April 20, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 28
Education Funding
Congress Wraps Up 2011 Budget
The bill funding the government through September cuts more than $1 billion from the Education Department, while extending Race to the Top and 'i3'.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Review, Don't End, Zero-Tolerance Rules
To the Editor:
I believe Gara LaMarche brings up a valid point with regard to the necessity of reviewing current discipline models utilized at various schools and levels of education in the United States (“The Time Is Right to End ‘Zero Tolerance,’” April 6, 2011). Unfortunately, his premise for abolishment is fatally flawed. As a current principal in a small K-8 urban school and most recently an assistant principal in a very rural high school, I have been the one imposing this policy. I believe to globally remove it would do a serious injustice to the safety and security inside our educational settings.
I believe Gara LaMarche brings up a valid point with regard to the necessity of reviewing current discipline models utilized at various schools and levels of education in the United States (“The Time Is Right to End ‘Zero Tolerance,’” April 6, 2011). Unfortunately, his premise for abolishment is fatally flawed. As a current principal in a small K-8 urban school and most recently an assistant principal in a very rural high school, I have been the one imposing this policy. I believe to globally remove it would do a serious injustice to the safety and security inside our educational settings.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Success Rates Skewed When Failure Is Excluded
To the Editor:
It is easy to have a very high success rate if you can exclude almost all of the failures from the denominator (“Study Stings KIPP on Attrition Rates,” Education Week, April 6, 2011). KIPP charter middle schools enroll a significantly higher proportion of African-American students than the local school districts from which they draw, but 40 percent of the black males they enroll leave between grades 6 and 8, says a new nationwide study by researchers at Western Michigan University.
It is easy to have a very high success rate if you can exclude almost all of the failures from the denominator (“Study Stings KIPP on Attrition Rates,” Education Week, April 6, 2011). KIPP charter middle schools enroll a significantly higher proportion of African-American students than the local school districts from which they draw, but 40 percent of the black males they enroll leave between grades 6 and 8, says a new nationwide study by researchers at Western Michigan University.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Efficient Assessments Require Careful Thought
To the Editor:
An Associated Press article that appeared on Edweek.org reported that President Barack Obama believes students should take fewer standardized tests and school performance should be based on other kinds of measurements (“Obama Says Too Much Testing Makes Education Boring,” March 28, 2011). While the White House advocates for occasional standardized tests to determine a “baseline” of student ability, what we should be striving for is greater use of assessments that are ongoing, and integrated into the learning process, as the most effective way to gauge student progress in real time.
An Associated Press article that appeared on Edweek.org reported that President Barack Obama believes students should take fewer standardized tests and school performance should be based on other kinds of measurements (“Obama Says Too Much Testing Makes Education Boring,” March 28, 2011). While the White House advocates for occasional standardized tests to determine a “baseline” of student ability, what we should be striving for is greater use of assessments that are ongoing, and integrated into the learning process, as the most effective way to gauge student progress in real time.
Education
Letter to the Editor
AAUW Far From Silent on Gender Bias in Education
To the Editor:
In “The Muddled Politics of Male Gender Preferences” (March 18, 2011), Richard Whitmire accuses the American Association of University Women of being “mute” regarding possible educational discrimination against women. Calling the AAUW mute on such issues is like saying a jelly doughnut is fruit and fiber—it’s laughable. We have addressed the question of admissions discrimination to achieve gender balance on campus.
In “The Muddled Politics of Male Gender Preferences” (March 18, 2011), Richard Whitmire accuses the American Association of University Women of being “mute” regarding possible educational discrimination against women. Calling the AAUW mute on such issues is like saying a jelly doughnut is fruit and fiber—it’s laughable. We have addressed the question of admissions discrimination to achieve gender balance on campus.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Essays Offer Best Way to Teach Reading of Texts
To the Editor:
I read with sadness the article “Teachers Seek Ways to Gauge Rigor of Texts” (Education Week, March 16, 2011).
I read with sadness the article “Teachers Seek Ways to Gauge Rigor of Texts” (Education Week, March 16, 2011).
Federal
Texas 'Edujobs' Aid Now Clear to Flow
Texas schools are facing painful budget cuts, but some relief appears to be on the way—courtesy of long-awaited federal "Edujobs" money.
Standards
Experts Envision Hurdles to Come for Common-Core Tests
The "next generation" assessments that are being developed to align with new common academic standards may run up against outsized expectations and technological and budget constraints, say researchers and test developers involved in the effort.
Standards
Opinion
More Argument, Fewer Standards
Mike Schmoker and Gerald Graff write that the new common-core standards in English/language arts are bloated and lacking a focus on an essential skill: argument.
Student Well-Being
Department Steps Up Focus on Sexual Violence in Schools
The U.S. Department of Education for the first time has issued guidance to schools on preventing and handling incidences of sexual violence both on and off campus.
School & District Management
Special Schools for Homeless Students Bursting at the Seams
The handful of public schools around the country that exclusively serve students affected by homelessness are bursting at the seams.
Families & the Community
Parents' Deployments Found to Exact a Toll on Students' Learning
In a study of 44,000 students, researchers calculate the academic toll that long parental deployments can have on military children.
Assessment
More Students Taking Tougher Courses, NAEP Study Finds
Graduates completing a "rigorous" curriculum rose 8 percent since 1990, and those completing a "midlevel" one climbed 20 percent.
School & District Management
Digital Tutor Nudges Students to Slow Down and Seek Help
A series of studies explores why students avoid seeking help with school work and what digital tutors might be able to do about it.
Education Funding
Opinion
Policy Changes Can Help Districts Avoid a Funding Cliff
Local, state, and federal officials must act to protect school districts from future financial crises, Kristi L. Bowman writes.
Education Funding
Race to Top Funds Prompt District, School-Level Efforts
The $4 billion in federal grants spur local projects sometimes overlooked amid the program's more sweeping goals.
Curriculum
Schools Walk Into Touchy Territory With Civil War
Even 150 year after the war, debates about the conflict persist and misinformation still thrives.
School & District Management
Opinion
Government, Markets, and the Mixed Model of American Education Reform
Terry M. Moe and Paul T. Hill argue that neither a free market or a government-run education system is the answer, in the third essay of the Futures of School Reform series.
Accountability
Teacher-Leader Corps Helps Turn Around Schools
Three Boston schools have hired cohorts of experienced, successful teachers to try to change the culture and improve student achievement.
Federal
Opinion
The Limited Value of 'What Works' Research
Researchers need to focus on identifying the students most likely to benefit from the education initiatives they study, Bo Yan and Mike Slagle write.
Curriculum
Primary Sources Breathe Life Into Civil War
With the help of technology, teachers are moving beyond textbooks and digging directly into primary sources to help their students better understand the past.
Education Funding
Federal Budget's Approval Sets Stage for Future Battles
The bill funding the government through September cuts more than $1 billion from the Education Department, while extending Race to the Top and 'i3'.
School & District Management
NYC Mayor Touts New Chancellor's Education Ties
No stranger to public schools, Mayor Bloomberg's latest pick to head the 1.1 million-student school system is likely to continue the education reforms the Bloomberg administration put in place.
School & District Management
Computer Tutors Prod Students to Ask for Help
A series of studies explores why students avoid seeking help with school work and what digital tutors might be able to do about it.
Assessment
NAEP Study Finds Jump in Students Taking Tough Courses
Graduates completing a "rigorous" curriculum rose 8 percent since 1990, and those completing a "midlevel" one climbed 20 percent.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
When a Parent Is in Prison
In this slideshow, Howard Zehr's photographs reveal the challenges and heartbreak faced by children of incarcerated parents.
Accountability
Charter Schools Hear Tough Talk on Accountability
The former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools had some strong words on Monday for charter advocates: Put children's education first, even if doing so is detrimental to charters themselves.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Urgent Need to Reframe National Education Policy
Capacity-building should be at the center of a new and significantly recast reform strategy for the nation’s schools, Elizabeth Demarest writes.