April 15, 2015

Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 27
Curriculum K-12 Print Needs Persist Despite Digital Growth
While many educators find benefits to using tech-based instructional materials, they find a mix of digital and print works best for their students.
Sean Cavanagh, April 14, 2015
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9 min read
Students swing during recess at Patterson International Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., earlier this month. More schools are banning or limiting the use of withholding recess for punitive reasons as research shows the benefits of playtime for students.
Students swing during recess at Patterson International Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., earlier this month. More schools are banning or limiting the use of withholding recess for punitive reasons as research shows the benefits of playtime for students.
Nathan W. Armes for Education Week
Student Well-Being Withholding Recess as a Punishment Declines
With research showing benefits of playtime, more schools limit or ban the use of taking away recess to discipline misbehaving students.
Evie Blad, April 14, 2015
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7 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Senate's ESEA Bill a Bipartisan Work in Progress
The proposal hammered out after weeks of negotiation includes policies meant to charm members of both parties as they rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Lauren Camera, April 14, 2015
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6 min read
Julie Ernst, a music teacher from Anaheim, Calif., gives a high-five to a student in a 2nd grade music class at Cane Ridge Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn. Ms. Ernst was part of a delegation from the Anaheim City school district that visited Nashville earlier this spring to learn about its music education programs.
Julie Ernst, a music teacher from Anaheim, Calif., gives a high-five to a student in a 2nd grade music class at Cane Ridge Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn. Ms. Ernst was part of a delegation from the Anaheim City school district that visited Nashville earlier this spring to learn about its music education programs.
Joe Buglewicz for Education Week
Curriculum Districts Partner to Build School Music Programs
A school district delegation from Anaheim, Calif., traveled to Nashville, Tenn., this spring to learn what it takes to create a robust music education program.
Liana Loewus, April 14, 2015
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5 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion How to Reach the Poorest Kids
Jean-Claude Brizard writes that the ESEA's goal of equalizing K-12 funding in states and districts is key to serving low-income students.
Jean-Claude Brizard, April 14, 2015
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3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto
Federal Opinion A National Strategy to Improve the Teaching Profession
Several professional challenges work against teachers, including the lack of autonomy and the absence of downtime, writes Jack Schneider.
Jack Schneider, April 14, 2015
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7 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor School Boards and Tedium Mar Evaluation Process
To the Editor:
I am retiring this year after 41 years in education, and I want to comment on the Commentary by David Finley ("Teacher Tenure: An Innocent Victim of Vergara v. California," March 4, 2015) on teacher tenure.
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Teachers Aren't Alone in Being Vilified
To the Editor:
I envy the world David Finley describes in his Commentary ("Teacher Tenure: An Innocent Victim of Vergara v. California," March 4, 2015), a world in which "there seems to be a conspiracy among politicians and the media whereby teachers are thrown under the bus, while administrators are given a free ride."
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Bad Leaders Damage More Than a Classroom
To the Editor:
My thanks to David Finley for illuminating, in "Teacher Tenure: An Innocent Victim of Vergara v. California," the dirty little secret of school organizations: poor leadership.
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Teacher-Tenure Essay Draws Passionate Response
To the Editor:
David Finley's Commentary argues that when determining teacher-tenure decisions, "two years is more than ample time for a principal to reach this conclusion." Really?
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Teacher Preparation Letter to the Editor Prepare Teachers to Adapt to Factors Outside School
To the Editor:
There are kids entering urban classrooms every day hungry, sad, tired, and angry. Name an obstacle to learning, and most urban teachers have seen it play out firsthand among their students.
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Assessment Letter to the Editor Don't Blame the Schools for Rich-Poor Academic Gap
To the Editor:
The Inside School Research blog post regarding Robert Putnam's new book, Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, hit home with me. Finally, someone who gives voice to the truth with the statement, "Schools are not to blame for the academic gap between rich and poor students that starts before kindergarten."
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Blanca Estela Enriquez
Blanca Estela Enriquez
Education News in Brief Transitions
Blanca Estela Enriquez, who has led the Region 19 Head Start program in El Paso, Texas, since 1986, is the new national director of Head Start.
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Education Correction Correction
A new report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, better known as naep, breaks out vocabulary scores from its reading assessments, and it suggests that, overall, students aren't getting much stronger at deducing the meaning of words from their context.
April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs
| NEWS | Curriculum Matters
April 14, 2015
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7 min read
Classroom Technology News in Brief U.S. Education Department Issues Guide for Ed-Tech Developers
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last week unveiled a new guide for software developers, startups, and entrepreneurs at the Arizona State University/Global Silicon Valley conference in Phoenix.
Benjamin Herold, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Teacher of the Year in Oregon Fired
A special education teacher has been fired the year after winning Oregon's teacher of the year award.
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Florida Caps Hours for Student Testing
Florida is placing limits on the high-stakes tests that were first expanded by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Dallas County Is Probed on Handling of Truancy
A federal civil rights investigation targets whether Dallas County, Texas, has been too tough on students who skip school and sometimes end up handcuffed and in court.
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
English-Language Learners News in Brief Boston Still Falling Short in ELL Instruction
A federal review has found that Boston's public schools fail to adequately teach thousands of students with limited English skills nearly five years after the system promised the U.S. government it would overhaul programs to comply with civil rights laws.
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Special Education News in Brief U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Education Cases
The U.S. Supreme Court in the past two weeks has declined to step into three education-related cases.
Mark Walsh, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Accountability News in Brief Kentucky Bars Districts From Allowing Opt-Outs
Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday says Kentucky districts cannot honor requests from parents who want to opt their children out of participating in standardized tests.
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Standards News in Brief Common Core Supported in La. if Name Is Dropped
Louisiana residents like the idea of multistate education standards for public schools—just not when they're called "common core."
The Associated Press, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Recommendations Drafted for Seal of Biliteracy
Four national professional groups have banded together to draft recommendations for a seal of biliteracy—a special recognition on high school diplomas and transcripts for graduates who demonstrate fluency in two or more languages.
Corey Mitchell, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief More Immigrant Children Headed to United States
About 39,000 immigrant children are expected to enter the United States illegally as unaccompanied minors this federal fiscal year, reaching the second-highest level of that migration since 2008, says an analysis issued last week by the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute.
McClatchy-Tribune, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Federal News in Brief NCLB Rewrite Would Expand Core-Subject Definition
The U.S. Senate draft of the rewritten No Child Left Behind Act adds writing, music, computer science, technology, and physical education to the list of disciplines it defines as "core academic subjects."
Catherine Gewertz, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Early Childhood Report Roundup Early Childhood
A significant percentage of Mexican-American children who matched their white counterparts in cognitive growth at 9 months of age had fallen behind by the time they turned 2, says a recent study.
Christina A. Samuels, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Mathematics Report Roundup Math Education
Algebra teachers should show students both correctly and incorrectly solved problems and have students discuss them, according to a new practice guide.
Liana Loewus, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup Research Report: Assessment
Students unsure about answers on a multiple-choice test are often told to give it their best guess and keep moving, but they may benefit more from getting a second shot at answering, finds a new study.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 14, 2015
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1 min read
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