March 2, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 22
Education
Links in Education Week: March 2, 2011
Scholars Say Causes of Stuttering Are Multiple and Interconnected
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Scholars Say Causes of Stuttering Are Multiple and Interconnected
- "Speech-Induced Suppression of Evoked Auditory Fields in Children Who Stutter" can be found in the November 2010 edition of the journal NeuroImage.
- "Evidence That a Motor Timing Deficit Is a Factor in the Development of Stuttering" can be found in the August 2010 edition of the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
- "Predicting Persistence of and Recovery from Stuttering by the Teenage Years Based on Information Gathered at Age 8 Years" can be found in the February 2011 edition of the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
School & District Management
New Equity Panel Digs Into Funding
The way schooling is paid for in the United States needs to be radically changed so that all students have equal opportunity, big names in education policy said at the first meeting of a new commission set up by the Obama administration.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Meals
Nationally, farm-to-school programs have increased from fewer than 10 in 1997 to more than 2,000 in 33 states in 2008, according to a January report by the Council of State Governments.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Bullying and Students With Disabilities
A new report concludes that children who may be especially vulnerable to bullies—students with disabilities—have few resources to deal with the problem.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Hiring
Teachers are significantly less likely to apply to schools with high concentrations of poor students and more likely to apply to schools that reflect their own racial or ethnic background, according to a new study.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Childhood Hunger
About 65 percent of K-8 teachers say children in their classrooms regularly come to school hungry, according to a nationwide survey of 638 elementary and middle school teachers.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Private School Enrollment
Competition from charter schools has led to a small decline in private school enrollment, but the size of the effect is modest, according to a study of elementary schools in Michigan.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Charter Schools
Charter school leaders should embrace performance incentives to encourage the proliferation of top-performing charter schools, says a report released last week.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Study Says Communities in Schools Model Prevents Dropouts
A comprehensive, five-year study of Communities in Schools has found that its educational model can be effective in helping to prevent students from dropping out.
Education
News in Brief
N.C. Warned Not to Drop Exams:
The North Carolina judge overseeing a landmark state court decision on education has warned lawmakers that a plan to get rid of four end-of-course tests would violate the state constitution.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
D.C. to Appeal Firings Ruling
The District of Columbia will appeal an arbitrators ruling that former public schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee improperly fired 75 teachers in 2008.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Calif. Parent-Trigger Petition Rejected by School Board
A group of Compton, Calif., parents vowed to continue to force their school district to convert a struggling elementary school to an independent charter, despite the school board's rejection of their petition.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
AFT Offers Due Process Plan For 'Ineffective' Teachers
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten unveiled a new framework last week to guide due process for teachers deemed by administrators to be ineffective.
Education Funding
News in Brief
No Textbook Funds Included in Texas Budget Proposals
Texas lawmakers are dealing with a projected $15 billion shortfall in the next two-year spending period, and neither legislative chamber's base budget includes money for updated textbooks.
Student Well-Being
High Court Refuses to Hear Conn. Challenge to NCLB Law
The U.S. Supreme Court also issued separate rulings in vaccine liability and an Alabama tax case watched in education circles.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Audit Questions $1.8 Million in Seattle School Spending
A Washington state audit has found that the Seattle school district paid $280,000 for services it didn't receive and $1.5 million for services that did not benefit the district or that could have been done by district employees.
Education Funding
Amid Budget Clash, Government Shutdown Looms
Advocates also escalate efforts against House budget cuts to key education programs.
Special Education
iPads Become Learning Tools for Students with Disabilities
In a growing number of special education programs, students and teachers are relying on iPads and other tablet computers to pave a smoother path to learning.
School & District Management
Scholars Say Causes of Stuttering Are Multiple and Interconnected
While an award-winning film is drawing attention to stuttering, experts say research is just beginning to shed light on the disorder's complicated causes.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Our Schools Are Behind in the Global Language Arena
To the Editor:
Concerning “The National Imperative for Language Learning” (Commentary, Jan. 26, 2011): In the late 1980s, New York attempted to implement a sweeping mandate for all students, beginning in grade 6, to learn a second language. These students would be required to demonstrate communicative proficiency in at least one language other than English before being awarded a high school diploma endorsed by the New York state board of regents.
Concerning “The National Imperative for Language Learning” (Commentary, Jan. 26, 2011): In the late 1980s, New York attempted to implement a sweeping mandate for all students, beginning in grade 6, to learn a second language. These students would be required to demonstrate communicative proficiency in at least one language other than English before being awarded a high school diploma endorsed by the New York state board of regents.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Take a Fresh Perspective on Career and Technical Education
To the Editor:
The edweek.org blog post titled “Can K-12 Handle a Newfangled Career & Tech Ed?” (Curriculum Matters blog, Feb. 3, 2011) addressed whether career and technical education, or CTE, could answer the clarion call for quality programs. A recent Harvard Graduate School of Education report, “Pathways to Prosperity,” and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan suggest that we can.
The edweek.org blog post titled “Can K-12 Handle a Newfangled Career & Tech Ed?” (Curriculum Matters blog, Feb. 3, 2011) addressed whether career and technical education, or CTE, could answer the clarion call for quality programs. A recent Harvard Graduate School of Education report, “Pathways to Prosperity,” and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan suggest that we can.
Education
News in Brief
Illinois Gov. Proposes Cutting 500-Plus School Districts
Gov. Pat Quinn's proposal to slice the number of Illinois school districts from 869 to no more than 300 in two years might compel consolidations where previous efforts dangled financial incentives or required local voter approval.
Education Funding
News in Brief
State Approves Closing 70 Schools in Detroit
The emergency financial manager for Detroit's public schools, has received state approval for a deficit-elimination plan that would increase class sizes and result in the closure of about 70 schools.
International
News in Brief
Financial Literacy Added to PISA
A prominent international assessment of student achievement will include a new topic—financial literacy—when the testing regime is next administered, with results to be released in 2013.
Education Funding
States Slow to Tap 'Edujobs' Funding
Fiscal uncertainty has many states hedging as they draw down on the one-time aid available into next school year.
School & District Management
Commentary
What the Bayou State Learned From the United Kingdom
Seeking to strengthen his state's education department, Louisiana superintendent Paul Pastorek adapted the United Kingdom's delivery approach.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Obama at Your Graduation?
The Education Department has moved back the deadline for entering its commencement contest.
Assessment
All But 3 Urban Districts Trail Nation on National Science Assessment
The overall average for the 17 large-city districts fell about 14 points behind the nation as a whole.