March 9, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 23
School Choice & Charters
Neuroscientists Study Real-Time Learning in Classroom Lab
A classroom-based laboratory at Washington State University allows researchers to study what goes on in the brain and the body when students are learning alongside their peers.
School & District Management
Inside the Lab: Neuroscientists Study the Interplay of Learning
Check out the array of lab equipment, ranging from body sensors to functional near-infrared spectroscopy, being used to record brain and body activity as students work on learning tasks.
Law & Courts
S. D. Governor Vetoes Limits on Transgender Students' Restroom Access
Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard rejected a measure that would have created the first state-level restrictions on transgender students’ use of school restrooms and locker rooms.
Equity & Diversity
In Charters, Using Weighted Lotteries for Diversity Hits Barriers
A small number of charters try to keep racial and income balance by giving groups of students, such as English-learners, a better chance of admission.
College & Workforce Readiness
Test-Prep Companies Barred From SAT Debut
Most of the registered test-takers blocked from taking the new SAT on March 5 worked for tutoring companies.
Special Education
Standard Rule Sought on Flagging Bias in Special Education
The Education Department is proposing regulations that aim to get a better handle on whether certain categories of students are singled out as needing special education at higher rates than other student groups.
Law & Courts
Online-Testing Stumbles Spark Legislation in Affected States
Ill-timed glitches in the administration of online assessments have spurred lawmakers in several states to push bills that would crack down on testing companies.
School & District Management
S.D. Makes Move to Lose Label of State With Lowest Teacher Pay
Lawmakers have approved a sales-tax increase designed to lift average teacher pay to $48,500.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Ed. Secretary Nominee Gets Collegial Senate Confirmation Hearing
Acting Education Secretary John B. King Jr. answered a range of policy questions as the Senate education committee weighed his nomination to take the post of secretary.
Student Achievement
Opinion
Black History Isn't Just About February
All races should know what black men and women have achieved despite difficult circumstances, writes David C. Banks.
Federal
Opinion
With ESSA, States Should Partner With Districts
ESSA shifts K-12 policy authority to the states, but it's no guarantee that schooling will improve, writes Michael V. McGill.
Federal
Opinion
Education Is Absent From the 2016 Presidential Race
The 2016 election vindicates Neil Postman's ominous prophecy that we are "amusing ourselves to death," writes T. Robinson Ahlstrom.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Congress Weighs Federal Footprint as ESSA Rolls Out
Oversight hearings on Capitol Hill highlight some divisions between lawmakers on the best way to implement the new education law.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Effective State Turnarounds Require Targeted Support
To the Editor:
In the Commentary "When 'Opportunity' Is Anything But" (Jan. 27, 2016), the authors highlight that many state takeovers aren't working. They correctly emphasize that applying a "cookie-cutter approach" to school turnaround is not likely to yield positive results. Our experience working with districts sheds light on why this might be.
In the Commentary "When 'Opportunity' Is Anything But" (Jan. 27, 2016), the authors highlight that many state takeovers aren't working. They correctly emphasize that applying a "cookie-cutter approach" to school turnaround is not likely to yield positive results. Our experience working with districts sheds light on why this might be.
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Essay Author Elides 'Controversy' Over Her Departure
To the Editor:
Cami Anderson's Jan. 27 Commentary, "The Third Way: A Mixed-Market Approach to Schooling," did not include a word about the controversy behind her departure as the superintendent of Newark's public school system.
Cami Anderson's Jan. 27 Commentary, "The Third Way: A Mixed-Market Approach to Schooling," did not include a word about the controversy behind her departure as the superintendent of Newark's public school system.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Kansas Schools Are Not 'Starving': Article's Depiction Is Disputed
To the Editor:
The article "Kansas Panel Pours Fuel on Debate Over K-12 Aid" (Jan. 27, 2016) is both misleading and factually incorrect regarding education funding in Kansas. It is a prime example of opinion driving what is supposed to be hard news.
The article "Kansas Panel Pours Fuel on Debate Over K-12 Aid" (Jan. 27, 2016) is both misleading and factually incorrect regarding education funding in Kansas. It is a prime example of opinion driving what is supposed to be hard news.
Professional Development
Report Roundup
How Strategic Teacher Pairing Can Boost Student Achievement
What's one potential way to help a struggling teacher get better? Pair him or her up with a teacher who's strong in that skill area, and give the two of them room to work together, concludes a recent experimental study.
Assessment
Report Roundup
School Vouchers
The test scores of students who used vouchers to enter a Louisiana private school dropped significantly compared to their peers who remained in public schools.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Reading Achievement
A study finds that when a struggling teacher teams up with a colleague who's strong in that same area, student achievement rises.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Cross-Sector Collaboration
More communities across the country are looking into cross-sector collaboration when it comes to education, according to a new report by Teachers College, Columbia University.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Early Learning
By the time they enter kindergarten, white children know significantly more about science than their peers of other races, and wealthier kids know more than less well-off peers.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Student Testing
The PARCC assessments are generally tougher than the Smarter Balanced tests, ACT Aspire, and the other tests states are using, according to a think tank analysis.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Tommy Bice, Alabama's schools chief, has announced his resignation, effective April 1.
Ed-Tech Policy
News in Brief
13 States Join Initiative On Open Resources
Thirteen states and 40 school districts are joining the U.S. Department of Education's open education resource initiative, #GoOpen.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Youth Poses as Lawmaker on Tour of High School
A teenager posing as a state senator toured a high school and spoke to a class, and school officials didn't realize they were fooled until weeks later, authorities in Ohio say.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Anti-Gang Assembly Held For Black Students Only
An Arkansas high school is facing criticism for inviting only black freshmen to an anti-gang assembly with a local youth pastor.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Miss. Mulls Establishing Report Cards for Parents
A bill introduced in the Mississippi legislature would include grades for parents on students' report cards, rating parents on whether their children turned in homework and how well they communicated with teachers, among other measures.
Reading & Literacy
News in Brief
Muslim-Themed Imprint For Children to Debut
A major U.S. book publisher will soon be launching a division devoted to Muslim-themed children's literature.