October 15, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 08
English-Language Learners
Dissecting Academic Gains for Dual-Language Students
In the 2008-09 school year, students enrolled in "two-way" dual-language programs in six North Carolina districts, on average, outscored their peers who were not enrolled in dual language on the state's reading and math tests.
Federal
K-12 Funding a Top Issue in Heated Fla. Governor's Race
Incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist are both pledging greater financial support for schools in their close election contest.
Reading & Literacy
Q&A: Researcher Identifies Gaps in Online-Reading Skills
University of Connecticut researcher Donald J. Leu talks about his recent findings showing that lower family income is linked to weaker online-reading skills for middle school students.
School & District Management
Skills Gaps for Online Reading Linked to Family Income
A study of 7th graders from two Connecticut school districts finds a significant achievement gap for the ability to read information critically on the Internet.
School & District Management
School Successes Inspire N.C. Push for Dual Language
Collinswood Language Academy's experiences with two-way language learning illustrate why North Carolina state education officials are sold on the idea.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Study Weighs Special Training Vs. Effectiveness for Teachers
Want to find a better teacher for English-language learners? A new report suggests schools might start by looking for teachers who add the most value for any student, rather than limiting the search to those with specialized training to work with ELLs.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Transition
Jim Blew has been named the new president of StudentsFirst, the K-12 advocacy group founded by Michelle Rhee that pushes for increased school choice and the end to seniority-based employment decisions for teachers.
Assessment
College Board Pitches for Expanding AP Access
Too many students are 'missing opportunities' to take rigorous courses—and potentially boost their SAT scores, says the board.
Assessment
Groups Honing Real-Time Teacher-Performance Exam
The Educational Testing Service, with the help of a nonprofit specializing in teacher practice, is planning to release a new assessment capable of measuring teacher-candidates' ability to execute key aspects of instruction.
Assessment
News in Brief
Teachers Sue Over Gag Rule About Test Questions
New York state's largest teachers' union claims in a federal suit filed last week that the state education department is violating the free-speech rights of teachers by barring them from speaking about questions and answers on state tests after students take them.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Indiana Eliminates Audits of Extracurricular Accounts
Indiana has stopped auditing extracurricular accounts at school systems because of a lack of manpower, raising concerns that the absence of oversight could contribute to new problems with accounts already prone to lax financial controls.
Assessment
Opinion
11 Ways to Make Data Analytics Work for K-12
To improve their practice, educators need early access to information on student performance, Irving Hamer says.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Petitioners Get Signatures to Put Funding on Ballot
Supporters of a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing "an adequate and efficient system of free public schools" in Mississippi say they've collected enough signatures to put a referendum on the 2015 general-election ballot.
Professional Development
News in Brief
Student-Survey Company Unveils New Teacher Tool
One of the best-known providers of student surveys is launching a new, free service for teachers, aimed at helping educators use the results to refine their classroom practices.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
New England Schools Face Rash of Bomb Threats
School and law-enforcement officials in New England say they are dealing with an unusually high number of bomb threats that have forced the cancellation of classes just weeks into the new academic year.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Three H.S. Football Players Die in Short Time Span
Three U.S. high school football players have died within a 1½-week span, according to news reports.
Education Funding
News in Brief
High-Performing Charters Get Aid for Expansion
The federal government is awarding nearly $40 million to charter schools in 12 states, with the aim of helping high-performing charters expand. Among the awardees are several that belong to well-known charter networks, as well as four schools that are yet to open in Washington state, where a new charter law took effect in 2012.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Justices Reject Appeal of Fired Science Teacher
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a public school science teacher who was fired for promoting creationism and refusing to remove religious materials from his Ohio classroom.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Battle Waged in Philadelphia Over Quashing of Union Contract
Philadelphia's School Reform Commission and the city teachers' union are headed for a showdown over whether the school district can unilaterally disregard the union contract—which expired in 2013—and require union members to pay $27 to $71 per paycheck toward their health benefits.
Special Education
News in Brief
Supreme Court Seeks Views of U.S. in Special Ed. Case
The U.S. Supreme Court last week asked the Obama administration for its views on whether it should take up a case involving an interpretation of federal special education law.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Reimagining Early-Childhood Education
Investing in children's social and emotional development yields significant academic and economic benefits, write three early-education advocates.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Colleges Agree to Honor SBAC Tests for Placement
Public colleges and universities in Washington state have announced that they will use the college-readiness determination from the 11th grade test of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium in course-placement decisions.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Native American Students
Some California colleges are seeing a decline in American Indian enrollment, and those students continue to lag behind their peers in academic achievement, according to a recent report.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Early-Childhood Education
Preschool teachers are less likely to be white and more likely to be women than teachers in elementary and secondary school, says a report on early-education teachers.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Teacher Expectations
A new study from the Center for American Progress concludes that teachers' expectations for their students are strongly correlated with students' graduation rates.
Federal
Report Roundup
School Grading Systems
Do the new "A through F" and similar accountability systems states designed under the Obama administration's No Child Left Behind Act waivers do a good job of recognizing how schools are doing when it comes to educating poor and minority students?
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Technology Is Not the Answer: A Student's Perspective
A high school junior argues that the widespread use of technology in K-12 classrooms is highly overrated.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Principals' Strategic Data Use Offers Key to Better Learning
To the Editor:
The Vanderbilt University research profiled in "Study: Teacher Data Remain Untapped" (Sept. 10, 2014) is an important contribution to our nation's efforts to improve education for children in low-income communities. In particular, the study provides crucial insight into how the most effective principals use data to generate positive change in their schools, and the role school systems have in supporting principals.
The Vanderbilt University research profiled in "Study: Teacher Data Remain Untapped" (Sept. 10, 2014) is an important contribution to our nation's efforts to improve education for children in low-income communities. In particular, the study provides crucial insight into how the most effective principals use data to generate positive change in their schools, and the role school systems have in supporting principals.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Assessment Training Facilitates Student-Driven Teaching
To the Editor:
In a recent Commentary ("Debunking Three Assessment Myths," Sept. 17, 2014), Sherah Betts Carr and Anaya Bryson examine common misperceptions of K-12 assessments and suggest paths for teachers looking to maximize student learning and engagement in a test-heavy context.
In a recent Commentary ("Debunking Three Assessment Myths," Sept. 17, 2014), Sherah Betts Carr and Anaya Bryson examine common misperceptions of K-12 assessments and suggest paths for teachers looking to maximize student learning and engagement in a test-heavy context.