May 8, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 30
Education Funding
Ed. Funders Giving More to Same Few, Studies Show
Researchers also found a growing share of philanthropic dollars going to "challengers to the system"—mainly charter schools.
Early Childhood
States Faulted on Pre-K Spending Levels
Budget woes and the aftermath of the recession combine to put the brakes on preschool funding, a research group says.
Equity & Diversity
Diversity at Issue as States Weigh Teacher Entry
States look to raise the entry bar on teaching programs, but worry about the prospects for black and Latino candidates.
Early Childhood
Proper Role of Ed-Tech in Pre-K a Rising Issue
Educators see an important place for technology in the preschool classroom, but say it is just one of many learning tools that can be incorporated among a range of developmentally appropriate materials and activities.
Standards
Online Testing Suffers Setbacks in Multiple States
Technical glitches during recent online assessments in a number of states are prompting worries about schools' ability to administer common-core testing in 2014-15.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Charting Pre-K's Value for All
Universal pre-K holds benefits for middle-class children, as well as the poor, William T. Gormley Jr. writes.
School & District Management
Opinion
Moving From Standards to Supports
Policymakers should make supporting struggling students a higher priority than enacting standards for all, John H. Jackson writes.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Plight of Teachers' Unions
The old-style industrial economy no longer works for any of our social institutions, and teachers' unions are no exception, Arthur Levine writes.
Teaching Profession
Battle Over Evaluations Continues in Buffalo
The school system has backed off on promises it wouldn't dismiss teachers based on new evaluations, but the union vows to fight.
School & District Management
Common Standards Set for Federal Education Research
Two federal agencies are rolling out a common set of evidence standards for federally funded work.
States
Louisiana Ends Data-Storage Arrangement with inBloom
The state schools chief decided to remove student data from non-profit inBloom’s database.
School & District Management
Private Firms Run Two Mich. Districts
Muskegon Heights and Highland Park are testing private companies' skill at running troubled public school systems.
Special Education
Alternative Proposed to IEP Due Process System
The district administrators' group would like to streamline handling of conflicts over individualized education programs.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
NAEP Economics Results Highlight Proficiency Gaps
More than half of American 12th graders lack proficiency in economics, according to new results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress
Assessment
Report Roundup
Science Education
Students in high-performing schools have more and deeper opportunities to learn science than those in struggling schools, according to a new report.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Early Childhood
The practice of delaying kindergarten entry to give a child more time to mature may be less prevalent than is commonly believed, according to a study published last month.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
School Finance
The median expenditure per student for all the nation's districts did not decline during the 2009-10 school year, a new report found.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Teacher Quality
Within schools, less experienced and minority teachers are more often assigned classes with lower-achieving students than their more experienced or white colleagues, according to a paper published last month.
School & District Management
News in Brief
State-Appointed Board Gets Federal Go-Ahead in El Paso
The El Paso school district's state-appointed board of managers will be sworn into office this week.
Standards
News in Brief
Indiana to Review Common-Core Commitment
As one state prepares to re-examine its adoption of the common core, the leader of the American Federation of Teachers has called for a moratorium on high-stakes decisions linked to new tests.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Calif. Neglecting ELLs, ACLU Lawsuit Claims
The California department of education is failing in its role to ensure that schools are adequately educating its English-language learners, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.
Assessment
News in Brief
Chicago Students Skip State Test in Protest
Students angry over the proposed shuttering of more than 50 schools in Chicago next year skipped the second day of state testing last month to protest the closures, according to local media reports.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Student Must Be Read Rights in Some Cases
A high school student's statements to an assistant principal had to be suppressed in a criminal proceeding because the student had not been given a Miranda warning, Kentucky's highest court has ruled.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Online-Safety Program Launched for Teenagers
A new consumer education program has been launched to help teenagers and their parents more closely manage their visibility and privacy on the Internet, according to officials.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Residents of Newtown Reject Budget Increase
Residents of Newtown, Conn., have voted against an increase to the town and school district's budgets that was proposed to improve school security.
School & District Management
News in Brief
N.Y.C. Middle Schools to Try Longer Day
School days will get longer for 2,000 New York City 6th graders next fall, district officials announced last week.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Philadelphia District Plans to Open Online School
The Philadelphia school district has announced plans to open a virtual academy to lure students and families back to the system.
Special Education
News in Brief
Court Sides With S.C. on Special Ed. Funding
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the federal government should not have reduced its special education funding to South Carolina before allowing an appeal.