August 8, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 37
Families & the Community
Ruling Bolster Backers on 'Parent-Trigger' Use
Parents seeking to overhaul a California elementary school court outside groups to help after recent legal victory.
Families & the Community
'Parent-Trigger' Tactic to Get Hollywood Treatment
'Won’t Back Down,' due out next month, takes a fictional look at a controversial parent-driven school overhaul tactic.
Curriculum
Message of 'Publishers' Criteria' for Math Standards: Focus
The document by the lead writers of the common core is being welcomed by the education community, with noted shortcomings.
School & District Management
La. Law Reshuffles Personnel Powers in Districts
But school officials predict the changes will not affect relations between superintendents and the boards that hire them.
Education
The Mechanics of the Brain
An unprecedented research project in one Virginia community, the Roanoke Brain Study, uses a variety of games to explore how interactions and other factors shape our brains and decisions. Check out this interactive to see what insights researchers can learn from these four behavioral games and how they are played.
Education Funding
Legislative-Control Fights Up Ante on K-12 Policy
The fate of state education policy changes passed in 2010 may hinge on elections for a few hotly contested legislatures this fall.
School Choice & Charters
'Hybrid' Home Schools Gaining Traction
As home schooling grows in popularity, lines are blurring between private and public schooling.
Student Well-Being
Children's Health Impact Seen in Medicaid Debate
Advocacy groups say the ranks of uninsured children could swell if governors balk at Medicaid expansion.
Recruitment & Retention
Principals Criticized on Teacher-Retention Decisions
Teacher-training group TNTP suggests school leaders take more-strategic approaches to keeping 'irreplaceables'.
Curriculum
Opinion
Solving the Textbook-Common Core Conundrum
Beverlee Jobrack explains how schools can identify effective teaching materials as they embark on the implementation of the standards.
Science
Obituary
Sally Ride, Science Booster
The first American female astronaut, who was an influential role model and advocate for stem education, died July 23 from pancreatic cancer at age 61.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Youth Development
A program designed to improve social-cognitive skills reduced the likelihood of being arrested for a violent crime by 44 percent.
Data
Report Roundup
Absenteeism
A high average daily attendance can mask chronic absenteeism in a small group of students, concludes a study of Indiana students by the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Student Well-Being
Report Roundup
Child Well-Being
Children's health and education are showing positive signs even in the midst of a gloomy economic environment, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest ranking of child well-being.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
For-Profit Colleges
After a two-year investigation of for-profit colleges, a Senate committee has released a report critical of the sector's practices, described as often putting business concerns above students’ interests.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Teacher Pay
Despite little research supporting the practice, paying teachers for earning advanced degrees continues to cost states billions of dollars.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Stimulus Saved Jobs, Report Concludes
Local education leaders say they used federal stimulus money as intended— to save or create jobs and launch school reforms.
Education Funding
Advocates Raise Concerns on Looming 'Sequester' Cuts
Education and other programs face automatic, across-the-board cuts unless Congress comes up with another plan for the nation's long-term fiscal health.
School & District Management
Researchers Embark on Long-Term Study of Brain Development
A massive new brain study seeks to explore how interactions and other factors shape our brains and the decisions we make.
Education Funding
Can Technology Replace Teachers?
As districts and states look for more efficient ways to operate, they are turning to technological approaches that some see as a threat to teacher jobs.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
The Problem With Punishing Emotions
Educators should rethink classroom-management practices that end up punishing students for showing their emotions, Luke Reynolds writes.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Grant to Underwrite Charter-District Work
Federal officials are sponsoring a new grant competition designed to promote collaboration between charter and traditional public schools that want to work together to improve academic achievement and overall educational services.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Appeals Court Denies Graduation in Church
A Wisconsin district’s use of a Christian church for its high school graduation ceremonies violated the U.S. Constitution, a federal appeals court has ruled.
Teacher Preparation
News in Brief
N.C. Teacher Prep to Include Arts
Efforts to promote integration of the arts across the curriculum got a boost in North Carolina last month.
Curriculum
News in Brief
News Corp. Rebrands Education Business
Global media conglomerate News Corp. jump-started its fledgling education division last month, unveiling Amplify, a new brand for its education business.
Education Funding
News in Brief
College Choices Shift in Tough Economy
Families are concerned about the rising cost of higher education and are making adjustments to cope, a new survey finds.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Staffing Changes Could Double Pay
Alternative staffing models could boost some teachers’ pay by as much as 134 percent without increasing existing school budgets.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
White House Targets Black Achievement
President Barack Obama launched a new initiative aimed at improving the educational outcomes for African-Americans.