January 21, 2015

Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 18
Special Education Louisiana Slow in Rolling Out New Authority for Spec. Ed. Teams
Worries over federal compliance slow implementation of a new law giving school-based teams the power to develop course-completion and graduation standards for some special education students.
Christina A. Samuels, January 20, 2015
6 min read
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor The Arts Inspire Students, Teachers, and Learning
To the Editor:
I was thrilled to see the Commentary section in the Dec. 3, 2014, issue focusing on the role of the arts in learning.
January 20, 2015
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto
School Choice & Charters Opinion Charters Need Policy and Community Support
Good laws are important, but they aren't the only key to successful charter schools, Nina Rees and Todd Ziebarth say.
Nina S. Rees & Todd Ziebarth, January 20, 2015
4 min read
Teaching Letter to the Editor Differentiation Essay Offered 'Strident, Cynical' Parody
To the Editor:
I am deeply ashamed of you for publishing the Commentary "Differentiation Doesn't Work." It presents a ridiculous parody of differentiation. You should know better.
January 20, 2015
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Illustration: Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStockphoto
School Climate & Safety Opinion Four Ways to Improve Student Mental-Health Support
Improving school-community collaboration is one way to help students get the mental-health treatment they need, S. Brock and H.T. Brant say.
Stephen E. Brock & H. Thomas Brant, January 20, 2015
7 min read
Equity & Diversity Letter to the Editor Failed Tracking Practices Led to New Instruction Methods
To the Editor:
I read with interest James R. Delisle's Commentary on the failure of differentiated instruction. I think the need for differentiated instruction came as a result of the failures of tracking.
January 20, 2015
1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
iStockphoto
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Make K-12 Skills Relevant to Students
Making the connections clear between academics and work will benefit many students, says Jonathan Hasak.
Jonathan Hasak, January 20, 2015
4 min read
Teacher Preparation Letter to the Editor All Teachers Must Be Trained to Teach All Students
To the Editor:
The recent Commentary by James R. Delisle demands counterpoints from career educators like myself who have devoted their lives to students who are gifted and to preparing teachers to meet the needs of those students.
January 20, 2015
1 min read
As a state trooper stands guard nearby, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State Of The State address in the State House, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, in Trenton, N.J. Christie aimed at national issues as well as those in his state, and he noted lessons learned while traveling the country last year to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidates.
As a state trooper stands guard nearby, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State Of The State address in the State House, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, in Trenton, N.J. Christie aimed at national issues as well as those in his state, and he noted lessons learned while traveling the country last year to campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidates.
Mel Evans/AP
States State of the States State of the States: Ariz., Ga., Idaho, Iowa, Ind., N.J., Ore., S.D., Va., Vt., Wash., W.Va., Wyo.
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
January 20, 2015
11 min read
Professional Development National Program Preps Novice Schools Chiefs to Lead Districts
AASA, the School Superintendents Association, is training a new generation of administrators to deftly manage the complex demands of running the nation's school systems.
Corey Mitchell, January 20, 2015
6 min read
A video camera records students in a classroom at Melba High School in Melba, Idaho, as a digital screen shows virtual teacher Michelle Chavez, based in a different town, leading a lesson on Holocaust literature. The Idaho Education Network, a state-sponsored broadband service, provides the bandwidth for the school to offer online classes.
A video camera records students in a classroom at Melba High School in Melba, Idaho, as a digital screen shows virtual teacher Michelle Chavez, based in a different town, leading a lesson on Holocaust literature. The Idaho Education Network, a state-sponsored broadband service, provides the bandwidth for the school to offer online classes.
--Joe Jaszewski for Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy Idaho Schools Face Potential Tech Crisis Over Broadband Issue
State officials are scrambling to make sure their broadband network provides service to school districts, following a legal battle that has left the network's future in limbo.
Michelle R. Davis, January 20, 2015
6 min read
Teaching Letter to the Editor High-Quality Instruction, Not Differentiation, Is the Key
To the Editor:
James R. Delisle has earned our congratulations for calling out differentiated instruction as a fad that is simply not workable in real classrooms. Likewise, he has earned an equal amount of criticism from us for his conclusion that we must return to tracking and homogeneous classrooms to meet students' needs.
January 20, 2015
1 min read
School & District Management Obama Calls for Stronger Protections on Student-Data Privacy
A proposed new federal Student Digital Privacy Act would put new restrictions on how companies use student data, but hurdles abound.
Benjamin Herold, January 20, 2015
4 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Research Agency Awaits New Chief, Legislation
There's no end in sight to the Institute of Education Sciences' long wait to fill top leadership vacancies and get a reauthorization.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 20, 2015
4 min read
Education Best of the Blogs Blogs
January 20, 2015
8 min read
Michele Baker-Lindsay, center, a mentor with tnAchieves, meets with high school seniors at Rhea County High School in Evensville, Tenn. Tennessee’s scholarship programs were a model for President Obama’s community college proposal.
Michele Baker-Lindsay, center, a mentor with tnAchieves, meets with high school seniors at Rhea County High School in Evensville, Tenn. Tennessee’s scholarship programs were a model for President Obama’s community college proposal.
Shawn Poynter for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Skepticism, Hope Greet President's Community College Plan
The big questions are how to pay for the $60 billion initiative proposed by President Barack Obama and whether the Republican-controlled Congress will approve it.
Caralee J. Adams, January 20, 2015
6 min read
Standards & Accountability W.Va, Wyo. Debate Climate-Change Mentions in Science Standards
W.Va. is the second state to have a debate surface over climate-change language in the Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 schools.
Liana Loewus, January 16, 2015
7 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan defends the yearly testing schedule in the No Child Left Behind Act during a Jan. 12 speech at the Seaton Elementary School in Washington. Debate is gearing up on Capitol HIll over long-overdue renewal of the NCLB law, which is the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan defends the yearly testing schedule in the No Child Left Behind Act during a Jan. 12 speech at the Seaton Elementary School in Washington. Debate is gearing up on Capitol HIll over long-overdue renewal of the NCLB law, which is the current version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Every Student Succeeds Act Battle Lines Drawn on Annual Testing in ESEA Renewal
As Congress kicks off new efforts to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the No Child Left Behind mandates on state assessments are at the heart of the debate.
Alyson Klein & Lauren Camera, January 16, 2015
8 min read