February 4, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 20
Federal
News in Brief
Bill Gates Praises Charter Models
In his first “annual letter” discussing his foundation’s work, Bill Gates last week elaborated on some of its priorities for education grantmaking.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Cheerleading is Contact Sport, Wis. Supreme Court Rules
High school cheerleading is a contact sport and therefore its participants cannot be sued for accidentally causing injuries, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled last week in a case the National Cheer Safety Foundation said was the first decision of its kind.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Transit Chief to Run Chicago Schools
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley last week named Ron Huberman, the president of the city’s transit authority, as the new chief executive officer of the nation’s third-largest school district.
Education
News in Brief
Houston Pays Bonuses for Boosting Scores
The Houston Independent School District has distributed a record total of $31.4 million in performance bonuses to more than 15,000 employees for raising test scores last year.
Education
News in Brief
Board Strips Disputed Language From Texas Science Standards
The Texas state board of education has voted to strip language from the state’s science standards saying students should be taught the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study Tallies Costs of Out-of-School Programs
Educators and policymakers trying to figure out the costs involved in starting up a top-notch after-school, summer, or Saturday program for children and youths can find answers to their questions in a report and online “cost calculator” unveiled last week by the Wallace Foundation.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Retention
Most states set teacher-quality policies that hinder districts’ ability to identify and retain high-caliber teachers, according to a report from the Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
New Technology
Six areas of emerging technology are likely to have a significant impact on higher education within the coming five years, according to a report that seeks to identify new technology that will influence teaching and learning in the future.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Recess and Behavior
Having a daily recess break of at least 15 minutes is associated with better ratings by teachers of students’ classroom behavior, says an article published in the February issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Federal
News in Brief
Broad Foundation Posts Data From 100 Largest Districts Online
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has made its trove of data on the nation’s 100 largest public school districts more user-friendly and posted it online as a comparative tool.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Effectiveness
Federal lawmakers should shift their teacher-quality focus from front-end qualifications to supporting state and district efforts to measure and identify effective teachers based on student-performance outcomes, a paper from the Washington-based Center for American Progress argues.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Florida Scholarships
The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, funded by the state lottery and implemented in 1997, has not achieved some of its intended goals, according to a study by ENLACE Florida, a Tampa-based school improvement network.
School & District Management
Opinion
'Mini-Observations'
For principals to make effective use of short, unannounced classroom visits, they need to make good choices on seven key questions, says Kim Marshall.
Teaching
Opinion
Curriculum-Mapping Our Way to Relevance
"We get so caught up in measuring what children have learned that we forget to evaluate the usefulness of what we teach," writes Jake Giessman.
Federal
Professionals Enrich Classroom Lessons With Expertise
Some schools have long tapped into a corps of professionals in the arts, math, science, and history as a way of enriching the curriculum and engaging students in activities that bring the content to life.
States
Georgia District Pledges Student Gains to Win Flexibility
Gwinnett Co. contract eases some state rules, sets achievement goals.
Law & Courts
High Court Sides With Workers Who Cooperate in Probes
Workers who cooperate with their employers’ internal investigations of discrimination may not be fired in retaliation for implicating colleagues or superiors, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously last week.
Education
News in Brief
U.S. Office for Civil Rights Dismisses Complaint on N.Y.C. Small Schools
The U.S. Department of Education’s office for civil rights has declined to pursue a complaint alleging that new, small high schools in New York City discriminate against students with disabilities and those with limited English-language skills.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Finding Ways to Give Poor Children a Voice
To the Editor:
I was extremely touched and excited by Maurice J. Elias’ Dec. 10, 2008, Commentary “How to Foster Children’s Resilience While They Wait for Schools to Improve.” The theme of resilience is not spoken of enough in the context of policies for low-income children. Here in New York City, we still struggle to find a way to give such children and youths a voice—a way of allowing them to be heard and their experiences acknowledged by policymakers.
I was extremely touched and excited by Maurice J. Elias’ Dec. 10, 2008, Commentary “How to Foster Children’s Resilience While They Wait for Schools to Improve.” The theme of resilience is not spoken of enough in the context of policies for low-income children. Here in New York City, we still struggle to find a way to give such children and youths a voice—a way of allowing them to be heard and their experiences acknowledged by policymakers.
Education
Letter to the Editor
If the Schooling Is Good, Do We Care Where It Is?
To the Editor:
I agree with Doug Tuthill’s sentiments in his Commentary “Rethinking the Notion of Public vs. Private” (Jan. 21, 2009). Why do we care where a child is educated so long as that child is getting a good education in a civic-minded environment chosen by his or her parents? If a school meets these three criteria, then it is good for our country and worthy of public funds.
I agree with Doug Tuthill’s sentiments in his Commentary “Rethinking the Notion of Public vs. Private” (Jan. 21, 2009). Why do we care where a child is educated so long as that child is getting a good education in a civic-minded environment chosen by his or her parents? If a school meets these three criteria, then it is good for our country and worthy of public funds.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Beef Up K-12 Services Before Pushing College
To the Editor:
Two recent reports have called for greater student access to college, and also have suggested that the United States must do a better job of ensuring that college students graduate.
Two recent reports have called for greater student access to college, and also have suggested that the United States must do a better job of ensuring that college students graduate.
Curriculum
Letter to the Editor
Countering 'Reading First' Critics
To the Editor:
I am not surprised at the vitriolic remarks made by Rhonda Stone and Joanne Yatvin in their Jan. 7, 2009, letters to the editor excoriating my ostensible focus on “phonics” at the expense of reading comprehension. I welcome data-based challenges to research findings, but challenges predicated on appeals to authority, simplistic thinking, and untested assumptions are worthless and a waste of time.
I am not surprised at the vitriolic remarks made by Rhonda Stone and Joanne Yatvin in their Jan. 7, 2009, letters to the editor excoriating my ostensible focus on “phonics” at the expense of reading comprehension. I welcome data-based challenges to research findings, but challenges predicated on appeals to authority, simplistic thinking, and untested assumptions are worthless and a waste of time.
Education
Letter to the Editor
'21st-Century Skills': Ban It, or Rename It?
To the Editor:
National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” used to have occasional segments in which the host and a guest would decide what terms had been so overused they should be forbidden. Right now, I’m ready to dump “global economy,” “at the end of the day,” and “chops,” as in “he/she’s got the chops.”
National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” used to have occasional segments in which the host and a guest would decide what terms had been so overused they should be forbidden. Right now, I’m ready to dump “global economy,” “at the end of the day,” and “chops,” as in “he/she’s got the chops.”
Education
Letter to the Editor
No 'Quality' Method for Rating States' Performance
To the Editor:
We applaud Education Week for collecting education statistics about all 50 states. The latest of your annual Quality Counts reports (Jan. 8, 2009) is indeed an invaluable starting point. It goes a step too far, however, when it pools together disparate measures to arrive at each state’s overall score. This may not be problematic for education scholars, but policymakers might (and do) inaccurately treat a state’s overall rating as meaningful.
We applaud Education Week for collecting education statistics about all 50 states. The latest of your annual Quality Counts reports (Jan. 8, 2009) is indeed an invaluable starting point. It goes a step too far, however, when it pools together disparate measures to arrive at each state’s overall score. This may not be problematic for education scholars, but policymakers might (and do) inaccurately treat a state’s overall rating as meaningful.
States
State of the States
State of the States 2009: Alaska, Maryland, Montana, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
College & Workforce Readiness
High School and Beyond
At Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, the faculty helps disadvantaged students gain admission to top high schools and continue on to college.
Federal
Opinion
A New Title I
Edward Zigler offers the new president a recommendation about the federal role in education.
States
Minnesota Governor Pushes Incentive Cash for Districts, Teachers
Minnesota’s governor wants to expand a bonus program for teachers and offer districts extra aid tied to achievement.
Federal
'Green' Classes Flourish in Schools
Courses focused on renewable and alternative energy are taking hold across the country as educators seek to channel students’ concerns about the environment and conservation into classroom lessons.