November 7, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 11
States
Ky. Aims to Give Districts Charterlike Flexibility
Participating districts would gain more flexibility on such core issues as curriculum, instruction, funding, and school scheduling.
School Climate & Safety
Supreme Court Takes Up Drug-Sniffing Dog Cases
Cases argued at the U.S. Supreme Court, while not directly school-related, could affect use of drug-sniffing dogs to fight student drug abuse.
College & Workforce Readiness
Rural District Nurtures Dual-Enrollment Effort
Work with teachers and students in Halifax County, Va., has focused on making college-level courses a hot ticket.
Teaching Profession
Study Ranks Teachers' Union Strength
A state-by-state report concludes that Hawaii has the strongest teachers' union, and Arizona has the weakest.
Equity & Diversity
Research Traces Impacts of Childhood Adversity
Many of the stresses associated with poverty exact a lasting toll on children's health and learning.
School Climate & Safety
Suspended in School: Punished But Still Learning
Schools are using lunchtime detentions, Saturday schools, alternative schools, and other forms of in-school suspension to keep students on the academic track.
Accountability
Teachers Report Mixed Impact of Digital Media
Educators say the Internet and digital tools are helping improve students' research habits, but hurting their attention spans, according to two surveys.
Equity & Diversity
Educare Preschools Aim to Close Academic Gaps
A public-private model for early learning is generating national interest—and some high hopes.
Families & the Community
Schools Are Using Social Networking to Involve Parents
Through Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and text messages, districts are giving parents news and information about their children's schools.
Education Funding
Opinion
Putting Brands to Work for Public Schools
Allowing carefully chosen brands in public schools would help schools today and the economy in years to come, Mickey Freeman writes.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Building the Academics-Sports Connection
Schools need to do more to encourage athletic participation by all students, Serge Caceres writes.
States
Wis. Court Ruling Clips Gov.'s Wings
A portion of a Wisconsin state law that gives the governor the power to approve or block new education rules and policies is unconstitutional, a state judge has ruled.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Research Report: Special Education
Los Angeles has made headway in its ability to serve its students with disabilities, according to a progress report, but is still falling short of a 6-year-old target.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Failed Charter Pays Principal $500,000
A failed Florida charter school's principal is getting a $519,000 departure payment, and that has some state lawmakers outraged.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Chicago Offers Reward For Parent Involvement
At 70 Chicago public schools with low parent-involvement scores, parents who attend parent-teacher conferences to collect their child's report card will receive a $25 gift card for Walgreens.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Autism Intervention
Intensive early-intervention therapy that is effective at improving young children's cognition and language skills can normalize the brain activity of those with autism, a new study has found.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Supreme Court Weighs Text Copyright Case
The U.S. Supreme Court last week heard arguments in a copyright case with potential implications for educational publishers, librarians, teachers, and students.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Mich. Grant to Gauge Social-Emotional Ed.
The Michigan education department launched an initiative last week that aims to bolster student achievement by working physical and social-emotional learning into instruction.
Data
News in Brief
Tool Ready to Glean Data on Latinos
The National Council of La Raza has released the Latino Kids Data Explorer, a free interactive tool that allows users to search for specific data on Latino children.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
First-Year Seminars
Students using 'College 101' courses to help them ease into higher education are getting some benefits, but the impact is not long-lasting.
Professional Development
Report Roundup
College Counseling
School counselors report their training doesn't prepare them well enough to help students build strong academic records for good jobs and college admittance.
IT Infrastructure & Management
News in Brief
IT Resources Sent To Storm Victims
Natural disasters such as the storm that slammed the Mid-Atlantic region last week can inflict significant damage on a school system's digital hardware and network infrastructure.
Mathematics
Report Roundup
Study: Doubling Up on Algebra Translates to Long-Term Gains
New research on a Chicago policy that requires some 9th graders to double up on algebra instruction identifies longer-run benefits for participants.
Accountability
News in Brief
Phila. District Suspends School-Rating System
The Philadelphia school district revealed last week that its system for rating schools is faulty.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Nutrition
The majority of American children live in states where less-than-healthy snacks are readily available.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Michigan Judge Issues Reading-Suit Deadline
The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has until Dec. 5 to investigate whether the Highland Park school district is complying with a state law that requires individual intervention for students who aren't reading at grade level.
Teacher Preparation
News in Brief
Teacher Colleges Told to Release Syllabuses
Education schools within the Minnesota State Colleges and University system must comply with an open-records request and allow an outside research and advocacy organization to copy them, a district court judge ruled last week.
Education
News in Brief
Tenn. Special District Reports Low Scores
Students in the six schools that make up Tennessee's Achievement School District scored at the 16th percentile in the nation, on average, on the Measured Academic Progress test.