April 4, 2012

Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 27
Yohana Martinez of Brookline, Mass., works on math exercises while her daughter, Isabella Martinez, 4, hugs her in a class for Spanish-speaking parents of Boston public school students at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School. The class is part of a program known as “Parent University,” aimed at encouraging parents to be more involved in their children’s education.
Yohana Martinez of Brookline, Mass., works on math exercises while her daughter, Isabella Martinez, 4, hugs her in a class for Spanish-speaking parents of Boston public school students at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School. The class is part of a program known as “Parent University,” aimed at encouraging parents to be more involved in their children’s education.
Erik Jacobs for Education Week
Families & the Community Parental Engagement Proves No Easy Goal
Piecemeal strategies may undercut NCLB-mandated efforts to draw in parents.
Sean Cavanagh, April 3, 2012
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10 min read
An Iraqi student tends cattle on the farm of the 4-H Club in Mahmoudia, Iraq, last month. Months after most U.S. troops pulled out of the country, Iraq now has 4-H clubs in each of its 18 provinces.
An Iraqi student tends cattle on the farm of the 4-H Club in Mahmoudia, Iraq, last month. Months after most U.S. troops pulled out of the country, Iraq now has 4-H clubs in each of its 18 provinces.
Kamaran Najm/Getty Images for Education Week
School & District Management 4-H Clubs Thrive in Postwar Iraq
Months after most American troops have pulled out of Iraq, the country has 4-H chapters in each of its 18 provinces.
April 3, 2012
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5 min read
Assessment Districts Push Back Over Cheating Probe
A newspaper investigation that turned up unusual test-score fluctuations in 200 school districts is prompting debate.
Christina A. Samuels, April 3, 2012
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5 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion How and Why Rankings Matter
Brain research shows that ranking teachers could lower performance for some, Karen Hunter Quartz and others say.
Karen Hunter Quartz, Kenneth T. Kishida, Dongni Yang, Steven R. Quartz & P. Read Montague, April 3, 2012
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5 min read
Families & the Community GreatSchools Finds a Niche in School Ratings
The school choice movement and No Child Left Behind have helped fuel the expansion of GreatSchools.org and other school ratings services.
Christina A. Samuels, April 3, 2012
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6 min read
Deb Garvey, left, and Lindsey Chastney fashion a looping track during training at Cogswell Elementary School in Haverhill, Mass., last week. The participants learned exercises intended to teach concepts like problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and observation for an after-school program in the Haverhill school system.
Deb Garvey, left, and Lindsey Chastney fashion a looping track during training at Cogswell Elementary School in Haverhill, Mass., last week. The participants learned exercises intended to teach concepts like problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and observation for an after-school program in the Haverhill school system.
Erik Jacobs for Education Week
Student Well-Being Training of Out-of-School Staff Debated
The out-of-school field is trying to identify the training instructors need to be effective yet not just like classroom teachers.
Nora Fleming, April 3, 2012
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7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto.com/Athos Boncompagni
School & District Management Opinion Where Teachers Are Replaceable Widgets, Education Suffers
The constant reassignment of teachers hurts kids in inner-city schools, Robert Boruch, Joseph Merlino, and Andrew C. Porter write.
Robert Boruch, Joseph Merlino & Andrew C. Porter, April 3, 2012
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3 min read
Assessment 'Occupy' Action Critiques Testing, Targets Ed. Dept.
Protesters convened in Washington for four days of rallies, marches, and talks taking high-stakes testing and the "corporatization" of public schools.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Value-Added May Be Best Option Right Now
To the Editor:
Regarding Linda Darling-Hammond's "Value-Added Teacher Evaluation—The Harm Behind the Hype," (Commentary, March 14, 2012), I continually wished that she would have provided citations for the many experiments (Tennessee and New York) or reviews (RAND Corp. and Educational Testing Service) she presented, permitting readers the opportunity to decide for themselves whether the studies referred to drew the same conclusions as she did.
April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity Letter to the Editor Student Performance Varies By Classroom, School
To the Editor:
Reading Linda Darling-Hammond's Commentary ("Value-Added Teacher Evaluation—The Harm Behind the Hype," March 14, 2012) brought to mind an annual ritual back in the 1970s in PS 95 in Queens, N.Y. Each spring, when scores were released, the principal would march through the morning lineup and hand a rose to the teachers who had brought in the highest test scores. Invariably, the rose would go to teachers who taught the top-performing students.
April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity Letter to the Editor Teachers Should Not Be Responsible for Social Issues
To the Editor:
In the Feb. 22, 2012, issue there was a Commentary titled "Dignity for All." The author, Peter DeWitt discussed an issue that students are experiencing in grades K-12. He says that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, students are being ostracized in schools and he accuses educators of allowing it to happen.
April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Standards Letter to the Editor Common-Core Critique Seen as 'Off the Mark'
To the Editor:
Joanne Yatvin presents a strongly worded critique of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and the related publishers' criteria in her Commentary "A Flawed Approach to Reading in the Common-Core Standards," (Feb. 29, 2012).
April 3, 2012
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2 min read
School Climate & Safety Students Create Fake Online Profiles to Bully Peers
Some behavior in such situations can now be deemed illegal under state cyberbullying laws or even cyber-impersonation and identify-theft laws.
Michelle R. Davis, April 3, 2012
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6 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Blackboard Makes Unlikely Move Into Open-Source World
Its purchase of two companies built on the Moodle platform signals a dramatic shift in the educational technology company's strategy and product offerings.
Jason Tomassini, April 3, 2012
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6 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Potential Benefits for Education Startups Seen in U.S. Bill
A measure passed by congress makes it easier for startup companies to raise capital and go public, but critics worry the looser regulations could open the door for financial fraud and abuse.
Jason Tomassini, April 3, 2012
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5 min read
Special Education Report Roundup ADHD Diagnoses
The number of children being diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise.
Nirvi Shah, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Reading & Literacy Report Roundup Summer Reading
A federal study has found no learning gains from a summer reading program that provided books to students, but little else.
Hannah Rose Sacks, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup College-Going
New figures from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics show college enrollment increasing.
Caralee J. Adams, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Study Unpacks Charter Networks' Best Practices
A report explores how middle schools in high-achieving charter networks coach teachers and create "high expectations."
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Science Report Roundup Science Education
Most California middle schoolers are not regularly exposed to "high quality" science learning experiences, concludes a study.
April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
| NEWS | TEACHER BEAT
April 3, 2012
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3 min read
Special Education News in Brief Oklahoma Scholarships Ruled Unconstitutional
A 2010 Oklahoma law that authorizes state-financed scholarships for children with certain disabilities to attend private schools is unconstitutional.
The Associated Press, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Ark. Asks Court to End Desegregation Accord
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel asked a federal judge last month to end a desegregation settlement agreement with three Little Rock-area school districts.
The Associated Press, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Mo. District Settles Web-Filtering Suit
The ACLU said last week it has settled a lawsuit with a Missouri school district whose Internet-filtering software was blocking access to nonsexual websites about sexuality issues.
The Associated Press, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Youths Not as 'Green' As Americans Assume
An academic analysis of surveys spanning more than 40 years has found that young Americans are less interested in the environment than their elders were when they were young.
The Associated Press, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Student Well-Being News in Brief In U.S., 1 in 88 Children Identified as Autistic
New estimates show that one in 88 American children has been identified as having autism spectrum disorder, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.
Nirvi Shah, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief After Protests Fail, 'Bully' Film Released Without MPAA Rating
The Weinstein Co. decided to move past the R rating earned by its documentary "Bully" and was set to release the film unrated last week.
The Associated Press, April 3, 2012
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief SAT and ACT Adopt Stricter Test Security
Students taking the SAT and ACT will be required to go through some additional security to address the issue of test-taker impersonation in the college-admissions tests.
Caralee J. Adams, April 3, 2012
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2 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Lawmakers Approve Tenn. Evolution Bill
A Tennessee bill awaiting final sign-off, or a veto, from Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has sparked sharp criticism from leading science organizations and scientists.
April 3, 2012
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1 min read
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