May 14, 2014
Education Week, Vol. 33, Issue 31
School & District Management
News in Brief
Student Engagement
Elementary students spend nearly a third of their time off task, with distractions more likely to happen when children are working on their own or receiving whole-group instruction at their desks.
Families & the Community
Report Roundup
Parent Involvement
A survey from the for-profit University of Phoenix College of Education has found that an overwhelming majority of K-12 teachers want parents engaged in their classrooms.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
The number of names on charter schools' waiting lists rose by 13 percent in the 2013-14 school year, according to a report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Unemployment
Employers who lay off a single mother may also be downsizing her child's opportunities in life, a new study suggests.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Union Comes Out Against Common Core
The Chicago Teachers Union last week passed a resolution saying that it opposes the Common Core State Standards.
Assessment
News in Brief
After Scandal, Ohio Issues New School Report Cards
Six Ohio school districts that were found to have altered student data to improve their performance ratings received new state report cards last week.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Bipartisan Charter Measure Clears Congressional Hurdle
Bipartisan legislation aimed at helping charter schools with a track record of success expand their reach was poised to sail through the U.S. House of Representatives late last week.
Federal
News in Brief
California Districts Request Extensions for NCLB Waivers
The group of California districts that won a first-of-its-kind waiver from some requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act has asked the U.S. Department of Education to extend the reprieve beyond the current school year.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Report Card Gives Youths D-Minus for Physical Activity
Children and youths ages 6 to 15 received a D-minus for their overall physical-activity levels in the first United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.
Classroom Technology
News in Brief
K12 Inc.'s Revenue Rises; Company Plans Expansion
K12 Inc., the largest for-profit provider of precollegiate online education, posted nearly 8 percent revenue growth in its third quarter, and is expecting to expand in the states it already operates in, officials announced last week.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Phila. Educators Charged in Test-Cheating Scandal
Five Philadelphia educators face multiple felony charges for their alleged role in cheating on Pennsylvania state exams over a period of five years.
Education Funding
News in Brief
PARCC Group Lowers Price of Common-Core Tests
The PARCC testing consortium has announced that it has lowered the price of its common-core assessments by more than $5 per student.
Federal
News in Brief
House Bill Would Make Over Federal Education Research
The U.S. House of Representatives has given quick and quiet approval to a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Education Science Reform Act.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Districts Warned Against Discouraging Immigrants
The U.S. departments of justice and education last week warned school district officials to cease using policies and practices that discourage students from enrolling because of immigration status.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Tests Should Assist, Not Determine, Teacher-Certification Decisions
To the Editor:
How should the edTPA or Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers be used? JoAnn Bartoletti, Gail Connelly, Daniel A. Domenech, and Sharon P. Robinson posit in their recent Commentary that performance tests for new teachers make sense. Yet there seems to be an avoidance of the fact that the state of New York considers the edTPA to be a high-stakes, pass-fail assessment affecting teacher certification. Even recent action by the state board of regents to provide a temporary alternative to teacher education candidates who fail the edTPA does not change this fact.
How should the edTPA or Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers be used? JoAnn Bartoletti, Gail Connelly, Daniel A. Domenech, and Sharon P. Robinson posit in their recent Commentary that performance tests for new teachers make sense. Yet there seems to be an avoidance of the fact that the state of New York considers the edTPA to be a high-stakes, pass-fail assessment affecting teacher certification. Even recent action by the state board of regents to provide a temporary alternative to teacher education candidates who fail the edTPA does not change this fact.
Ed-Tech Policy
Letter to the Editor
Essay's 'App Generation' Description Misrepresents Book, Authors Say
To the Editor:
As the authors of The App Generation, we were disappointed to read Jody Passanisi's mischaracterization of our book in her online First Person essay on a separate book, danah boyd's It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.
As the authors of The App Generation, we were disappointed to read Jody Passanisi's mischaracterization of our book in her online First Person essay on a separate book, danah boyd's It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.
School & District Management
Pearson Contract for Common-Core Testing Faces Legal Challenge
A decision by PARCC to give the education vendor Pearson a major contract for common-core testing is being challenged by the American Institutes for Research.
Assessment
Timeline: Landmark Desegregation Cases
Legal rulings breaking down the walls of segregation have reshaped the makeup of America's public schools in ways that continue to change.
Equity & Diversity
Voices of History
Three people with unique experiences in fighting for integration and equality in public schools share their stories with Education Week.
Federal
High Stakes for States on NCLB Waiver Compliance
Reaching agreement with the Education Department on fine points of No Child Left Behind Act flexibility can be a make-or-break proposition.