August 15, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 45
Education Funding
A Washington Roundup
GAO Criticizes Ed. Dept. On Student-Loan Issues
A report by the Government Accountability Office has taken the Department of Education to task for insufficient oversight of the student-loan system.
Federal
A Washington Roundup
Dept. Issues Rules On ‘Rigorous’ Classes
The Department of Education proposed regulations last week that would enable high schools to have “rigorous” courses endorsed as such by the department several years into the future.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Religious Charter Schools
As a charter school operator and a member of the California charter commission, I disagree with Lawrence D. Weinberg and Bruce S. Cooper’s Commentary "What About Religious Charter Schools?"
Federal
Federal File
Virtual Academy Forgoes Grant
The Arkansas project decided not to reapply for any of the program’s $25 million in grants because it now has a steady funding stream as a statewide charter school.
Education Funding
Opinion
School Finance Adequacy at a Crossroads
Simply finding enough money to adequately fund a state’s schools does not solve the school finance problem, Allan Odden and Lawrence O. Picus write.
School & District Management
Opinion
Leading for Change
Tony Wagner offers five "habits of mind" for educational leaders.
Education Funding
Equity Advocates Hit the Highway
Billboards in South Carolina sported a new—if unofficial—slogan throughout much of the summer: “Welcome to South Carolina, home of ‘minimally adequate education.’ ”
Federal
Science Camp: Just for the Girls
Academic camps are on the rise across the country, including ones to get adolescent girls excited about the exploration of science.
Assessment
Opinion
Teaching With the Test, Not to the Test
When it comes to teaching test-taking, many of us abandon everything we know about children as learners, write Amy H. Greene and Glennon Doyle Melton.
Teaching Profession
The National Board: Challenged by Success?
As the number of teachers earning the credential increases, observers raise questions about its future value.
School & District Management
Housing Aid Offered to Stop Enrollment Decline
The city of Portland has launched a program to help families rent or buy homes and—city officials hope—send their children to city schools.
Federal
Miller’s NCLB Priorities Spark Fresh Debate
The California Democrat would allow states to use multiple measures to assess student progress.
Federal
‘Competitiveness’ Bill to Aid Math, Science Is Signed by President
The bipartisan bill establishes several new federal math and science programs and expands existing ones.
Assessment
Exclusion-Rate Data for NAEP to Be More Accessible
Starting this fall, state data on students who are excluded from taking the tests will be featured more prominently in NAEP reports.
School Climate & Safety
IG Report Questions NCLB’s Unsafe-Schools Option
The Dept. of Education's report concludes that NCLB's “unsafe-school choice option” is ineffective and needs an overhaul.
Education
Report Roundup
Pre-K Programs
Children in New Mexico’s pre-K program showed more progress in acquiring early language, reading, and math skills than their peers who were not enrolled.
Education
Report Roundup
Child Trauma
A report is calling on policymakers to pay more attention to the needs of children who are exposed to trauma.
Education
Report Roundup
Adolescent Smoking
Young smokers may develop a dependence on tobacco within two days of inhaling their first cigarette, concludes a report published in the July edition of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Education
Report Roundup
Rural Students Outperform Urban Peers Nationally
Students who attend rural schools are more likely to demonstrate proficiency on national assessments of mathematics and reading than their urban peers, but do not do as well as those in the suburbs, a status report on rural education concludes.
IT Infrastructure & Management
ACT Acquires Texas-Based Policy Group
The college-entrance-exam maker characterized its acquisition of the National Center for Educational Accountability as a natural fit of mission and culture.