April 7, 2010
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 28
Education
News in Brief
Bullying Incidents Raise Questions About Role of School Officials
Questions have arisen about how accountable school officials should be for stopping bullying.
School & District Management
News in Brief
India Enacts Law Promising Free Elementary Education
A law making primary education compulsory in India went into effect last week.
Education
News in Brief
Hawaii Teachers Back Agreement to Return Students to Classroom
Teachers in Hawaii voted last week in favor of a proposed deal to end the nation’s shortest school year.
Education
News in Brief
S.D. Lawmakers Uphold Veto of Bill on Deaf Education
South Dakota lawmakers last week upheld Gov. Michael Rounds' veto of a bill that would have required the state to set up programs for children who are deaf or have impaired hearing.
Education
News in Brief
Little Rock, Ark., School Board Authorizes Lawsuit Against State
A divided Little Rock, Ark., school board has authorized its lawyer to file a lawsuit against the state over desegregation and charter schools.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Five School Districts Are Named Broad Prize Finalists
Southern school districts are prominent among the five finalists vying for the top prize in urban education.
Education
Correction
Corrections
A story in the March 31, 2010, issue of Education Week omitted New Mexico from the list of states that saw increases in NAEP reading scores between 2007 and 2009 at the 8th grade level only.
Federal
States' Ability to Evaluate ELL Programs Questioned
The Obama administration's ESEA plan would require states to assess the success of their education strategies for English-learners.
Education
Report Roundup
Gifted Students
Three national groups have published a new brief with practical recommendations for developing school policies that speed up the curricular pace for academically advanced students.
Education
Report Roundup
Staffing Contracts
A new report explains some of the common provisions found in multiyear contracts between school districts and teachers.
Education
Report Roundup
Hybrid Learning
A case study of a "hybrid learning" program in Wichita, Kan., finds that the district's graduation rate has risen 8 percent since the program began in 1999.
Education
Report Roundup
Alternative Schools
A third of the districts that run "alternative schools" were unable to enroll new students during the 2007-08 school year because of staffing or space limitations, according to a new study.
School Choice & Charters
Va. Board's Role Grows in Overseeing Charters
Two months after he took office, Republican Gov. Robert F. McDonnell secured legislative victories on three education issues he had highlighted in his campaign.
Education
Report Roundup
Culture-Based Education
A study in Hawaii has found that students of teachers who frequently infuse their lessons with Hawaiian culture-based strategies have higher educational aspirations.
Education
Report Roundup
Harlem Children's Zone
The latest "quick review" from the What Works Clearinghouse gives a nod of approval to the research design used to study Harlem's Promise Academy in New York City.
Education
Report Roundup
Loopholes in Title I Rules Shortchange Poor Students, Report Says
As federal lawmakers get ready to reauthorize ESEA, they should rewrite provisions in the law's Title I program that currently shortchange low-income students, a report says.
Teaching Profession
Obituary
Teacher Who Inspired 'Stand and Deliver' Dies
Includes updates and/or revisions.
Jaime Escalante, the high school math teacher in Los Angeles who inspired the movie "Stand and Deliver," died last week after battling cancer for several years. He was 79.
Jaime Escalante, the high school math teacher in Los Angeles who inspired the movie "Stand and Deliver," died last week after battling cancer for several years. He was 79.
Teaching
At Universities, Is Better Learning a Click Away?
The use of student-response clickers is growing in college and K-12 classrooms, but some see downsides to the devices.
School & District Management
Study: Library Computers Serve Key Ed. Role
A third of U.S. residents ages 14 and older use Internet access at public libraries to do homework, look for jobs, and other tasks.
Early Childhood
Both Value and Harm Seen in K-3 Common Standards
While some view the proposed expectations as valuable guidance, others worry that they are inappropriate for youngsters.
Equity & Diversity
College Seen to Aid Disadvantaged Youths the Most
A study finds that teenagers who are least likely to attend college reap the greatest financial returns from earning their degrees.
Accountability
Opinion
Tying Teacher Evaluation to Student Achievement
Susan H. Fuhrman advises policymakers to move carefully in crafting ways to make important decisions about individual teachers.
Teacher Preparation
Opinion
Teacher Ed. Reform: Good Intentions Gone Wrong
The latest effort to reform teacher education ignores the complexity of the task, writes William A. Proefriedt.
Curriculum
Opinion
How to Close the Digital Divide? Fund Public Libraries
Cities are slashing library budgets at a time their books and services are needed the most, write Donna C. Celano and Susan B. Neuman.
Classroom Technology
School Webcam Flap Spurs Look at Wiretap Laws
Broadening wiretap laws to include videotaped surveillance could either safeguard privacy or thwart efforts to recover stolen property, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., was told at a recent hearing in Philadelphia.
Equity & Diversity
Hispanic Education Law Enacted in New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson has signed into law the Hispanic Education Act, which aims to close the achievement gap for Hispanic and other students.
School & District Management
Researchers Argue Head Start Study Delayed, Ignored
The study findings, which were generally disappointing, got scarcely any mention in the national news media.
School Climate & Safety
U.S. Schools Reside in Shadow of Mexican Drug War
Fear has settled over Fort Hancock, Texas, a border town about 50 miles southeast of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the epicenter of that country’s bloody drug war.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Tying Educators' Hands In School Safety Efforts
To the Editor:
As evidenced in Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau’s Commentary "Taking Safety Too Far?" (Feb. 24, 2010), there is a growing voice critical of the number of arrests police make in schools. As a former state police officer and 21-year school central-office administrator who is now a school safety consultant, I feel compelled to respond.
As evidenced in Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau’s Commentary "Taking Safety Too Far?" (Feb. 24, 2010), there is a growing voice critical of the number of arrests police make in schools. As a former state police officer and 21-year school central-office administrator who is now a school safety consultant, I feel compelled to respond.