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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.