October 1, 2014

Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 06
Education Clarification Clarification
A story in the Sept. 10, 2014, issue of Education Week on the Toggle Talk program about switching from dialect to standard American English failed to mention that Ventris Learning of Sun Prairie, Wis., is scaling up the intervention to 10 districts in five states, with plans to expand nationally.
October 8, 2014
1 min read
Education Funding Report Roundup Teacher Incentives
Too few prospective teachers are using—or are even aware of—federal loan-forgiveness programs that could ease the financial burden of teacher preparation, a recent report from the centrist think tank Third Way contends.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 30, 2014
1 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Study Uses 'Growth Mindset' to Combat Teenage Depression
Many a nurturing parent has soothed a bullied child with a reminder that social awkwardness will change, that the bullies may one day regret it, and that people slide up and down the social totem pole throughout their lives.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Standards Test Vendor's Legal Fight, Growth Attract Attention
Of all the testing organizations prospering in the common-core era, few have fought as doggedly in public for a competitive edge as the American Institutes for Research.
Sean Cavanagh, September 30, 2014
7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Reading & Literacy Opinion Reading Is About More Than 'Evidence'
When students approach reading as only an exercise in seeking out evidence, as the common core recommends, they risk missing out on the value of reading for intrinsic literary value, writes Mia Hood.
Mia Hood, September 30, 2014
6 min read
Assessment Common-Core Group Revises Testing Times
The PARCC testing consortium says schools should set aside 10 to 11 hours or more for its assessments.
Catherine Gewertz, September 30, 2014
4 min read
Gwinnett County public school officials Tricia Kennedy, Jody Reeves, and Nikki Mouton, from left, embrace in Suwanee, Ga., upon learning that their district will share the Broad Prize with Orange County, Fla.
Gwinnett County public school officials Tricia Kennedy, Jody Reeves, and Nikki Mouton, from left, embrace in Suwanee, Ga., upon learning that their district will share the Broad Prize with Orange County, Fla.
David Goldman/AP
School & District Management Two Districts Share Urban Education Prize
Gwinnett County, Ga., and Orange County, Fla., were the two winners—and the only two finalists—for the prestigious Broad Urban Education Prize.
Denisa R. Superville, September 30, 2014
4 min read
Teaching Benefits of 'Deeper Learning' Schools Highlighted in Studies
New research finds that students in schools that used deeper-learning teaching approaches had better test results and people skills than peers in other schools.
Holly Kurtz, September 30, 2014
4 min read
Nicole Young, at center in white sweater, a City Connects coordinator at Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Boston, leads a tour of the school for college students who will be volunteer tutors there. New research suggests there is an academic payoff from the City Connects program, which links students and their families to supports and resources that align with their needs.
Nicole Young, at center in white sweater, a City Connects coordinator at Josiah Quincy Elementary School in Boston, leads a tour of the school for college students who will be volunteer tutors there. New research suggests there is an academic payoff from the City Connects program, which links students and their families to supports and resources that align with their needs.
Charlie Mahoney/Prime for Education Week
Student Well-Being Learning Payoff Found for 'City Connects' Program
The academic boost that elementary students got from a program that linked them with community supports and resources lasted all the way to middle school, a study says.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 30, 2014
6 min read
A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, sits in front of police headquarters in Watertown, Conn. The Los Angeles school district police department is among those that have acquired such vehicles through a Pentagon surplus equipment program.
A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, sits in front of police headquarters in Watertown, Conn. The Los Angeles school district police department is among those that have acquired such vehicles through a Pentagon surplus equipment program.
Steven Valenti/The Republican-American/AP-File
School Climate & Safety Military Surplus Program Provides Weapons to School Police
School district police units around the country have acquired armored vehicles, semiautomatic weapons, and grenade launchers through a controversial program run by the Defense Department.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2014
6 min read
Standards Common-Core Testing Contracts Favor Big Vendors
Most of the biggest contracts being awarded by the two main consortia creating online assessments aligned to the standards are flowing to some familiar industry players.
Sean Cavanagh, September 30, 2014
10 min read
Teaching Profession States Mixed on Waiver Leeway for Teacher Evaluations
More than a third of states with NCLB waivers say they’re interested in a federal offer to put off using student scores as part of teacher evaluations until the end of the school year.
Alyson Klein, September 30, 2014
4 min read
Special Education Steps Weighed on Method for Flagging Bias in Spec. Ed.
Federal officials face a split among advocates and educators on whether to set a bright line for states in deciding if minorities are overidentified for special education services.
Christina A. Samuels, September 30, 2014
5 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Preparation for Higher Education
If parents want their children to continue their education past high school, pushing them to enroll in extracurricular activities alongside studious peers may be the way to go, suggests a study in the journal Social Science Research.
Bryan Toporek, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Minority Student Achievement
Latino children continue to trail their non-Latino peers on many measures of academic success, but a new study from the Child Trends Hispanic Institute shows they are gaining ground.
Lesli A. Maxwell, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Reading & Literacy Report Roundup Student Proficiency
What U.S. states expect students to know varies widely and often falls short of international standards for learning, a new report from the American Institutes for Research shows.
Caralee J. Adams, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Federal Report Roundup NCLB Accountability
A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that there may be some upside to the No Child Left Behind Act's much-maligned accountability system.
Lauren Camera, September 30, 2014
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief In Pennsylvania, 'Snow Day' Could Be an Endangered Species
Snow days may soon be a thing of the past in Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Herold, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Families & the Community News in Brief More Parents Troubled by Children's Homework
A national survey finds that more than half of parents with children in grades K-8 acknowledged they aren't up to the task of helping their children with homework.
September 30, 2014
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Hillary Clinton Announces Global Initiative for Girls
Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a $600 million effort last week to enroll girls in secondary schools around the globe.
The Associated Press, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief NEA Says Top Priority Is Beating Wisconsin Governor
Lily Eskelsen García, the head of the largest national teachers' union, says beating Gov. Scott Walker is the organization's top priority in the upcoming Wisconsin election.
The Associated Press, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Los Angeles Settles Suit With Data-Software Vendor
The Los Angeles Unified School District has paid $3.75 million to settle a lawsuit with the vendor of a software system designed to track attendance, grades, schedules, and other student data, officials said.
McClatchy-Tribune, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Student Editor Suspended Over 'Redskins' Nickname
The superintendent of the Neshaminy district in Pennsylvania has suspended the Neshaminy High School newspaper's editor-in-chief for a month and its faculty adviser for two days for refusing to use the word "Redskins."
Bryan Toporek, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Federal Appeals Court Backs Female Players in Title IX Suit
A federal appeals court has ruled that a California district violated Title IX because one of its high schools provided unequal athletics-participation opportunities for girls and retaliated against the girls' softball coach by firing him soon after the sex-discrimination claim was filed.
Mark Walsh, September 30, 2014
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief N.Y.C. Ordered to Provide More High School Librarians
New York City has been ordered to provide high schools with enough librarians to meet state regulations.
The Associated Press, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Federal News in Brief DOD Schools May Lose Foreign-Language Teachers
After 10 years of skirting federal employment laws, the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity is faced with losing 26 foreign-language teachers, which could threaten programs at nearly two dozen middle and high schools overseas if qualified replacements can't be found.
McClatchy-Tribune, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Attorney Gen. Holder to Resign; Targeted Discipline Policies
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who has been a prominent voice on school discipline policies, announced his resignation last week. He plans to leave office as soon as a successor can be appointed.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2014
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Federal Judge Shuts Down Alleged Diploma Mills
A federal judge in Florida has temporarily closed a pair of organizations that the Federal Trade Commission alleges have operated as high school "diploma mills," taking in more than $11 million from marketing and selling bogus academic credentials over the past few years.
Sean Cavanagh, September 30, 2014
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Enrollment of Homeless Hits Record High in Schools
A record 1,258,182 homeless students enrolled in public schools in the 2012-13 school year, a nearly 8 percent increase from the previous year's levels, new U.S. Department of Education data released last week show.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2014
1 min read