October 30, 2013
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 10
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Educators Should Measure More, Not Less
School grading systems would be more meaningful and fair if they measured a range of outcomes that are important to the community, Craig Hochbein says.
Student Achievement
Letter to the Editor
Avoid 'Mechanistic Fixes' And 'Policy Polarization'
To the Editor:
I was thrilled to read Kathleen M. Cashin and Bruce S. Cooper's recent Commentary about the importance of social and emotional learning, "Remaking Schools as Positive Social, Emotional Places" (Oct. 2, 2013). I was similarly thrilled to read David Rutkowski and Leslie Rutkowski's essay in the same issue, "Schools Good, Schools Bad," in which they called for academics to wade into the debates about testing as a "radical middle."
I was thrilled to read Kathleen M. Cashin and Bruce S. Cooper's recent Commentary about the importance of social and emotional learning, "Remaking Schools as Positive Social, Emotional Places" (Oct. 2, 2013). I was similarly thrilled to read David Rutkowski and Leslie Rutkowski's essay in the same issue, "Schools Good, Schools Bad," in which they called for academics to wade into the debates about testing as a "radical middle."
Special Education
The Bloomberg Era in N.Y.C.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has led major changes in the city's school system since he took the office in 2002.
Special Education
Letter to the Editor
'Digital District' Report Forgot Special Education
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to Education Week's special report "Managing the Digital District" (Oct. 2, 2013). The report repeats a frequent and common mistake of completely ignoring special education students, their teachers and support staff, and the additional reporting and data-collection requirements placed upon them.
I am writing in response to Education Week's special report "Managing the Digital District" (Oct. 2, 2013). The report repeats a frequent and common mistake of completely ignoring special education students, their teachers and support staff, and the additional reporting and data-collection requirements placed upon them.
Education Funding
Critics See Risks in Use of Bonds for School Tech Projects
Cash-strapped school districts are asking voters to approve bonds to pay for technology upgrades, a move that could require them to carry debt beyond the lifespan of their devices.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Five Steps to Reboot Schools
It's time for the technology industry to claim responsibility for underserving the nation's schools and to take steps to incite transformation, writes Cameron Evans.
School & District Management
Bloomberg-Era School Changes Debated in N.Y.C. Race
Mayor Michael Bloomberg initiated major changes in the city's school system since he took the office in 2002, but just a few are at issue in the battle to take his place.
School & District Management
Mayor's Race Signals Change for Boston Schools
Boston is getting ready to elect its first new mayor in 20 years, and both candidates in the race are making education issues a top priority.
Special Education
Common Core's Promise Collides With IEP Realities
While special education teachers hope the standards will help students with disabilities access the general curriculum, they struggle to align individualized education programs to the rigorous academic goals.
Special Education
'Read Aloud' Assistance on Common Tests Proves Contentious
The consortia developing common assessments are taking different approaches to addressing the controversial issue of accommodations for students with print-related disabilities.
Special Education
A Common-Core Challenge: Learners With Special Needs
For students with special needs, English-learners, gifted students, and others beyond the mainstream, educators have to work harder to make new standards fit.
College & Workforce Readiness
Common Core Needs Tailoring for Gifted Learners, Advocates Say
Pedagogically, the common-core standards are already akin to gifted education but teachers will still need guidance on how to differentiate them for the most able learners.
Federal
ESL and Classroom Teachers Team Up to Teach Common Core
In some schools, the new standards are leading to a closer collaboration between content-area teachers and those who serve students with special needs.
Special Education
Tech Assistance in Testing Poses Practical Issues
The developers of tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards wrestle with how to provide assistive technology for students with disabilities, while assuring test security.
Standards & Accountability
Common Core Ratchets Up Language Demands for English-Learners
The Common Core State Standards' focus on persuasion, analysis, and other discourse skills is accelerating the push to teach English-language learners to master "academic" English.
Curriculum
In Ala. District, Publisher Links Tech., Curriculum
The Huntsville, Ala., city school system, like the Los Angeles district, is relying on Pearson to ease its transition to digital curriculum and 1-to-1 technology.
Standards & Accountability
Curriculum Prompts New Concerns in L.A. iPad Plan
New worries have surfaced about the Los Angeles district's ambitious plan to distribute iPads to thousands of students, this time focused on a digital curriculum from Pearson that is being rolled out despite being incomplete.
School & District Management
L.A. Schools Supt. John Deasy May Resign Soon
Deasy declined to discuss his intentions, saying that he has not submitted a letter of resignation and that he would have more to say after his upcoming job evaluation.
Assessment
Math Achievement on the Global Scale
A federal study linking the math and science results from the 2011 TIMSS and NAEP reports shows where all 50 states stand compared with education systems globally.
Federal
Most States Surpass Global Average in Math, Science
A study finds achievement in states such as Massachusetts and Vermont exceeds all but a handful of nations, while traditionally lower-performing states are much further back in the pack.