July 13, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 36
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Student Health
Only about 15 percent of high school students across the country met the Healthy People 2020 objectives for aerobic activity, according to a study published by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Education
Letter to the Editor
'Development Assessments Are Not Tests'
The writer is the data and monitoring systems manager for a District of Columbia Head Start program.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Calling for Stories on Schools That Work
To the Editor:
I wish your paper and others would focus, once in a while, on those schools in America that do work and are outfitting students with skills equal to or better than those in countries often touted as being superior to American schools.
I wish your paper and others would focus, once in a while, on those schools in America that do work and are outfitting students with skills equal to or better than those in countries often touted as being superior to American schools.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Professor Offers Context on Community College Remarks
To the Editor:
In "New Popularity Challenges Nation's Community Colleges," (Diplomas Count, Education Week, June 9, 2011), I am quoted in a manner that implies significant disrespect for the work of community colleges. While my words were quoted verbatim, they were taken out of context and this—unintentionally—altered their meaning. I shared in the effort to craft and pass the American Graduation Initiative intended to support the efforts of community colleges to serve students from all walks of life.
In "New Popularity Challenges Nation's Community Colleges," (Diplomas Count, Education Week, June 9, 2011), I am quoted in a manner that implies significant disrespect for the work of community colleges. While my words were quoted verbatim, they were taken out of context and this—unintentionally—altered their meaning. I shared in the effort to craft and pass the American Graduation Initiative intended to support the efforts of community colleges to serve students from all walks of life.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Vouchers, Capacity, and Shrinking Public Schools
To the Editor:
Is there a “capacity issue” if school voucher and tax-credit programs expand, as many Republican governors and legislators intend ("Capacity Issue Looms for Vouchers," Education Week, June 15, 2011)? Will finding “physical space” be a problem? No, and no. Why not? The answer is quite simple.
Is there a “capacity issue” if school voucher and tax-credit programs expand, as many Republican governors and legislators intend ("Capacity Issue Looms for Vouchers," Education Week, June 15, 2011)? Will finding “physical space” be a problem? No, and no. Why not? The answer is quite simple.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Commentary Makes Clear Love's Role in Leadership
To the Editor:
Alisha Colemen-Kiner's essay "Leading With Love" (Commentary, June 8, 2011) gets to the heart of instructional leadership: Love the students in your school, and hire teachers who will also love the students. The result is improved student achievement. Surely this notion makes sense for school leaders. As a former middle school principal, I noticed that the 16 students who were often in my office for disciplinary measures became more engaged in their schoolwork after I built a relationship with them. By my showing care and concern for their welfare, these students and I felt a love for one another.
Alisha Colemen-Kiner's essay "Leading With Love" (Commentary, June 8, 2011) gets to the heart of instructional leadership: Love the students in your school, and hire teachers who will also love the students. The result is improved student achievement. Surely this notion makes sense for school leaders. As a former middle school principal, I noticed that the 16 students who were often in my office for disciplinary measures became more engaged in their schoolwork after I built a relationship with them. By my showing care and concern for their welfare, these students and I felt a love for one another.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Summer Food Programs
With fewer states able to offer meal programs in the summer because of the economic downturn, fewer low-income students are getting fed when school is out, according to a June analysis by the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
School Finance
Already-strained school budgets will tighten even more in the 2011-12 school year as the remaining 2009 economic-stimulus money set aside for education dries up, a report by the Center for Education Policy says.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Rural Schools
The most widely used sources of college information for students in rural schools were parents, friends, teachers, and school counselors, according to an article in the spring Journal of Counseling & Development.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
Charter schools as part of a "portfolio" strategy for improving school districts can help close the achievement gap in public schools, a new white paper says.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
ACT Scores
The validity of the ACT in predicting college success has come under scrutiny in a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Science
Report Roundup
STEM Learning
Piquing young students’ interest in science does more than taking on advanced high school courses in the subject area when it comes to recruiting students for careers in the STEM fields, a study in the journal Science Education says.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Pensions
Pension plans for teachers in charter schools vary widely, ranging from the state defined-benefit plans set up for regular public school teachers, to the defined-contribution, match-type plans used in other fields, to nothing at all, a new analysis finds.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Title I Funds
A report by the Alliance for Excellent Education says that high-poverty high schools are not receiving their fair share of federal Title I funding, as compared to elementary and middle schools.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
State-Funded Preschools
Children benefit academically and socially from a state-funded preschool program aimed at 4-year-olds who are considered at risk, study by University of Virginia researchers has found.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Autonomy
A report from Education Sector explores how the movement toward giving schools more autonomy has played out in the District of Columbia and other urban districts.
School & District Management
Predictive Data Tools Find Uses in Schools
The statistical methods used to calculate credit scores and car-insurance premiums are now being used to predict which students are likely to drop out and which teacher candidates are good fits for jobs.
States
ESEA Delays Prompt States to Threaten Policy Revolts
Montana, Idaho, and South Dakota say they'll flout the 2014 deadline on AYP, while the Education Department warns such action won't be tolerated.
Early Childhood
Experts Want a Focus on Black Boys' Nonacademic Skills
Schools should do more to support the social and emotional development of young African-American boys, some scholars say.
School & District Management
Research Begins to Pinpoint Math Disabilities in Students
Researchers find a way to distinguish students struggling in math from those with a genuine disability.
College & Workforce Readiness
Fellowship Striving to Change Teacher Prep
Starting with a select group of candidates, the Woodrow Wilson foundation works with universities to transform the training of STEM teachers.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Educators Cite Research to Shift Ed-Tech Focus From 'Why?' to 'How?'
Thousands gather in Philadelphia to share digital ideas, experiences, and goals at the nation's largest educational technology conference.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Twitter Evolving Into Professional-Development Tool
A growing number of educators around the country are using the social-networking site to share best practices and find answers to important questions.
Education
Correction
Correction
A story in the Spring/Summer issue of Digital Directions incorrectly listed some prices in the professional-development product Teachscape Reflect. The cameras cost about $4,500 per unit. The software is about $100 to $150 per site license.
Federal
States Continue Push to Toughen Teacher Policies
A dozen states have passed laws this season that revamp such policies as tenure, evaluations, seniority, and collective bargaining.
Early Childhood
Opinion
Moving the Agenda on the Early Learning Challenge
The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge fund is a crucial piece in the larger early-learning puzzle and educators need to make the most of the opportunity, Sharon Lynn Kagan and Kristie Kauerz write.
School & District Management
Partisan Fights, Budget Cuts Complicate School Funding
After months of arduous negotiation and partisan squabbling, states have new budgets that in many cases will bring deep cuts to education spending.
Assessment
Report Details 'Culture of Cheating' in Atlanta Schools
A state investigation into Atlanta's impressive gains on state tests finds that test-tampering was rampant in the much-praised school system.
Accountability
Opinion
Let's Aim Beyond Standards
Expecting our students to meet minimum benchmarks is not how to encourage academic rigor or grow a competitive nation or marketplace, writes Yuhang Rong.