April 3, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 27
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
Healthy Lunchrooms For Healthy Students
To the Editor:
As educators, we seek to prepare students for life. We nurture their personal and social development along with teaching academic competencies. But our efforts are being undercut by school lunchroom menus that put students' physical well-being at risk.
As educators, we seek to prepare students for life. We nurture their personal and social development along with teaching academic competencies. But our efforts are being undercut by school lunchroom menus that put students' physical well-being at risk.
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
Aligned Curricula Outpace Remediation
To the Editor:
We read with great interest the article "Remedial Placements Found to Be Overused" (Feb. 20, 2013) on the overuse of remediation, and we couldn't agree more.
We read with great interest the article "Remedial Placements Found to Be Overused" (Feb. 20, 2013) on the overuse of remediation, and we couldn't agree more.
Accountability
Letter to the Editor
Good Intentions Do Not Ensure Good Results
To the Editor:
Articles in a recent issue of Education Week got me thinking ("Principal Appraisals Get a Remake" and "Feds, States Dicker Over Evaluations," March 6, 2013). Throughout history, there are numerous examples of smart people who have made poor decisions. At the time, they may have thought that the decision seemed logical, appropriate, and promised that positive changes would result.
Articles in a recent issue of Education Week got me thinking ("Principal Appraisals Get a Remake" and "Feds, States Dicker Over Evaluations," March 6, 2013). Throughout history, there are numerous examples of smart people who have made poor decisions. At the time, they may have thought that the decision seemed logical, appropriate, and promised that positive changes would result.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Schools Can Ban Confederate T-Shirts
A federal appeals court has upheld a South Carolina district's restrictions barring a student from wearing various Confederate flag T-shirts to school.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Texas Senate to Decide On 'Parent Trigger' Bill
A measure making it easier for parents to urge their school boards to close failing schools or convert them into charters was sent last week to the full Texas Senate for consideration.
Curriculum
News in Brief
NewsBlast Publication Relaunched, Renamed
The PEN NewsBlast e-newsletter that covered local education reform issues until its parent organization closed its doors late last year will continue publishing with new foundation funding.
Federal
News in Brief
Preapplications Open For Latest 'i3' Grants
The U.S Department of Education is accepting "preapplications" for its $3 million development grants.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Voucher Law
The Indiana Supreme Court last week unanimously upheld the state law that created Indiana's school voucher program, the Associated Press reported.
Federal
News in Brief
Miss. District Settles Federal Complaint
A new agreement aims to stop what the federal government has labeled discriminatory discipline practices in the 6,100-student Meridian, Miss., district.
Federal
News in Brief
High Court to Hear Arguments In Affirmative-Action Case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided last week to take up another case involving affirmative action in higher education
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Teachers in Hawaii OK Tentative Pact
Hawaii's statewide school district and its teachers' union have reached a tentative deal on a contract that establishes a new teacher-evaluation system and increases wages.
Special Education
Congress Tweaks Special Education Mandates
States that run afoul of federal rules for special education funding will be punished, though not forever, under change to "maintenance of effort."
Federal
Test Groups Weigh Unified Accommodations Policies
The consortia devising new common assessments must navigate many obstacles in making the tests accessible to English-learners and students with disabilities.
Special Education
Common-Assessment Groups Differ on Special Ed. Rules
Each federally financed consortia is crafting common guidelines for accommodating students with disabilities.
Federal
Testing Consortia Struggle With ELL Provisions
In drafting test protocols, the consortia crafting common assessments are using research to sort through the wide variety of state-permitted accommodations for English-learners.
School & District Management
Leadership Shifts at Top of Education Associations
New leaders are in place at five groups, and a sixth association is on the hunt, as some try to stay relevant in the policy debate.
School & District Management
Qualified Math Teachers Elusive for Struggling Students, Studies Find
In many U.S. schools, students struggling the most in mathematics at the start of high school have the worst odds of getting a qualified teacher in the subject, new research finds.
College & Workforce Readiness
Texas Trying to Scale Back Graduation Mandates
Proposed legislation would lower the number of end-of-course exams as well as the number of core courses students must take.
Science
3-D Printing Initiative in U.S. School Attracts International Visitors
A Virginia middle school is partnering with the University of Virginia to use 3-D printing technologies to teach science and engineering concepts.
Special Education
Opinion
Do Charter Schools Serve Special-Needs Students?
Whether charter schools fairly serve children with special needs is a complicated question, write Robin Lake and Alex Medler.
Equity & Diversity
Same-Sex Marriage Arguments Touch on Children's Issues
Concerns about the well-being of children of gay parents came up as the Supreme Court heard arguments on same-sex marriage.
Federal
Calif. Districts' Waiver Bid Now in Review Phase
The U.S. Department of Education is weighing details of an application by nine California districts for a waiver under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Standards
Opinion
3 Reasons to Like the New Science Standards
The new science standards—if paired with finely tuned assessments—have the potential to generate great improvement, writes Arthur H. Camins.
Accountability
Arizona Weighing 'Performance Funding' for Schools
Gov. Jan Brewer is backing an unusual effort to tie a relatively small portion of school funding to districts' performance on the state’s A-F grading system.
School & District Management
Students to Learn How to Launch a Business at L.A. Pilot School
The Incubator School marks the latest effort in the Los Angeles Unified district to spark innovation through "pilot" schools.
School & District Management
Opinion
School Leaders: Don't Let Your Teachers Lose Heart
Retired teacher Laurie Barnoski offers suggestions for how school administrators can support teachers at a time when the education landscape is changing.
Accountability
N.J. Taking Over Camden School District
Camden will become the fourth low-performing district in New Jersey to be taken over by the state.
School Climate & Safety
Safety Plan for Schools: No Guns
A coalition of organizations unveiled its plan to head off school violence through positive behavioral approaches and better training and support for students and staff.