January 25, 2017
Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 19
School & District Management
Nominee to Head Ed. Dept. Grilled on Potential Business Conflicts
Betsy DeVos, the president’s pick for education secretary, vowed to senators at her confirmation hearing that she would divest financial stakes in any education-related companies.
Every Student Succeeds Act
DeVos Takes Hot Seat in Confirmation Quest
The nominee for education secretary runs into a buzz saw of questions from skeptical Democrats on the Senate education committee on issues including special education and school choice.
Every Student Succeeds Act
School Innovation Study Flags Issues for Districts
School systems need help to find evidence of effectiveness for their intervention efforts, says a study of the federal i3 program.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Here’s What Works for Teacher Accountability
Professional accountability in education merits more attention, write Mathematica’s Brian Gill and Harvard Kennedy School’s Jennifer Lerner.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Stop Scapegoating, Start Educating
The root of the U.S. job crisis is automation, and teaching technology is part of the solution, write Julie Flapan and Jane Margolis.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Opinion
ESSA Is an Opportunity for States
Former Delaware governor Jack Markell weighs in on how states should respond to the shifting federal education landscape.
Federal
Trump Paints Grim Picture of Nation's Schools in Inaugural Speech
In his address to the nation, President Donald Trump decried "an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge."
States
State of the States: Colo., Ind., N.M., S.C., Va.
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
Special Education
Special Education Enrollment Rose in 2015-16
The most recent federal data show an increase for the fourth year in a row in the number of special education students, driven by a rise in those with autism or "other health impairments."
School & District Management
News in Brief
Buffalo Petition Marks Pro-Trump Board Member
Five Buffalo teachers have filed an official petition with the New York education department seeking to remove Carl Paladino from the city's school board over derogatory comments he made about President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
Every Student Succeeds Act
News in Brief
Ed. Dept. Pulls Plug on Controversial ESSA Spending Proposal
The fight over spending rules for the Every Student Succeeds Act has ended with now-former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. withdrawing a proposed regulation for a section of the law known as "supplement-not-supplant."
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Sexual-Assault Question Part of Math Homework
A Pennsylvania high school is apologizing after students were given a math homework assignment that asked which family member had sexually assaulted a girl.
School Climate & Safety
Q&A
She Recorded Her Classmate's Arrest, Then Got Arrested, Too
Niya Kenny didn't expect a cellphone video she made of a classmate's violent arrest would also send her to jail and ignite fierce debate over police in schools.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
5th Grader Removed After Parents Petition
After parents in Riverside County petitioned an elementary school to expel a 5th grader who drafted a list of classmates' names labeled as a "kill list," officials in the California district will not allow the student to return.
Federal
News in Brief
Miss. Waives Elections For New Superintendents
Under a new Mississippi law, local school boards can appoint replacements for elected superintendents who resign in the next three years.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Justice Dept. Probe Cites Improper Force in Schools
Chicago police officers have used inappropriate force against students and failed to set proper guidelines for using stun guns in schools, a U.S. Department of Justice investigation has found.
School Climate & Safety
Black Students More Likely to Be Arrested at School
In 43 states and the District of Columbia, black students are arrested at school at disproportionately high levels, an Education Week Research Center analysis finds.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Fla. High Court Tosses Voucher-Program Suit
A bitter feud over Florida's largest private school voucher program ended last week when the state supreme court declined to hear a lawsuit challenging a program used by nearly 98,000 schoolchildren.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Clarifying Common Core
Twenty-one of the 46 states that adopted the Common Core State Standards are revising the standards, but most are not making substantial changes, according to an analysis by the research firm Abt Associates.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Detroit Teachers, District Agree on School Repairs
Detroit's teachers' union and the city's school system have agreed to a settlement following complaints of mold, vermin, and other building-maintenance issues at schools.
Federal
News in Brief
Education Deans Send Message to Administration
Education deans from across the country have sent a message to the Trump administration: Uphold the role of public education in our democracy.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
California Mulls Curriculum to Teach About 'Fake News'
Teachers in California may soon have a new curriculum to teach—one to help students recognize fake news.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Miss. AG Sues Google Inc. Over Student-Data Privacy
Google's commitment to student-data privacy is again under scrutiny, this time over allegations that the company is violating a state consumer-protection law.
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Cyber Charters Offer At-Risk Students a Chance at Success
To the Editor:
As part of your recent special investigation exploring online charter schools, you focused on GOAL Academy in Colorado and, in a sterile analysis of numbers, looked at low test scores, high dropout rates, and low day-to-day student engagement and deemed the school a "failure" ("Rewarding Failure: An Education Week Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry").
As part of your recent special investigation exploring online charter schools, you focused on GOAL Academy in Colorado and, in a sterile analysis of numbers, looked at low test scores, high dropout rates, and low day-to-day student engagement and deemed the school a "failure" ("Rewarding Failure: An Education Week Investigation of the Cyber Charter Industry").
Federal
Letter to the Editor
Election Coverage Overlooked California Funding Measure
To the Editor:
Your Nov. 16, 2016, election coverage ("State Ballot Measures") made no mention of the California statewide ballot measure known as Proposition 55, the Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare, an initiative constitutional amendment. This proposition passed overwhelmingly—63 percent to 37 percent—and is estimated to bring public education $4 billion to $9 billion a year (in 2016 dollars) between 2019 and 2030.
Your Nov. 16, 2016, election coverage ("State Ballot Measures") made no mention of the California statewide ballot measure known as Proposition 55, the Tax Extension to Fund Education and Healthcare, an initiative constitutional amendment. This proposition passed overwhelmingly—63 percent to 37 percent—and is estimated to bring public education $4 billion to $9 billion a year (in 2016 dollars) between 2019 and 2030.
School & District Management
Editor's Note: Who's Ready to Be a Principal?
The principal’s job has changed dramatically, but many of the programs that prepare future school leaders don’t bestow the knowledge and skills they need to be effective.
School & District Management
New Principal Standards Catch On
A national set of revised professional goals for school principals are pushing some states and universities to rethink and redesign preparation.
School & District Management
Principal-Preparation Programs Get Major Makeover in Illinois
The state's move to overhaul training for school leaders has shifted university-based programs' focus to developing principals who are strong instructional leaders.
School & District Management
Niche Training for Principals Aims to Fill Skill Gaps
For many principals and other school leaders, learning how to handle some of the toughest issues in schools happens only after they are on the job.