April 27, 2011

Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 29
Jillian Benoit, 12, had vision problems that initially went undetected when she entered elementary school. With vision therapy, the Oklahoma 6th grader’s eyesight has since improved. Some groups want states to adopt comprehensive eye exams for school-age children that go beyond the vision screenings required or recommended by many states.
Jillian Benoit, 12, had vision problems that initially went undetected when she entered elementary school. With vision therapy, the Oklahoma 6th grader’s eyesight has since improved. Some groups want states to adopt comprehensive eye exams for school-age children that go beyond the vision screenings required or recommended by many states.
Chris Landsberger for Education Week
Federal Groups Urge Comprehensive Eye Exams for Schoolchildren
Proponents say less intensive screenings miss eye problems that could hurt students' academic performance.
April 26, 2011
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7 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Immigrant Male Students Outperform Females
Research shows that many youths from immigrant families outperform other students in school, a phenomenon referred to as the "immigrant paradox."
Mary Ann Zehr, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Science Report Roundup STEM Education
A coalition of more than 110 corporate leaders last week unveiled a set of state-by-state reports on STEM learning that it says are aimed at "correcting the record" in places where state data may give an inaccurate picture of student achievement.
April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Racial Wealth Gap
A new report finds about 70 percent of Latino and black households with young children were income-poor in 2007, and 40 percent had no financial assets—more than twice the respective rates for white households that year.
Maureen Kelleher, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Standards Report Roundup Social Skills
States vary widely in how they address students' social and emotional learning, according to a new report from the Chicago-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Virginia House budget conferee Delegate Chris Jones, a Republican, left, talks to Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, a Democrat, on the floor of the Senate during budget negotiations at the Capitol in Richmond in February.
Virginia House budget conferee Delegate Chris Jones, a Republican, left, talks to Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, a Democrat, on the floor of the Senate during budget negotiations at the Capitol in Richmond in February.
Steve Helber/AP
Education Funding Text Process Referred to Board
After the discovery of errors in two history textbooks set off a controversy, Virginia lawmakers debated a measure that would have revised adoption procedures, but decided to refer the question to the state board of education, which has authority over textbook approval.
Catherine Gewertz, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness College Help for Immigrants Passes
Lawmakers in Maryland approved a hotly debated bill that allows undocumented immigrants to enroll in community colleges at in-state tuition rates if they can prove they attended state high schools for three years and their parents pay state taxes.
Catherine Gewertz, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup School Closures
A new study analyzing students affected by school closures in New York City reveals that many of the 33,000 students registered at high schools that were closed since 2000 have either dropped out, failed to graduate, or were discharged.
Michelle D. Anderson, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
English-Language Learners Report Roundup Full-Day Kindergarten
English-language learners who attended full-day kindergarten in Los Angeles were much less likely to be retained before 2nd grade than those who went to half-day kindergarten in the same district, a new study has found.
Mary Ann Zehr, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Jean-Claude Brizard speaks to reporters after Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel introduced him as the next chief executive of the Chicago public schools.
Jean-Claude Brizard speaks to reporters after Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel introduced him as the next chief executive of the Chicago public schools.
Jean Lachat/AP
School & District Management News in Brief Brizard Tapped to Lead Chicago Schools
Jean-Claude Brizard, the Rochester, N.Y., superintendent who faced a symbolic no-confidence vote by teachers earlier this year, is now preparing to take over as the chief executive officer of the Chicago public schools.
Christina A. Samuels, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education Correction Corrections
A story in the April 20, 2011, issue of Education Week about the sensitivity of teaching about the Civil War provided the wrong name of a publishing company. The publisher of the Virginia textbook is Five Ponds Press.
April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Duncan Urges Schools to Join Earthquake Drill
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called for schools nationwide to participate in a public earthquake drill this week.
Alyson Klein, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education News in Brief District to Pay Most of Union Chief's Salary
A new teachers' union contract that will save Portland, Maine, taxpayers nearly $2 million in salary concessions in the coming year also requires the district to pay 80 percent of the union presidents salary and benefits.
McClatchy-Tribune, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Indiana Unions Face Restrictions
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed legislation last week that will prohibit contracts between school districts and teachers unions from including anything but wages and wage-related benefits.
The Associated Press, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Data News in Brief Wake County Must Correct Busing, Achievement Claim
The Wake County, N.C., school system will have to correct a controversial report it sent to U.S. Department of Education investigators, after a review revealed errors in a section that tried to correlate long bus rides and poor academic performance among certain ethnic groups.
McClatchy-Tribune, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Virginia Governor Rolls out Teacher Merit-Pay Plan
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia has invited 57 districts with struggling schools to apply for $3 million in state funding for merit pay.
The Associated Press, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Five New State Officials Join Jeb Bush's Chiefs for Change
A total of 10 state schools chiefs have signed on to Chiefs for Change, an effort led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush aimed at promoting new approaches to evaluating teachers, improving standards and testing, and fostering overall academic innovation.
Sean Cavanagh, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Teen-Suicide-Attempt Rate Higher in Conservative Areas
Suicide attempts by gay and straight teenagers are more common in politically conservative areas where schools don't have programs supporting gay rights, a study involving nearly 32,000 high school students in Oregon found.
The Associated Press, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Special Education News in Brief Justices Seek U.S. Views on Special Education Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the U.S. solicitor general's office for its opinion on whether a parent may seek compensation from a school district that allegedly failed to identify a student's disabilities.
Mark Walsh, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Detroit Teachers All Get Pink Slips
All the nearly 5,500 teachers in the Detroit school system have been sent layoff notices as the troubled district prepares for an expected drop in enrollment.
The Associated Press, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief New Superintendent Sets High Goals for Los Angeles
In his first week in office, new Los Angeles Unified Schools Superintendent John Deasy set some lofty goals for the nation's second-largest district.
Christina A. Samuels, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Experts Take On Pell Grant Costs
The maximum Pell Grant of $5,550 survived the recent budget deal in Congress, but year-round Pell Grants were scrapped, and the question for next year's budget appears to be not whether—but how—to cut the federal aid program for low-income college students.
Caralee J. Adams, April 26, 2011
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1 min read
Heather Coffy, at back, leaves St. Monica School with her children, left to right, Delano Coffy, 15, Alanna Marshall, 8, and Darius Coffy, 11, in Indianapolis. Indiana lawmakers are considering a proposal to create an ambitious new voucher program for low- and middle-income families. Ms. Coffy says her elder son was struggling in public school when she applied for a private school scholarship through an existing state program. The money she received helped put her children in Catholic school, where she says they are thriving.
Heather Coffy, at back, leaves St. Monica School with her children, left to right, Delano Coffy, 15, Alanna Marshall, 8, and Darius Coffy, 11, in Indianapolis. Indiana lawmakers are considering a proposal to create an ambitious new voucher program for low- and middle-income families. Ms. Coffy says her elder son was struggling in public school when she applied for a private school scholarship through an existing state program. The money she received helped put her children in Catholic school, where she says they are thriving.
Michael Conroy/AP
School Choice & Charters State GOP Lawmakers Push to Expand Vouchers
Legislation in some states would use taxpayer money to extend voucher eligibility beyond poor families to middle-income ones.
Sean Cavanagh, April 26, 2011
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7 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
| VIEWS | THE FUTURES OF SCHOOL REFORM
April 26, 2011
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2 min read
Peter Finch portrays the angry Howard Beale in the 1976 movie “Network.”
Peter Finch portrays the angry Howard Beale in the 1976 movie “Network.”
MGM Studios/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Opinion This Teacher Is 'Mad as Hell'
Angela Beeley responds to those who would strip teachers of their collective-bargaining rights and calls attacks on teachers and unions cynical and calculated.
Angela Beeley, April 26, 2011
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3 min read
Federal Grant Rules Push for Common Criteria for ELL Pupils
To qualify for federal grants to develop English-language-proficiency tests, states will have to agree on how to define ELL students, among other criteria, according to program rules published this week.
Mary Ann Zehr, April 26, 2011
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion How Education Reform Traps Poor Children
Too often, reform saddles poor children with an education that focuses on rote learning instead of the richer academic opportunities that would help them thrive, Alfie Kohn writes.
Alfie Kohn, April 26, 2011
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7 min read
Standards Ed. Schools Refuse to Volunteer for U.S. News Review
Teacher education programs claim the review has no research evidence to support forthcoming improvements for the profession.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 26, 2011
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5 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Letter to the Editor Tablet Computing Is Future of Schooling
To the Editor:
Regarding the Commentary “Schooling as a Knowledge Profession” (March 30, 2011). So what’s new? Tablet personal computer learning.
April 26, 2011
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1 min read
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