October 20, 2010
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 08
School & District Management
Opinion
'Superman' and Solidarity
Complexity and the need for collective action are two missing elements in the new film "Waiting for 'Superman,'" teacher and doctoral student David Liebowitz writes.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Housing Policy Is School Policy
Richard D. Kahlenberg explains the significance of a new study on the Montgomery County, Md., schools.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
The Courage to Seek Authentic Feedback
Teachers spend their work lives giving feedback to students, yet often cringe when faced with it themselves, Alexis Wiggins writes.
Equity & Diversity
Letter to the Editor
An Aussie Asks About Boys' Learning Here
To the Editor:
I’m interested in learning about the discussion of boys’ struggles within the education system in the United States and Canada. Here in Australia, and in the United Kingdom, we have been wrestling with this issue for some time.
I’m interested in learning about the discussion of boys’ struggles within the education system in the United States and Canada. Here in Australia, and in the United Kingdom, we have been wrestling with this issue for some time.
Science
Letter to the Editor
In STEM Initiatives, Don't Forget the Gifted
To the Editor:
Both your Sept. 15 and Sept. 22, 2010, issues contain articles on the need for educators to address science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education, so that the country and its students can prosper (“STEM Plans Embedded in Winning Proposals for Race to the Top”; “Expert Panels Tackle Enrichment Strategies for STEM Education”). It is critical that in these efforts, educators and policymakers also address the identification and provision of services for our best and brightest students.
Both your Sept. 15 and Sept. 22, 2010, issues contain articles on the need for educators to address science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, education, so that the country and its students can prosper (“STEM Plans Embedded in Winning Proposals for Race to the Top”; “Expert Panels Tackle Enrichment Strategies for STEM Education”). It is critical that in these efforts, educators and policymakers also address the identification and provision of services for our best and brightest students.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Michelle Rhee's Fate Mystifies This Reader
To the Editor:
Help me to understand. In your Sept. 22, 2010, edition, under the headline “Rhee Reflective in Aftershock of D.C. Primary,” the following positive things were mentioned related to Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s leadership of schools in the nation’s capital: (1) Elementary students are learning foreign language and are involved in International Baccalaureate programs; (2) test scores have improved; (3) the enrollment decline has slowed; (4) the bureaucracy has been improved and the district is saving money; (5) the graduation rate has improved, especially for black students; and (6) hundreds of millions of dollars have poured in to upgrade and rebuild rundown schools.
Help me to understand. In your Sept. 22, 2010, edition, under the headline “Rhee Reflective in Aftershock of D.C. Primary,” the following positive things were mentioned related to Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s leadership of schools in the nation’s capital: (1) Elementary students are learning foreign language and are involved in International Baccalaureate programs; (2) test scores have improved; (3) the enrollment decline has slowed; (4) the bureaucracy has been improved and the district is saving money; (5) the graduation rate has improved, especially for black students; and (6) hundreds of millions of dollars have poured in to upgrade and rebuild rundown schools.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Value-Added Methods Misjudge 'Effectiveness'
To the Editor:
I agree with Diane Ravitch’s view that value-added assessment should not be used the sole gauge of teachers’ effectiveness (“The Problems with Value-Added Assessment,” Bridging Differences blog, Oct. 5, 2010). The method has led too often to controversy and bad feelings.
I agree with Diane Ravitch’s view that value-added assessment should not be used the sole gauge of teachers’ effectiveness (“The Problems with Value-Added Assessment,” Bridging Differences blog, Oct. 5, 2010). The method has led too often to controversy and bad feelings.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Teachers, Not Boards Are 'Point of Impact'
To the Editor:
In his recent Commentary, Matt Winkle suggests that authorities at the local level, as in school boards, be imbued with greater decisionmaking power to enable them to do more than simply fine-tune state and federal demands ("That’s Not the Way It Works in Education," Sept. 29, 2010). I hope that his notion of local empowerment also extends to his district’s teachers, since the most significant “point of impact” in schooling is the relationship between student and teacher, not between the school board and the district.
In his recent Commentary, Matt Winkle suggests that authorities at the local level, as in school boards, be imbued with greater decisionmaking power to enable them to do more than simply fine-tune state and federal demands ("That’s Not the Way It Works in Education," Sept. 29, 2010). I hope that his notion of local empowerment also extends to his district’s teachers, since the most significant “point of impact” in schooling is the relationship between student and teacher, not between the school board and the district.
Recruitment & Retention
U.S. Found to Recruit Fewer Teachers From Top Ranks
While top-performing nations draw all their teachers from the top-third of the academic pool, the United States draws 23 percent.
Federal
New Orleans in Early Phase of School-Building Boom
A $1.8 billion, federally funded effort aims to deal with the physical damage still evident from Hurricane Katrina five years after the storm.
Curriculum
Opinion
Moving Forward With the Common Core
Common standards are a reality, but how they are interpreted and assessed is all-important, writes Sarah Fine.
School Choice & Charters
Okla. Districts Balk at Special Education Vouchers
Four Tulsa-area districts say they won't comply with a new state law providing private-school scholarship money for students with disabilities.
School & District Management
Early Grades Become the New Front in Absenteeism Wars
While efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism typically focus on adolescents, experts say that the early grades are the place to start.
School & District Management
Rhee Resigns, Urging D.C.: 'Keep the Reforms Going'
In announcing her departure, Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said the future mayor has "a right to choose his own school leader."
School & District Management
Study Challenges States on 'Fairness' of Funding
Many states fall short in the "fairness" of their school funding models, says a new study based on a detailed look at Census data.