June 8, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 33
Education
News in Brief
Corrections
The introduction to the “Graduation in the United States” table in Education Week’s Diplomas Count 2011 report (June 9, 2011) incorrectly identifies the graduation rates for two groups since the late 1990s. The rates have risen by 8 percentage points for black students and by 6 percentage points for white students.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Mogul Pays Bright Minds Not to Go to College
The two dozen winners of technology tycoon Peter Thiel’s $100,000, “20 under 20” scholarships won’t be using that money at Princeton University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Mr. Thiel is paying them to not go to college and instead chase their entrepreneurial dreams for the next two years.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Jack Jennings Named to National Academy of Education
Jack Jennings, the president and chief executive officer of the Center on Education Policy, a Washington-based think tank, has been tapped to join the National Academy of Education, one of the National Academies.
Education
News in Brief
Teacher Academies Lose Out to Budget
Pittsburgh school district officials have scrapped plans for two teacher-training academies, saying they weren't able to reach an agreement with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers to retain the teachers once layoffs become necessary. Under the terms of the teachers contract, staff reductions are based on seniority; the academies are for new teachers. The district faces a $68 million budget deficit in 2012.
Standards
News in Brief
States Building Teacher Resource for Standards
Five states that have adopted the common-core state standards are working to build an open-source, online platform that would help teachers access, download, and create resources tied to the standards.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Idaho School Law Foes Leap Referendum Hurdle
Organizers of a campaign to repeal three education bills that passed the Idaho legislature this year say they have gathered more than 48,000 signatures, which, if verified, would be enough to put their three repeal measures on the November 2012 ballot.
School & District Management
Critics Target Growing Army of Broad Leaders
As the number of influential school leaders trained by the Broad Superintendents Academy grows, so does the criticism surrounding the program.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
L.A. Teacher-Evaluations Complaint Dismissed
Los Angeles public schools can proceed with a new teacher-evaluation system—including using students standardized-test scores as one measure of teacher effectiveness—after state officials rejected a union effort to block the plan.
Education
News in Brief
Joplin Prepares to Rebuild After Deadly Tornado
The Joplin school district will be ready for classes to resume in August, despite the destruction of three schools and severe damage to six others by a massive tornado that plowed through the heart of the southwest Missouri city.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Gainful-Employment Rules for Colleges Released
The U.S. Department of Education released its final "gainful employment" regulations for for-profit colleges last week, setting performance standards for those colleges that wish to access federal student aid.
Education Funding
News in Brief
IRS Opens In-Depth Audit Into Philadelphia District
The Internal Revenue Service has launched an in-depth audit of the Philadelphia school district's financial practices, personnel policies, and payments to contractors.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Eight 'Chiefs for Change' Endorse Ed. School Review
Eight state education chiefs belonging to the Chiefs for Change coalition have endorsed a controversial review of university-based teacher education programs now being conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality and U.S. News & World Report.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Safe-Schools Chief Stepping Down
Kevin Jennings, the U.S. Department of Education's assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools, is leaving that role this week to become president and chief executive officer of the Boston nonprofit Be The Change.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Tennis Star, Bankers Team Up to Build Charter Schools
Former tennis star Andre Agassi and a group of investment bankers have joined forces to create an unusual for-profit fund dedicated to building up to $750 million worth of charter schools in urban communities. The goal of the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund is to develop 75 schools over the next three to four years while earning money for the investors, which include Citigroup Inc. and Intel Corp.
School & District Management
U.S. Reforms Out of Sync With Top-Performing Nations' Education Path
A new study urges the United States to shift its school reform course to achieve the results of high-performing countries.
School & District Management
Panel Finds Few Learning Benefits in High-Stakes Exams
A 10-year study by a blue-ribbon panel of scientists concludes that high-stakes testing and other accountability measures have largely failed to translate to real improvements in student achievement.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Research Report: School Safety
A study of middle schools that put into place violence-prevention programs over the course of three years found there wasn't a significantly different effect on the rates of violence or victimization reported by students.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Study Urges Revamp of Special Education
A report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that looks at special education during the past decade concludes that the field needs to change dramatically.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Teacher Qualifications
A new statistical analysis finds the majority of high school teachers assigned to core subjects have both a postsecondary degree and a teaching certificate in their field.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Community Organizations
A recent report calls on the nation's 19,000 community-based public education assistance organizations to better channel their resources to help schools cope with dwindling funding.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Research Report: School Safety
The federal government's latest national school crime survey shows that during the 2009-10 school year, rates of violent incidents were higher in middle schools than in high schools.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Per-Pupil Spending
New U.S. Census Bureau data show that on average public schools spent $10,499 per student in 2009, up 2.3 percent from 2008.
Teacher Preparation
Report Roundup
Teacher Learning
Even intensive and well-designed professional development in a particular subject, such as mathematics, may not pay dividends in the classroom, a federally financed study has found.
School Choice & Charters
Annual Data Report Charts Private School Enrollment Dip
The U.S. Department of Education's annual "Condition of Education" report finds fewer students enrolling in private schools and increasing numbers of students in public charter schools and for-profit colleges.
Education Funding
School Funding Poses Hurdles For Texas
After passing a budget, legislators are called back into special session over the state's school funding funding.
School & District Management
Passing Year-One Milestone on Improvement
A Kentucky high school takes stock after the first phase of its efforts under a federal School Improvement Grant.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Gates Owes Students Whose Schools Were Closed
To the Editor:
I hope those at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation read over a recent report concerning small schools put out by the Urban Youth Collaborative in New York City and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. The report takes a closer look at school closures in New York City and the effect those closures have had on the student population (“School Closures,” April 27, 2011).
I hope those at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation read over a recent report concerning small schools put out by the Urban Youth Collaborative in New York City and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. The report takes a closer look at school closures in New York City and the effect those closures have had on the student population (“School Closures,” April 27, 2011).
Education
Letter to the Editor
Likening Value-Added to 'McCarthyism'
To the Editor:
First the American Federation of Teachers, and then the National Education Association, caved in to the possibility that judging teachers by their student performance has any merit (“NEA Proposes Making a Shift on Evaluation,” May 18, 2011). I call it educational McCarthyism.
First the American Federation of Teachers, and then the National Education Association, caved in to the possibility that judging teachers by their student performance has any merit (“NEA Proposes Making a Shift on Evaluation,” May 18, 2011). I call it educational McCarthyism.
Education
Letter to the Editor
LEARN Act Supported by Education Groups
To the Editor:
Comprehensive literacy learning across ages, grades, and subject areas is absolutely necessary for improving student learning outcomes and assuring school success. Because literacy begins at birth, support for development of young children and for early-childhood education is an essential part of a comprehensive approach to literacy. Alignment across grades K-12 and across all subjects offers new scope and depth to literacy learning. Thanks to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray for recognizing through the proposed Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation, or LEARN, Act that early-childhood-education programs, students, teachers, schools, and states all must be supported in emphasizing writing and reading as foundational components of all learning (“Literacy Education: The Foundation for All Learning,” May 11, 2011).
Comprehensive literacy learning across ages, grades, and subject areas is absolutely necessary for improving student learning outcomes and assuring school success. Because literacy begins at birth, support for development of young children and for early-childhood education is an essential part of a comprehensive approach to literacy. Alignment across grades K-12 and across all subjects offers new scope and depth to literacy learning. Thanks to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray for recognizing through the proposed Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation, or LEARN, Act that early-childhood-education programs, students, teachers, schools, and states all must be supported in emphasizing writing and reading as foundational components of all learning (“Literacy Education: The Foundation for All Learning,” May 11, 2011).