Issues

June 7, 2017

Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 34
Ed-Tech Policy Student-Centered Learning Top of Mind for Ed-Tech Companies
Digital learning providers are trying to figure out how to respond as technology-driven, student-centered learning gathers momentum in K-12 schools.
Michele Molnar, June 6, 2017
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4 min read
Equity & Diversity Student Mobility Takes an Academic Toll. But Why?
While the effects of midyear moves are not well understood, the new federal law requires schools to keep better track of military, foster-care, and homeless students.
Daarel Burnette II, June 6, 2017
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5 min read
Early Childhood States' Pre-K Access, Funding Tick Upward, While Quality Varies
The latest report from the National Institute for Early Education Research says states' preschool spending has returned to pre-Recession levels amid a slight enrollment increase.
Marva Hinton, June 6, 2017
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4 min read
Journalism adviser Peter Riegelman, left, confers with student Ambyr Wagner during an editing session for The Mercury student newspaper at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Vt. A new law in that state grants free-speech and free-press protections to both student journalists and their advisers.
Journalism adviser Peter Riegelman, left, confers with student Ambyr Wagner during an editing session for The Mercury student newspaper at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Vt. A new law in that state grants free-speech and free-press protections to both student journalists and their advisers.
Caleb Kenna for Education Week
Law & Courts Legislative Measures Seek to Protect Student Press
More than a dozen states have been weighing bills to expand free-speech and free-press protections for student journalists and their teacher-advisers.
Madeline Will, June 6, 2017
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7 min read
School & District Management When a Community Loses Its Schools
School closures often affect poor students, African-American students, and rural communities like Hughes, Ark.
Denisa R. Superville, June 6, 2017
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13 min read
Ashton Whitaker, right, a high school senior who is a transgender male, hugs his mother Melissa in Kenosha Wis., last year. He and his mother sued his school district over its refusal to allow him to use the boys’ restroom at Kenosha’s Tremper High School.
Ashton Whitaker, right, a high school senior who is a transgender male, hugs his mother Melissa in Kenosha Wis., last year. He and his mother sued his school district over its refusal to allow him to use the boys’ restroom at Kenosha’s Tremper High School.
Transgender Law Center via AP-File
Law & Courts Transgender Advocates Buoyed by Student's Court Victory
A federal appellate panel upheld an injunction requiring a Wisconsin district to let a student who was born female and now identifies as male use the boys' restroom.
Mark Walsh, June 6, 2017
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5 min read
Open Educational Resources Fill Gap for Underserved Students In the wake of NAACP’s endorsement of OER, states have a responsibility to address resource inequality, write Lisa Petrides and Barbara Dezmon
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Curriculum Opinion Open Educational Resources Fill Gap for Underserved Students
The NAACP advocates the use of OER as a way to equalize learning resources at scale for all students, write Lisa Petrides and Barbara Dezmon.
Lisa Petrides & Barbara Dezmon, June 6, 2017
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6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Every Student Succeeds Act Opinion To Measure the Arts, Think Outside the Box
Measuring arts education is vital for gauging its impact, writes Sunil Iyengar of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sunil Iyengar, June 6, 2017
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5 min read
Mathematics Letter to the Editor How to Overcome Math Anxiety
To the Editor:
Although math anxiety is a sad and significant barrier to student learning ("Researchers Develop Scales to Measure Students' Math Anxiety," May 17, 2017), it is not an unsolvable problem. Ironically, an article published in the same issue of Education Week ("Do Digital Learning Games Improve Young Students' Mathematics Skills?") suggests a good solution: math games.
June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup Student Data
The wealth of student data generated today can help educators learn about student thinking and effective teaching in ways "that were unimagined just a decade ago," but also can create deep concerns about student privacy and the proper use of data, a report by the National Academy of Education says.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Native American Education
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs consistently lets safety problems slide in the 185 schools run by the Bureau of Indian Education, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Foreign Language
A new national survey finds a striking "lack of knowledge about foreign language teaching and learning."
Corey Mitchell, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup Research Report: Teachers
Half of the New Orleans teachers who were fired in the post-Katrina reorganization of that district never returned to teach in Louisiana public schools, according to a study from the Education Research Alliance at Tulane University.
Emmanuel Felton, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup Study Skills
What's the best way to study for a big test? Take more tests, finds a new meta-analysis in the journal Review of Educational Research.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Curriculum Bill on Fake News Dies in California Legislature
California lawmakers have killed a bill that aimed to teach high school students to spot fake news.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Teachers Resign for Drinking During School Camping Trip
Five Ohio teachers have resigned after they slipped out of a 6th grade camping trip for drinks and dinner.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief School Choice Money Can Go to Montana's Religious Schools
Montana's school choice program can grant scholarships to students who attend faith-based schools, a state judge has ruled.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief New Tuition-Free-College Pilot Launches for Boston Students
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh last week launched a new college-affordability program for city high school graduates, enabling low-income students to complete four-year degrees without paying tuition or mandatory fees.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief San Diego District Sued for Anti-Islamophobia Plan
Six parents have sued the San Diego school district, alleging that its anti-Islamophobia campaign favors Islam over other religions and grants special protections to Muslim students.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Few Montana Schools Allow Staff to Carry Guns
Montana state law allows school boards to let any adult staff member carry a gun in schools. But fewer than 1 percent of schools in a state with a high number of gun owners actually do so.
The Associated Press, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act News in Brief Governors Urge Congress to 'Prioritize' Education Aid
In a letter to the top federal lawmakers responsible for funding the U.S. Department of Education, the National Governors Association is urging Congress to "prioritize investments" in programs related to the Every Student Succeeds Act, career and technical education, and other areas.
Andrew Ujifusa, June 6, 2017
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1 min read
A visitor looks out on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives as lawmakers enter the last stretch of the session which wrapped up business last week. The legislature dealt with a broad basket of K-12 issues including school finance, accountability, and school choice.
A visitor looks out on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives as lawmakers enter the last stretch of the session which wrapped up business last week. The legislature dealt with a broad basket of K-12 issues including school finance, accountability, and school choice.
Eric Gay/AP
Law & Courts Cyberbullying, Transgender-Student Rights Among K-12 Issues Tackled in Texas
Lone Star State lawmakers passed bills to crack down on cyberbullying and alter the state's letter-grade system for schools, but failed to clear the way for the use of vouchers and education savings accounts, or to overhaul the K-12 funding formula.
Daarel Burnette II, June 6, 2017
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4 min read
School Choice & Charters In States' Private-School Vouchers, Few Safeguards Against Discrimination
As the Trump administration pushes for federally backed vouchers, there are major concerns about whether some participating private schools would abide by civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.
Arianna Prothero & Andrew Ujifusa, June 6, 2017
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5 min read
Parsing the Difference Between Education and Indoctrination Educators must be careful not to turn students into tools for their political advocacy, writes Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania
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Equity & Diversity Opinion Parsing the Difference Between Education and Indoctrination
Educators must be careful not to turn students into tools for their political advocacy, writes Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at University of Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Zimmerman, June 5, 2017
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4 min read
Louise Bradshaw, the education director at the Saint Louis Zoo, said her training on climate change was useful in helping the zoo create the new polar bear exhibit shown behind her.
Louise Bradshaw, the education director at the Saint Louis Zoo, said her training on climate change was useful in helping the zoo create the new polar bear exhibit shown behind her.
Sid Hastings for Education Week
Science Climate Change Is Tough to Teach, So Aquariums and Zoos Are Stepping In
Aquariums and zoos are developing climate-change lessons aimed at giving their visitors a complete picture of the problem and what can be done to solve it.
Marva Hinton, June 2, 2017
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7 min read