August 5, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 37
Federal
New Candidates Join Quest for White House
On the Republican side, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Wis. Gov. Scott Walker announce bids; former Va. Sen. Jim Webb is running for the Democratic nomination.
Recruitment & Retention
Districts Facing Teacher Shortages Look for Lifelines
With a new school year approaching, districts around the country are issuing urgent pleas for teachers to come work for them.
School & District Management
Opinion
School Choice Is Good for Teachers, Too
School choice offers educators opportunities to innovate and lead in the classroom and beyond, argues former teachers' union president Doug Tuthill.
Federal
Tough Choices for PARCC as States Drop Out
The number of states still officially part of the common-core testing consortium is half of what it once was, and that poses challenges, especially when it comes to costs.
College & Workforce Readiness
Educators Work to Stave Off 'Summer Melt'
Instead of heading to the beach, some counselors and youth groups are working hard to ensure that students who planned to go to college actually make it there.
Science
Q&A
Q&A: San Francisco Expands Computer Science Classes
James Ryan, the district’s chief for STEM learning, discusses San Francisco’s new initiative to teach computer science in every grade.
School & District Management
Opinion
Who the 'Model Minority' Stereotype Hurts Most
Lumping together data on the diverse population of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders obscures many students' struggles, writes Peter T. Keo.
Teaching
Opinion
John Locke: An Education Progressive Ahead of His Time?
Philosopher John Locke's advice on schooling remains relevant for educators even after three centuries, writes researcher Peter Gibbon.
School & District Management
Obituary
Obituary
Robert R. "Bud" Spillane, a former superintendent of the Fairfax County, Va., and Boston school districts, has died. Mr. Spillane, who had a reputation as a tough yet fair leader, died July 18.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Ruth Curran Neild, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Technical Assistance, has been named the U.S. Department of Education's director of policy and research, a role that includes directing the Institute of Education Sciences.
Education
Correction
Correction
In the July 8, 2015, issue of Education Week, the name of Leslie Kaplan, the author of the letter to the editor, "School-Leader-Licensure Standards Lose Their Punch," was misspelled.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Students Learn Best in an Engaged Classroom
To the Editor:
American students need to hit the books. The United States ranks 27th among 34 developed countries in math and 20th in science achievement, according to the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, results. America's performance in math, science, and reading has remained mostly unchanged for over a decade.
American students need to hit the books. The United States ranks 27th among 34 developed countries in math and 20th in science achievement, according to the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, results. America's performance in math, science, and reading has remained mostly unchanged for over a decade.
Teacher Preparation
Letter to the Editor
Comparison of Teacher Education to Medical Training Isn't New
To the Editor:
I agree with the recent Commentary "Can Teacher-Educators Learn From Medical-School Reform?", and author Benjamin Riley's assertion that there is no collective approach that addresses the question of how to properly prepare teachers.
I agree with the recent Commentary "Can Teacher-Educators Learn From Medical-School Reform?", and author Benjamin Riley's assertion that there is no collective approach that addresses the question of how to properly prepare teachers.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Mind the Gap: Deploy Teacher Talent to High-Need Schools
To the Editor:
The June 3, 2015, Teacher Beat blog post "Ed. Dept.: Poorest Districts Have More Trainee Teachers" brings focus to an issue we've known about for years, but have had little success fixing—the inequitable distribution of teachers.
The June 3, 2015, Teacher Beat blog post "Ed. Dept.: Poorest Districts Have More Trainee Teachers" brings focus to an issue we've known about for years, but have had little success fixing—the inequitable distribution of teachers.
Reading & Literacy
Letter to the Editor
More Books, Better Libraries Can Fight 'Summer Loss'
To the Editor:
In their recent Commentary, Bolgen Vargas and Sandra A. Parker argue that a longer school day will better prepare students for high-tech jobs and prevent summer learning loss.
In their recent Commentary, Bolgen Vargas and Sandra A. Parker argue that a longer school day will better prepare students for high-tech jobs and prevent summer learning loss.
Special Education
Letter to the Editor
NCLB Should Include the Needs of Those on the Autism Spectrum
To the Editor:
The hotly contested No Child Left Behind Act has brought sweeping changes to education across the nation. Since taking effect in 2002, the law has altered classroom content and teaching methods.
The hotly contested No Child Left Behind Act has brought sweeping changes to education across the nation. Since taking effect in 2002, the law has altered classroom content and teaching methods.
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
What Can You Measure in Five Minutes? Ask the Students
To the Editor:
I just performed a Google search motivated by a small and unobtrusively placed news story. I searched, "College Board SAT test timing misprint." If you don't have a child experiencing the dreadful throes of college preparation and testing, this particular story might have slipped right by you. The College Board admitted that there was a mistake in the timing information provided for the last section of a recent SAT.
I just performed a Google search motivated by a small and unobtrusively placed news story. I searched, "College Board SAT test timing misprint." If you don't have a child experiencing the dreadful throes of college preparation and testing, this particular story might have slipped right by you. The College Board admitted that there was a mistake in the timing information provided for the last section of a recent SAT.
School & District Management
Education News Online: A Snapshot
We take a look at the growing number of websites that cover education, including those focused primarily on school policy and general sites devoting resources to the education beat, online.
Education
Some Online Sites May Blur News, Advocacy Line
While many of the new online outlets reporting on education are bona fide news operations, others may be harder to pigeonhole.
Classroom Technology
Crowded Field of Online News Sites Focuses on Education Issues
National and local online outlets are offering a wealth of specialized content on K-12 topics, some striving for journalistic objectivity, others pushing an unvarnished point of view.
Ed-Tech Policy
Chalkbeat Wields Web to Boost Local Ed.-News Coverage
The four-site news operation is among the next generation of outlets drilling deep into local education issues.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Kindergartners' Social Skills Found to Predict Adult Success
Children who share, resolve their own problems, and cooperate with peers are more likely to have positive life outcomes, a new study says.
Special Education
Report Roundup
English-Learners
A new report finds "no proven method" for best identifying and serving English-language learners with disabilities.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Research Report: School Safety
Fewer high school students reported being in physical fights, being victimized, or carrying weapons in school in 2013, according to the latest edition of a federal report.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College and Career Readiness
Many children whose parents didn't go to college aim for degrees in higher education, but they're far less prepared to go to college than their peers who grew up with college-educated parents, finds a new report.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Federal Education Policy
Education watchers can—and do—argue over whether President Barack Obama's Race to the Top grants have improved education for American students.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Class Time
School districts that adopted a four-day school week in rural Idaho experienced no significant cost savings, and some districts even saw costs rise to accommodate the resulting longer school day, according to a new report.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Child Well-Being
Children have seen improvement on measures of health and education nationally over the past five years, but indicators in economic well-being and "family and community" still lag, according to an annual report.