March 4, 2015

Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 23
Education Infographic Math Programs: How They Rate on Common-Core Alignment
EdReports.org selected 20 math instructional series to review for common-core alignment.
March 4, 2015
States State of the States State of the States Coverage: Ohio
Here is a summary of a recent annual address by a governor.
Sean Cavanagh, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Federal News in Brief President Offers Students Free Access to Parks
President Barack Obama has announced that, starting in September, all 4th grade students and their families will have free access to national parks and other public lands and waters for a year.
Liana Loewus, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Sexual-Harassment Claim Refiled Against L.A. Chief
A school district manager last week filed a new sexual-harassment lawsuit against Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
McClatchy-Tribune, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Former Superintendent Sues District Over Remarks
A former Albuquerque, N.M., schools superintendent is suing the district, claiming that his replacement breached an agreement that neither party would vilify one another.
Corey Mitchell, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief N.Y. Gov. Calls for Probe of Teacher Evaluations
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state education department should investigate the results of teacher evaluations to see whether the process is skewed to favor teachers.
The Associated Press, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Newark, N.J., Schools Chief Gets Contract Extension
The New Jersey education commissioner has extended the contract of embattled Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson despite calls in some quarters of the community for her to step down.
Denisa R. Superville, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House education committee, urged a tighter focus on existing K-12 programs rather than creation of new ones.
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., the chairman of the House education committee, urged a tighter focus on existing K-12 programs rather than creation of new ones.
Evan Vucci/AP-File
Every Student Succeeds Act House Wrestles With NCLB Rewrite Bill
Two days of floor debate on the House Republican measure to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act revealed sharp differences over K-12 policy.
Lauren Camera, March 3, 2015
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6 min read
A trio of freshman Republican governors, including Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, are pushing their K-12 initiatives and budget priorities in states where Democrats hold the majority in the state legislature. All three, elected last year, were preceded in office by Democrats.
A trio of freshman Republican governors, including Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, are pushing their K-12 initiatives and budget priorities in states where Democrats hold the majority in the state legislature. All three, elected last year, were preceded in office by Democrats.
Elise Amendola/AP
States Partisan Hurdles Ahead on K-12 for Some GOP Governors
New Republican governors in Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts are looking to push K-12 initiatives and make budget choices affecting schools in states where Democrats control the legislatures.
Andrew Ujifusa, March 3, 2015
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8 min read
Law & Courts Districts' Boys-Only Programs Prompt Legal Questions
Amid new efforts to improve outcomes for black and Latino boys, some civil rights advocates ask if districts are violating federal protections meant to ensure educational quality for girls.
Corey Mitchell, March 3, 2015
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5 min read
Joseph Fox, a school resource officer in the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, wears a personal body camera while on duty at Southwind High School in Memphis, Tenn. A growing number of school-based police are being equipped with the recording devices.
Joseph Fox, a school resource officer in the Shelby County Sheriff's Department, wears a personal body camera while on duty at Southwind High School in Memphis, Tenn. A growing number of school-based police are being equipped with the recording devices.
Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal/Zuma
School Climate & Safety Body Cameras on School Police Spark Student Privacy Concerns
A rise in the use of the chest-mounted video-recording devices in schools is prompting districts to weigh both accountability and privacy issues.
Evie Blad, March 3, 2015
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6 min read
A screen shot from Mission US: Flight to Freedom, the controversial digital learning game about U.S. slavery produced by WNET in New York City.
A screen shot from Mission US: Flight to Freedom, the controversial digital learning game about U.S. slavery produced by WNET in New York City.
Classroom Technology Digital-Simulation Game on U.S. Slave Experience Sparks Debate
An award-winning, publicly funded digital learning game that asks middle school students to assume the role of a black slave in 1800s America is prompting debate about when and how to employ the power of interactive technology to teach about painful eras of history.
Benjamin Herold, March 3, 2015
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7 min read
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pauses as he speaks to supporters after he was unable to win a majority vote in the city’s Feb. 24 mayoral election. He now faces Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a candidate backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, in an April runoff.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pauses as he speaks to supporters after he was unable to win a majority vote in the city’s Feb. 24 mayoral election. He now faces Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a candidate backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, in an April runoff.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
School & District Management Discontent With K-12 Agenda Helps Force Chicago's Emanuel Into Runoff
To win a second term, Mayor Rahm Emanuel faces a rival who is strongly backed by the city's influential teachers' union.
Denisa R. Superville, March 3, 2015
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5 min read
Equity & Diversity New Look at Suspension Data Pinpoints Disparities
Minorities and students with disabilities are disciplined at a disproportionate rate, researchers say, and there are wide variations among states and districts.
Evie Blad & Christina A. Samuels, March 3, 2015
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5 min read
School & District Management New Teachers' Academic Ability on the Rise, N.Y. Study Shows
The average combined math and verbal SAT scores of new teachers in New York state schools rose over the last decade, a new study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 3, 2015
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5 min read
Marchers in Golden, Colo., top, protest a proposal last fall from the Jefferson County school board to ensure that AP U.S. history courses emphasize patriotism and downplay civil unrest.
Marchers in Golden, Colo., top, protest a proposal last fall from the Jefferson County school board to ensure that AP U.S. history courses emphasize patriotism and downplay civil unrest.
Brennan Linsley/AP-File
College & Workforce Readiness Rewrite of AP Framework for U.S. History Criticized
Policymakers in at least four states are pushing back on the revised framework, saying it emphasizes negative aspects of the nation's history and downplays "American exceptionalism."
Liana Loewus, March 3, 2015
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8 min read
School & District Management Opinion The Problem With Our School Boards
Dysfunctional school boards make it difficult for school districts to hold on to good superintendents, argues John Mannes.
John Mannes, March 3, 2015
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto
School & District Management Opinion Making K-12 'Innovation' Live Up to Its Hype
Educational technology is booming, but its innovators have largely ignored the science behind how children learn, writes Matthew Muench.
Matthew Muench, March 3, 2015
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5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto
School & District Management Opinion Seeking Clarity in Charter School Governance
Students would benefit from a well-defined, but limited governmental role in schools, write Paul T. Hill and Ashley Jochim.
Paul T. Hill & Ashley Jochim, March 3, 2015
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Jonathan Bouw for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Opinion Teacher Tenure: An Innocent Victim of Vergara v. California
School administrators, not teacher-tenure laws, are responsible for "ineffective" educators, writes former teacher and principal David Finley.
David Finley, March 3, 2015
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6 min read
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Reliance on Carnegie Unit Limits Student Learning
To the Editor:
The study referenced in the article "Credit Hours Are Still Useful Measures for Schools, Study Concludes" (Feb. 4, 2015) is misleading and counterproductive to the search for a new model for education that does not rely on the century-old Carnegie unit, or credit hour, especially regarding competency-based learning. This study is tantamount to giving the foxes cover to continue to raid the chicken coops.
March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Federal Letter to the Editor Common Core: 'A Triumph of Spin Over Substance'
Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights defends the Common Core State Standards in his Commentary "Low Standards Do a Disservice to All" (Feb 4, 2015). He says critics are mounting a political "assault" on the common core.
March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Classroom Technology News in Brief L.A. Shifts Gears Over Computers-for-All-Students Policy
The Los Angeles Unified district cannot afford to provide all its students with a digital computing device, interim Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines has announced.
Benjamin Herold, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Assessment News in Brief Indiana Trims Time From State Exams
Legislators gave unanimous approval last week to steps that officials say will cut about three hours from the time thousands of students will spend taking Indiana's standardized tests this year, and Gov. Mike Pence quickly signed the bill into law.
The Associated Press, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief ACT, SAT Security Measures Found to Deter Cheaters
Administrators of the ACT and SAT college-entrance exams report that new security measures put in place to reduce cheating are working.
Caralee J. Adams, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Bill to Split Seattle District Takes a Step Forward
A Washington state House committee last week advanced a bill that would split the Seattle school system into two smaller districts, a week after the measure was panned by education advocates and members of the public.
The Associated Press, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief N.Y.C. Ordered to Add More Sports for Girls
The U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights has found New York City public schools to be in violation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in federally financed education programs.
Bryan Toporek, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Many Vaccination Rates Fall Below Range Deemed Safe
Nearly one in seven public and private schools have measles-vaccination rates below 90 percent, a rate considered inadequate to provide immunity, according to a USA Today analysis of data in 13 states.
McClatchy-Tribune, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Georgia District Leader Is Superintendent of the Year
Philip Lanoue, the schools chief in the Clarke County school district in Athens, Ga., was named national superintendent of the year last week in San Diego.
Corey Mitchell, March 3, 2015
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1 min read
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