September 7, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 03
Families & the Community
Report Roundup
Early Learning
In the lower-income neighborhoods of Oakland, Calif., 70 percent of parents read to their young children at least three days a week, according to a survey of 420 parents conducted in the spring by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, a local philanthropy.
Every Student Succeeds Act
New ESSA Spending Regulations Proposed
The draft rules appear to give districts and states added flexibility in ensuring federal funds for low-income students don't replace state and local dollars.
Curriculum
Rating Materials for Reading
The curriculum review group EdReports.org last week released its first round of ratings for grades 3-8 English/language arts materials—and results were mixed.
School & District Management
Amid School-Closure Worries, Michigan Lists Low Performers
State officials insist the roster of low-performing schools is not a closure list, but an accountability measure required by law, though those reassurances may face skepticism.
School & District Management
Indiana Lawmaker's Staffer Tapped to Craft Trump School Choice Plan
Rob Goad, on leave from the office of Rep. Luke Messer, R-Ind., has been working as a Trump policy adviser in New York City.
Families & the Community
Q&A
Parents Across America Group Outlines Ed-Tech 'Threats'
In an exclusive interview, the organization’s leader talks about the threats and addresses criticisms that the national group is making alarmist claims.
Special Education
Longer Day, Year Required for Many Head Start Programs
Final performance standards are aimed at raising professional-development requirements and educational standards for the federal preschool program, while cutting the red tape.
Teacher Preparation
Amid Shortage Fears, States Ease Teacher-Licensing Rules
With policymakers across the country increasingly worried about teacher shortages, one after another, state licensing authorities have been loosening certification rules.
Early Childhood
Schools Try Class Rotation for Kindergartners on Week One
Cycling the new students through all the kindergarten classes lets teachers get to know them before permanent class assignments are made.
Special Education
Studies Flag Potential Downside to Inclusion
Young classmates of pupils with emotional and behavioral disabilities were found to have more absences, lower math and reading scores, and more disruptive behaviors.
College & Workforce Readiness
Are Dual-Enrollment Programs Overpromising?
Students in dual-enrollment programs are often told they will be able to transfer the credits they earn to college, but it doesn't happen.
Federal
Tax Boosts to Aid K-12 Up for Vote in Several States
Voters in Maine, Oregon, and other states are being asked to approve ballot measures that would use tax increases to increase the amount of money school districts receive each year.
Teaching
Opinion
Student-Centered Learning Can Modernize Schools
Tailored student-centered approaches can improve student achievement and attainment, writes Nellie Mae Education Foundation president Nicholas C. Donohue.
Federal
Opinion
United States Should Prioritize Global Education
Expanded access to education across the globe will boost U.S. national and economic security, writes Rep. Nita Lowey.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Why Punishment Won't Stop a Bully
When addressing bullying in schools, punitive discipline can itself be a type of bullying, argues author Alfie Kohn.
Education Funding
News in Brief
S.C. Settles Dispute on Aid for Special Ed. Services
The U.S. Department of Education has settled a dispute with South Carolina education officials over spending cuts to special education services.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Students Now Can Publish Letters to Next President
The National Writing Project and PBS member station KQED in San Francisco have launched a website, Letters to the Next President 2.0, that will publish thousands of students' letters on the issues that matter to them this election season.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
N.M. District to Install Gun Safes on Campuses
Middle and high schools in Los Alamos, N.M., will soon have gun safes full of shotguns and semi-automatic weapons on campus.
Student Well-Being
Report Roundup
In Poor Areas, After-School Programs Are in Demand
For every child in an after-school program in a high-poverty community, two more are waiting to get in, according to a report from the Afterschool Alliance.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Calif. Lawmakers Approve Alarm for School Buses
Legislation intended to prevent children from being left unattended on parked school buses in California was headed last week to Gov. Jerry Brown.
Student Well-Being
Letter to the Editor
Homework Assignments to Foster Healthy Eating
To the Editor:
Now that school is beginning again, it is important to note that making unhealthy food choices in and outside the home is likely a strong contributor to the high incidence of overweight and obese adults and children in the United States.
Now that school is beginning again, it is important to note that making unhealthy food choices in and outside the home is likely a strong contributor to the high incidence of overweight and obese adults and children in the United States.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
'Chutzpah' in King's School-to-Prison Stance
To the Editor:
Chutzpah is a Yiddish word that a lot of people use but is really hard to define. Thanks should go to U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. for helping to do so.
Chutzpah is a Yiddish word that a lot of people use but is really hard to define. Thanks should go to U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. for helping to do so.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Children Attend Classes at New Sandy Hook School
Elementary students attended classes at Sandy Hook Elementary School last week for the first time since a shooting rampage in the Newtown, Conn., school killed 20 1st graders and six educators.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Helping Homeless Students Step Out of the Shadows
Under ESSA, educators and policymakers have an opportunity to better identify and support homeless students, writes Barbara Duffield.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Pa. District Appeals Ruling on Refugee Placement
A central Pennsylvania district says it is appealing a court ruling allowing refugee students to attend the local high school rather than an alternative school.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Indiana Chief's Office Backed App Deal Without Bidding
Indiana schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz's office approved a lucrative technology contract that state government officials said should have been subject to competitive bid, awarding it to a company that later gave one of her key aides a senior job.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Alabama Educators Protest State Chief Appointment
A group of Alabama educators have started a petition asking the state school board to rescind its hiring of education consultant Michael Sentance as the state's next superintendent.
Education Funding
News in Brief
New Orleans School Board Approves Plan to Reunify System
Eleven years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and helped set in motion the division of the city's public schools into two systems, the Orleans Parish school board last week signed off on a plan that will reunite those schools under its control.
Reading & Literacy
News in Brief
Test Can't Be Used to Hold Students Back, Court Rules
A judge has ruled that Florida school districts can't hold 3rd graders back just because they score badly on a mandated standardized reading test, saying that classroom grades and teacher evaluations have to be considered.