April 23, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 29
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Trained Peers, Not Tests, Needed to Evaluate Teachers
To the Editor:
States are rushing out high-stakes teacher-rating systems with real consequences that do not come close to meeting the criteria outlined by the authors of the Commentary "Take the Time to Evaluate Teacher Evaluation".
States are rushing out high-stakes teacher-rating systems with real consequences that do not come close to meeting the criteria outlined by the authors of the Commentary "Take the Time to Evaluate Teacher Evaluation".
College & Workforce Readiness
College Board Unveils 'Draft' Materials for New SAT
The new exam, described as an "achievement test," aims to judge students' in such areas as analysis, synthesis, and real-world problem-solving.
School & District Management
National Principal-Certification Project to Fold
Citing insurmountable administrative and financial challenges, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards voted to end its efforts to develop advanced certification for principals.
Law & Courts
Investor Lawsuit Targets K12 Inc. and Stock Sales of Former CEO
A federal lawsuit alleges that the online education provider K12 Inc. misled investors, and says that the company’s former CEO benefited by selling off stock before the company’s stock price fell.
Data
Google Amends Terms for Scanning User Data
With a federal lawsuit pending, and more scrutiny about its practices, Google updated its terms of service and privacy policies about how it uses private data.
Student Well-Being
Schools Explore Benefits of Peer Counseling
Recognizing the important role social and emotional factors can play in academic success, some schools are enlisting energetic students to mentor their peers.
School & District Management
Opinion
Teacher Education: No Longer 'Business as Usual'
Twenty years after an article appeared in Teacher Magazine about the state of teacher education at one university, Ellis Hurd and Gary Weilbacher weigh in on where the program and teacher education stand today.
Reading & Literacy
News in Brief
Captain Underpants, Bluest Eye Top Most-Challenged-Book List
The American Library Association has issued its annual list of books most frequently targeted for removal from library shelves.
School Climate & Safety
School Stabbings Signal Need for Broad Safety Plans
After a recent knife attack at a Pennsylvania high school, experts say educators should be prepared to respond to a range of potentially dangerous situations.
Reading & Literacy
For Challenged Readers, Custom-Tailored Texts
Specialized texts serve older students reading many levels below their peers, but some ask how they align with requirements of the common core.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Rural Schools
Students in rural counties are less likely to attend college, and those who do are less likely to choose a four-year, private, or highly selective institution, according to a recent report.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
Hispanic Students
For a snapshot of how Latino students are doing when it comes to finishing college, Excelencia in Education has released 53 fact sheets and an online interactive tool showing degree completion in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Sports Injuries
Youth-athletes from higher-income families are 68 percent more likely to suffer serious overuse injuries compared to lower-income athletes, according to a new study presented this month at the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine's annual meeting in New Orleans.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Early Childhood
North Carolina's state-funded pre-K program for 4-year-olds has produced better-than-expected positive outcomes for participants, new research says.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
ACT Pilots Digital Version of College-Admissions Exam
The first wave of students has taken a computer-based version of the ACT, marking a new era for the college-admissions test.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
60 Oregon Districts Again Face Title IX Complaints
For a second time, anonymous complainants have filed Title IX complaints against 60 Oregon districts for allegedly failing to provide high school girls with opportunities for sports participation equal to those of boys.
Law & Courts
N.C. Districts, Teachers Sour on State's Anti-Tenure Law
In return for abolishing tenure, lawmakers are making districts offer raises to a quarter of their teachers, a quota administrators' and teachers' associations are protesting.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Math Group Produces Book on Common-Core Teaching
A new volume from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics aims to go a step further than the Common Core State Standards in math by describing specifically what teachers and education leaders need to do to help students reach the new requirements.
Data
News in Brief
Fla. Lawmakers Approve Student-Data-Privacy Bill
A Florida bill that attempts to ensure data privacy for students and their families has received nearly unanimous support from state legislators, and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Pa. District Agrees to Fix English-Learner Services
A Pennsylvania district has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights to provide more equitable educational opportunities for its English-language-learner population.
Federal
News in Brief
After Two Years of Waiting, Illinois Earns NCLB Waiver
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has granted his home state a waiver from some mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, making it the 43rd state to win such approval.
Science
News in Brief
Tool Released for Evaluating Science-Standards Materials
Achieve, the nonprofit that played a key role in launching the common-core standards, has released a tool called EQuIP to measure the alignment of instructional materials to the Next Generation Science Standards.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Applications for Vouchers Soar After Push in Arizona
An aggressive media campaign and expanded eligibility helped double the number of applicants for Arizona's school voucher program, which allows students to use public funds for a private education.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
At Largest Cyber Charter in Pa., Teachers Unionize
Teachers at the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, the largest of its kind in the state, have voted to unionize.
Federal
Arne Duncan Vows Push on Range of Education Priorities
Standards implementation, pre-K, and teacher preparation are high on the to-do list items for the U.S. Secretary of Education as the administration heads deeper into its final term.
Education
Correction
Correction
An incorrect credit was given for the Page 1 photograph about field-testing of common-core-aligned exams in the April 16, 2014, issue of Education Week. The photograph was taken by Steve Hebert.
Assessment
NAEP Crafts Plans to Deploy Tablets for Testing
The architects of one of the best-known gauges of student achievement—the National Assessment of Educational Progress—are preparing for a dramatic expansion of technology-based assessment.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Obama Administration to Face Hurdles on Vulnerable Programs
Some of the president's high-profile K-12 programs may have an uncertain future without strong patrons in Congress or a formal anchor in federal law.