Issues

March 18, 2020

Education Week, Vol. 39, Issue 26
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School & District Management Cyberattacks Force Schools to Bolster Online Security
There have been at least 775 publicly disclosed cyber incidents in K-12 schools since 2016. The number more than doubled between 2018 and 2019, a report shows.
Alyson Klein, March 17, 2020
7 min read
Classroom Technology Teachers, Politics, and Social Media: A Volatile Mix
When it comes to sharing their personal views on hot-button social and political issues, some teachers favor restraint on social media while others embrace the megaphone.
Madeline Will, March 17, 2020
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated Briefly Stated
A collection of stories you may have missed
March 17, 2020
7 min read
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Vector art: Doyata/Getty; background image: Photodisc/Getty
School & District Management Opinion A Conservative Agenda for School Board Members
School boards are well positioned to push back against so much of the influences of the "progressive" left on our schools and our society, write Michael J. Petrilli and Chester E. Finn Jr.
Michael J. Petrilli & Chester E. Finn Jr., March 17, 2020
5 min read
Education Letter to the Editor New Accounting Software Is a Must
To the Editor:
I am glad to see concrete progress on Hawaii's department of education's movement toward modernizing its financial management system ("One State Is Overhauling Its Finance Technology After Long-Standing Fights, Glitches," Feb. 13, 2020). I hope other states and their departments follow Hawaii's lead.
March 17, 2020
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Katrina Myths Must Be Dispelled
To the Editor:
The article entitled "Coronavirus Prompting E-Learning Strategies" (March 4, 2020) was very interesting and informative. My daughter is a teacher, and I am fascinated by the technology that is used today in schools. Unfortunately, something was not correct.
March 17, 2020
1 min read
Classroom Technology What Factors Make-or-Break Ed-Tech Implementation? Study Takes a Look
The EdTech Genome Project is looking at 10 variables that influence whether an ed-tech product is easily implemented in K-12 schools, with the goal of measuring these factors.
Michele Molnar, March 17, 2020
4 min read
Reading & Literacy What the Research Says Biases Can Hurt Boys' Reading
Children adapt their attitudes toward reading to conform to their classmates' perceived gender stereotypes, in ways that put boys at a disadvantage, according to a new study in the journal Child Development.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 17, 2020
1 min read
Assessment What the Research Says Sleep Helps Teenagers Cope With Discrimination-Based Stress
Teenagers who have a decent night's sleep cope better with stress the next day, including seeking support from friends and trying to solve problems rather than brooding.
Christina A. Samuels, March 17, 2020
1 min read
Image of a very young reader in the library.
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Reading & Literacy 'Decodable' Books: Boring, Useful, or Both?
These sound-it-out books designed for young readers aren’t always popular with teachers. But experts say they’re an important tool.
Sarah Schwartz, March 13, 2020
9 min read
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Every Student Succeeds Act Absenteeism Driven by Virus Could Trip Up States on ESSA
School and district closures as a result of the new coronavirus has thrown a big, unforeseen roadblock into efforts to drive down rates of student absences.
Evie Blad, March 12, 2020
6 min read
Schenectady City School District Superintendent Laurence T. Spring, third from left, and his cabinet examine a map of coronavirus cases as they determine the appropriate steps for their district in light of the virus.
Schenectady City School District Superintendent Laurence T. Spring, third from left, and his cabinet examine a map of coronavirus cases as they determine the appropriate steps for their district in light of the virus.
Photo courtesy of Karen Corona/Schenectady City School District
School & District Management To Close or Not? How Superintendents Decide to Shut Down Schools
District leaders face a complex calculus in deciding whether to shutter schools to curb the spread of coronavirus. Here are some of the factors they must consider.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 12, 2020
8 min read
A server places breakfast out in the cafeteria at Kyrene De Las Lomas Elementary School in Phoenix. As more schools close over coronavirus concerns, districts are wrestling with how they will pay employees should people fall ill, be required to be in quarantine, or if there's a prolonged shutdown.
A server places breakfast out in the cafeteria at Kyrene De Las Lomas Elementary School in Phoenix. As more schools close over coronavirus concerns, districts are wrestling with how they will pay employees should people fall ill, be required to be in quarantine, or if there's a prolonged shutdown.
AP Photo/Matt York
School & District Management If Coronavirus Closes School, Who Gets Paid and How?
These are some of the biggest issues for districts to grapple with as they plan for shutting down schools in response to the coronavirus.
Mark Lieberman, March 11, 2020
7 min read
Idled school buses at the Northshore School District in Bothell, Wash., which is closed for two weeks over coronavirus concerns. The district is operating a remote learning program to continue instruction and is distributing meals daily at several sites around the district.
Idled school buses at the Northshore School District in Bothell, Wash., which is closed for two weeks over coronavirus concerns. The district is operating a remote learning program to continue instruction and is distributing meals daily at several sites around the district.
Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Shut Down by Coronavirus, Schools Scramble to Feed Students
A major dilemma for schools shutting down is how to keep providing meals to students who rely on them for their daily nutrition.
Corey Mitchell, March 9, 2020
5 min read
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies at an Appropriations Subcommittee budget hearing on February 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testifies at an Appropriations Subcommittee budget hearing on February 27, 2020 in Washington, D.C.
Graeme Sloan/Education Week
Professional Development Education Department Developing Vouchers for Teacher Professional Development
Despite being rebuked by Congress in its bid to do so last year, the U.S. Department of Education says it will use Education Innovation and Research funds for teacher professional development vouchers.
Andrew Ujifusa & Madeline Will, March 9, 2020
6 min read
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Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Source image: Getty
School & District Management Opinion Culturally Responsive Teaching Is Promising. But There's a Pressing Need for More Research
The evidence that culturally responsive teaching can fix the nation's schools for children of color is promising, but woefully incomplete, writes Heather C. Hill.
Heather C. Hill, March 6, 2020
6 min read
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Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion What's at Stake When Schools Close for the Coronavirus? A Bioethicist Weighs In
Public health decisions about COVID-19 shouldn't come at the expense of our poorest students and their parents, writes Johns Hopkins University's Ruth R. Faden.
Ruth R. Faden, March 5, 2020
4 min read