October 14, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 08
States
California Blazes Trail With New Sex Education Mandates
A pair of new laws includes a requirement that students learn about affirmative sexual consent, known as "yes means yes."
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
The Sexual-Abuse-to-Prison Pipeline
Girls who are victims of sexual abuse are often further traumatized by the juvenile-justice system, writes Gina Womack.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Rethinking Student Discipline and Zero Tolerance
Restorative practices, rather than zero tolerance, are more effective in solving student discipline problems, write four RAND researchers.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letting Your Kids Opt Out of Tests Is Not How to Solve the Problem
To the Editor:
A word to parents: Believe it or not, allowing your child to opt out of state-mandated standardized testing won't help address the issue. In fact, it's just plain bad manners.
A word to parents: Believe it or not, allowing your child to opt out of state-mandated standardized testing won't help address the issue. In fact, it's just plain bad manners.
Student Well-Being
Letter to the Editor
Are Healthier School Lunches Slowed by District Red Tape?
To the Editor:
With their children back in school, many parents have worry lists that now include nutrition. School cafeterias often serve up unhealthy meals during a time when growing minds and bodies need nutritious foods the most. Despite healthy options available, some school food distributors are afraid to upset the subpar status quo.
With their children back in school, many parents have worry lists that now include nutrition. School cafeterias often serve up unhealthy meals during a time when growing minds and bodies need nutritious foods the most. Despite healthy options available, some school food distributors are afraid to upset the subpar status quo.
Teaching Profession
For Gates, Same Agenda Draws Support, Critiques
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's plan to stay the course on education won praise for steadfastness and renewed some old criticism.
Recruitment & Retention
Teacher Attrition Continues to Plague North Carolina
A new state report says the legislature hasn't done enough to entice teachers to stay, despite some modifications to the salary schedule.
School & District Management
Former Chicago Schools CEO to Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges, Feds Say
In their indictment of Barbara Byrd-Bennett, federal prosecutors allege the former superintendent steered a $23 million, no-bid contract to her former employers.
College & Workforce Readiness
New Teacher Requirements Jeopardize Dual-Credit Classes
Dual-credit programs in 19 states feel threatened by a new rule requiring high school teachers of those classes to have a master's degree.
Accountability
Opinion
Why Educators Should Get Serious About Free Universal Education
Susan Hopgood, Lily Eskelsen-García, and Randi Weingarten explain their support for the global "sustainable development goals" adopted recently by the United Nations.
Data
Microsoft's Commitment to Data Privacy Questioned
Privacy experts are raising the alarm over what they see as overly aggressive data collection in the company's newly unveiled operating system, Windows 10.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study Lays Out Grim Statistics on Urban Education
Among the findings: Less than a third of the cities examined made gains in math or reading proficiency over the three-year study span relative to their state's performance.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
Math Learning
Using a word-problem app to talk about mathematics at home once a week can boost math achievement, particularly for students with parents who dread the subject.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Access
The Migration Policy Institute found that states' "DREAM Acts" can differ significantly in their eligibility requirements for in-state tuition.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Student Mobility
Changing schools often in the earliest grades puts students at a significant risk of poor math performance and critical-thinking skills in upper elementary school, according to a new study.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Student Bullying
Even a basic state anti-bullying law is associated with significantly lower in-person and cyber-bullying reported in schools, according to a new study.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
California Dismisses Exit Exam for Students Back to 2003-04
The state has no clear fix yet on the precise number of students affected. But news media reports put the figure around 32,000.
Special Education
Special Education Directors Brace for Fresh Guidance
The wave of federal documents is likely to continue in the coming months, lawyers who work on special education issues told those attending a conference in Baltimore.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Florida Board Settles Suit Over Principal Hypnotist
The families of three high school students who died after being hypnotized by a former principal will receive $200,000 each from a Florida district under a settlement approved last week.
International
News in Brief
Ind. District to Recruit Students From China
The school board for one of the smallest districts in Indiana has voted to keep the one-building district open next year and plans to try to recruit students from China.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Ex-Smarter Balanced Chief Joins NAEP Governing Board
Joe Willhoft, who led the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, has joined the panel that sets policy and content for the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
School & District Management
News in Brief
National Principal of Year Goes to R.I. School Leader
Under Alan Tenreiro's leadership, Cumberland High School in Cumberland, R.I., has doubled its Advanced Placement offerings and expanded the number of STEM courses.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Ohio Probe Reveals Fraud in Tutoring Program
Private tutors faked attendance at their sessions for hundreds of Columbus, Ohio, students, bilking taxpayers out of more than $800,000, according to a state audit of a now-halted federal program.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Pennsylvania Audit Slams State Education Department
Pennsylvania's auditor general last week assailed the state education department as slow to change, beset by apathy, and mired in what he called "bureaucratic ineptness."
School & District Management
News in Brief
N.J. Officials Loosen Grip on State-Controlled District
The state seized control of Jersey City schools in 1989, citing "total educational failure."
Assessment
News in Brief
In Wake of Errors, Chicago Lowers Graduation Rate
The changes follow a district inspector general report and an investigation by Chicago's WBEZ public-radio station and the Better Government Association.
Professional Development
News in Brief
Harvard Network to Tackle Teaching-Quality 'Nonsystem'
A new Harvard University initiative will oversee projects to boost the coherence of the nation's systems for scaling up great teaching.
Federal
News in Brief
White House Initiative to Target Absenteeism
The Obama administration last week launched an initiative aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism in public schools.