May 23, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 32
Education
Education Industry's Campaign & Lobbying Spending
Since 1989, spending by the education industry to fund election campaigns and lobbying activities has continuously increased. Also of note is the large disproportional level of spendings on campaigning versus lobbying efforts.
Education
Single Issue Advocacy Groups
As single-issue advocacy groups gain traction in education lobbying, questions arise about who they are, where they get their money from and what issues they represent.
School Climate & Safety
Ed. Dept. Gives Direction on Restraint, Seclusion
Some say the Education Department didn't go far enough in guiding schools on policies involving restraint and seclusion of students.
Federal
School-Grading Changes Stir Debate in Florida
Under new rules, school grades must factor in math and reading scores for ELLs after just one year of instruction.
Education Funding
K-12 Scorecard Mixed as State Lawmakers Finish
Some states hiked education aid in recent legislative sessions, but other K-12 issues also competed for lawmakers' attention.
School & District Management
Studies Illustrate Plight of Introverted Students
Academic outcomes improve for quiet students when there's less pressure to speak up, according to experts.
Education
Correction
Correction
A story in the May 9, 2012, issue of Education Week misstated sales of Apple's iPads to K-12 schools. The company has sold 1.5 million of the touchscreen devices to education institutions at all levels.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Opinion
Dear Data, Please Make Yourself More Useful
Teachers should be involved in the design of the data systems they will use, Brad Phillips and Jay Pfeiffer write.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Interactions Urged For Schools, Business
Case studies of 13 school boards and their interactions with their local business communities are the backbone of a report released last week.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Spike in Calif. Deficit Raises New Concerns
California education groups are increasingly worried that even a proposed state tax increase won't be enough to solve school funding woes.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Coalition Wins $50M for Expanded Learning
The Ford Foundation has pledged $50 million over the next three years to promote expanded learning time efforts nationwide.
Accountability
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
Students attending schools overseen by the charter operator Green Dot significantly increased their test scores, a new study finds.
Special Education
News in Brief
Congressional Caucus Will Tackle Dyslexia
Two members of Congress with children who have dyslexia recently formed a new caucus devoted to the learning disability.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Duncan Critical of Fla. Tutoring Law
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last week said he doesn't understand why Florida passed a law requiring districts to continue offering free tutoring to students in struggling schools.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Teenage Birthrates
While teenage birthrates in the United States have declined 44 percent since 1990, they remain higher than rates in other developed countries.
Reading & Literacy
News in Brief
New Law Mandates Reading Assessments
A sweeping overhaul of Colorado's literacy guidelines will revamp literacy teaching in the early grades.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Ariz. Governor Signs School Voucher Bill
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill allowing public money to be used to finance vouchers for students at low-rated schools to attend private schools.
Teaching
Opinion
Use Technology to Upend Traditional Classrooms
Schools should use technology to rethink education, not simply speed up what they do now, Justin Reich says.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
California Suit Targets Teacher Protections
A handful of California parents have sued the state over five laws that they claim concentrate poorly performing teachers in schools that primarily serve disadvantaged and minority students.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Re-Sorting Proposed for Blended Learning
The Innosight Institute last week released a white paper that combines the six categories it created to differentiate blended-learning models.
Curriculum
News in Brief
'Big Three' Publisher Signals Restructuring
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced last week that it would undergo financial restructuring to manage its sizable debt.
Federal
News in Brief
ALEC Delays Vote on Common Core
The American Legislative Exchange Council postponed its vote on a resolution opposing the Common Core State Standards at a recent meeting in Charlotte, N.C.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Motivation
A new report argues that educators can lead students to knowledge, but they can't make them learn unless the students are motivated.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Unlocking Literacy for Intellectual Growth
Teaching students how to understand complex texts is critical to their cognitive development, writes Anthony Palumbo.
Federal
Mixed Scorecard on Charter Bills in South
Alabama and Mississippi reject legislation to encourage charter growth, though a bill passes in South Carolina.
School & District Management
Virtual Education Seen Lacking Accountability
Although enrollment continues to grow each year in full-time online schools, more research is needed about the effectiveness of such schools, says a report from the National School Boards Association.
Science
Report Roundup
Girls and STEM
The push to promote more "feminine" role models for the science, technology, engineering, and math fields may backfire, says a new study.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Attendance
One in 10 American students miss a month or more of school a year, according to a study.
Accountability
Fulton District Becomes Largest Charter System in Georgia
The 93,000-student district has made a pact with the state to create strict accountability standards in return for Georgia dropping some of its regulatory requirements.