July 18, 2012

Education Week, Vol. 31, Issue 36
Education Funding Report Roundup Funding Disparities
Only six states earned an A or B when it came to funding their schools with poorer student populations at higher levels in fiscal 2009.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 16, 2012
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1 min read
Special Education Report Roundup Students With Disabilities
A new research review finds that children with disabilities are four times more likely to become victims of violence than children who are nondisabled.
Nirvi Shah, August 16, 2012
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1 min read
IT Infrastructure & Management Districts Bring Tech. Programmers In-House
With the availability of new digital tools and efforts to attract IT professionals, some districts are developing Web applications themselves to save money and customize their technologies.
Jason Tomassini, July 20, 2012
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11 min read
Jennifer Allen: Central-office power comes from providing a service that principals need.
Jennifer Allen: Central-office power comes from providing a service that principals need.
School & District Management Job Roles Shifting for Districts' Central Offices
In "portfolio" districts, responsibilities that once rested at the central office are falling to principals, who may be operating magnet schools, charter schools, or neighborhood schools with varying levels of autonomy.
Christina A. Samuels, July 17, 2012
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7 min read
Curriculum Districts Push for Texts Aligned to Common Core
More than 30 districts are flexing their buying power to demand classroom materials geared to common standards.
Christina A. Samuels, July 17, 2012
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4 min read
A boy uses his laptop at the Jose Maria public school in a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Peru has sent more than 800,000 laptop computers children across the country, one of the world's most ambitious efforts to leverage digital technology in the fight against poverty. Yet five years into the program, there are serious doubts about whether the largest single deployment in the One Laptop Per Child initiative was worth the more than $200 million that Peru's government spent.
A boy uses his laptop at the Jose Maria public school in a shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. Peru has sent more than 800,000 laptop computers children across the country, one of the world's most ambitious efforts to leverage digital technology in the fight against poverty. Yet five years into the program, there are serious doubts about whether the largest single deployment in the One Laptop Per Child initiative was worth the more than $200 million that Peru's government spent.
Karel Navarro/AP
Classroom Technology Peru's Laptop Program Gets Mixed Grades
There are doubts about whether the largest single deployment in the One Laptop Per Child initiative was worth the cost.
The Associated Press, July 17, 2012
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6 min read
Tony Choi poses at a bus stop in Palisades Park, N.J. Despite having a degree in political science and Spanish, the young man is unable to find legal employment and depends on public transportation because he cannot apply for a driver's license. A U.S. resident for 14 years, he is among the estimated hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth who were brought to this country by their parents.
Tony Choi poses at a bus stop in Palisades Park, N.J. Despite having a degree in political science and Spanish, the young man is unable to find legal employment and depends on public transportation because he cannot apply for a driver's license. A U.S. resident for 14 years, he is among the estimated hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth who were brought to this country by their parents.
Emile Wamsteker for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Immigration Changes Give Youths Hope
A federal policy change and a new Supreme Court ruling may expand options for young illegal immigrants, say educators and advocates.
Lesli A. Maxwell, July 17, 2012
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5 min read
School Climate & Safety Senate Hearing Showcases Alternatives to Restraints
Controversies over the use of restraints, seclusion, and other techniques for curbing disruptive behavior in students with disabilities was aired this week before a panel of the U.S. Senate.
July 17, 2012
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7 min read
IT Infrastructure & Management With New Technology, Districts Face Crucial Question: Buy or Build?
Initiatives to attract talented IT professionals and emerging digital tools add new wrinkles to the dilemma.
Jason Tomassini, July 17, 2012
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6 min read
Teaching Profession Standards, Evaluations Hot Topics at ECS Forum
Teacher evaluations and the Common Core took center stage at the Education Commission of the States National Policy Forum in Atlanta.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 17, 2012
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4 min read
Education Funding Georgia Hits Speed Bump in Race to Top
The Education Department puts a $33 million portion of Georgia’s Race to the Top grant on "high-risk" status.
Alyson Klein, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs of the Week
| NEWS | MARKETPLACE K-12
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
George Berube prepares to install cabinets in the chemistry lab of BASIS DC in Washington. The new charter school will open August 27 for 468 students in grades 5 through 8, and steadily expand until it serves students through grade 12.
George Berube prepares to install cabinets in the chemistry lab of BASIS DC in Washington. The new charter school will open August 27 for 468 students in grades 5 through 8, and steadily expand until it serves students through grade 12.
Nicole Frugé/Education Week
School Choice & Charters Prominent Charter School Networks Seeking Fresh Territory
Some charter-school groups push to expand into new parts of the country—and even find themselves being recruited.
Sean Cavanagh, July 17, 2012
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11 min read
Teaching Profession As Membership Plummets, NEA Tries to Boost Political Clout
With a loss of some 100,000 members in the past two years—and more expected—the teachers' union is striving to buttress its political clout.
Stephen Sawchuk, July 17, 2012
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10 min read
Valerie Rodriguez, left, lies still as a classmate outlines her body during playtime earlier this year at a Head Start program at the George Miller Children's Center in Richmond, Calif.
Valerie Rodriguez, left, lies still as a classmate outlines her body during playtime earlier this year at a Head Start program at the George Miller Children's Center in Richmond, Calif.
Ramin Rahimian for Education Week-File
Early Childhood Study: Children Now Are More Imaginative
Researchers say children's play is becoming more creative—even as the time to do it shrinks.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 17, 2012
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6 min read
Science Letter to the Editor Neuroscience Can Help Develop Instructional Tools
To the Editor:
I was pleased to read the article "Neuroscientists Find Learning Is Not 'Hard-Wired'" (June 6, 2012). It should go without saying that neuroscience can be a powerful ally to help teachers construct the most effective learning environment possible, but too often we are influenced—even biased—by "how it's always been done" in both practice and research. Perhaps neuroscience can eventually become the catalyst for innovative instructional models.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor More Than 'Professional Capital' Is Needed
To the Editor:
"Reviving Teaching With 'Professional Capital'" (June 6, 2012) sets forth a well-reasoned analysis and suggests a well-intentioned approach for advancing the teaching profession. However, the Commentary's authors fail to consider their own most insightful observation: The main driving force in U.S. education is short-term and nonrenewable business capital, which "favors a teaching force that is young, flexible, temporary, inexpensive to train, lacking in pensions, and replaceable wherever possible by technology."
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief N.J. Anti-Bullying Plan Falls Short for Schools
School districts and charter schools in New Jersey will receive only 20 percent of what they requested to implement the state's new anti-bullying law.
McClatchy-Tribune, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Standards News in Brief CCSSO Director Will Step Down
The Council of Chief State School Officers has announced that its executive director for the past six years, Gene Wilhoit, will leave the Washington-based organization.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Reformers Still Need to Retain Teachers
To the Editor:
In the Commentary "The High Stakes of Teacher Evaluation" (June 6, 2012), the author indicates that thoughtless teacher evaluations may trigger an exodus of teachers. Take that to the next step: Who will be willing to teach in the future? Zestful reformers, eager to improve teacher effectiveness, challenge teachers to "get it right or get out"? With memories of the No Child Left Behind Act's punitive measures lingering, we add student test scores to teacher evaluation, which, sadly, may lack validity year to year.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Coalition to Make Case for Comprehensive Ed.
More than two dozen education organizations are banding together in a new coalition to more effectively make their case to policymakers.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Capital Recap
The following offers highlights of the recent legislative sessions in Maryland and Virginia.
Catherine Gewertz, July 17, 2012
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2 min read
Penn State University students gather around a television in the student union on the school's main campus to listen to a press conference held by former FBI Director Louis Freeh. He issued a report chronicling administrators' failure to protect children in the child sex-abuse scandal connected to the university's storied football program.
Penn State University students gather around a television in the student union on the school's main campus to listen to a press conference held by former FBI Director Louis Freeh. He issued a report chronicling administrators' failure to protect children in the child sex-abuse scandal connected to the university's storied football program.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Penn State Report Describes 'Shocking' Inaction
Former FBI Director Louis Freeh's report about the child-sex-abuse scandal involving Pennsylvania State University's famed football program sent a loud and clear message to school administrators at all levels.
Bryan Toporek, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Cambridge Capstone Disputes Commentary
To the Editor:
The Commentary "In 'Assessing' Writing, Speed Kills," by Will Fitzhugh (June 20, 2012) contained two significant inaccuracies regarding the College Board's AP/Cambridge Capstone Program.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Record Lottery Sales Boost Ohio Schools
A year of record-high sales for the Ohio Lottery means its highest payout yet for public schools: $771 million.
The Associated Press, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness News in Brief Career and Tech. Standards Unveiled
The Common Career Technical Core was released last month in an attempt to ensure that career and technical education standards are of top quality in all states.
Catherine Gewertz, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Education Correction Correction
A chart accompanying a story on teacher evaluations in the March 28, 2012, issue of Education Week incorrectly categorized Georgia. It should have been colored brown, meaning that the state's teacher-evaluation ratings are exempt from public disclosure.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Group Urges Focus on Working Conditions
To boost teacher retention and student achievement at high-poverty schools, states and districts must first look to improve working conditions for teachers.
Liana Loewus, July 17, 2012
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1 min read
Data Letter to the Editor Participatory Data-System Design Is Limiting
To the Editor:
Brad C. Phillips and Jay J. Pfeiffer ("Dear Data, Please Make Yourself More Useful," Commentary, May 23, 2012) are right: Most current efforts to have data drive meaningful school improvement fall short. They point out the advantages of involving teachers, administrators, students, and parents in discussions about what indicators of student progress are important to examine and in what format.
July 17, 2012
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1 min read
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