May 9, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 37, Issue 30
Law & Courts
Are Teacher Strikes Illegal? Depends Where You Are and Who You Ask
The question of whether recent teacher strikes are legal—or whether they’re actually “strikes” at all—is obscured by legal differences of opinion, fast-moving events, and politics surrounding those actions.
Equity & Diversity
Study: Language-Learning Ability Is Strong Until Late Teens
New research suggests that the "critical period" for learning a second language is longer than previously thought.
Every Student Succeeds Act
'Continuous Improvement' Model Woven Into State ESSA Plans
Although the federal K-12 law doesn't explicitly ask for it, a systemic and data-informed approach to long-term student achievement is part of the mix for many states as they implement the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
It's 2018. It's Time to Update Sex Ed.
In the age of #MeToo, schools have an important role to play in combating sexual harassment, writes sociologist Lorena Garcia.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Does School Choice Put Freedom Before Equity?
As parents turn to the education marketplace to get ahead, some students get left behind, writes one education professor.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Who Is Taking Care of Teachers?
Teachers are feeling undersupported, forgotten, and misunderstood. It’s time we do more than just listen, writes H. Richard Milner IV.
Assessment
Online State Testing in 2018: Mostly Smooth, With One Glaring Exception
For the second time in three years, Tennessee experienced major online testing disruptions, prompting new state legislation and raising questions about ESSA compliance.
Education
Letter to the Editor
The Flawed Diagnosis of 'A Nation at Risk'
To the Editor:
Thomas Toch's call in his April 23 Commentary for turning attention back to "A Nation At Risk" diagnosis 35 years ago fails to reflect the fact that the data in that report have long since been proved to be wrong ("When It Comes to Public Education, the Nation Is Still at Risk"). And, that the approach—more requirements and much more testing and sanctions—was pursued for more than three decades with little success and a great deal of damage, especially to schools serving the students most in need of help.
Thomas Toch's call in his April 23 Commentary for turning attention back to "A Nation At Risk" diagnosis 35 years ago fails to reflect the fact that the data in that report have long since been proved to be wrong ("When It Comes to Public Education, the Nation Is Still at Risk"). And, that the approach—more requirements and much more testing and sanctions—was pursued for more than three decades with little success and a great deal of damage, especially to schools serving the students most in need of help.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Online Testing
Asking students and schools to switch from paper-and-pencil to online assessments does affect students' performance, but problems might be more short-lived than some educators fear, finds a study by the American Institutes of Research.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
States vary widely on how they govern charter schools, new federal data show.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Job Stress
Most teachers experience high levels of burnout and stress—and those conditions may be affecting their students' achievement, a recent study says.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Young Children
A new study in the journal Pediatric Research suggests boosting children's natural curiosity may be equally crucial as self-control to their long-term learning.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
AUSTIN BEUTNER, a former investment banker and philanthropist with no experience leading a school district, has been chosen to run the Los Angeles school system. Beutner also founded Vision to Learn, which provides free eye screenings and eyeglasses to low-income students, though reports say the nonprofit has fallen...
Assessment
News in Brief
No Data, No Honor: Only Nine States Eligible for Award
A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to creating a new award to honor high schools that do a good job preparing students for college: It became nearly impossible.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Driver Shortage Spurs Houston District to Charter Luxury Buses for Students
The Houston school district is chartering plush, television-equipped motor coaches because it doesn't have enough drivers to keep its fleet of yellow school buses on the road.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Students in Support of Gun Ownership Stage Counterprotests Around Nation
Students around the country took part in a school walkout last week to support gun ownership.
School & District Management
News in Brief
All on Campus During Parkland Shootings Eligible for Share of Victims' Fund
Everyone who was on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School campus during the Feb. 14 mass shootings in Parkland, Fla., will be eligible to receive a share of the victims' fund created by the Broward Education Foundation.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Maryland Official Blocks Appointment of Superintendent for Baltimore County
Maryland's top public education official has blocked the appointment of a Baltimore County schools superintendent, citing ethical lapses.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Board, Prosecutors Challenge Release of More Stoneman Douglas Video
Prosecutors are joining the Broward County school board in moving to block the public release of footage captured by security cameras outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., during the shootings that killed 17.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Education Department to Give Millions in Disaster Aid to Puerto Rico, States
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced last week that two states and Puerto Rico will receive nearly $700 million in federal money to help their schools recover from natural disasters.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Federal Directive Hasn't Changed Discipline Practices, Survey Finds
A new survey by the AASA, the School Superintendents Association, reveals that few districts modified their discipline policies and practices as a result of guidance that came out of the Obama administration.
Teaching Profession
The Teachers Are Winning. What Does It Mean for the Profession?
The extraordinary wave of teacher strikes highlights the fact that teachers, who make up the largest profession, have the power to demand and win funding changes when working collectively.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
We Shouldn't Call Teacher Salary Hikes 'Raises'
Some states have said yes to pay increases for teachers. This doesn’t mean they are prioritizing education funding, writes Derek W. Black.
Student Well-Being
'Juuling' Craze: Schools Scramble to Deal With Student Vaping
Principals say they must devote a lot of time dealing with the growing trend of students vaping at school, especially with the widespread popularity of a discreet device used to vape known as a Juul.
Teaching
Educators Battle 'Fortnite' for Students' Attention
Many teachers want to ban the popular video game from classrooms, but others are weaving students’ passion for it into classroom discussions and assignments.
Federal
From Our Research Center
There Are Wild Swings in School Desegregation Data. The Feds Can't Explain Why
The number of districts reporting desegregation cases nearly doubled from 2013-14 to 2015-16, after plunging 86 percent four years ago on the Education Department’s previous biennial report.
Education
Ronald A. Wolk, Education Week Founder Who Launched New Era for K-12 Journalism, Dies at 86
His decades of work as an editor, publisher, and thought leader helped elevate the national conversation about education.