March 17, 2010
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 25
Education
Letter to the Editor
Why NASSP Supports Common Standards
To the Editor:
As a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ board of directors and a current principal, I want to clarify NASSP’s position on President Barack Obama’s proposal to tie Title I funding to college- and career-ready standards, as reported in "Standards, Title I Link Scrutinized" (March 3, 2010).
As a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ board of directors and a current principal, I want to clarify NASSP’s position on President Barack Obama’s proposal to tie Title I funding to college- and career-ready standards, as reported in "Standards, Title I Link Scrutinized" (March 3, 2010).
Accountability
Administration Unveils ESEA Reauthorization Blueprint
The plan aims to address complaints that the law’s current version—NCLB—is inflexible and sets the bar too low on academic achievement.
States
Race to Top Hopefuls Honing In-Person Bids for Share of $4 Billion
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia prepare for next week’s high-stakes pitch for $4 billion in stimulus grants.
Federal
Safe-Schools Chief Makes Rare D.C. Appearance
Kevin Jennings, who addressed a civics education event, said conservatives’ calls for his resignation have not affected his visibility.
Mathematics
Opinion
Nurturing Talent: How the U.S. Succeeds
Francis K. Schrag looks at the institutions beyond school that help develop scientific and artistic gifts, but he warns that students must have the time to participate.
Science
Opinion
A Lopsided Meeting of the Minds
David Holahan recounts his brief meeting with James D. Watson, a co-discoverer of DNA, and gives a fleeting glance of the often-quirky nature of scientific creativity.
Education
Correction
Corrections
A map accompanying a story about Race to the Top finalists in the March 10, 2010, issue of Education Week omitted a footnote. The note should have read: Union buy-in means the percentage of participating districts in which the local teachers’ union supports the state plan.
Education
Report Roundup
Dropout Prevention
A new report, the fourth in a series, unites different perspectives to examine the causes of the nation’s dropout problem.
Education
News in Brief
N.J. Panel Targets Sports Injuries
The governing body for New Jersey high school athletics is proposing a regulation requiring those who sustain a concussion to get a certified physician’s approval to return to game action.
Education
Report Roundup
Preschool Teachers
Teachers with bachelor's degrees and specialized training in early education are more effective than those educators who don’t hold such credentials, says a report on early-childhood education and teacher preparation.
Education
Report Roundup
Youth Programs
Efforts to improve outcomes for young people who are disconnected from school and society ought to draw from a menu of different strategies, rather than following a single course of action, a paper says.
Education
News in Brief
Threat Prompts Lockdown
All schools in Minneapolis were on lockdown for two days last week following a threat that someone would shoot at an unspecified school in the city and then shoot himself.
Education
News in Brief
Federal Court Upholds 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance
The San Francisco court upheld the use of the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.
Education
Report Roundup
Teacher Evaluation
A new study is one of the first to look at teacher-evaluation policies in charter schools.
Education
News in Brief
Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over Special Education in Baltimore
The settlement would end court oversight in July and the lawsuit by September 2012, if certain requirements are met.
Education
Report Roundup
Power of Suggestion
Just seeing the letter F before an exam may make a student more likely to fail, while seeing the letter A can enhance a student’s chance of success.
Education
Letter to the Editor
States' Voucher Actions Seen as 'Astonishing'
To the Editor:
It is astonishing that lawmakers in Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey would even think of diverting public funds to nonpublic schools through voucher plans, in view of the financial crises in those states and the fact that vouchers or tax-credit vouchers would violate the spirit and the letter of their respective state constitutions ("Vouchers Draw Bipartisan Look," March 3, 2010).
It is astonishing that lawmakers in Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey would even think of diverting public funds to nonpublic schools through voucher plans, in view of the financial crises in those states and the fact that vouchers or tax-credit vouchers would violate the spirit and the letter of their respective state constitutions ("Vouchers Draw Bipartisan Look," March 3, 2010).
Teaching Profession
High Court Accepts Background-Check Case
In a case being watched by some in education, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to step into a debate over whether extensive background checks for federal contractors violate an individual's "informational privacy."
Education
News in Brief
Miss. Bill Would Give Parents Power to Reorganize Troubled Schools
Parents would be authorized to restructure the operations of a dozen Mississippi public schools that are failing or at risk of failing, under a plan that passed the state’s House last week.
Education
News in Brief
Lesbian Couple’s Attendance Bid Leads to Prom’s Cancellation
The ACLU of Mississippi last week filed a federal lawsuit after a school district canceled an upcoming high school prom when a lesbian student asked to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.
Education
Report Roundup
Scientists Get Hooked on Science Early On, a Study Says
A new study finds that scientists' initial interest in their subject is often sparked before they enter middle school.
Education
News in Brief
D.C. Catholic Schools Chief Leaving
Patricia Weitzel-ONeill has been superintendent of the 28,600-student Roman Catholic school system since 2002.
Education
News in Brief
Federal Officials Tell California to Prove 'Maintenance of Effort'
State officials must respond to allegations that the state’s proposed K-12 budget falls short of meeting the required “maintenance of effort” provision in the federal economic-stimulus law.
Education
News in Brief
N.C. Advocates Push Spanking Ban for Students With Disabilities
Children's advocates in North Carolina are seeking a spanking ban on students with disabilities after losing political tussles over corporal punishment in public schools in recent years.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Protesting 'Race to the Top' Review Process
To the Editor:
I find it very disturbing that the identities of the “expert” panelists chosen to review the first round of applications for federal Race to the Top grants are being kept secret by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ("Reviewers Winnow Race to Top Hopefuls," March 3, 2010).
I find it very disturbing that the identities of the “expert” panelists chosen to review the first round of applications for federal Race to the Top grants are being kept secret by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ("Reviewers Winnow Race to Top Hopefuls," March 3, 2010).
Equity & Diversity
U.S. Schools Work to Help Iraqi Students Catch Up
Seven years after the U.S. went to war in Iraq, schools are welcoming thousands of refugees with big gaps in their formal education.
Education
Opinion
An Antidote to Ravitch Whiplash
Maybe seeing both sides of contentious reform ideas can teach educators that implementation is all, writes Brad C. Phillips.
School & District Management
State, District Leaders Press School Transformations
Spurred by fiscal pressures and federal reform priorities, district and state education leaders move swiftly and forcefully to make big changes.