February 1, 2012

Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 19
School & District Management States Mulling Creativity Indexes for Schools
California, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma are working on ways to promote, and measure, creativity and innovation in their schools.
February 2, 2012
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9 min read
Classroom Technology K-12 Marketplace Sees Major Flow of Venture Capital
Industry observers attribute the rise to heightened interest in ed-tech initiatives, decreasing technology costs, and the move to Common Core standards.
Katie Ash, January 31, 2012
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9 min read
School & District Management Eyebrows Raised Over Initial NCLB Waiver Bids
Two influential Democrats worry that some waiver applications may water down accountability.
Alyson Klein, January 31, 2012
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3 min read
Teaching Profession Analysis Raises Questions About Rigor of Teacher Tests
An analysis finds average scores of candidates on state licensing exams are uniformly higher than the passing scores states set.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 31, 2012
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8 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup N.Y.C.'s Small Schools Still Showing Gains
Students in 105 of New York City's 123 so-called "small schools of choice" grew more academically and were more likely to graduate.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Education Correction Correction
A Commentary on self-contained classrooms in the Jan. 25, 2012, issue of Education Week confused the meaning of a sentence in the piece. It should have read: "The cause is simple: the 19th-century 'egg crate' school and its key design feature, a self-contained, four-walled classroom with a fully qualified teacher for every 25 or so students (well, maybe 30 or 35, or even more in hard times)."
January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Special Education Report Roundup Autism
A preliminary analysis of a revision in the definition of autism could change the proportion of individuals who qualify for diagnosis.
Nirvi Shah, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School Choice & Charters Report Roundup Research Report: Charter Schools
Collaborations between public charter schools and their districts are on the rise.
Christina A. Samuels, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Va. Bill Would Scrap Science, History Tests
A bill approved by the Virginia Senate would eliminate standardized testing for the state's 3rd graders in science and history.
January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Report: Teacher Tenure Weaker in Some States
America's public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren't performing.
The Associated Press, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Rural Students
Purposeful field trips can be a good way of helping at-risk rural high school students connect the classroom to the real world.
Diette Courrégé Casey, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Less State Funding Available for College
More students than ever are headed to college, but the funds to support them are not following.
Caralee J. Adams, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Federal Policy Expert Retires From Think Tank
Jack Jennings, the president and chief executive officer of the Center on Education Policy, a Washington think tank, planned to step down on Jan. 31 from the organization he founded 17 years ago.
Michele McNeil, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Early Childhood Report Roundup Early Childhood
A new study finds that adults who received high-quality child care starting as babies were still reaping benefits even 30 years later.
Julie Rasicot, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Student Well-Being Report Roundup Mentoring
An improved version of the school-based mentoring program run by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is turning out to be more successful.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Court Approves Ariz. Voucher Law
A new court ruling finds Arizona's school voucher program for students with disabilities is constitutional.
The Associated Press, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Ed-Tech Policy News in Brief Tech. Challenge Ahead for Common Tests
Most states that have adopted the common standards anticipate significant challenges in shifting to a computer-based assessment system designed for those standards, a new study concludes.
Catherine Gewertz, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Education News in Brief New Tests in Texas Spark Concerns
Parents, school officials, and business leaders—and even an ex-lawmaker who once voted for it—expressed alarm last week about new, more-rigorous standardized testing for Texas schoolchildren.
The Associated Press, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Ohio Ex-Schools Chief Tapped for Federal Post
President Barack Obama is nominating Deborah Delisle, a former Ohio schools' chief, to be the assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Michele McNeil, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Academic Achievement
Adolescents with less stable childhoods tend to be more at an academic disadvantage at more rigorous high schools.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Recovery Officer' to Head Philadelphia Schools
The board that runs the Philadelphia school system has created a new management structure for the 146,000-student district, in the hope that the new leaders can tackle a looming $61 million budget shortfall.
Christina A. Samuels, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Federal California Steps Up Focus on English-Language Learners
The state schools chief has assigned an expert team to boost the achievement of the state's 1 million English-language learners.
Lesli A. Maxwell, January 31, 2012
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4 min read
Special Education Feds Say More Students May Qualify for Disability Services
The U.S. Department of Education warns schools to think more broadly about who gets special services under federal disability laws.
January 31, 2012
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6 min read
First lady Michelle Obama takes her seat as she has lunch with school children at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.
First lady Michelle Obama takes her seat as she has lunch with school children at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, Va.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Student Well-Being USDA Rules Give School Meals a Healthy Makeover
The USDA's new school meals rules call for more fruits and vegetables, less salt and fat, and more whole grains.
Nirvi Shah, January 31, 2012
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto.com/Vladamir Stamenkovic
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail
Trying to look perfect on a college application is not the ticket to admission, writes Angel B. Pérez.
Angel B. Perez, January 31, 2012
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3 min read
Federal Opinion The Case for Partisanship in Rewriting ESEA
Partisanship has a place in the No Child Left Behind reauthorization debate, says Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower.
Marcus B. Weaver-Hightower, January 31, 2012
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3 min read
School & District Management Letter to the Editor Religion, Public Money Should Stay Separate
To the Editor:
In upholding Indiana's school voucher plan ("Indiana Grapples With Impact of Voucher Laws," Jan. 11, 2012), Marion Superior Court Judge Michael D. Keele seems to have overlooked Article I, Sections 4 and 6 of the state constitution, which state, respectively, that "no person shall be compelled to ... maintain any ministry against his consent," and that "no money shall be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." The vast majority of private schools receiving the voucher funds are pervasively religious institutions, part of a church's "ministry."
January 31, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Teacher Ed. Study Piece Does Not Tell Full Story
To the Editor:
I was gratified to see the Teacher Education Study in Mathematics, or TEDS-M, research reported in your Quality Counts report ("Teacher Training Has Key Role to Play," Jan. 12, 2012). But while I agree with most of what the article says, I'm afraid it will cause some misunderstanding. Points important to emphasize include:
January 31, 2012
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2 min read
Education Funding Hawaii Scrambles to Meet Race to Promises
With a $75 million award in peril, crafting a teacher-evaluation system takes on added drama.
Michele McNeil, January 31, 2012
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1 min read
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