September 17, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 04
Special Education
Campaign K-12 Notebook
How much money one state spends on special education is an unlikely focus of controversy in a presidential race. But when a previously little-known governor makes a splash as the mother of a special-needs child after getting her party’s vice presidential nod, that seemingly parochial topic can suddenly make news.
Curriculum
Opinion
Let’s Get Over the Slump
"Digital media, well deployed, can have enormous educational impact almost immediately," say James Paul Gee and Michael H. Levine.
College & Workforce Readiness
'Better Than Their Numbers'
Handpicking students who lack top test scores and grades but are leaders among their peers, College Summit helps them apply to college and encourage others to do the same.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Arts Education
Arts learning can play a central role in giving students a lifelong appreciation for cultural activities and ensuring that as adults they will demand and become patrons of high-quality arts programs, according to a new report.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Preschool Effects
Preschool can benefit children’s learning and development, but the quality of existing preschool initiatives across the country varies tremendously, says a report.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Teenage Aggression
Both boys and girls are likely to show indirect forms of aggression, says a new report funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by professors at three universities.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
International Data
The United States is among the highest-spending countries on education, says the annual report on the status of education around the world from the Organization for Economic and Cooperation and Development.
Education
News in Brief
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
It's Official: Kathy Cox, the Georgia state schools superintendent, is at least as smart as a 5th grader. The state chief risked her pride, if not her academic credentials, by appearing Sept. 5 on the Fox show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” She answered all 11 questions correctly and became the first winner of the $1 million grand prize. Ms. Cox said she will donate the prize money to two state schools for the deaf and one state school for the blind.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Preparation for College
Many California high school students “fall off the college-preparatory track” because they are not taking the key math and science courses they need in 9th grade, says a report.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Lack of Proof Seen on Reading Text
Houghton Mifflin Reading, a popular textbook for teaching literacy in the early grades, cannot be given an effectiveness rating by the What Works Clearinghouse because existing research provides insufficient evidence of its impact on student learning, says a recent report.
Standards
News in Brief
Panel to Spur International Benchmarks
A new advisory group packed with high-powered technology executives, governors, education policymakers, and think tank researchers is aiming to help jump-start the movement by states to measure their academic standards against those of other countries.
Education
News in Brief
District Won’t Fight Accreditation Loss
Officials with the Clayton County, Ga., public schools have decided not to appeal the loss of the district’s accreditation.
Ed-Tech Policy
News in Brief
Research Center Formed to Explore Link Between Technology, Learning
A research center to investigate the relationship between new technologies and academic achievement is being launched at the University of California, Los Angeles with funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
AFT Fund to Back Projects by Unions to Improve Schools
The American Federation of Teachers has announced the creation of a $1 million fund to encourage projects by its local affiliates to improve public schools.
School & District Management
News in Brief
N.J. Superintendent Relinquishes Pay Raise After Degree Questioned
A New Jersey superintendent criticized for a pay raise garnered with a degree from an unaccredited provider said he would give up the $2,500 annual increase.
Education
Clarification
CLARIFICATION
An article on the California Charter Schools Association in the “Leading for Learning” report in the Sept. 10, 2008, issue of Education Week should have noted that the San Francisco-based Pisces Foundation, which in 2003 provided funding to help expand the association, is now known as the Doris & Donald Fisher Fund.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Bush Picks Ed. Dept. Inspector General
President Bush last week nominated Jerry Gayle Bridges to be the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Education.
Education
News in Brief
Multistate Effort Aims at Guiding Readiness for College, Careers
Five national public-policy organizations are cooperating on a multistate effort aimed at anchoring assessment and accountability systems in college- and career-readiness.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Arizona Lawmakers Appeal ELL Case to U.S. Supreme Court
Arizona lawmakers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review lower federal court decisions in the Flores v. Arizona case concerning the education of Arizona’s English-language learners.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Universal Preschool
A 2-year-old effort to create universal access to preschool in Massachusetts has done little to get more children in programs, a new report says.
Education Funding
Upkeep in Arizona Taking Budget Hit
School districts in Arizona hoping to give their classrooms a fresh coat of paint, repave their school parking lots, or take steps to become more energy-efficient will have to wait one more year to make those changes.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Finding the Right Balance of Instruction and Engagement
To the Editor:
David Hill is correct when he writes in his Commentary “The ‘Stained-Glass Window’ Theory” (Aug. 13, 2008) that it is important for students’ time at school to be filled with productive, educational activities. It is, after all, school, and the objective is for students to learn. School should serve as an environment where all students are encouraged to understand and reach for the high expectations set for them.
David Hill is correct when he writes in his Commentary “The ‘Stained-Glass Window’ Theory” (Aug. 13, 2008) that it is important for students’ time at school to be filled with productive, educational activities. It is, after all, school, and the objective is for students to learn. School should serve as an environment where all students are encouraged to understand and reach for the high expectations set for them.
Education
Letter to the Editor
A Dearth of Standardization in College-Entrance Exams
To the Editor:
As reported in your recent articles "SAT Scores for Class of 2008 Halt Slide of Recent Years" (Sept. 3, 2008) and "ACT Scores Dip Slightly as Participation Soars" (Aug. 27, 2008), scores on the SAT and ACT college-entrance exams remain flat or trend slightly downward, while score gaps between groups of students remain wide. Are these numbers reliable? Unfortunately, no.
As reported in your recent articles "SAT Scores for Class of 2008 Halt Slide of Recent Years" (Sept. 3, 2008) and "ACT Scores Dip Slightly as Participation Soars" (Aug. 27, 2008), scores on the SAT and ACT college-entrance exams remain flat or trend slightly downward, while score gaps between groups of students remain wide. Are these numbers reliable? Unfortunately, no.
Education Funding
Opinion
Common-Sense Ways to Improve Education Without a Tax Increase
During his career as an educator and an elected school board member, Kenneth E. Hartman learned a lot about effective school districts and provides practical strategies for improving schools without raising taxes.
Ed-Tech Policy
Opinion
The Entrepreneurial Thing — We’re Only No. 2
In a country that considers failure an acceptable option, "How do you make a culture that welcomes entrepreneurs?," asks Gerald W. Bracey.
Standards
Opinion
The Case for National Standards and Testing
Walt Gardner discusses how a report about medical schools from almost a century ago mirrors many of the charges aimed today at K-12 schools in the inner cities and in remote rural communities.
Assessment
Test Industry Split Over 'Formative' Assessment
There’s a war of sorts going on within the normally staid assessment industry, and it’s a war over the definition of a type of assessment that many educators understand in only the sketchiest fashion.
Federal
Candidates Cite Teaching as an Example of Service
John McCain and Barack Obama disagree on just how much of a role the federal government should have in encouraging citizens—including young people—to get involved in community service.
Federal
Fact Check: McCain Ad: ‘Education’
An Education Week analysis of the campaign ads of Sen. John McCain.