January 12, 2011

Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 15
Classroom Technology E-Curriculum Seen to Set Stage for Better Testing
The interactivity and flexibility of online curricula could lead to a wave of more effective ways to assess students, experts say.
Ian Quillen, January 7, 2011
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6 min read
Classroom Technology Fla. Virtual School Ties Course Completions to Funding
The state-sponsored school walks a delicate line between maintaining academic standards and ensuring it has adequate funding.
Ian Quillen, January 7, 2011
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4 min read
Ben Zucker, 9, plays with Megan Bermes, 7, during the Texas Connections Academy field trip to Natural Bridge Caverns. Both students are from San Antonio.
Ben Zucker, 9, plays with Megan Bermes, 7, during the Texas Connections Academy field trip to Natural Bridge Caverns. Both students are from San Antonio.
Alicia Wagner Calzada for Education Week
Classroom Technology Cyber Students Taught the Value of Social Skills
Virtual schools are adding social skills to the curricula to satisfy parents and students who worry about potential isolation in the online world.
Michelle R. Davis, January 7, 2011
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9 min read
Classroom Technology Marriage of E-Courses and Mobile Computing Still Evolving
One giant step K-12 virtual education has yet to take is the creation of courses that can be completed entirely with a mobile device.
Ian Quillen, January 7, 2011
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5 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Online Credit Recovery Emphasizes Personalized Learning
Developers of credit-recovery courses are constantly trying to figure out what will motivate underachieving students.
Michelle R. Davis, January 7, 2011
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5 min read
Aimee Cvancara helps her son Peter, 5, with math work on a laptop computer at the family home in Anthem, Ariz. Peter is enrolled in the Arizona Virtual Academy, a K-12 online school that uses curriculum from Herndon, Va-based K12 Inc., a company that provides e-learning services. Elementary students in the academy must demonstrate mastery at subject checkpoints.
Aimee Cvancara helps her son Peter, 5, with math work on a laptop computer at the family home in Anthem, Ariz. Peter is enrolled in the Arizona Virtual Academy, a K-12 online school that uses curriculum from Herndon, Va-based K12 Inc., a company that provides e-learning services. Elementary students in the academy must demonstrate mastery at subject checkpoints.
David Wallace for Education Week
Classroom Technology Cyber Schools Address Elementary Needs
Elementary school online students need remediation or acceleration at junctures in their development some say are more crucial than any in high school.
Ian Quillen, January 7, 2011
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6 min read
Curriculum Linking E-Courses to 'Common Core' Academic Standards
The widespread pledge by states to adopt common standards could allow virtual education to truly break down state boundaries for teachers and students, experts say.
Katie Ash, January 7, 2011
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6 min read
The Grand Rapids district in Michigan launched blended-learning classes this school year that combine face-to-face instruction and e-learning. Students, above, do work for a blended social studies course at Ottawa Hills High School.
The Grand Rapids district in Michigan launched blended-learning classes this school year that combine face-to-face instruction and e-learning. Students, above, do work for a blended social studies course at Ottawa Hills High School.
Adam Bird for Education Week
Classroom Technology Curricula All Over the Map for 'Blended' Classes
The content and approaches for courses that blend face-to-face and virtual learning varies widely, raising questions about what works best.
Katie Ash, January 7, 2011
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6 min read
Standards & Accountability Group Outlines K-12 Online Course Standards
After crafting standards for higher education that are widely used, the Quality Matters Program outlines e-learning course expectations for K-12 schools.
Katie Ash, January 7, 2011
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5 min read
Susan D. Patrick
Susan D. Patrick
Standards & Accountability Common Core Conversation With Susan Patrick
The president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning talks to Education Week about the impact the common core standards are likely to have on e-learning.
Katie Ash, January 7, 2011
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2 min read
Curriculum About This Report
This is the final installment of a three-part series on e-learning examining how schools are working to create high-quality digital curricula and online courses.
Kevin Bushweller, January 7, 2011
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1 min read
House members take their oath of office during the first session of the 112th Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 5. The Republican Party now controls the U.S. House of Representatives and bolstered its minority ranks in the Senate during the 2010 midterm elections.
House members take their oath of office during the first session of the 112th Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 5. The Republican Party now controls the U.S. House of Representatives and bolstered its minority ranks in the Senate during the 2010 midterm elections.
Charles Dharapak/AP
Education Funding K-12 Funding, Policy on Radar for New Congress
A bolstered GOP is intent on reining in spending, while President Obama still has a long list of education priorities.
Alyson Klein, January 7, 2011
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7 min read
School & District Management Memphis Merger Proposal Hits 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 7, 2011
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5 min read
Special Education Study Finds Special Educators Get Less Mentoring
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 6, 2011
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3 min read
Standards & Accountability Full Standards System in States Several Years Away
A survey of states' plans to implement common standards and accompanying reforms shows that few will be fully realized before 2013.
Catherine Gewertz, January 6, 2011
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5 min read
School & District Management Opinion Can the Broken Charter System Be Fixed?
Kenneth Lopour warns that charter schools are not a magic salve, but with careful planning and a vision they can thrive and so can the children who attend them.
Kenneth Lopour, January 5, 2011
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4 min read
Krista Vince Garland teaches a science lesson to the virtual students in the TeachME Lab at the University of Central Florida.
Krista Vince Garland teaches a science lesson to the virtual students in the TeachME Lab at the University of Central Florida.
University of Central Florida TeachME-File
Teaching Profession Virtual Students Are Used to Train Teachers
Computer-generated "students" give aspiring teachers the opportunity to test their strategies without doing harm to real ones.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 5, 2011
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10 min read
On his last day as Arizona's schools chief, Tom Horne points to quotations from textbooks used in an ethnic-studies class in Tucson. Mr. Horne informed Tucson school officials last week of his determination that such classes violate a new state law.
On his last day as Arizona's schools chief, Tom Horne points to quotations from textbooks used in an ethnic-studies class in Tucson. Mr. Horne informed Tucson school officials last week of his determination that such classes violate a new state law.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
Law & Courts Tucson Officials Stand by Ethnic-Studies Classes
As pressure builds for the district to shut down its controversial classes or risk losing state funds, officials stand firm.
Mary Ann Zehr, January 4, 2011
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4 min read
Governor Jerry Brown addresses the audience after he was sworn-in as California's 39th Governor in Sacramento, Calif. on Jan. 3. Brown has warned school officials to expect deep reductions as the state struggles with a $28 billion two-year deficit.
Governor Jerry Brown addresses the audience after he was sworn-in as California's 39th Governor in Sacramento, Calif. on Jan. 3. Brown has warned school officials to expect deep reductions as the state struggles with a $28 billion two-year deficit.
Anne Chadwick Williams/AP
Federal Policy, Fiscal Challenges Confront State Officials
Bleak budget conditions persist even as many governors and legislators seek to push ambitious K-12 agendas.
Sean Cavanagh, January 4, 2011
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10 min read
Classroom Technology Schools Examine Content, Delivery of Online AP Courses
College Board plans to add more robust content to the courses and make sure they emphasize the development of 21st-century skills.
Michelle R. Davis, January 3, 2011
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6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion High School to College: The New Alignment
There needs to be a fundamental realignment of high school priorities based on data and specific expectations of what students must know for college, Jordan E. Horowitz writes.
Jordan E. Horowitz, January 3, 2011
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6 min read
School & District Management Education Research Seeks a Faster Pace
Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in so-called "deep-dive, quick-turnaround" research, which aims to find rapid, concrete answers to specific questions about educational innovations.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 30, 2010
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4 min read
Education Revisiting the Most Popular Stories of 2010
As educators look ahead to the challenges of 2011, it’s worth noting what schools were grappling with in 2010 by perusing the 20 most popular Education Week stories and commentaries of the year.
The Editors, December 30, 2010
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4 min read
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush helps 5th graders Angelica Pinero, 11, center, and Diamonique Christian, 11, right, with math exercises during a visit to Tangelo Park Elementary school in Orlando, Fla., in Oct. Since leaving office, Mr. Bush’s education policies have spread beyond Florida.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush helps 5th graders Angelica Pinero, 11, center, and Diamonique Christian, 11, right, with math exercises during a visit to Tangelo Park Elementary school in Orlando, Fla., in Oct. Since leaving office, Mr. Bush’s education policies have spread beyond Florida.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/AP
School & District Management Jeb Bush's Influence on Education Policy Spreads
Policymakers in a number of states take a page from the former two-term Florida governor's aggressive, sometimes divisive playbook.
Sean Cavanagh, December 29, 2010
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12 min read
Special Education Special Educators Look to Tie IEPs to Common Core
The widespread adoption of common standards may bolster a movement to tie academic goals to specialized education plans for students with disabilities.
Christina A. Samuels, December 27, 2010
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5 min read
Kevin Stonewall, the director of alumni affairs at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School in Chicago, talks with recent alumni who have returned to the school over the winter break from college. Stonewall follows its graduates through their first year of college, keeping tabs on them through online social networking, transcript requests, direct contacts, and connections to area colleges. In the process, the school is able to direct students to support services and get feedback from students on how well it prepared them for college.
Kevin Stonewall, the director of alumni affairs at North Lawndale College Preparatory High School in Chicago, talks with recent alumni who have returned to the school over the winter break from college. Stonewall follows its graduates through their first year of college, keeping tabs on them through online social networking, transcript requests, direct contacts, and connections to area colleges. In the process, the school is able to direct students to support services and get feedback from students on how well it prepared them for college.
John Zich for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Experts Begin to Identify Nonacademic Skills Key to 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, December 23, 2010
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6 min read
Education Funding Temporary Budget Deal Freezes K-12 Spending
The deal leaves it to a new, more-conservative Congress to set final spending on K-12 programs for fiscal 2011.
Alyson Klein, December 22, 2010
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6 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Needed: A New Way to Finance the American Dream
Former NEA President Reg Weaver worries that a proposed federal rule would disproportionately harm career colleges and the minority students they serve.
Reg Weaver, December 22, 2010
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4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness More Testing Seen for High School Students
A study cites additional state reliance on exit exams and the anticipated arrival of standards-aligned exams among reasons for the upswing.
Catherine Gewertz, December 21, 2010
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5 min read
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