October 7, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 07
Law & Courts
Teacher Evaluation Heads to the Courts
The policy frenzy to establish new methods for evaluating teachers over the past few years has led to an unintended byproduct: lots of litigation.
Education Funding
State Tests Due Fresh Scrutiny as Peer Review Relaunches
The U.S. Department of Education has relaunched one of the most powerful tools it wields over states' academic standards and assessments: the "peer review" process that had been suspended for three years.
Curriculum
News Corp. Sells Amplify to Joel Klein, Other Executives
The beleaguered digital education division that News Corp. invested $1 billion in since 2010 was sold on Sept. 30 to a team of 11 Amplify executives.
School & District Management
Opinion
5 Questions Policymakers Need to Ask About Common-Core Test Results
Common-core test outcomes should serve as indicators for assessing student needs, argue Joshua Starr and Elaine Weiss.
Federal
More States and Districts Embrace Biliteracy
Shifting demographics and economic interests are transforming views on multilingual education around the country.
Early Childhood
Study Casts Fresh Doubts on Durability of Pre-K Gains
By the end of 2nd grade and into 3rd, children who enrolled in Tennessee's publicly funded program were lagging behind their peers who didn't attend preschool.
Teaching Profession
Proposal: Shift $15 Billion in Prison Spending to Teacher Pay
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would like to see states and local governments repurpose some of the money they spend on incarceration and pour it into salaries for educators.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Don't Crush Reading Motivation
Teachers should embrace the idea of students choosing their own books, even if they are too hard, Barbara C. Wheatley says.
Families & the Community
Opinion
Giving Parents, and Teachers, the Right Information
In San Francisco, two simple communication strategies are narrowing the achievement gap, write Richard Carranza, Susanna Loeb, and Benjamin York.
Families & the Community
Opinion
'Political Parenting' Can Be a Counter to Incivility
Parents and students must join forces to contribute to the civic development of young people, writes Michael McDevitt.
Teaching Profession
Training Gains a Toehold for Instructional Aides in Special Education
Crucial for assuring that school inclusion takes place for students with disabilities, these workers have long been left out of the loop on professional development.
International
Studies Probe How Schools Widen Achievement Gaps
Two studies find that achievement gaps within schools account for more of the overall academic disparities among students of different races or economic backgrounds than do gaps between schools.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
On Inner Cities and White Enclaves: 'Values and Virtues Have No Color or Class'
While some readers appreciated Dweck's explanations and her insistence that the growth mindset not be misconstrued, others criticized her for ignoring gifted learners and undervaluing innate talent. Commenters also had differing views on whether the growth mindset could help marginalized students achieve success in the face of biased systems.
Families & the Community
Letter to the Editor
Build Teachers' Cultural Competency Through Bias-Busting Home Visits
To the Editor:
Kudos to Education Week and Education Week Teacher for the latest thinking on how teacher bias impacts learning ("Four Principles for Bias-Busting in the Classroom," Education Week Teacher; "Under Pressure, Colo. Schools Forge New Path; and "'Racial Mismatch' Changes Teacher Expectations for Students, Study Finds," Inside School Research blog).
Kudos to Education Week and Education Week Teacher for the latest thinking on how teacher bias impacts learning ("Four Principles for Bias-Busting in the Classroom," Education Week Teacher; "Under Pressure, Colo. Schools Forge New Path; and "'Racial Mismatch' Changes Teacher Expectations for Students, Study Finds," Inside School Research blog).
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Student-Trauma Lawsuit Gets Go-Ahead From Judge
A federal trial judge has allowed a novel lawsuit to move forward that calls for the Compton, Calif., district to incorporate practices to help students who have faced such traumas as violence, family disruption, incarceration, and poverty.
English-Language Learners
News in Brief
Arizona Reduces Class Time for ELL Immersion Program
Arizona school districts have been given permission to cut the time some English-language learners spend in a mandatory immersion program.
Education Funding
News in Brief
State Budget Woes Force Pa. Districts to Borrow Aid
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, in a statement, said some districts, and intermediate units that oversee them, borrowed more than $340 million.
Education Funding
News in Brief
New Construction-Loan Fund to Aid Preschool Classrooms
The money will be used to renovate classrooms in seven cities and to build 250 new classrooms over the next three years.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
States Unite to Improve Career-Technical Programs
The Council of Chief State School Officers announced last week that it will provide resources and coaches to states that want to review CTE policies and develop strategic plans to improve students' workforce skills.
School & District Management
News in Brief
L.A. Reaches Tentative Pact on Troubled Digital Plan
A tentative $6.4 million settlement with two major technology providers was reached, according to the superintendent of the Los Angeles school district.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Dual-Credit Programs in Jeopardy in Many States
Finding qualified teachers threatens to shutter dual-credit programs in 19 states.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Leadership
A new report digs into the policy levers that states can pull to help elevate the job of principal, create more clarity around the role, strengthen preparation programs, and tailor support for principals and assistant principals.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Research Report: Teachers
Teachers who started their careers with a mentor were more likely to continue teaching than those who did not, a federal study finds.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
After-School Learning
Parents rate homework help, physical activity, and healthy snacks at the top of the list when choosing after-school programs for their children, but access to hands-on activities in STEM is gaining a following.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Study: Many Teachers in the Dark on Merit Pay
Basing teachers' pay on merit may lead to a small boost to students' reading achievement—if teachers understand how the pay structure works.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Labor Unrest Continues to Close Schools Around the Country
While teachers in two school districts returned to work last week after striking for more than a week, teachers in other districts around the country walked out.
Education
Correction
Correction
An article in the Sept. 30, 2015, issue of Education Week misidentified who picked members of a work group in Washington state aimed at addressing a state supreme court ruling about school funding. Members of the legislature named eight lawmakers to the group.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
S.D. Student Charged in Shooting of Principal
The 16-year-old student is accused of confronting Harrisburg High School Principal Kevin Lein in his office Sept. 30 before pulling out a handgun and firing a single shot that left the principal with a flesh wound.
Data
News in Brief
Wyoming May Block Access to Social-Media Accounts
Wyoming could become one of the first states to institute broad protections for students unwilling to give school officials access to their social-media accounts.