October 3, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 06
School Climate & Safety
Calif. Laws Aim to Curb Use of School Suspension
But the governor vetoed another bill that would have made it harder for schools to suspend for "willful disobedience."
Federal
Grad-Rate Metrics: A Waiver Soft Spot?
A top House Democrat and advocacy groups urge the Education Department to closely monitor graduation rates for waiver states.
Education
Obituary
Former Chairman of Mass. Board Dies
John R. Silber oversaw the takeover of the city of Chelsea's troubled public school system and was later appointed chairman of the Massachusetts board of education.
College & Workforce Readiness
Exit Exams Face Pinch in Common-Core Push
Some states rethink the kind of tests high school students must pass to graduate, or whether to use exit exams at all.
Teaching
Mich. Initiative Scraps Grade Levels and Letter Grades
The goal is to improve achievement in the state's lowest-performing schools by allowing students to progress at their own pace.
Law & Courts
Symposium Revisits Landmark Student-Speech Cases
Key players on both sides come together to discuss pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases involving students' free-speech rights.
School & District Management
N.H. Charter Freeze Triggers Fierce Backlash
Conflict over a charter moratorium underscores national tensions over charter funding and management.
College & Workforce Readiness
Hopes Pinned on Standards to Boost College Readiness
The latest results of the SAT college-entrance exam show declines in reading and writing and a leveling-off of math performance.
School Climate & Safety
Calif. Laws Seek to Curb School Suspensions
But the governor vetoed another bill that would have made it harder for schools to suspend for 'willful disobedience.'
Education Funding
A Romney Win Could Upend K-12 Federal Policy Landscape
A scaled-back Education Department and cloudy prospects for Obama initiatives are among the scenarios.
Equity & Diversity
Schools Falter at Keeping ELL Families in the Loop
Communicating with parents is proving to be a big challenge for districts facing immigrant influxes for the first time.
School & District Management
Opinion
Writers Reflect on Chicago Strike
Four writers explore the implications of the recent teachers' strike in Chicago.
Standards
Opinion
Engineering Good Math Tests
It will take more than computer-based tests to truly assess students' math abilities, Hugh Burkhardt writes.
Reading & Literacy
Letter to the Editor
Constructivist Learning Needs Further Study
To the Editor:
I listened in on a Sept. 19, 2012, Education Week-hosted webinar sponsored and presented by Cambium Learning/Voyager Vice President Stevan Kukic ("Using RTI & Data-Driven Strategies in the Common-Core Era," Sept. 19, 2012). I am very appreciative of Mr. Kukic's acknowledgment that targeted interventions are vital for the success of our schools. He is correct on this point. I am concerned, however, that Cambium Learning has applied scientific findings associated with early reading instruction to reading intervention for middle and high school students.
I listened in on a Sept. 19, 2012, Education Week-hosted webinar sponsored and presented by Cambium Learning/Voyager Vice President Stevan Kukic ("Using RTI & Data-Driven Strategies in the Common-Core Era," Sept. 19, 2012). I am very appreciative of Mr. Kukic's acknowledgment that targeted interventions are vital for the success of our schools. He is correct on this point. I am concerned, however, that Cambium Learning has applied scientific findings associated with early reading instruction to reading intervention for middle and high school students.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Achievement Scores Often Misinterpreted
To the Editor:
The article "Principals Criticized on Teacher-Retention Decisions" (Aug. 8, 2012) contains the following statement about results issued in a report by TNTP, formerly The New Teacher Project: "Of the teachers studied, the group identified a subset of about 20 percent as 'irreplaceables' because their students made two or three more months' worth of academic progress compared [with] those taught with the average teacher in the district." The statement is fundamentally flawed and represents a common misunderstanding fostered by the testing industry, which prefers to report results in months and years of achievement when all they have is the number of items scored as correct on a particular test: the raw score.
The article "Principals Criticized on Teacher-Retention Decisions" (Aug. 8, 2012) contains the following statement about results issued in a report by TNTP, formerly The New Teacher Project: "Of the teachers studied, the group identified a subset of about 20 percent as 'irreplaceables' because their students made two or three more months' worth of academic progress compared [with] those taught with the average teacher in the district." The statement is fundamentally flawed and represents a common misunderstanding fostered by the testing industry, which prefers to report results in months and years of achievement when all they have is the number of items scored as correct on a particular test: the raw score.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Ohio Ex-Schools Chief Not Charged in Probe
Prosecutors have decided not to file charges against Ohio's former schools superintendent.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Louisiana Seeks to Use Storm Money for Pre-K
La. Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration wants to shift $20 million in storm-recovery spending to fill in budget gaps in the state's preschool program for at-risk children.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
Ohio to Rate Schools On P.E. Standards
State report cards will soon feature a new measure for Ohio schools.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Texas District Expands Student-Paddling Rule
Parents at a Texas high school complained about the school's violation of a paddling policy.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
Digital Textbooks
A national education technology group suggests that schools switch from print to digital instructional materials by 2017.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Children's Health
Twenty or 40 minutes of physical activity per day can help reduce the risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases in children.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
PTA Sues Rival Group on Trademark Issues
The National Parent Teacher Association sued a for-profit riva, accusing it of denigrating the established group in a bid to siphon off members.
Science
Report Roundup
Early Childhood
Preschoolers naturally think about probability and make inferences as they play and explore their world.
English-Language Learners
News in Brief
Ore. to Create ELL Test With Federal Grant
The state education agency in Oregon has won a $6.3 million grant to create a new English-language-proficiency test.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
College Tuition
Students shouldn't let the sticker price of college deter them from considering the pursuit of a degree.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Wanted: Bilingual Staff
A survey reveals that Illinois has a shortage of early-childhood teachers trained to provide bilingual instruction to young English-language learners.
Accountability
News in Brief
Exams to Count Less In Calif. Accountability
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law that would redefine the state's key measure of public school quality.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Bias Complaint Targets N.Y.C. Admission Exam
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights about New York City's specialized high schools' admissions process.