March 4, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 23
Federal
Elementary Foreign-Language Instruction on Descent
The decline is likely to continue as a number of districts consider cutting back their foreign-language programs at all levels because of the recession.
Federal
Studies Support Benefits of Educational TV for Reading
A new generation of programs and a rigorous research effort are helping clarify the potential learning gains of TV viewing.
Teaching
Opinion
Reading, Science, and Reductionism
"Like processed foods, processed reading allows for a hugely profitable range of workbooks, tests, and consumable materials. Schools don’t develop reading programs—they buy them," writes Thomas Newkirk.
Teaching
Backers of '21st-Century Skills' Take Flak
Researchers, historians, and policymakers are raising a red flag about the agenda as embodied by the leading advocacy group for 21st-century skills.
Teaching
Opinion
STEM as a Curriculum
"We must first recognize STEM as a unitary idea, not simply a grouping of the four disciplines in a convenient, pronounceable acronym," write Jan Morrison & Raymond V. "Buzz" Bartlett.
School & District Management
Opinion
From Obama's Generation
"Many ‘late boomers’ emerged from their public school experiences with a deeper understanding of people of other backgrounds and an increased sense of comfort in interracial settings," writes Amy Stuart Wells.
Teaching
'What Works' Guide Gives RTI Thumbs Up on Reading
The instructional framework gets a thumbs up on reading from the federal research clearinghouse.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Safeguarding or Sandbagging Teaching Quality?
Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, writes, "It is the tenure process that best illustrates how current state policies can have such a deleterious impact on teacher quality."
School Choice & Charters
Catholic Schools Eyed for Charters
Proposal supported by mayor would require change in state law.
Reading & Literacy
Current-Year Budget Moving In Congress
The long-overdue spending bill working its way through Congress targets some high-profile education programs.
Early Childhood
Study Says Most 1st Grade Classes Not High Quality
A study of 820 1st grade classrooms has found that fewer than a fourth of them offer top-notch learning environments.
Federal
President's Education Aims Aired
His address to Congress and initial budget outline show Obama putting education high on his domestic agenda.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Bridging the Character Education Achievement Gap
"A new character education model should be developed around principles that encourage college-level critical thinking and service to community," writes Paul Sutton.
Federal
Survey Shows Teacher Satisfaction Climbing Over Quarter Century
Teachers’ views on their profession have become markedly more positive over the past quarter century, concludes a report by MetLife.
International
PISA Called Inappropriate for U.S. Benchmarking
A new report contends that questions asked on test surveys reflect an ideological bias, which undermines its credibility.
Federal
Study Finds Edge for Certain Early-Math Programs
The federally commissioned experiment is thought to be the largest to test some of the nation’s most widely used math curricula.
Education Funding
California Schools Girding for Cuts Under Fiscal Plan
The state is using creative budget maneuvers to mitigate the pain of cutbacks needed to close a projected $42 billion deficit.