October 19, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 08
Federal
Los Angeles District, Ed. Dept., Resolve Civil Rights Probe
The Los Angeles Unified School District agrees to changes involving English-learners and African-American students.
Curriculum
Vegas Schools Hope iPad Program Will Boost Test Scores
Paper textbooks might soon go the way of the slide rule and typewriter as the Clark County School District launches a $790,050 iPad program, one of the largest of its kind in the nation.
Education Funding
Teacher-Evaluation Rush May Jinx Other States' Efforts
A state law, which helped Tennessee win Race to the Top money, pushed schools to implement a system that had limited pilot-testing.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Absenteeism
Enlisting a school nurse to get in touch with the families of chronically absent students can cut down on school absenteeism, a pilot study has found.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Net-Price Calculators
A new report finds room for improvement in the net-price calculators some colleges are posting on their websites.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
U.S. Requests Halt to Alabama's Law on Immigration
Advocacy groups say the law has already driven Hispanic students from public schools.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Asian-Americans in College
The needs of the Asian-American and Pacific Islander population have not figured high in the nation's higher education agenda.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
The Advantages of Alternative Certifications for Students
In a new era of online learning, education needs to create alternative means of certifying student knowledge, Allan Collins and Roy Pea write.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Superintendent Turnover
Rural and nonrural areas of Kentucky had similar rates of superintendent turnover during a 10-year period, according to a new report.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Dropouts
The latest federal data on high school completion find that 3 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 were dropouts.
Accountability
Report Roundup
Charter Authorizers Get Middling Marks
Only a handful of agencies across the country that approve and oversee charter schools are doing a perfect job of it, a report by a charter authorizers' group says.
School & District Management
Opinion
Steve Jobs' Vision for Teachers
Apple's contribution to the professional growth of teachers far outweighs their cutting edge technology, write educators Patrick Ledesma and Laura Reasoner Jones.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Thank You, Steve Jobs
The intuitive and creative designs of Apple products have changed our relationship to technology—once distant, it's now far more accessible, writes Greg Gunn.
Law & Courts
Districts Sue Texas Over Aid Formula
A coalition of more than 150 Texas school districts has sued the state over a school funding system it says is unfair, inefficient, and unconstitutional.
Accountability
Can Kansas City's School District Save Itself? Yes, State Says
The state officials who recommended that the Kansas City, Mo., school district lose its accreditation decided they had no choice but to light that fire.
Standards
News in Brief
Coalition Seeks Writers for New Arts Standards
The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards is looking for 40 content experts in dance, music, theater, and the visual arts to help write a set of "next generation" standards for arts education.
School Climate & Safety
New Laws Take Aim at Bullying
Twenty-one states enacted laws addressing bullying this year—and some of the new mandates expand schools' responsibilities to control the harassment that goes on among students.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Texas District Wins Urban School Boards Award
The Mesquite Independent School District has won the 2011 Award for Urban School Board Excellence from the Council of Urban Boards of Education.
Equity & Diversity
Harkin ESEA Draft Draws Fire From Advocates
Civil rights groups, advocates for students with disabilities worry it would water down commitment to long-ignored student populations.
Special Education
News in Brief
Guidance Offered on Making P.E. More Inclusive
The Department of Education recommends that schools should prepare to encourage broader participation of special education students in physical education.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Pa. Tightens Criminal-History Rules
A new law that overhauls criminal-history-disclosure rules for all public and private school employees also imposes a lifetime ban on working in a school for people who commit serious crimes.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Calif. Gov. Vetoes Bill Banning Pay-to-Play
An effort to bar California's public schools from charging fees for students to participate in school sports and other activities ended with a veto'.
English-Language Learners
News in Brief
N.Y.C. Pledges More ELL Support
New York City schools will provide more help to immigrants and other English-language learners and their families under a new plan approved by the state.
Federal
News in Brief
FCC Announces Partnership to Bolster Digital Literacy
The head of the Federal Communications Commission announced a new public-private partnership, part of a flurry of FCC activity to increase broadband Internet access and adoption.
Federal
News in Brief
Elections Shake Up Board in N.C.'s Wake County
The chairman of Wake County's conservative-leaning, nine-member school board was defeated in a closely watched election.
Accountability
News in Brief
Commission Pulls Licenses in Atlanta Cheating Scandal
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is imposing the first punishments in the nation's largest-ever school cheating scandal.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Gov. Brown Signs Part II of California DREAM Act
Undocumented immigrants can now apply for state-funded scholarships and aid at state universities in California.
Federal
Closing Books on States' ARRA Aid Proves Tricky
More than $2 billion in stimulus education money was still left, at least on paper, as the Sept. 30 spending deadline passed.