February 24, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 22
States
State of the States 2016: Louisiana
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
Every Student Succeeds Act
ESSA Spotlights Strategy to Reach Diverse Learners
An instructional framework called universal design for learning, or UDL, which supports multiple ways to teach lessons, has found a niche in the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Assessment
For States, Question Is: To Time Tests or Not?
While New York state recently opted to drop time limits on its tests, Texas is ending a 35-year policy of untimed testing.
College & Workforce Readiness
Feds Eye Disparities in Supports for SAT, ACT
As more states requiring the ACT or SAT, a gulf is opening between students with disabilities and those without, and it's caught the Justice Department's eye.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Military Career Testing Could Get ESSA Boost
As the state testing landscape shifts with the Every Student Succeeds Act, the military could see greater access for its optional aptitude test and career-exploration program.
School & District Management
Ill. Pension Woes Destabilizing Teaching Profession, Analysis Says
Nearly a quarter of newly hired teachers will never vest in the state's troubled Teacher Retirement System, and three quarters won't even make back what they pay into the system, according to a new report.
Special Education
Studies on Deafness Yield Broader Benefits
New research offers clues on deaf children's language development and on other cognitive disorders, such as autism, in both hearing and nonhearing children.
Teaching
Program Takes Aim at 'Religious Illiteracy' in Classroom
Connecticut teachers are learning how to talk more meaningfully—and without controversy—about the role of world religions in history and society.
Reading & Literacy
Will the Common Core Step Up Schools' Focus on Grammar?
To read and understand complex texts, some educators say students will need a deep knowledge of grammar.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Personalized Learning Isn't About Isolation
We must take care that ed-tech resources do not fracture classrooms into "tech-supported cubicles," writes venture capitalist Jennifer Carolan.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Here's Why Preschool Suspensions Are Harmful
Preschool suspensions promote failure, not success, for vulnerable students, write education professors Denisha Jones and Diane Levin.
Early Childhood
Opinion
How We're Bringing Quality Preschool to Scale
The city of Cleveland has a successful high-quality preschool program. Eric Gordon and Marcia Egbert explain why it works.
School & District Management
Comparing Paper and Computer Testing: 7 Key Research Studies
New evidence of a "mode effect" on 2014-15 PARCC exams prompts a fresh look at research on the comparability of computer and paper-based assessments.
Reading & Literacy
Letter to the Editor
For Workforce-Training Programs, Literacy Skills Are Key
To the Editor:
The Jan. 26 blog post "Workforce Training Programs Should Consider Equity, Acting Ed. Secretary Says" poses a compelling case for the federal government to make sure that equity is the watchword for implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA.
The Jan. 26 blog post "Workforce Training Programs Should Consider Equity, Acting Ed. Secretary Says" poses a compelling case for the federal government to make sure that equity is the watchword for implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, or WIOA.
Professional Development
Letter to the Editor
Teacher PD Dollars Stretch Further With Technology
To the Editor:
The Jan. 27 article "In Other Countries, Teacher PD Is a Way of Life" covers new reports commissioned by the nonprofit National Center on Education and the Economy that indicate professional development is not meeting teachers' needs. But this isn't surprising information. Decades of research have already urged us to implement something different.
The Jan. 27 article "In Other Countries, Teacher PD Is a Way of Life" covers new reports commissioned by the nonprofit National Center on Education and the Economy that indicate professional development is not meeting teachers' needs. But this isn't surprising information. Decades of research have already urged us to implement something different.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Educator: Online PARCC Test Is 'Inefficient' and 'Unreliable'
To the Editor:
Kudos to Education Week for your investigation of the 2014-15 PARCC test scores that were disproportionately lower when taken online, compared with the paper test ("PARCC Scores Lower on Computer Exams"). What I did not see in your report was feedback from educators who actually took both versions of the test, as I did with several Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers practice tests last spring in English/language arts.
Kudos to Education Week for your investigation of the 2014-15 PARCC test scores that were disproportionately lower when taken online, compared with the paper test ("PARCC Scores Lower on Computer Exams"). What I did not see in your report was feedback from educators who actually took both versions of the test, as I did with several Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers practice tests last spring in English/language arts.
Federal
Presidential Candidates on Education: Election Guide
The major-party hopefuls still in the race as of last week boasted widely varied records and stances on K-12.
Science
Report Roundup
Study Finds Motivating Power in Scientists' Struggles
Reading about the personal and academic challenges of Albert Einstein or Marie Curie can prompt students to do better in science, researchers say.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Preparation
While countries around the world provide support to boost their teachers' knowledge base, they vary significantly in how well they support educators' autonomy and professional growth, according to a new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Research Report: English-Language Learners
High schools with higher-than-average academic outcomes for English-language learners found that the schools share common design elements, including intentionally hiring immigrants and former ELLs, according to a Stanford University Graduate School of Education study.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Rural Schools
Rural school districts must attempt to collaborate to mitigate rural challenges, such as high costs and shrinking educational opportunities, according to a recent report.
Science
Report Roundup
Science Education
Most science teachers have an "insufficient grasp of the science" behind climate change that may hurt their teaching, finds a study in the February issue of the journal Science.
Standards
News in Brief
Changes to Indiana State Testing Report Draw Ire
A draft version of a purportedly independent report summarizing an investigation into Indiana's new state standardized tests showed signs of possible political interference, setting off a war of words among state education leaders.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Stuart J. Udell has been named the CEO of the online education provider K12 Inc.
Education
Correction
Correction
An article and accompanying caption in the Feb. 10, 2016, issue of Education Week about the Citizens Who Seek Educational Equity organization in Coatesville, Pa., incorrectly described Superintendent Cathy Taschner as its co-founder.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Ill. Officials Seek Documents On Chicago District's Finances
The Illinois state board of education last week asked Chicago school officials to send over a trove of financial information as part of an investigation into the district's finances, local media reported.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Utah Schools Chief Stepping Down
Utah's state superintendent, who criticized the idea of spending more money on education, stepped down last week after about a year in office.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Louisiana Official Drops Fight To Pursue Common-Core Suit
Louisiana's attorney general has ended a political feud with the state's new governor over the Common Core State Standards, saying he agrees it is time to drop a lawsuit claiming that federal authorities were trying to force states to adopt the math and English standards.