Issues

August 24, 2016

Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 01
School Climate & Safety Have You Experienced or Witnessed a Hate Crime or Bias Incident?
Schools are sometimes venues for hate crimes and bias incidents, and in recent surveys, educators have reported an uptick in hate-fueled behavior over the last year. To collect better data and paint a fuller picture of hate crimes and bias incidents in K-12 schools, Education Week is asking readers to report incidents they've experienced or witnessed.
August 11, 2017
Every Student Succeeds Act Weighing in on Accountability Under ESSA
Here’s a sampling of the more than 20,000 public comments filed with the U.S. Department of Education on its proposed rules for school accountability.
Alyson Klein & Andrew Ujifusa, August 23, 2016
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8 min read
Education A Note to Our Readers
Education Week, which marks its 35th anniversary with the start of the 2016-17 school year, has continued to evolve to best serve you, our readers.
August 23, 2016
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3 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act States With High 'Opt Out' Rates Brace for Possible Penalties
The U.S. Department of Education hasn't decided how to penalize states where large numbers of students have opted-out of annual tests.
Daarel Burnette II, August 23, 2016
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4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Teacher-Prep Accreditation Group Seeks to Regain Traction
Despite a rocky rollout, the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation, or CAEP, says its new standards will bring uniformity to the field.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 23, 2016
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8 min read
Gavin Grimm, a 17-year-old transgender student, poses on his front porch last summer. Gavin, who was born female but now identifies as male, had won a court injunction earlier this summer allowing him to use the boys’ restroom at his high school in Gloucester County, Va. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-3 to halt his restroom access while the justices consider whether they will take up the merits of the groundbreaking case on transgender rights.
Gavin Grimm, a 17-year-old transgender student, poses on his front porch last summer. Gavin, who was born female but now identifies as male, had won a court injunction earlier this summer allowing him to use the boys’ restroom at his high school in Gloucester County, Va. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-3 to halt his restroom access while the justices consider whether they will take up the merits of the groundbreaking case on transgender rights.
Steve Helber/AP-File
Law & Courts Court Actions Leave Uncertainty on Transgender Student Rights
The debate on restroom access remains unsettled, as multiple legal cases play out and enforcement of new federal guidelines is blocked for now.
Mark Walsh, August 23, 2016
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6 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act States to Partner on Social-Emotional Learning Standards
Eight states will work to create standards and policies for how to teach social and relational skills in K-12 schools.
Evie Blad, August 23, 2016
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3 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Dwindling Interest Seen in SAT Subject Tests
As participation booms in the SAT and ACT, there’s been little notice of an opposite trend: the quiet slipping away of the SAT Subject Tests.
Catherine Gewertz, August 23, 2016
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4 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act 2 in 5 High Schools Don't Offer Physics, Analysis Finds
An Education Week analysis of federal data reveals that high school students don’t have universal access to physics classes—despite a national push for STEM studies.
Liana Loewus, August 23, 2016
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8 min read
The council convened the first national summit of big-city mayors and superintendents in Detroit. Executive Director Michael Casserly is at left.
The council convened the first national summit of big-city mayors and superintendents in Detroit. Executive Director Michael Casserly is at left.
Council of The Great City Schools-File
School & District Management Urban Schools Group Leaves Imprint on K-12 Policy
The Council of the Great City Schools, a formidable advocate for urban districts, faces new tests to its staying power as it turns 60.
Denisa R. Superville, August 23, 2016
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8 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty/Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion Do We Give Students Too Much Choice?
Student-centered classrooms that use problem-based learning and differentiation are not all that they're cracked up to be, writes teacher Brian Field.
Brian Field, August 23, 2016
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Getty/Getty
School & District Management Opinion We Must Diversify Charter School Options
To fulfill their mission of innovation, charter schools shouldn't stick to one model, write Chester E. Finn Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Brandon L. Wright.
Chester E. Finn Jr., Bruno V. Manno & Brandon L. Wright, August 23, 2016
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6 min read
Education Letter to the Editor 'Brexit' Commentary Offers 'Spot-On' Assessment of K-12 Divide
To the Editor:
Adam Kirk Edgerton's Commentary "K-12 Schools: We Have Our Own 'Brexit' Problem" (July 20, 2016) was spot-on. He rightly held that the diversion of public funds to private schools through vouchers and to the majority of charter schools that offer no real improvement over regular public schools (per Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes 2013 study) is sabotaging the public schools that are our country's lifeblood and undermining the teaching profession. This all highlights the importance this year of electing a president, Congress, and state government representatives committed to giving priority to our embattled public schools.
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor ESSA Grants Could Fund K-12 Mental-Health Support
To the Editor:
I agree with the Inside School Research blog post "Partnership Explores Role of Student Mental Health in Classroom Management" (www.edweek.org, April 10, 2016), but I would push the issue a few steps further: It is important to explore possible K-12 mental-health interventions through the newly legislated Every Student Succeeds Act.
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Educators' Highest Priority: Teach Students to Believe in Themselves
To the Editor:
The late, great John W. Gardner once told me a story that sums up rather well the point of your Page 1 article on student mindset ("Mindset May Influence Poor Students' Academics," Aug. 3, 2016).
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup 'Churn' Among Teachers Seen to Affect Learning
Each year, nearly a quarter of all New York City teachers move within their schools to a new grade-level assignment or a new subject. And those reassignments can depress their students' achievement, concludes a study.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Sleep and Achievement
Do differences in sleep cycles between boys and girls help explain the gender performance gap? That's the theory behind a paper released this summer by the Institute for the Study of Labor, a private, independent research institute based in Germany.
Marva Hinton, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup School Nutrition
Children who rely on school lunch programs have a higher likelihood of becoming overweight, possibly because of the food served through those federally funded programs, according to a report by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Jackie Mader, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup Teacher Skills
When compared with both their peers internationally and fellow American college graduates, U.S. teachers have middling math and literacy skills, finds a group of international researchers.
Emmanuel Felton, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Report Roundup Computer Science
Just 22 percent of 12th graders say they've ever taken a computer science course, according to an analysis of national data published this month. And more than half of seniors attend high schools that don't even offer computer science.
Liana Loewus, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
International Report Roundup Social Networking
Fifteen-year-olds who play online video games score above average in math, reading, and science, while those who engage in social networking tend to score below average, according to an analysis of international assessment data.
Liana Loewus, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Education Funding Report Roundup Educators' Pay
At a time when regional teacher shortages and high turnover rates are rife in school systems, a new report by the Economic Policy Institute may offer some explanation: The gap between U.S. teachers' pay and that of comparable workers is greater than ever before.
Kate Stoltzfus, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Image of a paddle.
dannikonov/Getty
School Climate & Safety Is Corporal Punishment an Option in Your State?
Twenty-nine states ban corporal punishment, but rules vary even from district to district.
EdWeek Research Center, August 23, 2016
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1 min read
School & District Management Obituary Obituaries
Seymour Papert, an education technology and artificial-intelligence research pioneer whose theories augured both today's digital learning and maker-education movements, died July 31. He was 88.
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Education Correction Corrections
An article in the Aug. 3, 2016, issue of Education Week about principals' role in the Every Student Succeeds Act incorrectly identified the organization Amanda Karhuse works for.
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Transitions
Michael Sentance, an education consultant from Massachusetts, will become Alabama's superintendent of education.
August 23, 2016
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1 min read
Trey Clayton, 19, sits on the porch of his home in Sarah, Miss. Clayton, a former student from Independence High School, suffered injuries he sustained from being paddled on March 10, 2011. He was called to the office for “mouthing off” to a teacher and a librarian and was disciplined with a paddle. The incident left Clayton - then in the eighth grade - with a broken jaw, a two-inch gash in his chin, and two missing teeth. "I was crying, all kind of stuff, because my mouth hurt. I was spitting teeth," Clayton said. "I do believe in discipline, but I believe there's certain things you can take to prevent stuff like that happening."
Trey Clayton, 19, sits on the porch of his home in Sarah, Miss. Clayton, a former student from Independence High School, suffered injuries he sustained from being paddled on March 10, 2011. He was called to the office for “mouthing off” to a teacher and a librarian and was disciplined with a paddle. The incident left Clayton - then in the eighth grade - with a broken jaw, a two-inch gash in his chin, and two missing teeth. "I was crying, all kind of stuff, because my mouth hurt. I was spitting teeth," Clayton said. "I do believe in discipline, but I believe there's certain things you can take to prevent stuff like that happening."
Yalonda M. James for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Corporal Punishment Use Found in Schools in 21 States
More than 109,000 students were paddled, swatted, or otherwise physically punished in 2013-14, an Education Week analysis finds.
Sarah D. Sparks & Alex Harwin, August 23, 2016
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8 min read
Trey Clayton, 19, sits on the porch of his home in Sarah, Miss. Clayton, a former student from Independence High School, suffered injuries he sustained from being paddled on March 10, 2011. He was called to the office for “mouthing off” to a teacher and a librarian and was disciplined with a paddle. The incident left Clayton - then in the eighth grade - with a broken jaw, a two-inch gash in his chin, and two missing teeth. "I was crying, all kind of stuff, because my mouth hurt. I was spitting teeth," Clayton said. "I do believe in discipline, but I believe there's certain things you can take to prevent stuff like that happening."
Trey Clayton, 19, sits on the porch of his home in Sarah, Miss. Clayton, a former student from Independence High School, suffered injuries he sustained from being paddled on March 10, 2011. He was called to the office for “mouthing off” to a teacher and a librarian and was disciplined with a paddle. The incident left Clayton - then in the eighth grade - with a broken jaw, a two-inch gash in his chin, and two missing teeth. "I was crying, all kind of stuff, because my mouth hurt. I was spitting teeth," Clayton said. "I do believe in discipline, but I believe there's certain things you can take to prevent stuff like that happening."
Yalonda M. James for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Miss. Man's Life Upended by 8th Grade Paddling
In 2011, given the choice between a paddling and a school suspension, Trey Clayton chose the physical punishment. He's sorry he did.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 23, 2016
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5 min read
School Climate & Safety School Paddling Has Deep Roots
Efforts to ban corporal punishment get pushback in communities where the practice is ingrained, but change is happening.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 23, 2016
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4 min read
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