October 2, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 06
Equity & Diversity
Meals-Eligibility Option May Complicate Data Collection
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's new "community eligibility" option for federal school meals programs may be generating some data-collection difficulties for federal and state education education programs in participating states.
Equity & Diversity
Rollout of School Meals Option Popular, Report Says
A new school-meals-eligibility option is proving popular with high-poverty schools, and is boosting participation in lunch and breakfast programs, two anti-poverty groups find.
Equity & Diversity
Ambitious Pre-K Program Launches in San Antonio
San Antonio's $248 million program for preschoolers from poor and working-class families is off to a mostly smooth start, even as administrators do some fine-tuning.
Accountability
Opinion
Elevating the American Education Debate
It's time for moderates in the education debate to speak out and deflect attention away from the schools-good, schools-bad zealots, write David Rutkowski and Lesli Rutkowski.
College & Workforce Readiness
Career-Technical Education on Congressional Radar
Lawmakers are eyeing renewal of the biggest program aimed at high schools, which may offer chance for rare, bipartisan cooperation on an education law in a highly polarized Congress.
Special Education
'Sequester' Impact Felt on Special Education Aid
School districts are cutting professional development and technology and shifting money from general education as they cope with the impact that federal funding cuts are having on the flow of money to special education programs.
Federal
Debate Over Modernizing E-Rate Gathers Steam
Money issues, mobile technologies, and equity concerns are prominent topics in public comments to the FCC about how to improve the program.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Remaking Schools as Socioemotional Places
With more emphasis on test scores and technology, schools risk losing their joyful, caring side, Kathleen M. Cashin and Bruce S. Cooper write.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Schools Must Bring Creativity to Blended Learning
Too often, schools bring only tepid energy to the blending of traditional and online learning, Charles Mojkowski says.
Standards
Florida Curtails Role in State Testing Consortium
Action by Republican Gov. Rick Scott raises questions about reach of common assessments being developed by the PARCC coalition, but leaders say the work will continue without Florida.
Teaching
'Improvement Science' Seen as Emerging Tool in K-12 Sphere
Federal research agencies show increased interest in this field, which brings researchers together with education practitioners to try out new interventions quickly in a variety of environments.
College & Workforce Readiness
Latest SAT Results Show No Change in Average Scores
Even so, African-American and Hispanic students posted slight gains on the college-entrance exam, as a record share of students in the class of 2013 who took the SAT were minorities.
Standards
Challenges Envisioned for Next-Generation Science Tests
To reflect the Next-Generation Science Standards, new assessments must capture both students' knowledge and their "scientific thinking," said experts and educators at a summit.
Assessment
Demand for Testing Products, Services on the Rise
The market for testing products and services is surging, as schools scramble to prepare for common-core tests and embrace new, classroom-based assessment models.
Families & the Community
Parents Press for Attention to Programs for Gifted Students
From court cases to lobbying to fundraising, parents are pressuring states and districts to boost services for the gifted, whose needs they say often are overlooked—a particular concern for low-income and minority parents.
Law & Courts
Supreme Court to Tackle Race Case
The justices will weigh a case about a 2006 Michigan ballot measure that prohibited racial preferences in education and other areas of state and local government.
College & Workforce Readiness
Houston Becomes Two-Time Broad Prize Winner
The district was commended for raising student achievement, increasing the graduation rate, narrowing academic gaps for low-income and Hispanic students, and improving college-readiness.
Federal
Report Roundup
Indian Education
The federal agency responsible for the education of American Indian children is falling short in managing the various schools and programs that are meant to ensure such students perform well academically, says a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Sports Injuries
Concussion symptoms are no worse or more frequent in precollegiate athletes than they are for those in college, according to a study published online last week in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Research Report: English-Language Learners
Just nine states met all of their federal goals for helping English-language learners make progress in learning the language and reaching academic targets in mathematics and reading from 2008 to 2010, a report from the U.S. Department of Education says.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Early Childhood
Preschool naps should be preserved, even in the face of pressures to add more to the curriculum, say researchers who concluded that sleep enhances preschoolers' memories.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study: State Educators Rely on Predigested Research
Researchers from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education examined how state education agencies find the research that informs their efforts to improve schools.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
After School
A new study suggests working together is something that after-school providers can improve on.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Survey Finds Teens' Outlook on the Future Is Optimistic
While adults think the future for their children is uncertain, teenagers have a more optimistic outlook, according to a new poll.
Science
News in Brief
Delaware Board Adopts K-12 Science Standards
The Delaware board of education voted to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, bringing to seven the number of states to do so since the standards became final in April.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Kansas Group Aims to Block Use of Science Standards
An anti-evolution group filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Kansas from using new, multistate science standards in its public schools.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Pa. District Officials Resign After Racist Text Messages
A criminal investigation is underway in the Coatesville, Pa., school district after the discovery of racist text messages that were exchanged between the recently resigned superintendent and athletic director.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Group Urges Defunding of Inadequate Teacher Prep
The Education Trust released a set of recommendations last week focused on the teacher-preparation-accountability provisions of the federal Higher Education Act, which is up for reauthorization.