May 22, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 32
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Student Assignments Upheld in Nashville
A federal appeals court has rejected claims from black parents that a student-assignment plan for the Metropolitan Nashville district in Tennessee led to unconstitutional resegregation.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
CDC Reports Data on Child Mental Health
Millions of American children live with depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or a host of other mental-health issues, the CDC notes in a new report.
Assessment
News in Brief
Pre-K Tests No Gauge of Teachers, Study Says
Twenty states now use student performance in the early grades to assess teachers, however, a new study reveals that current evaluation systems don't provide an accurate picture of what's happening in the classroom.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Educator Gets 7 Years in Cheating Scheme
A longtime Memphis, Tenn., educator who helped teachers cheat on certification exams over a 15-year period was sentenced last week to seven years in federal prison.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Seattle High Schools Can Skip Debated Test
Seattle high schools don't have to administer the Measures of Academic Progress tests after this spring, Superintendent José Banda said in a letter.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Study Reveals Gaps in Grad. Rates
Students with learning disabilities have been leaving high school with a standard diploma, but many states fall short of the national average for students graduating in that disability category, a state-by-state analysis shows.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Early Childhood
When Head Start programs used a broad curriculum that emphasizes both academics and social awareness over academics alone, pupils outperformed their fellow Head Start alumni in kindergarten, a new study finds.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Recess
A new study suggests children may benefit from a little more organized activity at recess.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Social and Emotional Skills
A large majority of teachers say it's important for schools to work on developing students' social and emotional skills, results from a new national survey show.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Childhood Violence
Two out of five children are physically assaulted in a given year, and one in 10 are injured in an assault, according to a survey published in JAMA Pediatrics.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
A new collection of articles about charter schools explores charter growth in suburban districts, and potential cost savings of blended learning in both charter and regular public schools.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Research Report: Achievement Gap
While fewer black, Hispanic, and low-income students are scoring "below basic" in national assessments, a new report finds these groups aren't making similar progress at the top of the achievement scale.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Newtown Panel Says To Rebuild Sandy Hook
A task force has voted to tear down and rebuild Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where 26 students and staff members were killed by a gunman Dec. 14.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Windows XP Deadline Puts Pressure on Schools
Microsoft's plans to end support for Windows XP could pose big technological and financial challenges for districts nationwide.
Special Education
Common-Core Tests in Works for Students With Severe Disabilities
Two groups of states are crafting unique assessments for students with severe cognitive disabilities.
Standards
Opinion
The Common Core Needs a Common Curriculum
The content of instruction should be a communal, research-based, and experience-based decision, writes Lisa Hansel.
Education
Examining the Quality of Reading Apps
This infographic looks at apps, games, and products designed to spur reading gains in students and the websites and services that offer reviews or ratings of these technologies.
Classroom Technology
Ed. Schools Lag Behind Digital Content Trends
Teacher education institutions risk becoming obsolete if they do not do a better job preparing future teachers to use digital curricula, experts say.
Classroom Technology
Digital Video Transforms Teaching Practices
The growing availability of digital video sparked the "flipped classroom" movement, but identifying quality video content is still a challenge.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Q&A: Pew Researcher Analyzes Students' E-Research Skills
Kristen Purcell, the associate director for research for the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, talks about students’ research skills.
Federal
Schools Face Shortage of Digital Curricula for English-Learners
To help individualize lessons, teachers often rely on digital curricula used for all students as well as software programs tailored for English-language learners.
Curriculum
Digital Trends Shifting the Role of Teachers
Interactive tools and multimedia content are prompting teachers to take on more of a coaching or guiding role in the classroom.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Teaching Students Better Online Research Skills
Many educators are explicitly teaching such skills as how to evaluate a website's credibility, how to use precise keywords, and how to better mine search engines.
Classroom Technology
Evaluating Quality in Digital Reading Products
Academic experts and children's advocates say teachers and parents are often left on their own to decide whether various products have any educational value.
IT Infrastructure & Management
'Personal Learning Environments' Focus on the Individual
But defining what exactly a "personal learning environment," or PLE, is supposed to look like is proving to be challenging.
College & Workforce Readiness
STEM Schools Put High Priority on Digital Skills
Programs build partnerships with private companies and higher education partners to provide the kinds of high-tech skills students need.
Classroom Technology
Video Content Provider Market Expanding
As digital video becomes a more popular educational tool, the companies and organizations that provide such content are becoming more diverse.
Teaching Profession
Calif. Struggles to Assess Teacher-Training Programs
After students leave schools of education, and after years of reforms, Calif. institutions often have no way of ascertaining if their programs produced strong teachers.
Assessment
Do New Exams Produce Better Teachers? States Act While Educators Debate
Some educators say evidence is lacking on whether new performance assessments are creating better teachers, according to this article from Education Week content partner The Hechinger Report.