June 5, 2013

Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 33
Assistant Principal Katie Franklin oversees English/language arts instruction and academic interventions at Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
Assistant Principal Katie Franklin oversees English/language arts instruction and academic interventions at Stuart-Hobson Middle School.
Jared Soares for Education Week
School & District Management Administrator Seeks Sure Footing as Instructional Leader
An assistant principal often feels frustrated that she can't help teachers enough as they infuse the common core into instruction.
Catherine Gewertz, June 4, 2013
4 min read
Sarah Hawley is an instructional coach at Stuart-Hobson Middle School. She has spent 13 years teaching; this is her first year as a coach.
Sarah Hawley is an instructional coach at Stuart-Hobson Middle School. She has spent 13 years teaching; this is her first year as a coach.
Jared Soares for Education Week
School & District Management Instructional Coach Jumps Into New Standards
In the District of Columbia, instructional coaches like Sarah Hawley are learning the common-core standards along with the teachers.
Catherine Gewertz, June 4, 2013
3 min read
Parents of students at the Dumas Technology Academy Elementary School in Chicago hug Yolanda Harris after she organized a protest outside the school in March over the proposed closing of the facility by the Chicago Board of Education.
Parents of students at the Dumas Technology Academy Elementary School in Chicago hug Yolanda Harris after she organized a protest outside the school in March over the proposed closing of the facility by the Chicago Board of Education.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Families & the Community Chicago School Closures Galvanize Parent Activists
Many affected by the shutdowns vow to harness momentum from the battle and keep pressure on the school system.
Michele Molnar, June 4, 2013
6 min read
Dowan McNair-Lee leads her 8th graders at Stuart-Hobson in a lesson on figurative language.
Dowan McNair-Lee leads her 8th graders at Stuart-Hobson in a lesson on figurative language.
Jared Soares for Education Week
Standards & Accountability Into the Common Core: One Classroom's Journey
A veteran teacher finds it tough going to lead her students toward mastery of the common standards in English/language arts.
Catherine Gewertz, June 4, 2013
19 min read
School & District Management Letter to the Editor Political Climate Created Evaluation 'Storm'
To the Editor:
Arthur Levine, a former president of Teachers College, Columbia University, has it all wrong ("The Plight of Teachers' Unions," May 8, 2013). If teachers' unions give in to the bottom-line evaluations, as they pretty much have given in to the use of student outcomes as a basis for holding on to their jobs, they will become like athletes and hedge-fund operators.
June 3, 2013
1 min read
School & District Management Letter to the Editor Teachers Oppose Sole-Test Evaluation
To the Editor:
In his Commentary "The Plight of Teachers' Unions," (May 8, 2013), Arthur Levine implies that he agrees with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who criticized the local teachers' union for its "unwillingness to accept outcome-based teacher evaluation." Actually, anyone who has worked in a school knows that teachers are notorious for boasting about the progress of their students. They routinely pull administrators, other teachers, and parents into their classrooms to see what their kids have done.
June 3, 2013
1 min read
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Gates Not Seeking Cameras in All Classrooms
To the Editor:
An April 26, 2013, entry in Walt Gardner's Reality Check blog on edweek.org ("Bill Gates's School Panopticon") referenced a Fast Company article that mistakenly reported that Bill Gates wants to put a camera in every classroom. That claim is simply not true.
June 3, 2013
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto.com/Dariusz Chramienko
Assessment Opinion Why Grades Should Reflect Mastery, Not Speed
Schools need to change their grading to truly reflect students' comprehension of subjects, Ryan McLane writes.
Ryan McLane, June 3, 2013
5 min read
School & District Management Disability Definitions Revised in Psychiatric Manual
The profession's standard reference guide, DSM-5, changes definitions for some disabilities commonly seen in schools.
Christina A. Samuels, June 3, 2013
5 min read
A man walks in the rubble of the tornado-wracked Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the Sooner State has more safe rooms in buildings and homes constructed with FEMA money than any other state, although Plaza Towers did not have one.
A man walks in the rubble of the tornado-wracked Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the Sooner State has more safe rooms in buildings and homes constructed with FEMA money than any other state, although Plaza Towers did not have one.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
School Climate & Safety After Okla. Tornado, Safety Debates Emerge for Schools
Even the best-laid plans for storm shelters and tornado drills may be no match for powerful storms like those seen in the Sooner State over the past few weeks.
June 3, 2013
7 min read
Gov. Chris Christie, center, announces New Jersey’s plans to take over the public schools in Camden. At his side are education Commissioner Christopher Cerf and Camden Mayor Dana Redd.
Gov. Chris Christie, center, announces New Jersey’s plans to take over the public schools in Camden. At his side are education Commissioner Christopher Cerf and Camden Mayor Dana Redd.
John Ziomek/Camden Courier-Post/AP-File
School & District Management N.J. Moves to Take Over Another District
The plan would make Camden the fourth system under state control since the controversial strategy was first used nearly 25 years ago.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, May 31, 2013
7 min read
School & District Management Students Can Learn by Explaining, Studies Say
Researchers at a national conference discuss how asking students for explanations can deepen their understanding.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 31, 2013
3 min read
A surveillance camera watches over students heading to their next class at Walpole High School in Walpole, Mass. The town voted last month to approve the school’s long-standing request to expand and update its security cameras.
A surveillance camera watches over students heading to their next class at Walpole High School in Walpole, Mass. The town voted last month to approve the school’s long-standing request to expand and update its security cameras.
John Tully for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Surveillance Cameras Gain Ground in Schools
Better technology and high-profile school violence are driving renewed interest, but the trend also draws criticism.
Alyssa Morones, May 31, 2013
7 min read
A security staff member intervenes as Shannon Bennett, a community activist, attempts to speak in opposition to Chicago's school closure plan. The battle over closing schools in that city echoes those in several other big cities this year.
A security staff member intervenes as Shannon Bennett, a community activist, attempts to speak in opposition to Chicago's school closure plan. The battle over closing schools in that city echoes those in several other big cities this year.
M. Spencer Green/AP
School & District Management Chicago School Closures Punctuate Challenge for Urban Districts
Chicago's closing battles echo those in a growing number of urban districts where financial pressures are colliding with the needs of poor and minority communities.
Lesli A. Maxwell, May 30, 2013
5 min read