February 25, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 22
Law & Courts
Supreme Court to Hear Case on Abuse Reporting
The case before the high court asks whether teachers' duty to report suspected child abuse makes them adjuncts of law enforcement when it comes to prosecution.
Special Education
Some States Put Parents in Charge of Student Spending
Education savings accounts—which allow parents to use public funds to customize schooling for their children—are the newest frontier in school choice.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Teachers' Unions Push Congress on NCLB Rewrite
The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers step up lobbying efforts, targeting lawmakers in their districts.
Law & Courts
Educators' Views Vary in Dispute Over Health Care Law
The U.S. Supreme Court to hear the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act, involving subsidies to those in states without their own health-care insurance marketplaces.
Standards
Common Core Seen Falling Short in High School Math
Even some of the most ardent supporters of the standards say the ones developed for the upper grades have weaknesses and should be revisited.
States
Indiana Test Furor Adds to State's K-12 Tension
Officials scramble to cut back the length of time needed for the Indiana's state assessment, amid a continued tussle over education leadership in the state.
Federal
NCLB Waiver States Share in New SIG Flexibility
School Improvement Grant rules out this month give more leeway on turnaround strategies to states with waivers, not just to SIG recipients.
School & District Management
Parents' Incarceration Takes Toll on Children, Studies Say
Researchers are finding that having a parent in prison can be more traumatic to students than a parent's death or divorce, and can create problems for children's education and health.
College & Workforce Readiness
Rising Graduation Rates: Trend or Blip?
The latest signs from the U.S. Department of Education point to another year of record-breaking graduation rates, but experts differ on the reasons why.
School Choice & Charters
Amid Changing Landscape, Lab Schools Search for New Roles
The "experimental" schools initially housed at universities were envisioned as centers of instructional innovation and teacher training. Many are now private schools.
Data
Ed-Tech Vendors Attend 'Boot Camp' for Data-Privacy Advice
More than 40 ed-tech companies gathered in Washington for the first of several expected training sessions to help companies understand their legal obligations for protecting students' data privacy.
Assessment
Opinion
'Annie' Movie Remake Is Accurate, Sadly
The portrayal of a retooled Annie as poor, black, and illiterate is a realistic portrayal, writes Lydia Carlis.
Teaching
Opinion
A Coach With the Heart of an English Teacher
UCLA basketball coach John Wooden understood that a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching students does not work, writes David Perrin.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Gina Burkhardt, the former executive vice president and director of education programs at the American Institutes for Research, is the new president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that all young people have the skills to succeed.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study Finds More Girls in STEM Classes
More girls are taking high school courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but their science and mathematics test results still lag behind those of boys, according to a new analysis.
Curriculum
News in Brief
States Fueling Recall of New Framework for AP History Course
The debate over the new Advanced Placement U.S. History framework is rolling through the states.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
High Schools
Lower-income students are much more likely to drop out of school in 9th grade than those of middle- or high-income families, according to an analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Research Report: Testing
Embedding performance assessments into curriculum could provide less intrusive accountability measures for schools, according to a report.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Merit Pay
A report by the Center for American Progress outlines the differing features of 10 districts that have restructured their entire teacher-compensation systems.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Research Report: Special Education
Schools with a large enough special education population to require reporting on that subgroup's performance were more likely than those with smaller special education populations to move students from self-contained to general education classrooms.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Vaccination Data Missing for Schools in Wash. State
Washington health officials say that more than 300 schools in the state have failed to report immunization-exemption rates as required by law.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Rural Education
Only about half the nation's rural school districts have students enrolled in college-level Advanced Placement courses, and those students have lower AP success rates than their nonrural peers, according to a report.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Archbishop Urged to Rescind Teacher-Morality Clauses
Eight California lawmakers last week urged the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco to withdraw the "morality clauses."
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
School Errors Jeopardize Graduation Eligibility
A school district north of Houston says the graduation eligibility of nearly 600 students has been jeopardized by a series of errors committed by administrators.
Assessment
News in Brief
School Puts Students on Conference Hot Seat
A school in central Illinois is taking a new approach to the dreaded parent-teacher conference.
States
State of the States
State of the States Coverage: Texas
Here is a summary of a recent annual address by a governor.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Three U.S. Teachers Are Finalists for $1 Million Prize
Nancie Atwell of Edgecomb, Maine; Naomi Volain of Springfield, Mass.; and Stephen Ritz of New York City join seven other educators from around the world as finalists.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Wis. Court Tosses Out Bid to Undercut Chief's Authority
A portion of a Republican-written law that gives the Wisconsin governor the power to block new education rules is unconstitutional, a state appeals court ruled last week.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Foundations Donate Millions to Boys of Color Initiative
Leaders of a philanthropic consortium are pouring $10 million into an effort to identify and target the needs of black, Latino, American Indian, and Asian-American boys and men.