February 4, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 20
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Study: Attendance Is Spotty in D.C.'s Preschools
About one in four preschoolers in Title I schools in the District of Columbia school system missed 10 percent or more of the 2013-14 school year, finds a study by the Washington-based Urban Institute.
Teaching
Teach Like a Champion Update Heightens Focus on Instructional Practice
An expanded edition of Doug Lemov's popular book is published as interest in practice-based teacher preparation is growing.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Free Tenn. Tuition Program Brings Flood of Applicants
About 90 percent of Tennessee's senior class has applied for the first year of Tennessee Promise, which offers eligible high school seniors the chance to go to a community college or technical college tuition-free.
States
State of the States
State of the States Coverage: Hawaii, Montana, South Carolina, Utah
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
Education Funding
News in Brief
E-Rate Filing Window Open; New Resources Available
Schools and libraries hoping to tap into the expanded pool of E-rate money now available for broadband and Wi-Fi equipment and services can now submit their applications.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Minnesota Tops Ranking of Charter School Laws
Minnesota remains at the top of a charter-advocacy group's annual ranking of state charter school laws, while Maryland posts the group's lowest score among the 42 states that allow such schools.
Assessment
News in Brief
Senate Education Panel Approves Research Bill
The Senate education committee last week approved the federal education research bill, a measure that it didn't get around to passing during the Congress' last lame-duck session, even though the House and the Senate had reached bipartisan and bicameral agreement.
Federal
News in Brief
Draft Bill on Student Privacy Raises Questions
New federal student-data-privacy legislation being crafted by the White House would prohibit education technology vendors from selling student information and directing targeted advertisements at students, but the legislation remains silent on other controversial industry practices, say documents obtained by Education Week.
Assessment
News in Brief
State Board to Oversee Little Rock School District
The Arkansas state board of education will oversee the Little Rock school system after voting last week to dissolve the district's school board immediately but keep the current superintendent in his job for now.
Federal
Report Roundup
Child Welfare
The number of children younger than 18 who receive federal food assistance has doubled since the economic downturn in 2007, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data.
Accountability
Report Roundup
Accountability
A forthcoming study by University of Missouri researchers finds that accounting for factors like poverty when comparing schools could lead to a more "effective and equitable" teacher-evaluation system.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Rural Students
A program to provide summer and after-school reading enrichment to rural students has reduced the need for intensive reading remediation, finds a new study by the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Diverse Students
A new report from Excelencia in Education, which advocates higher educational achievement for Latinos, dispels the perception that most Latino students are English-language learners.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Readiness
College access has become less of a problem for students in poverty than completion, finds a new William T. Grant Foundation study, an update to a 1988 report on inequity.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Research Report: Literacy
First grade students participating in Reading Recovery improved significantly in both reading words and overall comprehension, finds a new evaluation of the program by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education, but the authors note some schools' selection criteria may bar students in high need of help.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Textbook Authority Shifting From States to Districts
State control over curriculum materials is slowly shifting to districts.
Curriculum
Letter to the Editor
Differentiation Is Another Name for Good Teaching Practice
To the Editor:
In his Jan. 7, 2015, Commentary on differentiated instruction ("Differentiation Doesn't Work"), James R. Delisle makes a number of baffling claims in his facile dismissal of the practice, which he does not attempt to define and seems to confuse with the separate issue of ability grouping. I am wholly unconvinced by the piece.
In his Jan. 7, 2015, Commentary on differentiated instruction ("Differentiation Doesn't Work"), James R. Delisle makes a number of baffling claims in his facile dismissal of the practice, which he does not attempt to define and seems to confuse with the separate issue of ability grouping. I am wholly unconvinced by the piece.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Red Flags Raised on Plan to Let Title I Aid Follow Students
Voucher opponents worry about a provision in a draft bill to revise the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that would let aid for poor children follow them to their public schools of choice.
Student Well-Being
Federal Home-Visit Program Faces Renewal Deadline
A program that pays for nurses and trained workers to make home visits, intended to change the health and educational trajectories of some of the most vulnerable families, will sunset in March unless Congress acts.
Families & the Community
Consultants Steer Parents Through Maze of School Choice
As public K-12 options multiply in some cities, families are paying for experts to guide them through the selection and enrollment processes.
English-Language Learners
Testing Burden on ELLs Needs Easing, Federal Officials Say
Libia Gil, the head of the U.S. Department of Education's office of English-language acquisition, says she is working to decrease the time English-learners spend testing and preparing for tests.
School & District Management
Spotlight on Jeb Bush's K-12 Group as New Chief Takes Over
Condoleezza Rice's ascension to the top spot at the Foundation for Excellence in Education is among several recent transitions at influential advocacy organizations sharing similar priorities.
English-Language Learners
Opinion
Don't Forget Southeast Asian Students
Southeast Asian students are a sometimes-forgotten group with specific language and learning needs, say Quyen Dinh and Brenda Shum.
Standards
Opinion
Low K-12 Standards Do a Disservice to All
The common core offers the promise of equal educational opportunity for poor and minority children, writes Wade Henderson.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
What the Military Might Teach Schools
Public schools could help disengaged youths by replicating a successful military program that has bolstered student achievement, writes Hugh B. Price.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
K-12 MOOCs Must Address Equity
Until all students have easy access to the Internet, online courses could impede rather than improve achievement among lower-income youths, Norman Eng says.
Teaching
Schools Test Impact of Blending Technology, Longer School Days
The pairing of blended learning and an expanded school day hits the sweet spot for improving K-12 education, concludes a new guide for educators and policymakers.