June 18, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 42
Curriculum
Districts and Partners Coordinate on Arts Education
Chicago relies on partnerships with local organizations and support from private funders to keep arts education going in the face of budgetary and curricular constraints.
Teaching Profession
Leadership Jobs Top Agendas for NEA, AFT
Filling leadership positions will be a hot topic at the annual conventions of both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers next month.
Assessment
Pennsylvania Seeks Broader Approach in Deciding Who Qualifies as ‘Gifted’
Pennsylvania is in the process of adopting new state regulations that could expand services for gifted students to many who might have been missed.
Education
Correction
Correction
An illustration in the June 11, 2008, issue of Education Week accompanying a Commentary on education myths was misattributed. The artist is Gregory Ferrand.
Federal
Report Roundup
Reading for Fun
They may sometimes seem permanently attached to the Internet, but most children and teenagers say they won’t part with printed books for their pleasure reading.
Education
Report Roundup
Exit Exams
A California high school student’s academic grade point average is the strongest predictor of whether he or she will pass the state’s exit exam, a new study shows.
Education
Report Roundup
Higher Education
Asian-American college students are not a monolithic “model minority” in the so-called STEM disciplines, but rather a disparate group of students from diverse backgrounds and interests.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Scores Found to Rise Faster in Los Angeles Charters
Charter schools in Los Angeles are generally producing stronger academic growth than traditional public schools in the city, according to a report released last week by a charter school advocacy organization.
Federal
Report Roundup
Digital Media
More research is needed to evaluate and overcome the unique challenges that pervasive digital media presents to elementary school students, a report says.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Educators Get a ‘Second Life’
For educators who think real life does not offer enough opportunities to practice their profession, there’s Second Life, an Internet-based virtual environment that counts thousands of educators among its enthusiasts.
Federal
Federal File
HBO Film Examines School in NCLB Era
Is the No Child Left Behind Act the right vehicle for improving education? A new documentary tries to answer that question.
Teaching Profession
Long Live the King
Steve Wiebe is a math teacher in suburban Seattle—and quite possibly, a celebrity in almost any video-game parlor in the world.
School & District Management
Chiefs’ Turnover Poses a Leadership Challenge
Seven long-serving state schools chiefs are scheduled to step down over the next year, leaving questions about the evolving role of a state’s top education officer.
School & District Management
Utah Board’s Incumbents Left Outside, Looking In
For members of the Utah state board of education, running for re-election isn’t as simple as tossing your hat into the ring again.
Federal
Bell Curve Author to Question College Goal in New Book
Charles Murray is about to publish a book about education—and he promises that educators won’t like it.
Federal
Advocates Say NCLB’s ‘Comparability’ Provision is in Need of Fine-Tuning
Advocates for poor and minority children are lobbying for lawmakers to change the ways school districts allocate $13.9 billion in Title I money among the schools in their systems.
Teacher Preparation
Unified Teacher-College Accrediting System Urged
A panel of teacher education stakeholders wants the two national teacher-college accreditors to work together on creating a unified system of accreditation.
College & Workforce Readiness
Showing What They Know
In Rhode Island, performance-based assessments are now required for high school graduation. The requirement stems from a 2003 policy change by the state board of regents and the state’s outgoing commissioner of elementary and secondary education.
Federal
Debate Erupts on How to Pick Chief of U.S. Schools Data
Advocates for researchers and statisticians are at odds with federal education officials and their advisers over the best way to shield the National Center for Education Statistics from political interference.
School Choice & Charters
La. Voucher Program Borrows From Plans Around the Country
Louisiana appears on track to enact a private-school-voucher plan for New Orleans that borrows from choice programs elsewhere.
Standards
State Testing Mandates Swell Summer School Ranks
Students in a number of states often end up attending summer school programs because they didn’t meet academic standards set by the state.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Is Compliance With NCLB a Misdirection of Effort?
To the Editor:
In reading your May 21, 2008, issue, I noticed that three pieces share a common thread. All illustrate the culture of compliance that cripples education, and why resistance is necessary.
In reading your May 21, 2008, issue, I noticed that three pieces share a common thread. All illustrate the culture of compliance that cripples education, and why resistance is necessary.
Curriculum
Letter to the Editor
‘Reading First’ Interim Report Prompts Larger Questions
To the Editor:
After six years, billions of dollars, and many young victims, politicians are realizing Reading First is an unworkable program ("Reading First Doesn't Help Pupils 'Get It,'" May 7, 2008). When the Bush administration finally sponsored a study to see if Reading First improved reading comprehension, the interim report showed no benefit.
After six years, billions of dollars, and many young victims, politicians are realizing Reading First is an unworkable program ("Reading First Doesn't Help Pupils 'Get It,'" May 7, 2008). When the Bush administration finally sponsored a study to see if Reading First improved reading comprehension, the interim report showed no benefit.
Law & Courts
Opinion
Socioeconomic Integration: It’s Legal, and It Makes Sense
Using socioeconomic status is one legal way to ensure a diverse student body, say Angela Ciolfi and James E. Ryan.
Federal
Opinion
The ‘Growth Model’ Pilot Isn’t What You Think It Is
Michael J. Weiss evaluates the differences between the 'growth model' and the 'value-added model' of measuring school performance.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Where the Girls Aren’t
Fewer girls taking science classes belies recent findings that the gender gap in school achievement is closing, says Leonard Sax.
School & District Management
Project Aims to Improve H.R. Systems in Big Districts
Two experts have launched an organization to push for transforming how the nation’s largest school districts recruit and groom teaching and school leadership talent.
Standards
Credential of NBPTS Has Impact
Teachers who earn advanced certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are more effective than teachers without that credential, a report says.
Families & the Community
States Found Moving to Head Off Due-Process Hearings
More than 80 percent of requests for due-process hearings never get to the point at which a hearing is held, according to an analysis by a national technical-assistance center on resolving special education disputes.