January 7, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 15
Education
Listen: Classroom Noises That Can Distract Students
It's easy to understand why learning may suffer when the teacher's voice has to compete with a passing 747, but emerging research suggests that quieter noises can have varied effects on student learning and memory.
School & District Management
In Pa., a District's Distress Drives Shift to Charter Operator
A state-appointed receiver for the York, Pa., school system plans to tap a for-profit charter network to run the district's eight schools.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
The Humanities Keep Us Human
Even as society rushes to embrace STEM, schools must emphasize the critical importance of also teaching the humanities, Fred Zilian writes.
College & Workforce Readiness
Lessons on Small Particles Yield Big Gains, Say Proponents
Teaching nanoscience could help integrate STEM studies and point students to new careers.
School & District Management
Opinion
Small K-12 Interventions Can Be Powerful
Large-scale and ambitious education initiatives hold no academic promises for students, writes researcher Hunter Gehlbach.
Education
Clarification
Clarification
The identification of Howard Fuller in his Commentary about Teach For America in the Dec. 10, 2014, issue of Education Week should have noted that he serves on the TFA-Milwaukee regional board of directors and on the selection committee for the Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership, which is presented annually to a TFA alumna or alumnus.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Candice McQueen, the dean of Lipscomb University's college of education in Nashville, has been named Tennessee's commissioner of education. She will replace Kevin Huffman, who is leaving for the private sector.
Education
Correction
Correction
A box accompanying an article on the late John I. Goodlad in the same issue misstated the name of the co-author of The Nongraded Elementary School. He is Robert H. Anderson.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
Educators: Help Students Grasp the Moral Threshold
Schools have an obligation to be mindful of the workload they place on students' shoulders, writes Thomas Bonnell.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Schools Can Bill Medicaid for More Services, Feds Say
The "free care rule" does not apply to health services provided in schools, federal officials say. That means schools can be reimbursed for more services they provide to low-income students.
Social Studies
Museum Examines Onlookers' Role in Holocaust
In an exhibit and teacher programs, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum offers a powerful new lens for lessons about the genocide that killed nearly 6 million Jews.
Federal
News in Brief
Congress Eases Standards For School Lunches
A massive year-end federal spending law doesn't allow schools to opt out of healthier meal standards, but it will ease standards that require more whole grains in school foods.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
AP Computer Science Sees Test-Taking Rise
The number of students who took the Advanced Placement computer science exam skyrocketed last year, but females and minority students remained underrepresented.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Postsecondary Access
New research suggests that the college-readiness system known as AVID—Advancement Via Individual Determination—may be effective in preparing underserved students to succeed in college.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Extracurricular Participation
Children between the ages of 6 and 17 who live with two married parents are three times more likely to play sports, join clubs, and take art, music, and dance lessons than children living with two unmarried parents, according to a new report.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Enrollment
Overall enrollment in college was down slightly in fall 2014, as fewer students showed up in two-year, public schools and four-year, for-profit institutions compared to the previous year.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Student-Data Professionals
The ability to turn large amounts of raw data into useful information is increasingly important in both the workplace and in society, but schools aren't teaching the required skills and knowledge adequately.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Grade Promotion
The practice of requiring students who don't make sufficient academic progress to repeat a grade in school steadily declined from 2005 to 2010, new research shows.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Summer Learning
Summer programs in large urban districts showed benefits for math performance but flat results in reading and social-emotional development, according to preliminary findings from the first longitudinal study of such initiatives.
School & District Management
Ed. Dept. Probing Claim of Racial Disparity in N.Y. Funding
Complaints by two New York districts prompted the investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights.
School & District Management
Low-Level Classroom Noise Distracts, Experts Say
While it's easy to see how a low-flying jet can impede student learning, quieter classroom sounds can also be disruptive.
Federal
Some Waiver States Can Seek Pause on School Ratings
States looking to renew NCLB waivers while they transition to new assessments ask to freeze school ratings in place for one year, the Education Department says.
IT Infrastructure & Management
E-Rate Undergoing Major Policy, Budget Upgrades
A series of broad policy changes to the E-rate will bring billions of dollars in increased funding and a greater focus on high-speed wireless technologies to schools and libraries.
Teaching
Opinion
Differentiation Doesn't Work
Differentiated instruction adds depth and complexity to teaching, but it's all but impossible to implement in today's classrooms, James Delisle writes.
Early Childhood
Map: Full-Day-Kindergarten Participation
Three-fourths of the nation's kindergartners attend full-day programs.
Early Childhood
Not Enrolled in Preschool: A State-by-State Breakdown
One-third of the 4.3 million 3- and 4-year-olds who are not enrolled in school across the nation live in four large states.
Special Education
News in Brief
Judge Dismisses Suit Over Special Ed. in D.C.
The Blackman-Jones case, first filed in 1997 by parents who said the District of Columbia was failing to provide appropriate special education services to students with disabilities, has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, bringing to an end 18 years of court oversight.
Student Achievement
News in Brief
Calif. Districts Work Toward Mandating Ethnic Studies
Ethnic-studies classes will soon become a staple in both the Los Angeles and San Francisco districts.