February 22, 2012

Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 21
Student Well-Being News in Brief L.A. Reassigns School Staff During Probe of Abuse
The entire staff of a 1,500-student Los Angeles elementary school has been reassigned while the district and police investigate allegations that two teachers there performed lewd acts on students.
Christina A. Samuels, February 21, 2012
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2 min read
Pupils and teachers walk through the neighborhood surrounding the Head Start program at the Congressman George Miller Children's Center in Richmond, Calif. Though well-regarded, the agency that runs the center must compete for its federal funds this year due to new program rules.
Pupils and teachers walk through the neighborhood surrounding the Head Start program at the Congressman George Miller Children's Center in Richmond, Calif. Though well-regarded, the agency that runs the center must compete for its federal funds this year due to new program rules.
Ramin Rahimian for Education Week
Federal Head Start Providers Stand to Lose Funding
Head Start operators are worried that new federal rules for the program could drive some good providers out of business.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 21, 2012
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6 min read
Student Achievement News in Brief Income Divide Increases Academic Gap
The academic achievement gap between high- and low-income students has been growing for half a century and is now almost twice as large as that between blacks and whites.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Michelle Neumann, 22, left, and Sam Sekulich, 20, stand on the campus of Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. Ms. Neumann and Ms. Sekluich are president and vice president, respectively, of Active Minds, a suicide-awareness organization on campus.
Michelle Neumann, 22, left, and Sam Sekulich, 20, stand on the campus of Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. Ms. Neumann and Ms. Sekluich are president and vice president, respectively, of Active Minds, a suicide-awareness organization on campus.
Keri Wiginton/Chicago Tribune/MCT/Getty
School Climate & Safety Mental Health Experts Evaluate Role of Facebook
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline recently announced a revamped partnership with Facebook to use the site to help prevent suicides.
Naomi Nix, Chicago Tribune (MCT), February 21, 2012
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3 min read
Student Well-Being News in Brief Ky. Schools to Track Students' Body Mass
In a nod to the growing problem of childhood obesity, the Kentucky board of education recently approved a proposal that would require schools to calculate and record a child's body mass index, or BMI, based on weight and height.
The Associated Press, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
MICHAEL J. FEUER is concerned about the quality of evaluations.
MICHAEL J. FEUER is concerned about the quality of evaluations.
Teacher Preparation Panel to Assess Methodology for Judging Teacher Prep
The National Academy of Education study is in part a response to a U.S. News & World Report review of teacher education programs.
Stephen Sawchuk, February 21, 2012
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief Affirmative Action Ban Draws Court Challenge
Backers of affirmative action asked a federal appeals court this month to overturn California's 15-year-old ban on considering race in public college admissions.
The Associated Press, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Accountability News in Brief Conn., N.Y. Approve Evaluation Systems
Two more states approved evaluation systems for educators that rely partially on student-achievement data.
The Associated Press, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Federal Guide Offers Advice on Setting ELL Standards
A new Education Department guidebook has advice for states on setting proficiency standards and academic goals for English-learners.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 21, 2012
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3 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief District Ends Rule on Teacher Neutrality
The school board in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin district has voted to end a policy in which teachers had to remain neutral if issues of sexual identity came up in class.
Nirvi Shah, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief School Bus Funding Restored in Calif.
California Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to maintain nearly $500 million in bus funding for next year, but would pull the plug on the funding the year after, in 2013-2014.
Nora Fleming, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Charter Advocates Say Planned Rules Threaten Pensions
Charter school advocates have sounded a warning about a federal rule in the works that they say could undermine the ability of teachers in those schools to participate in state retirement plans.
Sean Cavanagh, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Library assistant Cindy Labezius replaces a book at Washington Elementary School in Lancaster, Pa. Six staff positions were cut at the school as a result of the district receiving $6 million less from the state last year. Though tax revenues have begun to recover in many states, budget analysts and school officials say districts will be feeling the effects of recession-driven cutbacks for years.
Library assistant Cindy Labezius replaces a book at Washington Elementary School in Lancaster, Pa. Six staff positions were cut at the school as a result of the district receiving $6 million less from the state last year. Though tax revenues have begun to recover in many states, budget analysts and school officials say districts will be feeling the effects of recession-driven cutbacks for years.
Alex Brandon/AP-File
Education Funding States Seek to Boost K-12 Aid as Revenue Recovers
Gradual funding increases are in the works, though cuts from the recession and its aftermath still sting.
Sean Cavanagh, February 21, 2012
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6 min read
School & District Management Study Gives First Look at Data's Impact on Districts
Early results are promising from a study of efforts in 59 districts to launch data-driven reforms.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, February 21, 2012
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5 min read
Education State of the States State of the States 2012: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wyoming
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
February 21, 2012
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3 min read
Education Correction Correction
A story on creativity indexes for schools in the Feb. 1, 2012, issue of Education Week misidentified the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The story also provided an incorrect middle initial for Daniel R. Hunter.
February 21, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Pre-K Assessments
A new policy brief reviews the assessments currently used in 40 states to weigh the skills of their youngest learners.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Special Education Report Roundup Research Report: Special Education
Parents and students with disabilities aren't as involved in the process of mapping out their goals with schools as much as they should be.
Nirvi Shah, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Financing College
The expansion of the Pell Grant program is helping students at community colleges, including rural institutions, take more credits.
Caralee J. Adams, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Sexuality Education
States with more-comprehensive sexuality education courses tend to have slightly lower teenage birthrates.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Common Standards
A report argues that the Common Core State Standards may not improve student achievement.
Catherine Gewertz, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup School Improvement
Urban district officials say the School Improvement Grant program will make a difference in the long run for schools that are struggling the most.
Alyson Klein, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Choice Linked to Fewer Crimes
A study suggests that, for some students, getting into a first-choice school in a school-choice lottery can be a crime deterrent.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, February 21, 2012
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1 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
| NEWS| CURRICULUM MATTERS
February 21, 2012
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4 min read
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy delivers the State of State address at the state Capitol in Hartford, on Feb. 8. The governor is pressing an ambitious K-12 package that would seek to revamp the state’s teacher tenure system, pave the way for more charter schools, and make the state the trustee for some of Connecticut’s lowest performing schools.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy delivers the State of State address at the state Capitol in Hartford, on Feb. 8. The governor is pressing an ambitious K-12 package that would seek to revamp the state’s teacher tenure system, pave the way for more charter schools, and make the state the trustee for some of Connecticut’s lowest performing schools.
Jessica Hill/AP
Teaching Profession Conn. Governor Pushes Aggressive Schools Plan
Teacher tenure and a focus on charters and low-performing schools mark a multiprong effort expected to gain traction.
Christina A. Samuels, February 21, 2012
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5 min read
Ronald J. Packard, center, the chief executive of K12 Inc., and his son Chase celebrate the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, along with John F. Baule, the chief operating officer of K12.
Ronald J. Packard, center, the chief executive of K12 Inc., and his son Chase celebrate the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007, along with John F. Baule, the chief operating officer of K12.
Business Wire-File
Classroom Technology K12 Inc.'s Public Status and Growth Attract Scrutiny
Some education experts have excoriated the company while others have picked apart the criticism as one-sided and unempirical.
Jason Tomassini, February 21, 2012
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11 min read
Classroom Technology Publicly Traded Ed. Companies Are Rare
There's a risk to taking education to Wall Street, one that explains why so few publicly traded companies cater to public schools.
Robin L. Flanigan, February 21, 2012
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9 min read
Federal Waiver Hopefuls Put Through Paces by Review Process
Winning states had to tailor their plans on how to hold schools accountable for various groups of at-risk students.
Michele McNeil, February 21, 2012
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8 min read
School & District Management Related Research on School Choice
The authors of the Commentary "What Research Says About School Choice" provided the following list of sources related to their findings.
February 21, 2012
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3 min read
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