March 9, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 23
Education
Correction
Correction
A proponent of choice in education, Mr. Kearns was elected in 1993 to lead the New American Schools Development Corp., a nonprofit entity launched by business leaders in 1993 to create new school improvement models.
Student Well-Being
State-by-State Battle on Bargaining Rights Continuing to Unfold
As Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's controversial proposal to require teachers to pay more for benefits and curb their collective bargaining rights remained mired in a political deadlock last week, an Ohio plan with some of the same goals was rolling forward, despite objections from educators.
School & District Management
New Coalition Is Launched to Speed Tech. Innovation
A new nonprofit that will convene technology experts from across business, nonprofit, government, and education sectors will begin its big-picture problem solving in the educational arena.
School & District Management
Obituary
U.S. Education, Business Leader David Kearns Dies
David T. Kearns, a former chief executive officer of the Xerox Corp. who became the deputy U.S. secretary of education during President George H.W. Bush's presidency, died Feb. 25 in Stuart, Fla.
Education Funding
Opinion
Living by the Golden Rule for Our Nation's Schools
Every child deserves opportunities to flourish, and government spending should reflect that, David L. Kirp says.
School & District Management
Opinion
Mobilizing Communities Is Reform's Missing Link
Communities must create a culture of achievement and encourage youths to learn, Hugh B. Price writes.
School & District Management
After-School Program Offers Enrichment to Pupils
Supported by a dedicated California state fund, LA's BEST reaches out to disadvantaged and at-risk children in Los Angeles.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Gates to NGA: Tie Class Sizes to Teachers' Skill
Bill Gates closed the 2011 National Governors Association's 2011 winter meeting by urging the governors to consider increasing the class sizes of the best teachers.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Phillips Academy Head Retiring
The first woman to lead the private Phillips Academy announced last week that she will retire in 2012.
School & District Management
News in Brief
NSF Hires Ed. Research Leader
Joan Ferrini-Mundy has been appointed the assistant director for the National Science Foundations.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Harvard, Princeton Restore 'Early Action'
Harvard University and Princeton University have announced plans to restore their early-action admissions programs.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Tenn. Taps TFA Alumnus as State Chief
Kevin Huffman was named commissioner of education in Tennessee last week.
Education Funding
News in Brief
N.Y. Governor Aims to Cap Superintendents' Pay
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week proposed capping district superintendents' salaries as a way to save school districts and their taxpayers $15 million.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Ala. Teachers' Group Sues Over Dues-Deduction Law
The Alabama Education Association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a law that would make it harder for the teachers' group to collect membership dues.
Data
News in Brief
USDA Bars Lunch-Data Use In Student-Assignment Plan
The USDA warned subsidized-lunch data are confidential and cannot be used to determine which schools students attend.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Seattle Ousts Superintendent After Program Audit by State
The Seattle school board voted last week to dismiss Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson after a state audit found improper activity in the district's small-business-contracting program.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
New Grants to Aid Healthy Schools
The USDA announced it will offer states $5.5 million in grants to promote nutrition and physical activity.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Transitions
An average of slightly more than three out of five public high school graduates in Virginia in 2008 enrolled in higher education within a year of graduating, and only 37 percent in four-year colleges, according to a new study.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Merit Pay
No more than 500 of the nation's 14,000 school districts have implemented merit-pay plans for teachers, according to a new study.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Preventing Dropouts
Some 58 dropout prevention programs in nine school districts in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia were reviewed by researchers at New Jersey's Rutgers University.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Reading Proficiency
The Finance Project and the Annie E. Casey Foundation have released a new, collaborative federal funding guide for using money to help improve reading proficiency.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Leading Teachers
The Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, has released a report on principal leadership based on in-depth interviews with 30 principals in two states.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Superintendent of Year Named
Marcus Johnson has been named the 2011 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Look-Alike Virtual Tutors Found to Enhance Learning
A study of online learning has found that creating virtual tutors and trainers that resemble the student taking the course, and communicate in similar ways, may help increase engagement and performance.
Education Funding
Talk at NGA Meeting Turns to Labor, Budget Woes
Economic conditions colored discussions about education as the nation's governors gathered recently in Washington.
School Climate & Safety
High Court Hears Case on Police Interviews at School
The dispute involves the rights of children when interacting with police and other investigators in a school context.
Education Funding
Districts' Reserves Tempting in Nevada
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is eyeing school districts' rainy-day funds to help balance his state’s 2011-13 biennial budget.
Curriculum
Arts Education for Minority Children Drops
A new analysis finds a precipitous dropoff in teaching African-American and Hispanic children about the arts, in addition to an overall decline.