January 6, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 15
Every Student Succeeds Act
ELL Advocates Hopeful and Wary of New Federal K-12 Law
The new law will bring a number of changes to ELL policy that has some advocates and educators worried about the 5 million and growing population of English-learners.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Richard Crandall, a former Arizona legislator and Wyoming schools chief, is soon to become Colorado's education commissioner.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Arts Learning Keeps Toehold in ESSA
Unlike earlier proposals in Congress, the new law includes language that cements states' obligation to support arts education.
Every Student Succeeds Act
NCLB Rewrite Sets New Path on School Research
The Every Student Succeeds Act takes a more flexible, more nuanced approach to assessing the research evidence for educational programs and policies.
School & District Management
Standards for Principal Supervisors Bring Sharper Focus to Role
K-12 leaders hope new professional guidelines will bolster efforts to redefine the job of overseeing principals.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Education Department Gets Slight Boost in FY 2016 Deal
Title I aid and state grants for special education are among some of the areas receiving increased aid under the omnibus federal budget deal signed last month.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Law Adds to Pre-K's Stature as Federal-State Priority
The Every Student Succeeds Act locks into law a $250 million grant program to support states as they develop preschool programs and directs money to state early-childhood literacy efforts.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Special Education Advocates Gear Up for ESSA Implementation
Advocates for students with disabilities say they'll want to be at the table as states hammer out plans to comply with the new federal education law.
Every Student Succeeds Act
States, Districts to Call Shots on Turnarounds Under ESSA
The new federal K-12 law still requires states to identify their worst-performing schools, but states and districts have great leeway in how to turn them around.
Every Student Succeeds Act
School Systems Get More Say on STEM Education
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states and districts get more leeway—and more options—on funding STEM programs.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Reins In, Reshapes Federal Role in Literacy
The new program is smaller and less prescriptive than Reading First, and it can be applied to students of all ages.
School & District Management
Opinion
To Change Education, Change the Message
Laurene Powell Jobs' investment in model schools is not enough to alter the education landscape, writes Ron Wolk.
Education Funding
Opinion
With ESSA Passage, Delaware Offers Lessons
Paul Herdman of the Rodel Foundation of Delaware checks in where his state is after RTTT and how the state's education plan can serve as a model for other states responding to ESSA's reduction of federal oversight.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Funding Flexibility Enhanced Under New K-12 Law
ESSA, the newly reauthorized version of the ESEA, makes changes in how schools can use money set aside for economically disadvantaged students.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Loosens Reins on Teacher Evaluations, Qualifications
The Every Student Succeeds Act could embolden some states to revise or abandon their current methods for rating teachers.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Under ESSA, States, Districts to Share More Power
The Every Student Succeeds Act, the latest version of the nation’s main K-12 law, aims to scale back the hands-on federal role in elementary and secondary education.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Law Broadens Definition of School Success
The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to measure at least one nonacademic factor, such as student engagement, when tracking schools' performance.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Regulatory Machinery Starting to Crank Up
With the ink barely dry on the Every Student Succeeds Act, the U.S. Department of Education begins the tricky process of setting the course for implementation.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Teaching Students 21st-Century Skills Takes Time. It's Worth It
To the Editor:
There is a disconnect between how high schools are preparing students for their future lives and what those lives will ultimately look like. Are high schools preparing students for the colleges and careers of the 20th century, or those of the 21st century and beyond?
There is a disconnect between how high schools are preparing students for their future lives and what those lives will ultimately look like. Are high schools preparing students for the colleges and careers of the 20th century, or those of the 21st century and beyond?
Classroom Technology
Letter to the Editor
Personal Electronics Should Be Banned From Schools
To the Editor:
With the recent arrest of a student because she did not put her cellphone away fast enough in South Carolina, the conversation about electronics in the classroom is growing.
With the recent arrest of a student because she did not put her cellphone away fast enough in South Carolina, the conversation about electronics in the classroom is growing.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Follow the Numbers: Magnet Schools Outperform Charters
To the Editor:
Based on the spring results of the California Smarter Balanced assessments, the Los Angeles Unified School District recently announced that 55 percent of the district's magnet students met or exceeded state standards in English/language arts, compared with 39 percent in charters, 33 percent in the LAUSD overall, and 44 percent in traditional schools statewide. The breakdown of math results followed a similar pattern.
Based on the spring results of the California Smarter Balanced assessments, the Los Angeles Unified School District recently announced that 55 percent of the district's magnet students met or exceeded state standards in English/language arts, compared with 39 percent in charters, 33 percent in the LAUSD overall, and 44 percent in traditional schools statewide. The breakdown of math results followed a similar pattern.
Classroom Technology
Letter to the Editor
Online Choices Have Offline Consequences—For Everyone
To the Editor:
In November, it was revealed that at least 100 students at a Colorado high school traded naked pictures of themselves as part of a large "sexting" ring.
In November, it was revealed that at least 100 students at a Colorado high school traded naked pictures of themselves as part of a large "sexting" ring.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Signs of Dyslexia Emerge Before 1st Grade, Study Says
The academic gaps related to dyslexia can show up in verbal deficiencies years before children traditionally are expected to read, and can continue well into the teenage years, according to a study.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Arts Education
A new review of research on the arts and early childhood from the National Endowment for the Arts suggests that arts programs can help children develop social and emotional skills in early childhood.
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Research Report: Digital Learning
Toddlers are becoming adept at using touch-screen technology in ways that could help educators assess early skills.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Classroom Bias
Elementary school boys of color are likely to experience an increase of suspensions or missed classes if they're assigned to a teacher of another race.
Education
News in Brief
'Nick News' Ends 25-Year Run
"Nick News with Linda Ellerbee," a news show for children on the Nickelodeon cable channel that debuted 25 years ago, has aired its final episode.