September 21, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 04
Recruitment & Retention
Colleges Try to Unlock Secrets to Student Retention
Little more than half of college freshmen will get a degree, but initiatives are emerging to boost college completion.
Early Childhood
Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control
In a neuroscience twist on a classic experiment, researchers learn—once again—that self-control can be key to students' academic success.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Students With Autism
Many Michigan students with autism spectrum disorder are not expected to reach grade-level achievement standards, according to a new study.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Scholarships
A scholarship program in Pittsburgh that aims to boost student enrollment and increase college readiness is showing positive results.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Middle-Class Schools
A report says schools serving students in middle-class families are underperforming.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Assistive Technology
Changes in technology have had a dramatic effect on how children who are deaf or hard of hearing are taught, according to a new report.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Writing Instruction
Student writing skills can be improved in the classroom through the use of formative writing assessments, a new report says.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study: Schools Contribute to Rural 'Brain Drain'
A study of one remote California community explores the role that schools play when talented young people leave their hometowns.
Federal
Rare Bipartisan Support Secures Charter Bill Passage
A measure would let states tap into federal funding to replicate charter models with a track record of success.
Families & the Community
Public School Choice Pushed in Michigan
A multibill package would greatly expand the menu of open-enrollment-style options for parents and students.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Let's Stop Teaching Writing
Prescriptive curricula make it harder for students to learn to write well, Paula Stacey writes.
Teaching
Opinion
Reframing Truth, Beauty, and Goodness
Howard Gardner reconsiders his educational philosophy more than a decade after the publication of The Disciplined Mind.
Law & Courts
Fla. E-Learning Mandate Puts Financial Strain on Districts
The new law requires incoming freshman, beginning this school year, to take at least one course online prior to graduation.
Law & Courts
Idaho Ed. Board Votes to Require Online Classes
The state board of education gave initial approval to a rule requiring high school students to take at least two credits online to graduate.
Education Funding
Handicappers Busy on New Race to Top
Unlike the first two rounds of the competition, there will be no outside judges—this time, it's up to the Education Department to pick, which means there are clear favorites.
Standards
Letter to the Editor
Consortia's Efforts Focus on Wrong Concepts
To the Editor:
Reading “Consortia Flesh Out Concepts for Common Assessments” (Aug. 24, 2011) prompted me to recall a verse from the Gospel of Matthew about the blind leading the blind, and both falling into the ditch.
Reading “Consortia Flesh Out Concepts for Common Assessments” (Aug. 24, 2011) prompted me to recall a verse from the Gospel of Matthew about the blind leading the blind, and both falling into the ditch.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Former Teacher's Essay Shows Naiveté on Testing
In her recent Commentary (“Putting Myself to the Test,” Education Week, Aug. 31, 2011), Ama Nyamekye alleged: “Blaming the test for the shortcomings of that [high-stakes assessment] agenda is like blaming the barometer for the weather.” Perhaps one thing she didn’t learn in her three years of classroom teaching is that, since the rise of No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and merit-pay strategies, evaluation-based solutions have become the weather. It’s raining barometers!
Teaching Profession
Some Efforts on Merit Pay Scaled Back
Financial woes and unsuccessful results lead some to cut programs, though other states and districts are moving forward.
Standards
Progress Is Slow on Common-Standards Implementation
School districts report that budget problems and lack of state guidance are hindering their ability to make curricular changes.
Education
Correction
Correction
In the Sept. 14, 2011, issue of Education Week, the “From the Archives” story promoted on Page 3 had the incorrect date. The article about teacher strikes was published in 1991.
Reading & Literacy
News in Brief
Berenstain Bears Help Young Lakota Learn an Ancient Language
The Berenstain Bears are helping revive an endangered American Indian language in what is believed to be the first animated series ever translated into the language.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
'Best Colleges' List Unveiled
U.S. News & World Report unveiled its 2012 Best Colleges rankings, largely populated by the usual suspects, but not in the same order.
Standards
News in Brief
Michigan Raises Cutoff Scores
The new scoring standard is expect to cause a significant decline in the number of students considered proficient in math, reading, science, and social studies.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
D.C. Standardized Test to Cover Sex Education
The District of Columbia public schools are planning to test students on their knowledge of human sexuality, contraception, and drug use next year.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Schools Take Cash for Longer Days
Teachers in at least nine Chicago schools have voted to work outside the union contract and extend their instructional day by 90 minutes in exchange for at least $75,000 from the district for their schools.
Classroom Technology
News in Brief
Pearson Buys Virtual Schools Company
The textbook publisher Pearson announced that it is acquiring Baltimore-based Connections Education, which operates virtual schools in 21 states and serves about 40,000 students.
Standards
News in Brief
Math Groups Plan to Offer Common-Standards Help
Some of the leading mathematics education organizations have teamed up with the forces behind the common-core standards to help educators make the transition to those standards.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Post-Columbine Safety Rules Too Strict, Colo. Panel Says
A panel of Colorado lawmakers and law enforcement officials that was tasked with re-evaluating school discipline in the state has determined that policies adopted after the Columbine High School shootings should be scaled back.