January 12, 2011

Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 15
School & District Management News in Brief Colorado Governor Picked to Lead Ed. Policy Group
Former Denver Mayor and new Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will serve as the next chairman of the Education Commission of the States, a leading a research and information-sharing organization.
Sean Cavanagh, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Michelle Rhee Launches New Education Reform Group
Former District of Columbia schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has announced the launch of a new public education reform coalition called Students First.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief U.S. Files to Take Over Suit Against Computer Vendors
The federal government has filed to take over a civil lawsuit to recover tens of millions of taxpayer dollars from computer vendors accused of lavishing Houston school district officials with generous gifts in exchange for hefty contracts.
McClatchy-Tribune, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Virginia to Tighten Textbook Reviews
Virginia's education department plans to tighten its textbook-review process after experts discovered a multitude of factual errors in state-approved history books.
The Associated Press, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Administrators Shot by Student After Suspension
A 17-year-old gunman who opened fire at his Nebraska high school, killing an assistant principal, had been suspended from class and removed from the building hours earlier for driving on an athletic field, police said last week.
The Associated Press, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding Governor, Lawmakers Engaged on K-12 in N.J.
The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2010 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.
Catherine Gewertz, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding Pa. Sheltered Funding Amid Fiscal Distress
The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions. Precollegiate enrollment figures are based on fall 2010 data reported by state officials for public elementary and secondary schools. The figures for precollegiate education spending do not include federal flow-through funds, unless noted.
Catherine Gewertz, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
IT Infrastructure & Management Texas Ethics Code Cyberspace-Ready
Using electronic media to stay in touch with students, post assignments on Facebook, or answer homework questions via text message can be a minefield for teachers, and Texas is trying to do something about that.
McClatchy-Tribune, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Federal Obama Signs Leaner Version of America COMPETES Act
The GOP's new majority in the House could make it tougher to secure funding for the law's existing and new programs.
Erik W. Robelen, January 11, 2011
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3 min read
Parents in Compton, Calif., in early December prepare to file petitions seeking to have McKinley Elementary School turned into a charter school in the 2011-12 school year. Parents, from left: Marlene Romero, with son, Ivan, 8; Ismania Guzman, with daughter, Alexandra, 6; and Shamika Murphy, with daughter, Kiari, 7.
Parents in Compton, Calif., in early December prepare to file petitions seeking to have McKinley Elementary School turned into a charter school in the 2011-12 school year. Parents, from left: Marlene Romero, with son, Ivan, 8; Ismania Guzman, with daughter, Alexandra, 6; and Shamika Murphy, with daughter, Kiari, 7.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Families & the Community News in Brief Parent 'Trigger' Law Draws Attention, Controversy
Education advocates and organizations are closely scrutinizing the first use of California's "parent-trigger" law, after parents in Compton, Calif., last month invoked the new statute.
Ramsey Cox, January 11, 2011
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2 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
| VIEWS | ON PERFORMANCE
Justin Baeder, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
Mathematics High Achievers Scarce in Math, Science in U.S.
About 10 percent of American students scored at the highest levels in math, though they performed somewhat better in science on PISA.
Erik W. Robelen, January 11, 2011
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4 min read
School & District Management Data Mining Gets Traction in Education
Researchers find that they can use Amazon-like techniques for analyzing customer behaviors to study—and improve— student learning.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 11, 2011
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5 min read
President Barack Obama talks with 3rd grader Luis Avilar-Turcios, before signing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington.
President Barack Obama talks with 3rd grader Luis Avilar-Turcios, before signing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement School Groups Worry Revised Lunch Law Could Burden Districts
President Obama last month signed a long-awaited bill that provides more money to districts for school lunches and improves nutritional standards for food provided in schools.
Christina A. Samuels, January 11, 2011
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3 min read
School & District Management District-Merger Proposal for Memphis Hits a Road Bump
The fate of Memphis' city schools is up in the air following a decision by the city's school board to try to consolidate the district.
Christina A. Samuels, January 11, 2011
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4 min read
School & District Management Gates Analysis Offers Clues to Identification of Teacher Effectiveness
Preliminary findings show that value-added histories and student perceptions of teachers strongly predict teacher performance.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 11, 2011
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4 min read
Federal Turnaround-Program Data Seen as Promising, Though Preliminary
School Improvement Grant awards have gone to schools in 44 states so far, the Education Department says, urban, rural, and suburban.
Alyson Klein, January 11, 2011
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5 min read
Kevin Stonewall, director of alumni affairs at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School in Chicago, talks with recent graduates visiting the school during their winter break from college. The school tracks former students to gather feedback on how well it prepared them for college.
Kevin Stonewall, director of alumni affairs at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School in Chicago, talks with recent graduates visiting the school during their winter break from college. The school tracks former students to gather feedback on how well it prepared them for college.
John Zich for Education Week
Education Experts Zero In on Non-Academic Skills for Success
Researchers and educators are working to define—and teach—the noncognitive skills students need to be considered "college and career ready."
Sarah D. Sparks, January 11, 2011
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6 min read
Students Shantya Gibson, Jalyn Gilbert, and Alexis Heard work on a group project at the Dayton Early-College Academy in Dayton, Ohio. The school is seeking ways to stay afloat following a cut in state funding for early colleges.
Students Shantya Gibson, Jalyn Gilbert, and Alexis Heard work on a group project at the Dayton Early-College Academy in Dayton, Ohio. The school is seeking ways to stay afloat following a cut in state funding for early colleges.
James D. DeCamp
Curriculum Funding Cutbacks Leave Some Early Colleges Struggling
Faced with a drop in state funds and grant support, some early colleges are struggling to stay open.
Mary Ann Zehr, January 11, 2011
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7 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Study Finds Special Educators Have Less Access to Mentors
While teacher mentoring programs are widespread, a study in one state found that such opportunities are not as available to beginning special education teachers as they are to their general education counterparts.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 11, 2011
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3 min read
Federal Report Roundup D.C. School Choice
Options for public school choice in the District of Columbia are often more limited than they appear on paper, a recent analysis concludes.
Sean Cavanagh, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Student Mobility
A new government report states that about 13 percent of children in the United States change schools four or more times before enrolling in high school, and job loss, home foreclosures, and homelessness may be driving it.
Mary Ann Zehr, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
School Choice & Charters Report Roundup School Improvement
The lowest-performing public K-8 schools often linger in that state for years, and persistently failing charter schools fare no better than regular public schools, a study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup High School Testing
High school is becoming a focus of increased testing, as more states tie diplomas to some type of assessment and require other exams that are not linked to graduation, according to a study.
Catherine Gewertz, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Federal Report Roundup Study: States Must Act Faster to Close Academic Gaps
At the current pace, a report says, it will take years—even decades—to close achievement gaps between students of different income, racial, and ethnic groups.
Mary Ann Zehr, January 11, 2011
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Susan Sanford
School & District Management Opinion The Future of School Boards
Gene Maeroff writes that school boards have the potential to jeopardize education quality if their focus is too constrained.
Gene I. Maeroff, January 10, 2011
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5 min read
Education Funding Race to Top Winners Get Guidance on Plan Alterations
The administration outlines what kind of amendments they would accept—and what changes would put awardees' funding at risk.
Sean Cavanagh, January 8, 2011
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4 min read
Standards & Accountability Most Students Failing to Reach Common-Standards Bar
The ACT study found only a third to a half of juniors proficient in the content and skills in the English and math standards.
Catherine Gewertz, January 7, 2011
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4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Early-College High Schools: 'Why Not Do It for All the Kids?'
The success of the early-college high school program in economically depressed Hidalgo, Texas, holds promise for schools across the nation, Joel Vargas writes.
Joel Vargas, January 7, 2011
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5 min read
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