September 18, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 04
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Teenagers
Parents who yell at their children are likely to make bad behavior worse, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.
Families & the Community
Report Roundup
Parents and Schools
Most parents are attending their schools' parent-teacher conferences, receiving school notes and emails, and helping their children with homework, according to a national survey.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
School-Philanthropy Partnerships Critical When Funding Lags
To the Editor:
There’s a truth that many lawmakers today know well but are afraid to say out loud: During the next few years, there will be little, if any, additional education funding. So the question becomes, how do we do more with less? One approach that’s working is partnering school districts and summer and after-school providers with local philanthropies.
There’s a truth that many lawmakers today know well but are afraid to say out loud: During the next few years, there will be little, if any, additional education funding. So the question becomes, how do we do more with less? One approach that’s working is partnering school districts and summer and after-school providers with local philanthropies.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
Researchers conclude that student-exit rates at charter schools are consistent with those at regular public schools nearby.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Curriculum by Union Educators Would Make for Better Schools
To the Editor:
What this country needs is a transformation of the K-12 public school system, because the current system is a disgrace.
What this country needs is a transformation of the K-12 public school system, because the current system is a disgrace.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Teacher Questions Governor’s Fiscal Plans for Philadelphia
To the Editor:
As a Philadelphia public school teacher, I find it difficult to imagine that the plans advocated by Gov. Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania are anything but politically motivated under the guise of educational reform (“Fiscal Clouds Swirl Around Philadelphia Schools,” Aug. 21, 2013). Gov. Corbett’s administration is seeking to withhold $45 million in state aid until it sees a new teachers’ contract in the city that makes substantial progress toward achieving fiscal savings.
As a Philadelphia public school teacher, I find it difficult to imagine that the plans advocated by Gov. Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania are anything but politically motivated under the guise of educational reform (“Fiscal Clouds Swirl Around Philadelphia Schools,” Aug. 21, 2013). Gov. Corbett’s administration is seeking to withhold $45 million in state aid until it sees a new teachers’ contract in the city that makes substantial progress toward achieving fiscal savings.
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
Researcher: High Test Scores Do Not Lead to Economic Success
To the Editor:
Commentary author Nancy Hoffman (“What Happens to Finland’s Well-Educated Young People?,” edweek.org, July 31, 2013) asks an interesting question.
Commentary author Nancy Hoffman (“What Happens to Finland’s Well-Educated Young People?,” edweek.org, July 31, 2013) asks an interesting question.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Research Report: Curriculum
About one-third of adults picked math as the most valuable subject, followed by English and science, according to a survey by Gallup.
Law & Courts
Louisiana Vouchers, Desegregation Case Prove Volatile Mix
State officials and the U.S. Department of Justice clash over the state's voucher program in the shadow of a long-standing desegregation case.
Teaching Profession
Ed. Dept., Arizona Clash Over Waiver
Federal officials say Arizona's NCLB waiver accountability plan falls short on high school graduation rates and teacher evaluations, which could put the state's flexibility at risk.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Encouraging Educator Courage
Teachers need to stand up for their principles, even if it means being labeled as troublemakers, Alfie Kohn writes.
Reading & Literacy
Spoken-Word Poets Bring Words to Life for Students
Passionate educators and YouTube are working to revive an ancient art form, and finding fans among students and teachers alike.
Federal
Consortium Approves Common-Core Test Supports
Language translations and a read-aloud option are among the accommodations approved by the Smarter Balanced group.
Teacher Preparation
TFA Teachers Shown to Boost Secondary Math Learning
In what opens new questions about how selective alternative programs work, a random-assignment experiment shows that students taught by secondary TFA teachers outperformed their peers.
Federal
California in Testing Showdown With U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan threatens to sanction the state if it follows through on a proposal to suspend most accountability testing for one year and rely on common-core-aligned field tests instead.
Teacher Preparation
National Board Certification to Be Cheaper, Smoother
The organization overseeing advanced teacher certification plans to revise the assessment process for the credential and to make it less costly for teachers to earn.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
A Sandy Hook Parent's Letter to Teachers
After her daughter Ana Grace was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, Nelba Marquez-Greene wrote about the courage of teachers.