October 3, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 07
Equity & Diversity
Proposal Could Lead Immigrant Families to Shun Benefits, Advocates Warn
The Trump administration wants to make it harder for legal immigrants to get green cards if they use public benefits, but some warn children in those families could suffer.
School Climate & Safety
Guns, Disadvantaged Students Take Center Stage at ESSA Hearing
While state education chiefs praised the Every Student Succeeds Act for giving them new flexibility, Democratic senators said using federal money to arm teachers would be a terrible mistake.
Special Education
Opinion
The Federal Government Is Letting Down Students With Disabilities. States Must Step Up
Disproportionate discipline in special education is a serious problem, but there are remedies, write Lauren Morando Rhim and Stephanie Lancet.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
We Already Know School Starts Too Early. It's Time to Do Something About It
Why do we still make teenagers drag themselves to class before they're fully awake? asks teacher David Polochanin.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Everyone Needs Professional Inquiry
To the Editor:
Education researcher Thomas Guskey badly misses the forest for the trees in his recent Education Week blog post ("How Can We Improve Professional Inquiry?" Peter DeWitt's Finding Common Ground blog, www.edweek.org, Sept. 9, 2018). While classroom teachers often hold their students' research projects to high standards, Guskey claims, "educators frequently conduct professional inquiries in ways they would never consider acceptable from students." He derides teachers' use of Google searches, social media posts, and even books to elicit answers to teaching questions—rather than using researched-based sources, such as journal articles and scientific studies.
Education researcher Thomas Guskey badly misses the forest for the trees in his recent Education Week blog post ("How Can We Improve Professional Inquiry?" Peter DeWitt's Finding Common Ground blog, www.edweek.org, Sept. 9, 2018). While classroom teachers often hold their students' research projects to high standards, Guskey claims, "educators frequently conduct professional inquiries in ways they would never consider acceptable from students." He derides teachers' use of Google searches, social media posts, and even books to elicit answers to teaching questions—rather than using researched-based sources, such as journal articles and scientific studies.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Design
Maybe the grass really is greener for high-achieving, high-poverty schools. A new study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology finds a link between academic achievement and tree cover in high-poverty Chicago schools.
Professional Development
Report Roundup
New Teachers
When new teachers get ongoing support from mentors, their students score higher on math tests, finds an analysis of the New Teacher Center's mentorship program.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Absenteeism
Response-to-intervention models may help schools better support students who repeatedly miss school, finds a study in the Justice Evaluation Journal.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Report Roundup
Accountability
Many state accountability plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act don’t do a great job of incorporating the performance of vulnerable subgroups of students, finds an analysis by the Alliance for Excellent Education, a research and advocacy organization in Washington.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
In Music Videos, Black Eyed Peas Group Tackles School Gun Violence, Immigration
The Black Eyed Peas band takes on gun violence at schools and immigration in two new music videos for their song, "Big Love."
School & District Management
News in Brief
Schools Superintendent in Texas Resigns Over Comment About Black Quarterback
A white Texas schools superintendent who posted online that "You can't count on a black quarterback" in reference to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has resigned.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Court Orders California District to Permit Child to Bring Cannabis Drug to School
A California kindergartner can keep bringing a cannabis-based drug used for emergency treatment of a rare form of epilepsy to her public school, a state judge has ruled.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Maryland Opens Door to Noneducators to Become Superintendents of Schools
Maryland's state school board will allow noneducators to be appointed as superintendents of school systems.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
San Diego's Anti-Islamophopic Efforts Can Stay in Place, Federal Judge Rules
A federal judge last week rejected an attempt by parents to shut down the San Diego district's anti-Islamophobia efforts, saying that they could not prove the program was unconstitutional and favored Islam over other religions.
Education
News in Brief
North Carolina May Forgive School Days Missed Because of Hurricane Upheaval
North Carolina legislators are working on a plan to "forgive" districts in areas that bore the brunt of Hurricane Florence's impact for school days they missed because of the storm.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Local School Board Group Wants Power of N.Y.C. Mayor Over District Reined In
A group representing New York City's influential local school boards has come out against Mayor Bill de Blasio's control of the public schools, which expires in June, unless significant limits are placed on his power.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Appeals Court Backs NLRB Ruling on Unionization of La. Charter
A federal appeals court has ruled that a Louisiana charter school operator is not a political subdivision of the state, lending support to a decision of the National Labor Relations Board that the operator committed an unfair labor practice by not recognizing and bargaining with a teachers' union.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Title IX Help for Students Hard to Find
Since the start of the #MeToo movement in 2017, educators and parents have watched to see how students would respond to resulting conversations about consent and power.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Schools See 'Incredible Progress' on Internet Connectivity, Report Says
More than 44 million students now learn in classrooms with high-speed Internet, up from just 4 million five years ago, according to EducationSuperHighway.
Teaching
Opinion
We Spend Too Much Time Teaching Students to Argue
An outsize focus on proving a point in school sends a dangerous hidden message, writes Kate Ehrenfeld Gardoqui.
Federal
Tax Hikes to Fund Schools? Once Taboo, the Idea Is Gaining Momentum
Drawing confidence from polling data and a swell in support for teacher raises, Democrats in states like Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma gamble that taxpayers are willing to pay more to boost education aid.
Education
Correction
Correction
The credit for the Page One photo about Hurricane Florence in the Sept. 26, 2018, issue of Education Week incorrectly identified the photographer. The image should have been credited to Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty.
Teaching Profession
From 'Rotten Apples' to Martyrs: America Has Changed Its Tune on Teachers
After years of being blamed for the problems in schools, teachers are now being held up as victims of a broken system. How did the pendulum swing so quickly?
Federal
Betsy DeVos an 'Attractive Boogeyman' for Political Campaigns
Candidates seek to use the education secretary and the Trump administration’s education policies as ammunition against challengers in this year’s midterm elections.
School Climate & Safety
Barricade or Flee? Simulator Trains Educators and Police for School Shootings
The computer simulation—which looks similar to a video game—allows teachers, administrators, and police to train for crisis events in schools, including shootings. The Department of Homeland Security will offer the program free to schools starting Nov. 1.
School & District Management
Are Too Many Students Working Below Grade Level?
Researchers examined nearly 22,000 pieces of class work in hundreds of schools. More than 70 percent of those assignments were below grade level, according to a new report from a teacher-training group.