October 10, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 07
School & District Management
No Matter Who Wins, Congress Faces Rocky Path on Ed. Issues
Even as fiscal matters bid for attention, federal lawmakers will have renewal of the ESEA and other laws on their plate.
Federal
Guide: Tying Common Core and English-Proficiency
New guidelines advise states on the language skills English-learners will need to handle the tougher academic content.
Classroom Technology
'Embodied Learning' Blends Movement, Computer Interaction
Some schools embrace the emerging approach, which emphasizes that students who fully use their bodies to learn are more engaged.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Two Lives Diverged
David Bamat reflects on the unspoken expectations that schools set for students and their consequences.
International
Opinion
Public Schools: Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
There are reasons for the public to question school performance, but public opinion seems out of sync with good news on education, Malbert Smith III, Jason Turner, and Steve Lattanzio write.
School Climate & Safety
Oakland Agrees to Curb Student Suspensions
Prodded by federal officials, the district is addressing its disproportionate suspension rates for black students.
School & District Management
State Chiefs' Races Blend K-12 Issues, State Politics
Voters in four states will pick chief state school leaders in next month's elections.
Teaching
Studies Link Students' Boredom to Stress
Students may say a teacher's lesson is boring, a researcher says, when frustration is really what they feel.
School Climate & Safety
N.J.'s Bullying Law Yielding First Data
More than 12,000 incidents of bullying were reported by schools during the 2011-12 school year under New Jersey's new state anti-bullying law.
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Pro-Voucher Effort in Fla. Overlooked
To the Editor:
Your article on state ballot issues ("State Ballots Sport Hot-Button K-12 Issues," Sept. 26, 2012) overlooked the Nov. 6 Florida referendum on Amendment 8, a measure intended to remove from the state constitution the prohibition on tax aid for church-related private schools and allow such support through school vouchers.
Your article on state ballot issues ("State Ballots Sport Hot-Button K-12 Issues," Sept. 26, 2012) overlooked the Nov. 6 Florida referendum on Amendment 8, a measure intended to remove from the state constitution the prohibition on tax aid for church-related private schools and allow such support through school vouchers.
Standards
Letter to the Editor
Common-Core Marketing Has Trumped Debate
To the Editor:
Having left parents utterly in the dark ...
Having left parents utterly in the dark ...
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
Probing Kaplan's Take on ACT, SAT Scores
To the Editor:
I'm writing in response to the College Bound blog post headlined "Weighing SAT and ACT Scores in College Admissions" (edweek.org, Sept. 25, 2012). British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli famously observed in the 19th century that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. His pithy insight jumped to mind as I read the blog post and the latest press release from Kaplan Test Prep trying to gin up more demand for its test-preparation services with a poll about taking both the SAT and the ACT. For fun and perhaps for an exercise in understanding the obfuscation that twisting statistics can have, let's use the numbers Kaplan cited in its press release—to which the blog post linked—and see what other conclusions we can draw.
I'm writing in response to the College Bound blog post headlined "Weighing SAT and ACT Scores in College Admissions" (edweek.org, Sept. 25, 2012). British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli famously observed in the 19th century that there are lies, damned lies, and statistics. His pithy insight jumped to mind as I read the blog post and the latest press release from Kaplan Test Prep trying to gin up more demand for its test-preparation services with a poll about taking both the SAT and the ACT. For fun and perhaps for an exercise in understanding the obfuscation that twisting statistics can have, let's use the numbers Kaplan cited in its press release—to which the blog post linked—and see what other conclusions we can draw.
Federal
Report Roundup
NCLB Waivers
A new report identifies possible trouble spots as 33 states plus the District of Columbia implement their waiver plans under the No Child Left Behind Act.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Teenagers and Alcohol
A new analysis shows that high school students are drinking and driving far less than they did 20 years ago.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Early Years
A new white paper makes a case for the nation's governors to take a more active role in bringing early-childhood education and K-12 closer together.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Report Calls for Rethinking School Turnaround Efforts
A report by the National Education Policy Center reviews current research on turnaround programs and suggests a more "democratic process" for school turnarounds.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Research Report: Reading
In order to learn to read, a young child's brain must be developed enough to process the information, but still capable of fast growth, according to a longitudinal study published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Education
Correction
Correction
A story on lead exposure in the Sept. 26, 2012, issue of Education Week gave an incorrect unit of measurement to describe blood lead levels. The correct unit is micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood.
Science
Report Roundup
STEM Learning
The latest findings from a project that sought to infuse math instruction in science curriculum show a boost in mathematics achievement for 8th graders exposed to the lessons.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Officials Now Neutral On Ga. Charter Plan
Georgia's education department is promising to remain neutral on a controversial charter school referendum.
Federal
News in Brief
Newspaper: States Lax on Test Security
The federal government has no standards to protect the integrity of the achievement tests it requires in tens of thousands of public schools, and test security among the states is so inconsistent that Americans can't be sure those all-important test scores are legitimate, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Special Education
News in Brief
N.J. District Is Cited On Special Education
A federal investigation into whether East Orange, N.J., schools placed students with disabilities in segregated classrooms is now closed.
Teacher Preparation
News in Brief
Military Children to Be Teacher-Training Topic
An initiative launched last week by first lady Michelle Obama and the vice president's wife, Jill Biden, is designed to better prepare educators instructing military-connected children.
English-Language Learners
News in Brief
Denver Drafts Plan For English-Learners
The Denver school district has settled on a new road map to help students who aren't native English-speakers overcome language barriers and fully participate in school.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Rural Educator Award Goes to Ariz. Teacher
A rural high school teacher who draws on his Native American heritage to inspire commitment from his students is this year's Monsanto Fund Rural Teacher of the Year.
Special Education
News in Brief
Special Ed. Center Targets Instruction
The University of Florida will spend the next five years helping states make general and special education classroom teachers more effective in their work with students with disabilities.
Classroom Technology
News in Brief
23 New Ed. Centers In Federal Network
The U.S. Department of Education has announced the awarding of $56 million for 23 new comprehensive-research-center contracts, marking an expansion of the federal technical-assistance network for districts.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Paper Suggests Scaling Up Lessons From Charters
Harvard University economics professor Roland Fryer recommends exporting best practices from charters into regular public school systems, particularly struggling ones.