July 16, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 43
English Learners
Report Roundup
Research Report: English-Language Learners
Schools that report low achievement for English-language learners also report low test scores for white and African-American students, according to a study.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Small Schools
A new report concludes that focusing on teacher quality while increasing students’ academic time and providing them with individual attention are among the strategies a set of high-performing small urban high schools use to achieve their outcomes.
Federal
Report Roundup
Full-Day Kindergarten
Children in full-day kindergarten programs outperform peers in half-day programs in reading and mathematics, but their academic head start begins to fade soon after they leave kindergarten, says a study.
Education
Report Roundup
TV and Child Development
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts found that background television had a disruptive effect on toddlers’ play—even when the children didn’t seem to be paying attention to it.
Federal
Proposed Federal Transit Rules Upset Districts
FTA wants agencies to get out of the business of creating routes designed exclusively to take students to and from school.
Education Funding
Increasing Fuel Costs Hit Hard
With gas prices reaching over $4 for each gallon of diesel fuel, school districts are struggling to supplement budget shortfalls and to find ways to offset the increasing cost of fuel.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Old and in the Way?
Anne Macleod Weeks discusses the disconcerting "raised-eyebrow looks" she received while interviewing for teaching jobs that were perceived to be a step down for the veteran educator.
Standards & Accountability
California Board Mandates Algebra 1 for All 8th Graders
California 8th graders will be required to take Algebra 1 and be tested on it as part of the state’s accountability system, under a controversial decision made by the state board of education last week after last-minute pressure from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Science
Vouchers, Evolution Top Issues in La.
Louisiana lawmakers ventured into some especially controversial terrain in their recently concluded session.
Federal
NCLB Leeway Allows States to Hone Plans
The six states that now have federal approval to change the way they hold schools accountable will use different ways to distinguish between schools with minor problems and those that need total overhauls.
School & District Management
Urban Districts Found to Be Narrowing the Teacher Gap
Teachers at disadvantaged schools in two of the nation’s largest urban districts are getting more qualified, which is helping to improve student test scores.
School & District Management
Opinion
States Must Take the Lead in Improving School Leadership
"Education has not done nearly enough to develop leaders who can meet the increasing challenges America’s students and communities face," says Gerald L. Zahorchak.
Student Achievement
Opinion
Engagement Is the Answer
Joseph S. Renzulli feels fixing schools may require "a counter, perhaps even counterintuitive, approach."
Education
Letter to the Editor
Gender, Pay Equity, and Choosing to Teach
To the Editor:
In his Commentary “Where the Girls Aren’t” (June 18, 2008), which critiques the American Association of University Women’s recent report on gender equity, Leonard Sax laments that “young women continue to choose professions that pay less well than those chosen by men with similar education,” a point he believes the AAUW overlooks. The AAUW recently held a conference on pay inequity in my state, however, urging young women to consider salaries when choosing careers, and then to prepare for jobs that pay well.
In his Commentary “Where the Girls Aren’t” (June 18, 2008), which critiques the American Association of University Women’s recent report on gender equity, Leonard Sax laments that “young women continue to choose professions that pay less well than those chosen by men with similar education,” a point he believes the AAUW overlooks. The AAUW recently held a conference on pay inequity in my state, however, urging young women to consider salaries when choosing careers, and then to prepare for jobs that pay well.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Parents Can Aid Motivation by Asking More of Children
To the Editor:
Why are many teenagers and early-20-somethings so slow to reach adulthood (“Majority of Youths Found to Lack a Direction in Life,” June 11, 2008)? Well, take a look at parents who do everything for their children, trying to keep them “safe and secure from all alarms,” as the old hymn says.
Why are many teenagers and early-20-somethings so slow to reach adulthood (“Majority of Youths Found to Lack a Direction in Life,” June 11, 2008)? Well, take a look at parents who do everything for their children, trying to keep them “safe and secure from all alarms,” as the old hymn says.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Is a ‘Qualified’ Teacher Always an ‘Effective’ One?
To the Editor:
In the article “Teachers Achieving ‘Highly Qualified’ Status on the Rise” (June 11, 2008), you report that a common and long-standing complaint among education observers is that the data on teachers deemed “highly qualified” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act “do not reflect student-performance gains, which makes it difficult to say how effective the teachers really are. The federal requirements ... are just a minimum standard for teacher quality.”
In the article “Teachers Achieving ‘Highly Qualified’ Status on the Rise” (June 11, 2008), you report that a common and long-standing complaint among education observers is that the data on teachers deemed “highly qualified” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act “do not reflect student-performance gains, which makes it difficult to say how effective the teachers really are. The federal requirements ... are just a minimum standard for teacher quality.”
Education
Letter to the Editor
Note to Presidential Candidates: Time to Rethink Early Grades
To the Editor:
Your article “2 New Coalitions Seek Influence on Campaigns” (June 18, 2008) underscores the urgent need for deep changes in America’s education system. Unfortunately, the United States may currently be known as much for its poor-quality public schools as for its high-quality universities.
Your article “2 New Coalitions Seek Influence on Campaigns” (June 18, 2008) underscores the urgent need for deep changes in America’s education system. Unfortunately, the United States may currently be known as much for its poor-quality public schools as for its high-quality universities.
Assessment
Opinion
Doing No Harm
"Is it time for a research boycott of high-stakes testing?" asks James H. Nehring.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Congress Could Repair Damage to Civil Rights
To the Editor:
I extend my thanks to Michael Holzman (“It’s About the Schools,” Commentary, June 4, 2008) for focusing attention on the central role of institutional racism in our unwillingness to salvage urban public schools.
I extend my thanks to Michael Holzman (“It’s About the Schools,” Commentary, June 4, 2008) for focusing attention on the central role of institutional racism in our unwillingness to salvage urban public schools.
Federal
Ed. Dept. Issues Inaugural Guide For Evaluating Online Learning
The report is designed to help educators gauge the effectiveness of the rapidly growing field of online education.
Education
Letter to the Editor
‘Neo-Luddites’: Wake Up and Reboot the Learning
To the Editor:
William J. Price is indeed a neo-Luddite, and, like his predecessors, will not be able to stem the tide of technological advances that will revolutionize 21st-century learning. But his dirge for "The Impending Death of Face-to-Face Instruction," to quote from the title of his June 11, 2008, Commentary, misses the point.
William J. Price is indeed a neo-Luddite, and, like his predecessors, will not be able to stem the tide of technological advances that will revolutionize 21st-century learning. But his dirge for "The Impending Death of Face-to-Face Instruction," to quote from the title of his June 11, 2008, Commentary, misses the point.
Education
Letter to the Editor
A Teacher’s ‘Impossible Choice’
To the Editor:
I thought Lesley Guilmart’s Commentary “ ‘An Impossible Choice’ ” (June 4, 2008) would make excellent fodder for an advice columnist. For this one time only, I would like to take up that role.
I thought Lesley Guilmart’s Commentary “ ‘An Impossible Choice’ ” (June 4, 2008) would make excellent fodder for an advice columnist. For this one time only, I would like to take up that role.
Education
Letter to the Editor
International Comparisons
To the Editor:
In her Commentary "Quick Fixes, Test Scores, and the Global Economy" (June 11, 2008), Iris C. Rotberg takes out after people who are concerned about the performance of U.S. students on international assessments. She frames common beliefs as a series of “myths,” but unfortunately her myths have considerable scientific support.
In her Commentary "Quick Fixes, Test Scores, and the Global Economy" (June 11, 2008), Iris C. Rotberg takes out after people who are concerned about the performance of U.S. students on international assessments. She frames common beliefs as a series of “myths,” but unfortunately her myths have considerable scientific support.
Assessment
Testing Officials Again Tackle Accommodations And Exclusions for Special Student Populations
Federal officials are once again looking at exclusion and accommodation guidelines in the hope of bringing more consistency to those policies.
Federal
States Struggle to Meet Achievement Standards for ELLs
Nearly all states continue to struggle in meeting the No Child Left Behind Act’s academic targets for English-language learners in mathematics and reading, according to the latest analysis released by the U.S. Department of Education.
Curriculum
Educators Assess 'Open Content' Movement
A small but growing movement of K-12 educators is latching on to educational resources that are “open,” or free for others to use, change, and republish on Web sites that promote sharing.
Teaching Profession
Court’s Term Marked by Rulings In Age-Discrimination Disputes
Education groups following the two U.S. Supreme Court cases got a split decision, as one ruling handed employees a victory and the other shot down a worker’s challenge to a state retirement system.
Federal
USTA Encourages Coaches to Love ‘No Cut’ Policies
Magazine subscriptions, access to an online forum, and letters of commendation to their high school principal are among the benefits that await the coaches for expanding their tennis teams.
Federal
Senate Panel Also Votes to Kill Funds for 'Reading First'
Joining its House counterpart, the Senate subcommittee that handles education spending would eliminate funding for the controversial reading program in fiscal 2009.