November 28, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 13
Education
Correction
Correction
An article in the Nov. 7, 2007, issue of Education Week incorrectly linked the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and a study of high-performing school systems worldwide. While the report used results from an OECD testing program, it was not commissioned by the OECD.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Rochester, N.Y., Names Schools Chief
The school board in Rochester, N.Y., was expected this week to vote on a contract making Jean-Claude Brizard superintendent of the 34,000-student district.
Teaching Profession
Federal File
The Ed. Debate, in Dribs and Drabs
Democratic presidential contenders gave their opinions on merit pay for teachers at a recent event.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Behavior and Academics
Children who exhibit behavior problems in kindergarten are not doomed to academic failure when they reach the upper grades, concludes an analysis involving 36,000 schoolchildren in the United States, Britain, and Canada.
Federal
Report Roundup
‘Gaming’ the NCLB System
Alabama is singled out as having lowered its standards annually since the No Child Left Behind Act was put into place, in a new report.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
K-12 Online Education
More than 40 states have official K-12 online-learning programs, and in almost half those programs student enrollments are growing at a rate of 25 percent annually, says a study.
Education
Report Roundup
Substance Abuse
About 80 percent of teenagers in high school have witnessed drug dealing and drug use, and 31 percent of high school students and 9 percent of middle school students see such activity at least once a week, says a study.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
Trends in U.S. Reading
American youths are reading less in their free time than a generation ago, a statistic that bodes poorly for their academic performance, job prospects, civic participation, and even social well-being, a report by the National Endowment for the Arts says.
Education
Report Roundup
Data-Driven Decisionmaking
States are making steady progress building data systems to collect student-achievement data, but they need to do a better job analyzing and using the data to improve education systems, concludes a report by the Data Quality Campaign.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Redefining Poverty Upward
Although we may think the terms “poor,” “low-income,” and “poverty” are interchangeable, they are not.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Finding a British Source on the ‘Comma Splice’
I’m no expert on British grammar, so I consulted M.R. Amherst Lock, the head of English at London’s Harrow School, who certainly is an authority.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Change NCLB Now, Through ‘Resistance’
It’s time for teachers, administrators, parents, and students to resist this terrible, punitive law.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Calif. Teacher Assessment: Clarifying ‘Misperceptions’
Research on the use of PACT with preservice teacher-candidates suggests that PACT is a positive learning experience for both teacher-candidates and faculty.
Education
Letter to the Editor
‘Universal Design’ Concept and Multiple Measures
The philosophy of “universal design for learning” is a welcome remedy for one-size-fits-all instruction.
Education
Letter to the Editor
For Quality, Give Teachers Role in Curriculum Reform
Even great teachers will be ineffective, and frustrated, if they teach curricula that are inconsistent with what came before or what will come after.
Education
Letter to the Editor
No Legal Jeopardy Seen for Magnet Programs
While care must be taken in designing voluntary desegregation plans, now is not the time for educators to shrink from measures that will serve the interests of students.
Assessment
Students in Urban Districts Inching Forward on NAEP
On average, scores among students in large cities still lag well behind national results.
School Climate & Safety
Drug-Dog Searches May Be Expanded Under Hawaii Policy
The plan would let trained dogs sniff students’ lockers for contraband even if principals don’t suspect that weapons or drugs are on campus.
Federal
California Weighs Preschool ELL Standards
The proposals are part of a draft set of competencies for all preschoolers that includes comprehensive foundations for English-language development, literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional development.
Federal
Higher Education Act Renewal Advances
The bill, which has received overwhelming bipartisan approval from the House education committee, includes provisions aimed at bolstering teacher preparation.
Federal
Head Start Measure Expected to Launch New Era for Program
The bill bolsters accountability requirements for grantees, requires more teachers to get bachelor’s degrees, and expands eligibility for the program by raising household income limits.
School & District Management
High-Quality After-School Programs Tied to Test-Score Gains
Students who regularly attend top-notch after-school programs end up academically far ahead of peers who spend more out-of-school time in unsupervised activities, a study found.
Federal
Obituary
Congressional Father of Accountability Dies
Augustus F. Hawkins, a former Democratic congressman from California, died Nov. 10 from complications attributed to old age.
Special Education
News in Brief
Intervention Approach Focus of New Center
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $14.2 million to a Washington-based organization to create the National Center on Response to Intervention.
Special Education
News in Brief
Bush Nominates New Head for Special Education Office
President Bush has nominated Tracy R. Justesen to be the assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services in the U.S. Department of Education. The appointment requires Senate approval.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
N.Y.C. Parents Allege Test Prep Excludes Students by Race
Three Chinese parents have filed suit against the New York City Department of Education, claiming their children were illegally excluded from a test-preparation course because of their race.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Md. Lawmakers Agree to Cut in School Funding
During a three-week special session that ended Nov. 18, Maryland legislators agreed to cut from next year’s state budget $145 million that would have helped schools fight inflationary increases.
Education
Opinion
Why We Need District-Based Reform
Jonathan Supovitz provides strategies for leveraging a district’s potential to support systemwide instructional improvement.
School Climate & Safety
Digital Age Adds New Dimension to Incidents of Staff-Student Sex
Increasingly, teachers and other school employees who prey on students are using the current must-have tools of adolescent social networks.