April 23, 2014

Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 29
Assessment Letter to the Editor Trained Peers, Not Tests, Needed to Evaluate Teachers
To the Editor:
States are rushing out high-stakes teacher-rating systems with real consequences that do not come close to meeting the criteria outlined by the authors of the Commentary "Take the Time to Evaluate Teacher Evaluation".
April 23, 2014
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness College Board Unveils 'Draft' Materials for New SAT
The new exam, described as an "achievement test," aims to judge students' in such areas as analysis, synthesis, and real-world problem-solving.
Caralee J. Adams, April 22, 2014
5 min read
School & District Management National Principal-Certification Project to Fold
Citing insurmountable administrative and financial challenges, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards voted to end its efforts to develop advanced certification for principals.
Lesli A. Maxwell, April 22, 2014
4 min read
Ronald J. Packard, center, whose resignation as K12 Inc.’s CEO was announced in January, celebrates the company’s initial stock listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007. With him are his son, Chase, and John F. Baule, then the company’s chief operating officer.
Ronald J. Packard, center, whose resignation as K12 Inc.’s CEO was announced in January, celebrates the company’s initial stock listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007. With him are his son, Chase, and John F. Baule, then the company’s chief operating officer.
Business Wire-File
Law & Courts Investor Lawsuit Targets K12 Inc. and Stock Sales of Former CEO
A federal lawsuit alleges that the online education provider K12 Inc. misled investors, and says that the company’s former CEO benefited by selling off stock before the company’s stock price fell.
Sean Cavanagh, April 22, 2014
8 min read
Data Google Amends Terms for Scanning User Data
With a federal lawsuit pending, and more scrutiny about its practices, Google updated its terms of service and privacy policies about how it uses private data.
Benjamin Herold, April 22, 2014
2 min read
Tony Manly, an 11th grader at the Academy for College and Career Exploration, watches while Kierra Gibson, a senior at Mergenthaler vocational-Technical Senior High School, coaxes Tristan Smith, an 11th grader at the academy, to participate in a scavenger hunt. The game was part of a Peer Group connection weekend retreat for students from the two Baltimore schools at Camp Letts in Edgewater, Md.
Tony Manly, an 11th grader at the Academy for College and Career Exploration, watches while Kierra Gibson, a senior at Mergenthaler vocational-Technical Senior High School, coaxes Tristan Smith, an 11th grader at the academy, to participate in a scavenger hunt. The game was part of a Peer Group connection weekend retreat for students from the two Baltimore schools at Camp Letts in Edgewater, Md.
Matt Roth for Education Week
Student Well-Being Schools Explore Benefits of Peer Counseling
Recognizing the important role social and emotional factors can play in academic success, some schools are enlisting energetic students to mentor their peers.
Evie Blad, April 22, 2014
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto.com
School & District Management Opinion Teacher Education: No Longer 'Business as Usual'
Twenty years after an article appeared in Teacher Magazine about the state of teacher education at one university, Ellis Hurd and Gary Weilbacher weigh in on where the program and teacher education stand today.
Ellis Hurd & Gary Weilbacher, April 22, 2014
7 min read
Reading & Literacy News in Brief Captain Underpants, Bluest Eye Top Most-Challenged-Book List
The American Library Association has issued its annual list of books most frequently targeted for removal from library shelves.
Catherine Gewertz, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Brett Hurt, a sophomore at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pa., is wheeled into a news conference at Forbes Hospital. Hurt was one of the 21 victims injured by a knife-wielding students at the school this month.
Brett Hurt, a sophomore at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pa., is wheeled into a news conference at Forbes Hospital. Hurt was one of the 21 victims injured by a knife-wielding students at the school this month.
Keith Srakocic/AP
School Climate & Safety School Stabbings Signal Need for Broad Safety Plans
After a recent knife attack at a Pennsylvania high school, experts say educators should be prepared to respond to a range of potentially dangerous situations.
Evie Blad, April 22, 2014
6 min read
Reading & Literacy For Challenged Readers, Custom-Tailored Texts
Specialized texts serve older students reading many levels below their peers, but some ask how they align with requirements of the common core.
Christina A. Samuels, April 22, 2014
6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Rural Schools
Students in rural counties are less likely to attend college, and those who do are less likely to choose a four-year, private, or highly selective institution, according to a recent report.
Jackie Mader, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Hispanic Students
For a snapshot of how Latino students are doing when it comes to finishing college, Excelencia in Education has released 53 fact sheets and an online interactive tool showing degree completion in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Caralee J. Adams, April 22, 2014
1 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Sports Injuries
Youth-athletes from higher-income families are 68 percent more likely to suffer serious overuse injuries compared to lower-income athletes, according to a new study presented this month at the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's annual meeting in New Orleans.
Bryan Toporek, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Education Funding Report Roundup Early Childhood
North Carolina's state-funded pre-K program for 4-year-olds has produced better-than-expected positive outcomes for participants, new research says.
Julie Blair, April 22, 2014
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief ACT Pilots Digital Version of College-Admissions Exam
The first wave of students has taken a computer-based version of the ACT, marking a new era for the college-admissions test.
Caralee J. Adams, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief 60 Oregon Districts Again Face Title IX Complaints
For a second time, anonymous complainants have filed Title IX complaints against 60 Oregon districts for allegedly failing to provide high school girls with opportunities for sports participation equal to those of boys.
McClatchy-Tribune, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Benjamin C. Owens teaches an honors physics class at Tri-County Early College High School in Murphy, N.C. He says he’ll refuse to give up his tenure voluntarily, even if it means missing out on a salary increase that the legislature put in place to ease the loss of the job protection.
Benjamin C. Owens teaches an honors physics class at Tri-County Early College High School in Murphy, N.C. He says he’ll refuse to give up his tenure voluntarily, even if it means missing out on a salary increase that the legislature put in place to ease the loss of the job protection.
Erin Brethauer for Education Week
Law & Courts N.C. Districts, Teachers Sour on State's Anti-Tenure Law
In return for abolishing tenure, lawmakers are making districts offer raises to a quarter of their teachers, a quota administrators' and teachers' associations are protesting.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 22, 2014
7 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Math Group Produces Book on Common-Core Teaching
A new volume from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics aims to go a step further than the Common Core State Standards in math by describing specifically what teachers and education leaders need to do to help students reach the new requirements.
Liana Loewus, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Data News in Brief Fla. Lawmakers Approve Student-Data-Privacy Bill
A Florida bill that attempts to ensure data privacy for students and their families has received nearly unanimous support from state legislators, and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
Michele Molnar, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Pa. District Agrees to Fix English-Learner Services
A Pennsylvania district has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights to provide more equitable educational opportunities for its English-language-learner population.
Alyssa Morones, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Federal News in Brief After Two Years of Waiting, Illinois Earns NCLB Waiver
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has granted his home state a waiver from some mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, making it the 43rd state to win such approval.
Alyson Klein, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Science News in Brief Tool Released for Evaluating Science-Standards Materials
Achieve, the nonprofit that played a key role in launching the common-core standards, has released a tool called EQuIP to measure the alignment of instructional materials to the Next Generation Science Standards.
Liana Loewus, April 22, 2014
1 min read
School Choice & Charters News in Brief Applications for Vouchers Soar After Push in Arizona
An aggressive media campaign and expanded eligibility helped double the number of applicants for Arizona's school voucher program, which allows students to use public funds for a private education.
The Associated Press, April 22, 2014
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief At Largest Cyber Charter in Pa., Teachers Unionize
Teachers at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, the largest of its kind in the state, have voted to unionize.
The Associated Press, April 22, 2014
1 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is feeling a sense of urgency as the Obama administration moves deeper into its second term. As for his own legacy: "I don't spend any time thinking about that."
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is feeling a sense of urgency as the Obama administration moves deeper into its second term. As for his own legacy: "I don't spend any time thinking about that."
Stephen Voss for Education Week-File
Federal Arne Duncan Vows Push on Range of Education Priorities
Standards implementation, pre-K, and teacher preparation are high on the to-do list items for the U.S. Secretary of Education as the administration heads deeper into its final term.
Michele McNeil, April 22, 2014
6 min read
Education Correction Correction
An incorrect credit was given for the Page 1 photograph about field-testing of common-core-aligned exams in the April 16, 2014, issue of Education Week. The photograph was taken by Steve Hebert.
April 22, 2014
1 min read
Assessment NAEP Crafts Plans to Deploy Tablets for Testing
The architects of one of the best-known gauges of student achievement—the National Assessment of Educational Progress—are preparing for a dramatic expansion of technology-based assessment.
Sean Cavanagh, April 22, 2014
8 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Best of the Blogs
April 22, 2014
9 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Obama Administration to Face Hurdles on Vulnerable Programs
Some of the president's high-profile K-12 programs may have an uncertain future without strong patrons in Congress or a formal anchor in federal law.
Alyson Klein, April 22, 2014
6 min read