus money.
Federal
Tribal Leaders Say Resources Wanting
Native American tribal leaders are telling federal education officials that the government needs to provide resources for early-childhood education, after-school programs, and other services in schools that serve American Indian children.
School & District Management
Report Calls for Improvements to 'Human Capital' Practices
A national task force says states and districts must pay new attention to the 'people side' of education.
School & District Management
Elections Expected to Affect School Policy
From ballot measures with funding implications to high-profile mayoral races, school issues factored into a number of state and local races.
Equity & Diversity
Schools Found Doing Better Job Flagging Pupils for Meals Help
Researchers report that half of U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point.
Science
Web Connects K-12 Students With Scientists
Universities and science organizations have launched initiatives to make advanced scientific work seem less intimidating and more appealing.
Budget & Finance
Cutbacks Stir Debate Over Michigan Funding System
Fifteen years after changing how the state pays for public education, lawmakers are under pressure to take a fresh look at that system.
School & District Management
Opinion
Without a Penny More
Districts can increase their support for classroom instruction even in tough times, writes Ron Steiger, who shows how his district did it.
Science
Opinion
Teaching Girls to Tinker
One reason that many girls don't develop an aptitude for math and science, writes Lisa Damour, may be that they aren't encouraged to explore how things work.
Curriculum
Opinion
Reimagining the Textbook
Electronic reading devices, or e-readers, could revolutionize the classroom, write Michael L. Miles and Bruce S. Cooper.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Ohio Study Contributes to Charter Misconceptions
To the Editor:
In response to “Ready to Learn,” a study highlighted in your Oct. 21, 2009, Report Roundup section:
In response to “Ready to Learn,” a study highlighted in your Oct. 21, 2009, Report Roundup section:
Education
Letter to the Editor
Teachers' Stress Grows as Choices Diminish
To the Editor:
I agree with Thomas Newkirk’s concern that teachers’ stress is increasing in part because of their lack of control over every facet of how they do their jobs (“Stress, Control, and the Deprofessionalizing of Teaching,” Commentary, Oct. 21, 2009). There are many ways to stifle teachers’ ability to create learning environments suited to their students’ strengths as learners and their own as educators—and only one way to encourage it.
I agree with Thomas Newkirk’s concern that teachers’ stress is increasing in part because of their lack of control over every facet of how they do their jobs (“Stress, Control, and the Deprofessionalizing of Teaching,” Commentary, Oct. 21, 2009). There are many ways to stifle teachers’ ability to create learning environments suited to their students’ strengths as learners and their own as educators—and only one way to encourage it.
Education
Letter to the Editor
'Disheartened' Educators: New Study Misses Much
To the Editor:
A new study by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates, “Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today,” described in your In Perspective article “State of Mind” (Oct. 21, 2009), may be a fair assessment of the way the teaching population characterizes itself. But it omits the ever-present influence of boards of education, teachers’ unions, and the voting public on teachers’ attitudes toward their profession.
A new study by Public Agenda and Learning Point Associates, “Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today,” described in your In Perspective article “State of Mind” (Oct. 21, 2009), may be a fair assessment of the way the teaching population characterizes itself. But it omits the ever-present influence of boards of education, teachers’ unions, and the voting public on teachers’ attitudes toward their profession.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Teachers Work Harder When They See Success
To the Editor:
Your article “Incentives Alone Not Enough to Prod Teacher Effectiveness” (Oct. 21, 2009) wonderfully illuminates the complexity of attracting, motivating, and retaining high-quality teachers.
Your article “Incentives Alone Not Enough to Prod Teacher Effectiveness” (Oct. 21, 2009) wonderfully illuminates the complexity of attracting, motivating, and retaining high-quality teachers.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Recalling Sizer's Belief in Teenagers' Abilities
To the Editor:
In response to your obituary of Theodore R. Sizer (“Sizer’s Legacy Seen in Appeal of ‘Personalized’ High Schools,” Oct. 28, 2009):
In response to your obituary of Theodore R. Sizer (“Sizer’s Legacy Seen in Appeal of ‘Personalized’ High Schools,” Oct. 28, 2009):
Education
Letter to the Editor
Don't Confuse 'Forensics' With 'Forensic Science'
To the Editor:
Please do not continue to encourage the improper use of the word “forensics” (“Forensics Courses Becoming Fixtures in Classrooms,” Oct. 28, 2009). The courses referred to in your recent article are courses in “forensic science”; forensics is argumentation in a court of law. The word is also used, and has been for the past 100-plus years, to refer to debate; take, for example, the National Forensic League, a student organization and honor society for speech and debate.
Please do not continue to encourage the improper use of the word “forensics” (“Forensics Courses Becoming Fixtures in Classrooms,” Oct. 28, 2009). The courses referred to in your recent article are courses in “forensic science”; forensics is argumentation in a court of law. The word is also used, and has been for the past 100-plus years, to refer to debate; take, for example, the National Forensic League, a student organization and honor society for speech and debate.