December 3, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 14
Federal
Report Roundup
Data Quality
In its third annual report, the Data Quality Campaign concludes that six states have all 10 elements of a longitudinal data system that can track the academic growth of individual students from year to year, from preschool through college.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
National Testing
The majority of states have not seen big changes recently in the rates of students they exclude from the National Assessment of Educational Progress because of disabilities, a new study finds.
Federal
Report Roundup
School Choice
A new report outlines strategies to help more students make use of the school choice provision in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Reading & Literacy
Federal Path for Reading Questioned
The $6 billion spent on the program has helped students with basic decoding but not with understanding, a major study finds.
School & District Management
It's No Secret: Progress Prized In Brownsville
A Texas border district sees teacher training and data-based instruction as paths to learning gains—and the $1 million Broad award adds validation.
Assessment
Plans Advance to Link NAEP to College, Work Readiness
The National Assessment Governing Board plans detailed studies to determine how “preparedness” could be reflected on the test’s scale.
Special Education
Materials Help Dyslexic and Blind
An education industry has grown up around providing teaching materials for students with dyslexia.
Federal
Democratic Education PAC Hopes for Its Moment Under Obama
Democrats for Education Reform backs policies such as charter schools and differential pay for teachers.
Federal
Professor Is Leading Ed. Policy Review
Linda Darling-Hammond was a prominent voice on K-12 issues for the candidate.
Standards & Accountability
Second Ga. District Now Under Cloud
Three months after the Clayton County school district lost its accreditation, another Georgia district is facing the same fate.
Federal
Report Roundup
Study Links Teacher Attributes to Effectiveness
Schools wishing to hire more-effective teachers could benefit from collecting a broader set of information on their candidates, a new paper says.
Federal
Institute of Education Sciences' Board Calls Agency's Past 5 Years a Success
A congressionally mandated report says the Institute of Education Sciences has improved the quality of federally financed education studies.
Education Funding
Nations' Broken Vows Slow Education Goals, UNESCO Reports
A new report blames a range of factors for pushing the international goal of universal primary schooling off target.
Assessment
Puerto Rican Officials Feud Over NAEP Participation
The commonwealth’s education secretary wants to pull out of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, but the governor-elect disagrees.
Federal
'What Works' Process for Assessing Studies Called Valid
A congressionally requested study of the federal research-review agency cheers federal officials but leaves critics unsatisfied.
Teacher Preparation
NCATE Commits to Streamlining Accrediting Process
The nation’s largest accreditor of teacher colleges says it will streamline the process teacher preparation programs go through to get its approval.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Much of New-Media Learning Said to Occur Informally
Playing and socializing online develop young people's technical skills and media literacy in ways that rival formal education, a study says.
Federal
Researchers Pitch Policy Ideas as Power Shifts in Capital
A prestigious education group aims to steer the Obama administration and new Congress toward evidence-based policy changes.
Reading & Literacy
No Effect on Comprehension Seen From 'Reading First'
The $6 billion spent on the program has helped students with basic decoding but not with understanding, a major study finds.
Federal
Ayers Speaks on Education, Unsought Election Role
The 1960s radical-turned-education professor opens up to a Washington crowd on school reform and the political campaign that sought to demonize him.
School & District Management
Case Studies Detail Districts' Personnel Challenges
An initiative on "human capital" argues for a new strategy for managing talent.
Early Childhood
Children's Lack of Playtime Seen as Troubling Health, School Issue
An emphasis on academics and other structured activities is stripping young children of much-needed time for make-believe, experts warn.