Jan. 15, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 17
School & District Management
N.Y. Governor Proposes $2 Billion for School Technology
School technology and rewards for teachers were central proposals in N.Y. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's State of the State speech.
Education Funding
Rules Detailed on New Calif. K-12 Funding Formula
Regulations putting California's overhauled school-funding formula into effect seek to strike a state-local balance on how the money is spent.
Federal
Caution Flags Raised for Six Waiver States
Federal monitoring reports show that some states with No Child Left Behind Act waivers are struggling in key areas.
School & District Management
Teach For America Spinoff Helps Alumni Gain Influence
The group works with former TFA corps members eyeing careers in policy, advocacy, and community organizing, and puts campaign muscle behind those who seek elected office.
Federal
USDA Keeps More-Flexible School Lunch Caps in Place
The federal agency has made permanent its rules easing restrictions on the amount of grain and protein that school cafeterias are allowed to serve in a week.
School & District Management
Opinion
Making Progress in Smaller Cities
An innovative partnership between a foundation and the schools in Syracuse, N.Y., offers a template for education change in other small- and medium-sized cities, writes Gene I. Maeroff.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
A Key to Motivating Teenagers
If students think that college is out of reach for their families financially, there's a good chance they will lose interest in school, writes Erich May.
Federal
U.S. Learning Registry Aims to Tailor Online Content for Educators
The U.S. Department of Education says its online information-sharing network now houses 300,000 resources from a wide variety of sources, but questions remain about the initiative’s sustainability.
School & District Management
Opinion
Why Make Reform So Complicated?
When it comes to improving learning, schools would do better to choose simple solutions with clear priorities and goals instead of the complicated fixes they often adopt, Mike Schmoker writes.
School & District Management
State of the States
State of the States 2014: Colorado
Gov. Hickenlooper proposed increased funding for K-12 and higher education and greater financial accountability for public schools during his address to state legislators.
School Climate & Safety
Feds Call for School Discipline to Be More Evenhanded
In a new guidance document, the departments of Education and Justice are calling for school discipline policies and practices to be more fair and less harsh.
School & District Management
State of the States
State of the States: West Virginia
Education was in the spotlight throughout West Virginia Gov. Tomblin's address.
School & District Management
State of the States
State of the States 2014: Vermont
Gov. Shumlin's fourth State of the State address focused on one topic: drug addiction. The governor mentioned education only once, and then only in a general way, in the opening lines of his 30-minute speech to lawmakers.
School & District Management
State of the States
State of the States 2014: Virginia: Outgoing Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's Speech
In his last speech to lawmakers as chief executive, Gov. McDonnell looked back on his four-year tenure as one of "bold action" in education.
School & District Management
State of the States
State of the States 2014: Idaho
Gov. Otter pledged to rebuild Idaho's education budget and create a "K-to-career" education system during his 43-minute speech to legislators, more than half of which focused on education.
IT Infrastructure & Management
3 Districts Making Progress on High-Speed Internet
Experts say that fiber-optic cable is still the "gold standard" for providing schools with high-speed connections to the Internet, but for many districts, accessing complete fiber networks remains a challenge.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Districts Get Creative to Build Faster Internet Connections
High-speed fiber-optic cable is generally regarded as the best vehicle for satisfying schools' huge appetite for more bandwidth, but only about 40 percent of U.S. districts are believed to have access to it.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Physical Fitness
Just one in four teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15 engaged in the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in 2012, according to new data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
In Grading, Looks Matter, Says Study
A new study concludes that good looks tend to improve a student's chances of academic success, including better grades in high school.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Schooling and Health
More than ever, Americans with less education are dying earlier than their more-educated peers, according to a policy brief from the Center on Society and Health.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Teaching Methods Can Overcome Toxic Stress in Children's Lives
To the Editor:
Rebecca Shore's letter to the editor ("History of Improvement Efforts Points to Early Years as Key," Dec. 11, 2013) sheds light on a critical educational issue: children living in chronic insecurity and stress.
Rebecca Shore's letter to the editor ("History of Improvement Efforts Points to Early Years as Key," Dec. 11, 2013) sheds light on a critical educational issue: children living in chronic insecurity and stress.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Poverty, Not Teacher Preparation, Holds American Students Back
To the Editor:
Developing and requiring a new test for teacher-candidates is based on the belief that something is wrong with teacher preparation ("Performance Key on Teacher Tests," Dec. 4, 2013).
Developing and requiring a new test for teacher-candidates is based on the belief that something is wrong with teacher preparation ("Performance Key on Teacher Tests," Dec. 4, 2013).
Student Well-Being
Letter to the Editor
Gratitude for Promoting Awareness About Concussion Risks for Athletes
To the Editor:
As a longtime fan of Education Week and its staff and a parent who lost a son to football head injuries, my wife and I thank you for bringing the issue of concussions and head injuries in high school sports to the forefront in a new e-book (Playing it Safe: Reducing Concussions and Head Injuries in School Sports, Education Week Press, 2013).
As a longtime fan of Education Week and its staff and a parent who lost a son to football head injuries, my wife and I thank you for bringing the issue of concussions and head injuries in high school sports to the forefront in a new e-book (Playing it Safe: Reducing Concussions and Head Injuries in School Sports, Education Week Press, 2013).
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Anti-Bullying, Civics Education Should Align, Support Each Other
To the Editor:
Jim Dillon's recent Commentary ("The Best Antidote to Bullying? Community-Building," Dec. 11, 2013) evoked some common experiences and opportunities that anti-bullying and civics education proponents face.
Jim Dillon's recent Commentary ("The Best Antidote to Bullying? Community-Building," Dec. 11, 2013) evoked some common experiences and opportunities that anti-bullying and civics education proponents face.
School & District Management
News in Brief
AASA Announces Finalists for Superintendent's Award
AASA, the School Superintendents Association, last week announced the finalists for the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Popular Science Experiment Results in Student Injuries
Two New York City high school students suffered burns when a popular chemistry experiment sent a plume of fire across the science lab, leaving one 16-year-old in critical condition, The New York Times reports.
Assessment
News in Brief
Testing Company to Drop 'Explore' and 'Plan' Exams
ACT Inc. is offering its Explore and Plan tests for the last time this school year as it gears up to debut a new suite of exams for grades 3-11 that are aimed at capturing a big chunk of the common-standards testing market.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Minority Students in Ill. Make Up New Majority
New enrollment numbers show that lllinois' public school system for the first time does not have a white majority, with Latino, black, Asian, and other racial groups combining to eclipse white students across the state's classrooms.
Assessment
News in Brief
Unions, Testing Consortia Team Up on Common-Core Resources
Using $1.6 million in grants, the PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessment consortia will work with the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association to give teachers a central role in designing instructional resources for the common standards and tests.