December 2, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 13
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Five Ways to Eliminate Teacher Burnout
Speaking as someone who left the teaching profession, education writer Scott Sterling offers suggestions for keeping educators engaged.
Every Student Succeeds Act
With New ESEA Likely, State Chiefs Pledge Better Accountability
A pending update of the federal education law stands to shift the bulk of school-turnaround and accountability work to state superintendents.
Federal
White House Corrals Funding for High School Redesign
Millions of dollars in public and private financing were unveiled at a daylong summit in Washington on "next-generation high schools."
Federal
New Data Paints Mixed Picture of Federal Turnaround Program
Only a little more than half of schools that got a third round of School Improvement Grants improved, finds a report issued Nov. 10.
Education Funding
Ed. Dept. Report Touts Race To Top Program's Impact
A new study focuses on progress under the Obama administration's signature education- redesign program, but touches only lightly on stumbles and controversies.
College & Workforce Readiness
College Scout Mines Below-the-Radar Schools for Diverse Talent
A recruiter for highly selective Gettysburg College scours schools for high-achieving low-income and minority prospects.
Equity & Diversity
For Some Immigrant Students, Culture Bears on College Choice
High-achieving students from immigrant families face a complex set of considerations in finding the right college.
IT Infrastructure & Management
School Internet Access Shows Big Progress, New Report Shows
The number of students without adequate Internet connections in school has been cut in half over the past two years, EducationSuperHighway study finds.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Disparate Discipline: Balancing Student Safety and Common Sense
To the Editor:
First it was young Ahmed Mohamed, the precocious student clockmaker who was sent home from school as a possible bomb-maker. Now it is the South Carolina student who was thrown across a classroom for the crime of allegedly not putting away her cellphone fast enough. The news cycle moves on, but the issue of disparate discipline is not going away.
First it was young Ahmed Mohamed, the precocious student clockmaker who was sent home from school as a possible bomb-maker. Now it is the South Carolina student who was thrown across a classroom for the crime of allegedly not putting away her cellphone fast enough. The news cycle moves on, but the issue of disparate discipline is not going away.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
NAEP Scores Are Dropping? Maybe Our Mindless Testing Is at Fault
To the Editor:
Regarding the Curriculum Matters blog post "Math NAEP Scores Drop for 4th and 8th Grades":
Regarding the Curriculum Matters blog post "Math NAEP Scores Drop for 4th and 8th Grades":
Professional Development
Letter to the Editor
Professional-Development Essay States Problem, Misses Solutions
To the Editor:
The Oct. 21 Commentary by Mike Schmoker, "Transforming Professional Development Beyond 'The Mirage,'" relies heavily on a report released by the teacher-training and advocacy group TNTP. The report, "The Mirage," claims to be an empirical study, but it does not include the technical details that would enable readers to know how many people were surveyed in each of the four unnamed districts the authors analyze, the response rates within each district, and so on.
The Oct. 21 Commentary by Mike Schmoker, "Transforming Professional Development Beyond 'The Mirage,'" relies heavily on a report released by the teacher-training and advocacy group TNTP. The report, "The Mirage," claims to be an empirical study, but it does not include the technical details that would enable readers to know how many people were surveyed in each of the four unnamed districts the authors analyze, the response rates within each district, and so on.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Peggy Brookins, a former teacher in Florida, has been named the president of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, marking the first time that a board-certified teacher will head up the organization.
School & District Management
Obituary
Obituary
John E. Chubb, a prominent education researcher and the president of the National Association of Independent Schools, died Nov. 12. He was 61.
Education
Correction
Correction
A story in the Nov. 11, 2015, special report, "Understanding Formative Assessment," in Education Week incorrectly described a 1998 study of the practice by Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam. The study was a literature review.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Research Report: Achievement Gap
Environmental noise in urban classrooms can take a toll on students' math test scores, finds a study in Urban Education.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
International Comparisons
Across the 34 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, education gives a strong return on investment for students in the workplace—unless you are a teacher.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Research Report: Bilingual Education
Dual-language-immersion students in Portland, Ore., outperformed their peers in English-reading skills by a full school year's worth of learning by the end of middle school.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Parental Involvement
Parents can undermine their children's performance in secondary school if they set their academic expectations "unrealistically high," finds a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Media Use
African-American youths, impoverished youths, and children with parents who have at most a high school diploma consume the most media, according to a new study.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Stem Education
Boys are more confident than girls in their ability to learn computer science, and more likely to believe they'll use it for a future job, a new survey finds.
Education
News in Brief
Okla. District Being Probed for Misuse of Funds
A small Oklahoma school district is under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Education's inspector general for the alleged misappropriation of at least $235,000 over a five-year period.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
Texas to Close District That Cut Sports Teams
A struggling Texas school district that gained national attention in 2012 when it cut its sports programs to focus on academics was ordered to shut down next year amid continuing poor academic performance.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Colorado Safety Tip Line Aims to Go Nationwide
A Colorado-based anonymous school violence tip line credited with stopping numerous planned attacks is seeking to expand its model to other states.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Missouri District to Open Foster Home for Homeless
A Missouri district is partnering with a local agency to open a foster home for some homeless students.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Houston Dismisses Proposal to Ban Pre-K-2 Suspensions
As many districts move to review—and in some cases end—out-of-school suspensions and expulsions for their youngest pupils, the Houston district has voted against a proposal that would have banned suspending children in pre-K-2.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
California Virtual Educators Permitted to Unionize
Teachers at California's largest online charter school have been given the go-ahead to unionize.
Curriculum
News in Brief
N.M. Private School Students Denied Publicly Funded Texts
New Mexico's highest court has struck down the state's provision of free textbooks to private school students as a violation of the state constitution.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Texas Board Nixes Plan for Fact-Checking Texts
The Texas board of education has shot down a plan to have a panel of university experts fact-check textbooks before they are adopted.