Issues

July 19, 2017

Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 37
Fifth grader Jack McGeen works on a personalized learning app at Amity Elementary School near Cincinnati. The school was not part of a new RAND Corp. study that found modest test-score gains from personalized learning, but challenges in implementing it.
Fifth grader Jack McGeen works on a personalized learning app at Amity Elementary School near Cincinnati. The school was not part of a new RAND Corp. study that found modest test-score gains from personalized learning, but challenges in implementing it.
Pat McDonogh for Education Week
School & District Management Personalized Learning: 'A Cautionary Tale'
Customizing instruction for every student can generate modest gains in math and reading scores, but it can create major implementation challenges for schools.
Benjamin Herold, July 18, 2017
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2 min read
Isabella Sterling, 11, Kendall Frederick, 11, Grace Kowal, 15, and Nora Silvergleid, 11, are junior counselors at a camp run by the River School, a private school in Washington, D.C. that offers a “total immersion” oral program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Isabella Sterling, 11, Kendall Frederick, 11, Grace Kowal, 15, and Nora Silvergleid, 11, are junior counselors at a camp run by the River School, a private school in Washington, D.C. that offers a “total immersion” oral program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Erin Irwin/Education Week
Early Childhood Fierce Debate Over Sign-Language Use by Some Deaf Students
A new study suggests long-term use of sign language may hold back the speech and reading skills of children who use cochlear implants to create a sense of sound.
Christina A. Samuels, July 18, 2017
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7 min read
Education Funding K-12 Panel Advances Budget Bill
Republican and Democratic members differed sharply over the impact of the GOP-sponsored bill, which would provide $66 billion to the department, a $2.4 billion cut for fiscal 2018.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 18, 2017
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2 min read
School & District Management Social-Emotional-Learning Researchers Gather Input From Educators
Educators and researchers are working together to shape the next phase of research around social-emotional learning and student engagement.
Evie Blad, July 18, 2017
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5 min read
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, with, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, prepare to talk to reporters as the Senate wrestles with health care overhaul.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, with, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, prepare to talk to reporters as the Senate wrestles with health care overhaul.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Four K-12 Issues to Watch in Health-Care Overhaul
Educators are watching a few key topics closely as Congress wrestles with how to replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Alyson Klein, July 18, 2017
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4 min read
Social-Emotional Learning in the Spotlight
Getty/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Letter to the Editor Is Social-Emotional Learning a Hoax? Readers Respond
Checker E. Finn Jr.'s recent Commentary questioning the validity of social-emotional learning sparked an outpouring of responses from readers. Here’s what they had to say.
July 18, 2017
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14 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Equity & Diversity Opinion For School Improvement, Demographics Aren’t Destiny
Many "good" schools are just skating by on their students' privileged backgrounds and family resources, writes Karin Chenoweth.
Karin Chenoweth, July 18, 2017
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5 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Is There Really a 'Skills Gap'?
Millions of jobs are going unfilled because U.S. employers can't find workers with the right skills. What's really behind companies' hiring difficulties? Experts debate whether a "skills gap" is the main culprit.
July 18, 2017
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Research Report: School Climate
The professional climate of a school can create a "vicious cycle" of burnout and attrition among young teachers, says a new study in the journal Teaching and Teacher Education.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Early Childhood Report Roundup Early Childhood
California's unusual transitional-kindergarten program is showing promising results when it comes to how prepared young children are to enter kindergarten itself.
Marva Hinton, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Research Report: Social-Emotional Learning
Programs that teach students how to recognize their emotions, solve problems, and form healthy relationships may continue to show positive benefits for students months or years after they complete them, concludes a new meta-analysis in the journal Child Development.
Evie Blad, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Reading & Literacy Report Roundup Research Report: Reading
Strong oral-storytelling skills in preschool lead to better reading scores for black boys later in elementary school, finds a new study in the journal Child Development.
Marva Hinton, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
States Obituary Obituary
Mitchell Chester, the hard-charging Massachusetts education commissioner who put in place some of the country’s most ambitious school improvement efforts and led his state through battles over common standards and a raucous testing opt-out movement, died June 26. He was 65.
Daarel Burnette II, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Ed-Tech Policy News in Brief As Part of STEM Effort, Girl Scouts to Offer Cybersecurity Badges
The Girl Scouts of the USA will soon offer badges in cybersecurity for girls in grades K-12 as part of a growing national effort to bring technological skill and digital savvy to America's schoolchildren.
Benjamin Herold, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief Most Republicans Have Negative View of Higher Education, Poll Finds
Republicans are becoming increasingly critical of the effect higher education is having on American life, with 58 percent saying colleges and universities exert a negative impact on the country, according to a study released last week.
Catherine Gewertz, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief Despite Ruling, Arizona Regents Offer In-State Tuition to Some Immigrants
Public universities in Arizona say they will continue to allow in-state tuition for young immigrants who came to the United States at an early age despite a recent court decision that threw it in doubt.
The Associated Press, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Classroom Technology News in Brief Ohio's Troubled Online School Loses More Court Battles in Repayment Feud
In yet another legal blow, the Ohio Supreme Court last week rejected online school giant Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow's requests to block the state from collecting $60.4 million in overpayments for inflating its attendance.
Tribune News Service, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Settlement Expected to Send More Aid to Neediest Schools in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles school board has authorized the settlement of a lawsuit that would send more money to the district's neediest schools over the next three years for resources to improve African-American and Latino student achievement.
Tribune News Service, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief In 11th Hour, N.Y. Legislature Extends Mayor's Control Over N.Y.C. Schools
In a special session, New York state's legislature has extended Mayor Bill de Blasio's control of New York City schools for two years.
Denisa R. Superville, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief 19 Attorneys General Sue Secretary for Delaying Rules Aimed at For-Profit Colleges
Democratic attorneys general from 18 states and the District of Columbia have sued U.S. Education Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over her decision to suspend rules that were meant to protect students from abuse by for-profit colleges.
The Associated Press, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Federal News in Brief Dozens of Democratic Senators Voice Concerns About DeVos and Civil Rights
Thirty-four Democratic senators have sent U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos a letter expressing their concerns with the direction of civil rights enforcement under her administration.
Alyson Klein, July 18, 2017
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1 min read
Federal Thousands of English-Learners Fall Short on Test of Language Skills
A scoring change to a widely used English-proficiency test has led to thousands of students being retained in classes for ELLs.
Corey Mitchell, July 17, 2017
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6 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act States Bristle as DeVos Ed. Dept. Critiques Their ESSA Plans
The first round of federal feedback has some warning that federal officials are being too prescriptive in weighing how the states intend to put the Every Student Succeeds Act into effect.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 17, 2017
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4 min read
Beware the Four-Day School-Week Trap: Before shortening the school week to save money, districts should carefully weigh the costs, researcher Paul Hill cautions.
Getty/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Beware the Four-Day School-Week Trap
Before shortening the school week to save money, districts should carefully weigh the costs, researcher Paul Hill cautions.
Paul Hill, July 14, 2017
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3 min read
Union members and state workers protest at the Maine Capitol in Augusta last month. Gov. Paul LePage approved a budget boosting education aid by $162 million, but only after a three-day partial government shutdown.
Union members and state workers protest at the Maine Capitol in Augusta last month. Gov. Paul LePage approved a budget boosting education aid by $162 million, but only after a three-day partial government shutdown.
Patrick Whittle/AP
States K-12 Funding Entangled in States' Budget Drama
The fiscal standoffs that led to brief government shutdowns in a handful of states aren't the last act for policymakers still wrestling with funding issues, including over K-12 aid.
Daarel Burnette II, July 14, 2017
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4 min read
School & District Management Principals Are Loath to Give Teachers Bad Ratings
Despite efforts in many states to toughen teacher evaluations, two new studies show that principals rarely give harsh ratings.
Liana Loewus, July 13, 2017
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6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Skip Sterling for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion What the Trump Administration Could Do to Improve Student Loans
The federal financial-aid process is too complicated for students. Here’s how to simplify it, writes a policy expert.
Megan Coval, July 12, 2017
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5 min read
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: “The bottom line is there is no reason to trust this woman.”
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen García on U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos: “The bottom line is there is no reason to trust this woman.”
J. David Ake/AP-File
Teaching Profession Q&A NEA President: 'No Reason to Trust' Betsy DeVos
Lily Eskelsen García sat down with Education Week to talk about the National Education Association’s engagement with the U.S. secretary of education, the threat posed by a looming U.S. Supreme Court case, and the union’s new, tougher charter-school policy.
Stephen Sawchuk, July 12, 2017
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4 min read
Mirta Rosales, the parent coordinator at P.S. 188 in New York City, greets a student during the last week of the school year. The school provides a range of health and social services to students and families in an effort to blunt the effects of poverty on student achievement and is part of a growing national trend of community schools.
Mirta Rosales, the parent coordinator at P.S. 188 in New York City, greets a student during the last week of the school year. The school provides a range of health and social services to students and families in an effort to blunt the effects of poverty on student achievement and is part of a growing national trend of community schools.
Mark Abramson for Education Week.
Student Well-Being & Movement As Schools Tackle Poverty, Attendance Goes Up, But Academic Gains Are Tepid
Flooding impoverished schools with health and social services is not new, but these so-called "community schools" initiatives are gaining steam in places like New York City. But is it an effective strategy for improving long struggling schools?
Denisa R. Superville, July 11, 2017
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9 min read
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