October 22, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 09
Data
'Big Data' Research Effort Faces Student-Privacy Questions
A coalition of prominent research universities is receiving federal support to redesign and scale up a massive repository for analyzing learning and behavioral data.
School & District Management
Opinion
Weingarten: Four Solutions to Public School Problems
Fix, don't close, neighborhood schools, and adopt three other reform ideas to change education for the better, AFT President Randi Weingarten says.
School & District Management
Opinion
Clearing the Way for Teacher Leadership
Refocusing rigid teacher-evaluation systems is just one way to build capacity for teacher leadership, Barnett Berry says.
School & District Management
States That Prohibit Charters Likely to Decline
Midterm elections and forceful advocacy efforts could reverse long-held resistance in Alabama, Kentucky, and Nebraska.
School & District Management
California Rivals Clash on Vision for K-12 Leadership
The race between state schools chief Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck centers on whether the Golden State is on the right path in reinventing its public schools.
Federal
Efforts Build to Track School Climate for LGBT Students
Three federal surveys will add questions related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students to help provide a clearer picture of their experiences in school.
Federal
Promise, Challenges Seen in Use of Federal Turnaround Aid
A Connecticut official shares that state's experience--and lessons learned--from its participation in the multibillion-dollar School Improvement Grant Program.
School & District Management
School Leaders to Trim Testing, But Keep Yearly Assessments
Amid concerns about too much testing, state schools chiefs and big-city superintendents have vowed to shed redundant tests but stick with annual assessments.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Brad Smith, the superintendent of the Ogden district in Utah, has been named the state's new schools chief.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Study Ranks Local Schooling Foundations
Local K-12 education foundations with $2 million or more in annual revenues topped a performance ranking of these nonprofit organizations that support individual school districts.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
STEM Preparation
Opportunities to learn STEM subjects are lacking at rural schools in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, according to a new report.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
District Mergers
Consolidating large school districts in Texas would increase costs and cause student performance to fall, according to a study by researchers from Texas A&M and Utah State universities.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
College-Going
How many graduates from a particular high school go on to college depends largely on the school's poverty level and whether it is public or private, while location is not as much of a factor, new research reveals.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Small Schools
New York City's small high schools raise graduation rates and boost college enrollment—at a lower cost per graduate—than the city's larger high schools, according to findings from an ongoing longitudinal study.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Parents May Be Liable for Fake Facebook Page
A Georgia appeals court ruled last week that parents of a 7th grader who created a fake Facebook account mocking a classmate are potentially liable for negligence for not forcing him to close the account once they learned of it.
School & District Management
News in Brief
NSBA Ends Partnership With Tobacco Company
The National School Boards Association will immediately stop its work with the R.J. Reynolds' Right Decisions, Right Now youth anti-smoking program, the organization said last week, just days after it first announced the partnership with the tobacco company.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Archdiocese Proposes Review of Teacher Contracts
The Roman Catholic archdiocese in southwest Ohio is proposing a committee made up of teachers who would advise on future contracts that include morality clauses.
Assessment
News in Brief
Portland Schools Say No to Oregon Goal Setting
Portland, Ore., won't comply with state rules calling for districts to set goals in three subject areas as part of a switch to a new test.
Special Education
News in Brief
L.A. Faulted on Data System for Special Ed. Students
Problems with the Los Angeles Unified School District's new student-tracking system led to widespread issues in identifying special-needs students and placing them in the correct programs, a report concludes.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Civil Rights Pact Addresses Transgender Treatment
California's Downey Unified School District has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights after a complaint alleged one of its schools discriminated against a transgender student.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Wis. Gives Millions to Schools Booted From Voucher Plan
Wisconsin has spent some $139 million on vouchers in the past decade to pay tuition for students attending private schools that were eventually disqualified from the state's program, according to a review by the Wisconsin State Journal.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Regents Approve Standards, Opening Door for Okla. Waiver
Oklahoma's institutions of higher education last week ruled that the state's K-12 academic standards are rigorous enough to get students ready for college and the workforce.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Deasy Resigns as L.A. Chief; Cortines Takes Interim Helm
Superintendent John Deasy resigned last week from the Los Angeles Unified School District, bringing an end to an at-times tumultuous run as the chief of the nation's second-largest district.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Ebola Concerns Prompt School Screenings, Closures
Three Texas school districts closed some schools last week in response to news that a nurse who was recently diagnosed with the Ebola virus flew on a commercial airplane while she may have been showing symptoms.
Reading & Literacy
Letter to the Editor
Debate Over Free Reading in Schools Dates Back Decades
To the Editor:
The Curriculum Matters blog post "N.Y.C. Chancellor Pushes for Schools to Reinstate Independent Reading Time" states that there has been "little media attention" given to the issue of free reading in school. There has, however, been a great deal of attention paid to this question in professional educational publications.
The Curriculum Matters blog post "N.Y.C. Chancellor Pushes for Schools to Reinstate Independent Reading Time" states that there has been "little media attention" given to the issue of free reading in school. There has, however, been a great deal of attention paid to this question in professional educational publications.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Reader: Hawaii Early-Childhood Measure Blurs Church and State
To the Editor:
Amendment 4 on the November ballot in Hawaii would authorize tax support for private early-childhood education programs in secular and faith-based private schools.
Amendment 4 on the November ballot in Hawaii would authorize tax support for private early-childhood education programs in secular and faith-based private schools.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
New Organization Questions Military Presence in U.S. Schools
To the Editor:
Amidst alarm over the militarization of school police officers, it is worth remembering that it's likely only 20-plus school districts have participated in the Pentagon's giveaway program. Moreover, in most cases the military weaponry will remain safely out of sight unless there is a true emergency. So, why the outrage? Scenes from the suburbs of St. Louis shocked the nation this summer, and no one wants school police to resemble Ferguson's warrior cops.
Amidst alarm over the militarization of school police officers, it is worth remembering that it's likely only 20-plus school districts have participated in the Pentagon's giveaway program. Moreover, in most cases the military weaponry will remain safely out of sight unless there is a true emergency. So, why the outrage? Scenes from the suburbs of St. Louis shocked the nation this summer, and no one wants school police to resemble Ferguson's warrior cops.