September 5, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 03
Accountability
How Do You Go About Calculating Student Success? It's Complicated
When it comes to gauging the quality of the nation’s education system, academic achievement and a wide range of non-school factors that affect the opportunity for lifelong success all form part of the picture.
States
Sources & Notes
Here's a quick and easy guide to the grading scale and each of the indicators that go into making up the 50-state grades for K-12 achievement and students' chance for success.
Early Childhood
The Keys to Student Success Include Starting Early and Following Through
States are concentrating their policy efforts on early-childhood education as well as transitioning young adults from high school to college.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Is It Time for the American Approach to Assessment to Change?
The U.S. tests its students more than most nations, but is the deluge of data providing the information schools need?
Accountability
When It Comes to Setting Students Up for Success, Nation Earns a 'C'
State scores come from an Education Week Research Center analysis of education-related opportunities, as well as social and economic conditions.
College & Workforce Readiness
Here's What's Behind the Nation's 'C' Grade on Student Achievement
The nation has made modest improvements in student academic achievement in the past decade, but results among states are uneven, according to a new ranking system.
School & District Management
For Educators Vying for State Office, Teachers' Union Offers 'Soup to Nuts' Campaign Training
In the aftermath of this spring's teacher protests, more educators are running for state office—and the National Education Association is seizing on the political moment.
States
State Grades on Chance for Success: Map and Rankings
Examine the grades and scores that states and the nation earned on the Chance for Success Index in Quality Counts 2018, along with how they scored on a host of socioeconomic and other indicators that go into those rankings.
Federal
The Controversial Couple Heading Trump's Hispanic Education Efforts
He leads the federal office for English-learners. She’s in charge of the White House initiative for Hispanic students. Who are they and what’s the fate of the efforts they oversee?
Student Well-Being
1 in 7 Students Found to Be 'Chronically Absent,' Report Finds
At a time when schools face increasing accountability for bringing down student absenteeism, a new analysis highlights the scale of the task.
School Climate & Safety
Shootings at School Sports Events Raise Anxiety Levels
Was the gunfire that injured two people outside a high school football game a "school shooting"? Answering that question is more complicated than it sounds, and it affects ongoing school safety debates.
Federal
John McCain Backed School Choice, Native Education
As a two-time presidential candidate and veteran lawmaker on Capitol Hill, John McCain put school choice at the center of his plans to help disadvantaged students.
Federal
State Chief Race in Calif. Proving Costly, Contentious
Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck differed sharply on issues such as how to improve teacher quality and how to get more money for California's schools.
Education Funding
Gates Unveils First-Round Grants in New Education Strategy
The $92 million in grants will support networks of schools working to help students of color and low-income students find a path to college.
IT Infrastructure & Management
5 Big Tech Trends Worth Watching This School Year
Beyond new apps and gadgets, worries around cybersecurity, media literacy, and school safety will drive the technology conversation this school year.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
How to Tell A Different LGBTQ Story in Schools (Q&A)
Researchers are using storytelling to expand how students talk about sexuality and gender, explains Jen Gilbert.
Assessment
Opinion
Students Aren't Lab Rats. Stop Treating Them Like They Are
It’s been decades since academic psychology took behaviorism seriously, so why is education stuck in the past? asks Alfie Kohn.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Research Report: Mental Health
Better access to mental health services could improve safety in Pennsylvania schools, according to a state task force report posted online last week.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Test-Taking
Worldwide, a high percentage of students either skip questions, spend insufficient time answering them, or quit early when taking the Program for International Student Assessment test.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Admissions
If more students retake the SAT, college enrollment rates would increase—especially for low-income and minority students.
Standards
Report Roundup
Standards and Curricula
More than a third of the 30 biggest school districts in the United States are not using any math or English/language arts curricula that are rated highly for alignment to state standards, a new study from the Center for American Progress finds.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Unions Must Go Beyond Advocacy
To the Editor:
In general, I agree with Paul Reville in his recent Commentary that unions have the responsibility to be involved at a level beyond member advocacy ("Teachers' Unions Must Decide Their Future," July 26, 2018). As a 37-year employee of teachers' unions and a retired executive director of the Ohio Education Association, I believe I can also speak directly to Reville's concerns.
In general, I agree with Paul Reville in his recent Commentary that unions have the responsibility to be involved at a level beyond member advocacy ("Teachers' Unions Must Decide Their Future," July 26, 2018). As a 37-year employee of teachers' unions and a retired executive director of the Ohio Education Association, I believe I can also speak directly to Reville's concerns.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Hands Off Guidance, Officials Say
The Obama administration's school discipline guidance helps protect students' civil rights and addresses discriminatory practices, attorneys general from 11 states have told U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
High School Students Write Handbook of Slang for Philadelphia Teachers
If you're new to teaching in Philadelphia this year, no need to worry if a student drops a casual "sawty" into conversation.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Principal of New York High School Bans Drop-Off of Fast Food to Students
The principal of a New York state high school has banned fast-food deliveries to students during school hours.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Advocacy Group Urges Testing Water for Lead at Child-Care Centers
The Environmental Defense Fund is calling on child-care-center operators to take steps to make sure the water at their facilities is not contaminated with lead, a neurotoxin known to cause behavior and learning problems.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Controversial Schools Chief in Arizona Trailing in GOP Bid for Second Term
With four fellow Republicans gunning to take her out, Diane Douglas, Arizona's controversial schools chief, appeared to be losing the bid for the GOP nomination late last week.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Seeking Their Due From Court Ruling, Washington State Teachers Strike
Classrooms across Washington state sat empty last week, as teachers in seven districts went on strike when negotiations over salaries and benefits failed to result in contracts by the first day of school.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
California Legislature Passes Measure Banning For-Profit Charter Schools
For-profit companies would be banned from running charter schools in California if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a hard-fought bill that has won final approval from the state legislature.