October 10, 2012

Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 07
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
October 10, 2012
4 min read
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.
Alyson Klein, October 9, 2012
6 min read
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.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 9, 2012
4 min read
Students from Elizabeth Forward Middle School in Elizabeth, Pa., play a math game in the SMALLab, or Situated Multimedia Art Learning Lab, where they use images projected on the floor to create a huge game board. The school is one of six across the country using the new platform to make curricular content more interactive. The lab, which uses movement-tracking cameras, is set up in a previously unused classroom at the school.
Students from Elizabeth Forward Middle School in Elizabeth, Pa., play a math game in the SMALLab, or Situated Multimedia Art Learning Lab, where they use images projected on the floor to create a huge game board. The school is one of six across the country using the new platform to make curricular content more interactive. The lab, which uses movement-tracking cameras, is set up in a previously unused classroom at the school.
James Knox/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
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.
Mike Bock, October 9, 2012
4 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Two Lives Diverged
David Bamat reflects on the unspoken expectations that schools set for students and their consequences.
David Bamat, October 9, 2012
5 min read
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.
Malbert Smith III, Jason Turner & Steve Lattanzio, October 9, 2012
4 min read
School Climate & Safety Oakland Agrees to Curb Student Suspensions
Prodded by federal officials, the district is addressing its disproportionate suspension rates for black students.
October 9, 2012
5 min read
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.
Andrew Ujifusa, October 9, 2012
8 min read
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.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 9, 2012
5 min read
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.
McClatchy-Tribune, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
October 9, 2012
1 min read
Standards Letter to the Editor Common-Core Marketing Has Trumped Debate
To the Editor:
Having left parents utterly in the dark ...
October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Michele McNeil, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Nirvi Shah, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Sean Cavanagh, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Nirvi Shah, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Nirvi Shah, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 9, 2012
1 min read
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.
Sean Cavanagh, October 9, 2012
1 min read