June 13, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 35
Student Well-Being & Movement
News in Brief
Few States Choose 'Pink Slime' in Lunches
Most states ordering beef for next school year's lunches are choosing varieties made without "pink slime," the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
Special Education
News in Brief
Special Ed. Penalty Stands for S.C.
South Carolina will likely be penalized $36 million in federal money for students with disabilities this fall after the U.S. Department of Education denied the state's request for a hearing to appeal the penalty.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Mass. Unveils Plan for Troubled District
The 12,000-student Lawrence, Mass., school district, which has a troubled history, currently graduates only about half the district's high school students in four years.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Reclaiming the Origins of Chartered Schools
A Minnesota legislator who sponsored the first charter school law in the country, Ember Reichgott Junge, dispels a few myths about the charter movement.
Assessment
Opinion
Pop Quiz on Testing
FairTest's Lisa Guisbond creates her own multiple-choice exam to raise larger questions about high-stakes testing.
College & Workforce Readiness
Eradication of Senior Slump Remains Elusive
Attempts a decade ago to engage students in their senior year largely fizzled, but some states and districts have adopted innovative strategies.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Gender Imbalance in Teaching Can Be Fixed
To the Editor:
In reading your article "Despite a Downturn, Few Men Attracted to Teaching Field" (May 9, 2012), I was left with the impression that the gender imbalance in teaching was a function of choice, that teachers' low salaries and status anxiety turned men away. While the historic imbalance of men, particularly men of color, in the teaching profession is an ongoing challenge, the article's conclusions do an injustice to the myriad social factors influencing career decisions among young men.
In reading your article "Despite a Downturn, Few Men Attracted to Teaching Field" (May 9, 2012), I was left with the impression that the gender imbalance in teaching was a function of choice, that teachers' low salaries and status anxiety turned men away. While the historic imbalance of men, particularly men of color, in the teaching profession is an ongoing challenge, the article's conclusions do an injustice to the myriad social factors influencing career decisions among young men.
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
Standards Exist for Career and Technical Education
To the Editor:
Currently in the United States, millions of jobs remain unfilled as employers struggle to find workers with the right skills to fill positions.
Currently in the United States, millions of jobs remain unfilled as employers struggle to find workers with the right skills to fill positions.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Students Are Responsible for Their Own Learning
To the Editor:
Regarding the article "New Breed of Advocacy Groups Shakes Up Education Field" (May 16,2012), many of these new advocacy groups do not stand for children—they stand against teachers and disadvantaged children. Their tactic of using tests to hold teachers in line also has the effect of diminishing the education of minority students because teaching to pass a test (to keep their jobs) is more like piecework in a factory, and doesn't necessarily require inquisitiveness, creativity, thinking, ethics, values, and all the other factors that make an educated child and a real teacher.
Regarding the article "New Breed of Advocacy Groups Shakes Up Education Field" (May 16,2012), many of these new advocacy groups do not stand for children—they stand against teachers and disadvantaged children. Their tactic of using tests to hold teachers in line also has the effect of diminishing the education of minority students because teaching to pass a test (to keep their jobs) is more like piecework in a factory, and doesn't necessarily require inquisitiveness, creativity, thinking, ethics, values, and all the other factors that make an educated child and a real teacher.
Standards & Accountability
Letter to the Editor
Thoughtful Literacy Instruction Is Crucial
To the Editor:
David Coleman's appointment as the president of the College Board will further drive national policy that focuses on high-stakes testing, standardization of curriculum, and scripted instruction that comes from the common-core preparation programs being marketed based on "publishers' criteria" created by Mr. Coleman and his colleagues at Student Achievement Partners (a nonprofit organization that develops implementation strategies for the common-core standards).
David Coleman's appointment as the president of the College Board will further drive national policy that focuses on high-stakes testing, standardization of curriculum, and scripted instruction that comes from the common-core preparation programs being marketed based on "publishers' criteria" created by Mr. Coleman and his colleagues at Student Achievement Partners (a nonprofit organization that develops implementation strategies for the common-core standards).
Ed-Tech Policy
Letter to the Editor
Digital Learning Offers Multiple Benefits
To the Editor:
Going to interactive digital learning—e-textbooks—makes sense.
Going to interactive digital learning—e-textbooks—makes sense.
Standards & Accountability
Letter to the Editor
'Head' and 'Heart' Fundamental to Reading
To the Editor:
In the Education Week account of a training session on the Common Core State Standards in English/language arts, we get one more glimpse into the concept of reading that shapes the standards. And the news is not good. Promoters of the reading standards continue to draw a line in the sand between the experience of the reader and "the text itself." They disconnect meaning (in the text) from feeling (in the reader).
In the Education Week account of a training session on the Common Core State Standards in English/language arts, we get one more glimpse into the concept of reading that shapes the standards. And the news is not good. Promoters of the reading standards continue to draw a line in the sand between the experience of the reader and "the text itself." They disconnect meaning (in the text) from feeling (in the reader).
IT Infrastructure & Management
Facebook Considers Expanding Access to 13 and Younger Crowd
The revelation by the social-networking giant spurs a flurry of both interest and concern among educators about the potential benefits and drawbacks if the company approves the move.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
College Readiness: Address Academic and Financial Needs
The nation needs a multipronged approach to preparing high school students for college, Wendy Puriefoy writes.
School & District Management
Recall Win May Boost Wis. Governor's K-12 Clout
Advocates for charter schools and school choice await action from Gov. Scott Walker now that he has handily survived a recall vote.