April 23, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 29
Law & Courts
A-F School Grading Targeted in N.M. Equity Suit
A lawsuit alleges that New Mexico's A-F grading system for schools and its teacher-evaluation policies cause an unfair distribution of resources for schools.
School & District Management
Opinion
How to Create a New K-12 Engine
Meeting each child where he or she is in early childhood and increasing out-of-school learning experiences are some of the ways to strengthen our weakened education system and drive K-12 results, writes Paul Reville.
Standards
Common-Assessment Accommodations: A Comparison
The two main assessment consortia have much in common concerning the types of accommodations and tools for testing special populations, but they part company on some key issues.
Standards
Vision, Reality Collide in Common-Core Tests
Political, technical, and financial factors have constrained some of the original, and more ambitious, plans for the assessments being developed by two state coalitions.
Standards
Standards Pose Teacher-Prep Challenge
Schools of education are showing a range of responses to the common core, including acceptance, uncertainty, and even resistance.
Special Education
Alternative-Assessment Groups Pursue Divergent Pathways
The two organizations, both federally funded, are developing alternate assessments for students with severe cognitive disabilities, but are working under very different theories of learning.
Standards
New Standards Sway Purchasing Plans
From technology to curricular materials and testing tools, the common-core standards are having considerable influence on K-12 spending decisions.
Standards
Resistance to the Common Core Mounts
Critics of the standards for English/language arts and mathematics span the political spectrum, from tea-party members to union leaders.
Curriculum
Common Core at Four: Sizing Up the Enterprise
The common-core standards have touched virtually every aspect of the nation's K-12 system over the past several years, but big challenges remain for the initiative.
Special Education
Common-Assessment Groups Differ on Accommodations
But the two state consortia both aim to provide a more-inclusive experience for English-language learners and students with disabilities.
Curriculum
Two Districts, Two Approaches to Common-Core Curriculum
To help implement the common-core standards, one district opts for the offerings of a major publisher, while another writes its own materials.
School & District Management
Opinion
Five Critical Conditions That Encourage School Improvement
To prepare students to be productive, forward-thinking individuals, districts must offer a range of accessible, high-quality, innovative schooling options, writes Heather Zavadsky.
School Climate & Safety
Juvenile-Justice System Not Meeting Educational Needs, Report Says
A new report cites inaccurate assessments of the needs of students entering the system, poor coordination between teaching and learning, and inconsistency in curricula as significant problems.