June 21, 2017
Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 36
Law & Courts
Ed. Dept. Budget Plan Hammered by Both Sides in Congress
Political prospects look dreary for the Trump administration’s plan to slash the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by 9.2 percent if the tone of recent hearings is any measure.
Federal
Opinion
Teaching Computer Science Is Great, But It's Not Enough
Students need to learn to question and transform technology’s role in society, write Florence R. Sullivan and Jill Denner.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Early ESSA Plans Boost District's School Improvement Role
States are putting a heavy emphasis on the role of districts in turning around their low-performing schools as they submit blueprints for putting the Every Student Succeeds Act into effect.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Ed. Dept. Demands More Detail From States' ESSA Plans
Some early feedback offer clues about how strict or flexible the U.S. Department of Education will be in interpreting parts of the Every Student Succeeds Act as it decides whether to approve state blueprints.
Education
NPR Digital News Veteran Joining Education Week as Top Editor
Scott Montgomery will take on the newly established position of editor-in-chief and chief content officer at Education Week and its nonprofit parent corporation, Editorial Projects in Education.
Education Funding
Gates, Zuckerberg Teaming Up on Personalized Learning
Two of the biggest names in technology and education philanthropy are jointly funding a $12 million initiative to support customized instruction.
Equity & Diversity
Just 20 Percent of K-12 Students Are Learning a Foreign Language
In some states, fewer than 10 percent of students are learning languages other than English, painting a grim picture of foreign language education in U.S. public schools.
Equity & Diversity
From Our Research Center
Too Few ELL Students Land in Gifted Classes
ELL students are underenrolled in gifted classes, finds an Education Week analysis. But some schools are trying to buck the trend.
College & Workforce Readiness
Trump Wants More Apprenticeships—Starting in High School
The president signed an executive order aimed at expanding federal apprenticeship programs and allowing the use of federal aid to finance them.
School Choice & Charters
Setback for Groundbreaking School Choice Program Could Have Broader Fall Out
Legal challenges and shifting politics have halted Nevada's groundbreaking education savings accounts program. Will pushback there spill over to other states?
School & District Management
From Our Research Center
Students' Sense of Belonging at School Is Important. It Starts With Teachers
Educators say students need to feel welcome at school to be successful, but some say they struggle to address barriers to belonging.
School Climate & Safety
Q&A
Q&A: Teachers' Cues Shape Students' Sense of Belonging
Dena Simmons, the director of education at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, says teachers can create environments in which all students can thrive.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Test Scores Are Not a Priority for School-Choice Parents
To the Editor:
Test scores are at the center of fierce battles between pro- and anti-school-choice forces. However, Walt Gardner made a great point in his blog post, as made clear in the post's headline, "Choice Is Not Based on Performance Alone" (May 29, 2017).
Test scores are at the center of fierce battles between pro- and anti-school-choice forces. However, Walt Gardner made a great point in his blog post, as made clear in the post's headline, "Choice Is Not Based on Performance Alone" (May 29, 2017).
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Vouchers 'Harm' Public Education
To the Editor:
I am a sophomore at Scarborough High School in Maine. My town has begun to face the issue of school choice as more alternative schools open in our area. These schools fragment student populations in such a way that they decrease the opportunities a large student body allows for, without increasing the quality of education.
I am a sophomore at Scarborough High School in Maine. My town has begun to face the issue of school choice as more alternative schools open in our area. These schools fragment student populations in such a way that they decrease the opportunities a large student body allows for, without increasing the quality of education.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Character Is Fundamental to Measuring Success
To the Editor:
In response to "For Schools, Rating Students' Character Is a Tricky Prospect" (May 31, 2017), I'm delighted to see a recognition of the real growth needs of students by schools entering the character domain. In character development, parents are the primary teachers and the home the primary classroom, and I salute these schools that start involving parents. There is nothing tricky about rating character—it just requires a more comprehensive evaluation process that includes social, emotional, and intellectual growth.
In response to "For Schools, Rating Students' Character Is a Tricky Prospect" (May 31, 2017), I'm delighted to see a recognition of the real growth needs of students by schools entering the character domain. In character development, parents are the primary teachers and the home the primary classroom, and I salute these schools that start involving parents. There is nothing tricky about rating character—it just requires a more comprehensive evaluation process that includes social, emotional, and intellectual growth.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Obama-Era Immigration Plan
The Trump administration has ended an Obama-era policy that protected undocumented immigrants with children who are United States citizens or permanent residents, but will, at least for now, keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which offers protection for children brought to the country illegally.
Special Education
News in Brief
Parents Want Son With Disabilities to Be Able to Record School Days
Parents in Maine are asking a federal court on First Amendment grounds to allow their son who has disabilities to carry a recording device during school.
School & District Management
News in Brief
New Kansas District Rule Bars Public From Criticizing Officials by Name
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas has condemned a district's new guidelines that prevent those making public comments at board meetings from speaking about specific district employees or students, calling it "unconstitutional."
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Charter Teachers Vote to Merge With CTU
The union that represents teachers at 32 charter schools in Chicago has voted to merge with the 30,000-member Chicago Teachers Union, which historically has represented educators from only traditional public schools.
Assessment
News in Brief
Controversial Charter Network in N.Y.C. Wins Broad Prize
Success Academy, New York City's booming—and at times controversial—network of charter schools, has been awarded the charter sector's most prestigious prize.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Atlanta Official Resigns, But Loses Out on Post in Oregon
Atlanta's top school official has resigned and is fighting to keep a report investigating his background secret.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Ohio Orders Cyber Charter to Return $60 Million
The Ohio board of education last week voted to order the state's largest full-time online charter school to repay $60 million in state aid.
Assessment
News in Brief
Illinois Is Years Behind in Scoring Science Exams
Three years after Illinois made a bold change in how science would be taught and tested, little is known about how students have performed because neither schools nor families have seen state science-exam scores since 2013-14.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Most K-12 Spending Goes to Salaries and Benefits
Recently released federal data confirm what many people already know: The salaries and benefits of teachers, administrators, and support staff consume the vast majority of spending in education.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
Students in charter schools that are run by for-profit companies perform markedly worse than their peers in charters managed by nonprofit groups, according to a study.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Rural Education
Public schools in rural areas lag in equitable funding, early-childhood education programs, and career and workforce readiness. A 50-state report by the Washington-based Rural School and Community Trust highlights the challenges that rural schools and districts continue to face.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Readiness
Earlier this month, Gallup and Strada Education Network reported on what people regret about their college choices. It found those who earned bachelor's degrees were more likely to regret their chosen field of study than those who earned associate, vocational/technical, or graduate degrees. Those who didn't earn degrees until they were 30 or older had fewer regrets, too.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Early Education
The percentage of children living in poverty has fallen slightly over the past six years, as has the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment and those whose families face a high housing-cost burden, according to an analysis of national data compiled in the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Education
News in Brief
Transition
Hanna Skandera, New Mexico's secretary of education stepped down this week after seven years on the job, during which she tried to change an education system in one of the nation's poorest states amid constant criticism from Democrats and teachers' unions.