August 10, 2011

Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 37
Standards & Accountability Report Roundup School Improvement
A report from a national advocacy group highlights five districts where prekindergarten has been at the center of school turnaround efforts.
Maureen Kelleher, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup College Enrollment
Despite the Great Recession, college enrollment has increased, and more students have been drawn to community colleges, according to a new report.
Caralee J. Adams, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Grade Retention
Countries in which schools frequently hold back or kick out students with low academic performance tend to have weaker, more expensive, and more socially inequitable education systems overall according to an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Federal Report Roundup School Funding
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office tracks how schools are using federal Title I funds in 12 districts across four states.
Alexandra Rice, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup For-Profits
When it comes to for-profit dealings in education, the usual divides between traditional political parties no longer hold up, according to a report from the American Enterprise Institute.
Alexandra Rice, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Early Childhood Report Roundup Math Skills
A new study offers insights into the kinds of math skills children should learn early on to be best prepared for success in the subject as they advance into higher grades.
Erik W. Robelen, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Dropouts
More than 1 million youths ages 16 to 19 are not enrolled in school and do not have a high school diploma, says a report that makes a case for stepping up dropout-recovery efforts.
Alexandra Rice, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup Teacher Recruitment
Aspects of Teach For America's selection process are linked to student-achievement gains—a sign that it's possible to recruit candidates who are more likely to have an edge in the classroom, a new study concludes.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief N.Y.C. Ends Merit-Pay Program
New York City has decided to eliminate its teacher-performance-pay program after a study by the RAND Corp. found that the program did not result in higher student achievement in mathematics or reading in any grade or improved teacher job satisfaction.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief 36 States to Apply for Race to Top
Governors in 36 states, along with District of Columbia officials, have told the U.S. Department of Education that they want to compete for $500 million in new Race to the Top money that is designed to spur improvements in early-childhood programs.
Michele McNeil, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Teacher Salaries Should Start at $60,000, Duncan Says
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is calling for a retooling of the nations teacher pipeline, with a higher bar for admission to schools of education, improved performance-based teacher accountability, and higher salaries.
Michele McNeil, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Susan Pimental says the criteria were not meant to spell out instructional approaches.
<b>Susan Pimental</b> says the criteria were not meant to spell out instructional approaches.
Standards & Accountability Standards Writers Wade Into Curriculum
Some educators are disturbed about what they view as undue influence over how English/language arts is taught in schools.
Catherine Gewertz, August 9, 2011
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9 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Discipline Over Online Bullying Upheld
A federal appeals court has upheld the suspension of a West Virginia student accused of bullying a classmate online, despite the argument that she was punished for speech that was created outside of school.
Mark Walsh, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief D.C.'s Review System Targets Hundreds for Firing, Bonuses
District of Columbia school officials have announced that 663 teachers will qualify for bonuses or raises based on high performance in the second year of the IMPACT teacher-evaluation system, while 206 teachers will be dismissed based on those results.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Teacher Preparation News in Brief NCTQ Review Sharply Critical of Student-Teacher Programs
The student-teaching experience offered by many traditional schools of education couples poor supervision with a lack of rigorous selection of mentor-teachers, a controversial report concludes.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief New Formula Likely to Affect States' Graduation Rates
States are beginning to report graduation rates using a more rigorous, uniform method, and the U.S. Department of Education is warning that it may result in graduation rates that appear much worse this school year than the previous year.
Michele McNeil, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief House Panel OKs Funding Flexibility
State and district officials would get broad leeway to shift federal dollars now aimed at particular populations to other programs, under a measure that the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved.
Alyson Klein, August 9, 2011
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1 min read
Standards & Accountability Opinion In Common Core, Little to Cheer About
Once a supporter of the common-core standards movement, Andrew C. Porter now sees it as a "missed opportunity."
Andrew C. Porter, August 9, 2011
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4 min read
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, sparred with President Barack Obama over the debt deal.
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, sparred with President Barack Obama over the debt deal.
Education Funding Cuts to K-12 Expected in Wake of Debt Deal
Education advocates brace for cuts in the fallout from the hard-fought deal to avert a U.S. default.
Michele McNeil, August 9, 2011
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5 min read
Science Letter to the Editor Research Underscores Science-Learning Shortfall
To the Editor:
Your July 13 News in Brief section included a summary of the recently released report from the National Research Council on the need to place the same amount of emphasis on science as math (“NRC: Put Science on Par With Math,” Education Week, July 13, 2011). Unfortunately, as the report indicates, science education suffers from benign neglect and is not treated equally. Data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, confirm this sentiment: In the United States, on average, 4th graders are provided 4.2 hours per week of instruction in mathematics, while the science instruction they receive is allotted only 2.7 hours each week.
August 8, 2011
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1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Study Misrepresents Gifted Education
To the Editor:
I am so disappointed in the article “Study Finds Gifted Classes Don’t Benefit Pupils at the Margin” (Education Week, July 13, 2011). I am not sure what—if any—merit this so-called study has or why you bothered with an article.
August 8, 2011
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1 min read
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Early Reading Intervention Makes Crucial Difference
To the Editor:
There has indeed been an uptick in policy and advocacy toward the goal of getting more children reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, as described in “P-2 Years Targeted to Achieve Grade 3 Reading Proficiency” (Education Week, July 13, 2011).
August 8, 2011
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2 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Jonathan Bouw
Education Funding Opinion Salvaging RTT Assessment
When it comes to Race to the Top assessment, there's much more than testing to consider, Charles A. DePascale writes.
Charles A. Depascale, August 8, 2011
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6 min read
Sen. Dave Hansen, a Green Bay, Wis., Democrat, leans in to kiss his wife, Jane, during a victory party on July 19. Sen. Hansen survived a recall election that gave voters the most direct opportunity yet to react to a Republican-backed law that stripped most public workers of their collective bargaining rights. Eight other recall elections were scheduled for either Aug. 9 or Aug. 16, with Democrats hoping to wrest control of the state Senate from Republicans.
Sen. Dave Hansen, a Green Bay, Wis., Democrat, leans in to kiss his wife, Jane, during a victory party on July 19. Sen. Hansen survived a recall election that gave voters the most direct opportunity yet to react to a Republican-backed law that stripped most public workers of their collective bargaining rights. Eight other recall elections were scheduled for either Aug. 9 or Aug. 16, with Democrats hoping to wrest control of the state Senate from Republicans.
Corey Wilson/The Green Bay Press-Gazette/AP
Federal Union Rights Issue Driving Wis. Recall Elections
Wisconsin is on the front lines in the ongoing national battle over the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other public employees.
Sean Cavanagh, August 8, 2011
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5 min read
Students at Emma Hutchinson School in Atlanta leave after the day's classes. Hutchinson has been identified as one of forty four schools involved in a test cheating scandal. Investigators have concluded that nearly half the city’s schools allowed cheating to go unchecked for as long as a decade, beginning in 2001.
Students at Emma Hutchinson School in Atlanta leave after the day's classes. Hutchinson has been identified as one of forty four schools involved in a test cheating scandal. Investigators have concluded that nearly half the city’s schools allowed cheating to go unchecked for as long as a decade, beginning in 2001.
John Bazemore/AP-File
Assessment Cheating Scandals Intensify Focus on Test Pressures
Experts say cheating comes with the territory, but split on whether the solution is better security or lowering the stakes.
Christina A. Samuels, August 4, 2011
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7 min read
Sandra Smith has been taking care of her granddaughter, Jonea Wilson-Hardy, since she was 5. Jonea, 12, holds her half-brother Jaiden Fonchenela, 1, while Smith looks on. Smith is one of thousands of grandparents in the country increasingly involved in their grandchildren's education.
Sandra Smith has been taking care of her granddaughter, Jonea Wilson-Hardy, since she was 5. Jonea, 12, holds her half-brother Jaiden Fonchenela, 1, while Smith looks on. Smith is one of thousands of grandparents in the country increasingly involved in their grandchildren's education.
Jenn Ackerman for Education Week
Families & the Community Statistics Show More Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren
With a growing number of school-age children living with their grandparents, grandparents are seeking a more prominent role in schools.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 3, 2011
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9 min read
Families & the Community Photo Gallery: Grandparents Taking Charge
This slide show follows Sandra Smith and Molene Martin, two grandparents who are caring for their grandchildren and becoming increasingly involved in their education.
August 3, 2011
School Climate & Safety Opinion Rethinking Suspensions to Keep Kids Learning
By taking three key steps to limit suspensions, schools in Baltimore ended up providing thousands more days of instruction to many students, Jane Sundius and Faith Connolly write.
Jane Sundius & Faith Connolly, August 2, 2011
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6 min read
Ed-Tech Policy K-12 Technology, Data Firms Thrive, Study Says
Companies offering technology-based instruction products and tools for data collection and analysis are doing well in the K-12 market, an investment bank reports.
Katie Ash, August 2, 2011
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4 min read
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