September 24, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 05
Federal
New Coalition Backs Community Schools, Focus on Partnerships
The debate over whether schools ought to focus solely on raising achievement in this era of high-stakes accountability, or whether they should also find ways to tend to students’ nonacademic needs, has been simmering in this presidential-campaign season.
School & District Management
N.H. Seeking to Reinvigorate High Schools
A burgeoning high school redesign effort in New Hampshire sets its sights beyond simply stiffening course requirements and graduation standards.
Education
Correction
Corrections
A Commentary article in the Sept. 17, 2008, issue of Education Week, “Common-Sense Ways to Improve Education Without a Tax Increase,” gave an incorrect figure for the total federal debt due to an editing error. It should have been $53 trillion.
Federal
Campaign K-12 Notebook
Sen. John McCain has an idea for Head Start that is sure to generate broad support in Congress—because lawmakers have already passed it.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Principal Honored at Middle Level
When educators at Boaz Middle School were trying to figure out the achievement gap between low-income students and their better-off peers, Principal Ray Landers took teachers and other staff members on a bus tour of the neighborhoods in northeastern Alabama the school serves.
Federal
Hurricane Recovery Proves Slow Going
Dozens of Texas school districts are likely to be closed indefinitely as they struggle to recover from Hurricane Ike, which devastated the Gulf Coast and caused disruption into the Midwest.
Federal
NCLB Technical Panel Could Be Influential
With the Congressional reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act on hold for now, the Department of Education is turning to an expert panel for technical advice on improving the seven-year-old law.
School & District Management
Schools Chiefs Scrap for Ballot Spotlight
Despite heightened interest in presidential politics this election year, “down ballot” races such as the state chiefs’ contests in Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Washington still won’t get much attention.
Families & the Community
Minneapolis Sets 'Covenant' on Black Achievement
The Minneapolis school board and the local African-American community have signed a “covenant” that places responsibility for improving schooling for black children on the shoulders of parents and district leaders.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Preparing for Emergencies
Many of the nation’s schools and day-care centers are ill-prepared to handle emergencies arising from natural and man-made disasters, according to a new report that analyzes licensing requirements throughout the country.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Research Report: English-Language Learners
From 1994 to 2006, Nevada’s enrollment of English-language learners grew by 208 percent, compared with an increase of 61 percent nationwide, says a report released by the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Cost of Catching Up In College Decried
It’s a tough lesson for millions of students arriving on campus: Even if you have a high school diploma, you may not be ready for college.
Federal
Report Roundup
Teens and Video Games
Despite concerns that video games may draw students away from civic participation, a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that teenagers’ gaming experiences are often social and have earmarks of civic engagement.
Federal
Report Roundup
Education Data
Total enrollment in public and private precollegiate schools is expected to grow by an estimated 10 percent by 2017, says a report released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Education Funding
Probe Into Ky. Grant Leaps State Borders
A federal investigation into the alleged misuse of a $694,000 U.S. Department of Education grant is having ramifications for college and public school administrators in three states.
Law & Courts
Federal File
OCR Race Letter Draws Objection
The Department of Education’s office for civil rights has weighed in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2007 decision on school districts’ consideration of race in assigning students to schools.
School & District Management
Consensus on Learning Time Builds
Under enormous pressure to prepare students for a successful future—and fearful that standard school hours don’t offer enough time to do so—educators, policymakers, and community activists are adding more learning time to children’s lives.
Federal
Research Yields Clues on the Effects of Extra Time for Learning
Since A Nation at Risk in 1983, one blue-ribbon panel after another has called for expanding learning time as a way to boost student achievement. Yet studies only recently have begun to document the potential impact that a little extra learning time might have in practice.
Teaching
Time—On Teens' Terms
Chicago’s After School Matters is a national model for involving older students in activities to develop their skills and talents.
Teaching
Opinion
How Much Time for Learning? A Tour of the Archives
Contributors to Education Week’s Commentary section needed little encouragement from the drafters of A Nation at Risk to contemplate the question of how best to deploy school time to improve student achievement. Variations on the theme of time and learning have been a staple for Commentary writers.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Miami Puts Off Vote on New Leader
The Miami-Dade County, Fla. school board has delayed a vote to approve the contract of its newly chosen superintendent, as questions swirled about the process used to select him and about the nature of his relationship with a reporter who covered the schools.
Special Education
News in Brief
Former CDF Researcher Dies
Paul V. Smith, 69, a retired director of research for the Children’s Defense Fund, died Sept. 9 of sepsis.
School & District Management
News in Brief
D.C. Reaches Settlement Over Migrant Education Funds
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a $1.75 million settlement with the District of Columbia to resolve allegations that its public school system submitted false claims for federal money under the Migrant Education Program.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Ga. Districts to Refile Finance Suit
A coalition of low-wealth school districts in Georgia has withdrawn its finance lawsuit against the state, just weeks before a trial was set to begin, because the case was transferred to a new judge.
Federal
News in Brief
House Passes Bill to Support Environmental Education
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill last week to create new grant programs to support environmental education.
Federal
News in Brief
U.S. Education Department Awards $106 Million in Early Reading Grants
Even as the federal Reading First program may be headed for elimination, the initiative for improving the reading skills of preschool children is expanding to more locations.
Federal
News in Brief
Foundation Donates $18 Million To Expand Playground Program
One of the nation’s largest donors to public-health causes last week announced an $18 million gift to help efforts to revive recess and playtime in inner-city schools.
Federal
News in Brief
Ed. Dept. Unveils College Web Site
The U.S. Department of Education last week launched a Web site, College.gov, aimed at motivating students to go to college.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Ariz. Officials Probing District Over Contract for Whiteboards
Arizona officials are investigating whether a Tucson school district received inappropriate perks after awarding a lucrative contract to a company that makes high-tech classroom whiteboards.