January 27, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 19
States
States of the States: Calif., Colo., Mich., Neb., N.M., S.C., Wis.
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
Special Education
Opinion
K-12 Mom: Special Education Needs an Exit Plan
As her son outgrows his rigid special education program, Elizabeth Brown writes that it shouldn't be an "all-or-nothing scenario."
School & District Management
School-Leadership Positions Increasing, But Deployment Strategies Lacking
A new survey of districts and charter groups shows expansion of school-based leader roles, but not enough responsibility to go with them.
Accountability
Opinion
Resolving the Charter School Debate
Cami Anderson, former K-12 superintendent, writes that charters schools are not a "silver bullet" and suggests a mixed-market alternative.
Federal
Opinion
A Failing Grade for K-12 State Takeovers
School turnaround plans that replicate unsuccessful state-takeover models are a disservice to students, argue Kent McGuire and three researchers.
Education Funding
Opinion
Walton Family Foundation: We Must Rethink Online Learning
A "sobering" study of virtual charters leads to funding reforms, write Marc Sternberg and Marc Holley of the Walton Family Foundation.
States
Fresh Skirmish in Kansas Battle Over K-12 Aid
A legislative panel wants the state to do more frequent audits of local districts, consolidate services, and dictate what efforts should be funded to improve student learning.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Test-Participation Mandate Puts States on Spot
Despite the rise of the testing opt-out movement, states are still on the hook to assure that 95 percent of eligible students take state exams in English/language arts and math.
School Choice & Charters
'Micro Schools' Could Be New Competition for Private K-12
The growth in the number of small, personalized, and more affordable "micro schools" is seen as the first innovation in the private school sector in decades.
College & Workforce Readiness
Studies Explore Reasons for 'Fade-Out' Effect
A new wave of projects explores why the benefits seen in many academic interventions aren't sustained as students move through school.
College & Workforce Readiness
Passing Score Lowered on New GED Exam
If all states decide to go along with the lower cutoff score, an estimated 25,000 more test-takers could be eligible for a GED credential.
IT Infrastructure & Management
New Interoperability Standard Aims to Ease Major Ed-Tech Headache
Some districts see OneRoster, an interoperability standard developed by an ed-tech consortium, as the most attractive option for helping districts manage the sea of data their teachers and students are using.
Teaching Profession
Researchers Say U.S. Schools Could Learn From Other Countries on Teacher PD
New international studies highlight the role of embedded professional-learning programs in school improvement.
College & Workforce Readiness
States Move to Issue High School Diplomas Retroactively
Students who never passed the required high school exit exam are getting their diplomas under new laws passed in at least six states.
School Climate & Safety
State Laws That Can Lead to School Arrests Targeted for Change
After the violent arrest of an uncooperative South Carolina student, advocates want changes to statutes they say allow students to be arrested for offenses that may not be a crime off school grounds.
School & District Management
Despite Growth, AP Pool Is Not Diluted, Studies Say
The academic performance levels of students who take AP courses are still high, according to a pair of analyses from the American Enterprise Institute.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Professional Development Should Serve Teachers' Roles
To the Editor:
Scott Sterling's Commentary on teacher burnout contains numerous useful ideas that are vital, but limited. There is a bigger picture, where teachers look inward, outward, horizontally, and vertically for the professional development that will keep them from burning out.
Scott Sterling's Commentary on teacher burnout contains numerous useful ideas that are vital, but limited. There is a bigger picture, where teachers look inward, outward, horizontally, and vertically for the professional development that will keep them from burning out.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Discussions of High-Stakes Testing Should Include International Tests
To the Editor:
Educational testing is inherently flawed. No written assessment can do justice to the breadth and depth of students' intellectual, social, and emotional competencies. As educators clamor to condemn high-stakes tests and implement the changes that the Every Student Succeeds Act will enable, it is important that educators also impose the same scrutiny on international assessments.
Educational testing is inherently flawed. No written assessment can do justice to the breadth and depth of students' intellectual, social, and emotional competencies. As educators clamor to condemn high-stakes tests and implement the changes that the Every Student Succeeds Act will enable, it is important that educators also impose the same scrutiny on international assessments.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Detroit Seeks Injunction Against Teacher Sickouts
A judge last week denied the Detroit district's request for a temporary restraining order to prevent teachers from staging mass sickouts that have forced the cancellation of classes for thousands of students. A hearing was scheduled for early this week on the district's case against the teachers' union and others.
Education Funding
News in Brief
State Takeover Proposed For Chicago District
With the backing of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, two Republican legislators introduced a bill last week that would allow the state to take over the Chicago school district.
Education
Correction
Corrections
An article in the Jan. 20, 2016, issue of Education Week on the new book Reading Reconsidered misidentified one of the co-authors. Erica Woolway is the chief academic officer of the professional-development arm for the Uncommon Schools charter network.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Flint's Toxic Water Causes Wide-Ranging Fallout
The water crisis in Flint, Mich., that has exposed the city's residents to toxic levels of lead took on new political urgency last week as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder apologized for the contamination in his annual State of the State address and pledged to fix the problem amid growing calls for his resignation.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Mark Bedell, an assistant superintendent for the Baltimore County, Md., district, has been chosen as the superintendent of the Kansas City, Mo., school system.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Athletic Staff Facing Charges Following Alleged Assault
Two high school basketball coaches and an assistant principal/athletic director were due in court late last week to answer charges stemming from an alleged hazing incident that resulted in the hospitalization of a 15-year-old boy in Tennessee.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Teacher Training Needed For Science Standards
Few K-12 science teachers have the experience needed to teach the science and engineering practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards, a new report says.
IT Infrastructure & Management
News in Brief
Price Tool Aims to Help Districts With Bandwidth
Hoping to help schools secure more bandwidth at better rates, the nonprofit advocacy group EducationSuperHighway last week released a searchable online tool that aims to make the prices districts pay for Internet services more transparent.
Education Funding
News in Brief
No Charges to Be Filed Against Ferguson Leader
No charges will be filed against the new superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant school district outside St. Louis after an audit critical of how more than $100,000 of federal and local money was spent while he was in charge of the Washington County district in North Carolina.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Colo. Court Rules Records Of Sick Leave Are Public
A Colorado appeals court has ruled that public school teachers' sick-leave records are not part of a confidential personnel file and must be disclosed to the public, if requested.