February 18, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 21
States
State of the States
State of the States Coverage: Illinois, Maine, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wisconsin
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Choice
Half the nation's largest 100 school districts allowed some kind of school choice in 2014, a report from the Brookings Institution says.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Student Nutrition
An average of 11.2 million low-income children ate school breakfasts daily during the 2013-14 school year, an increase of 320,000 children from the previous year, a report released last week says.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Arizona Chief, Governor Clash Over Board Staffing
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey rescinded the firings of two staff members of the state board of education by state Superintendent Diane Douglas after complaints that Ms. Douglas was acting outside her legal authority.
Federal
News in Brief
House NCLB Rewrite Bill Slammed by White House
A White House report last week blasted a proposed House GOP rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act for its funding caps and a provision to change the way Title I dollars for low-income students could be used.
Education
Report Roundup
Study: Boarding Schools Don't Benefit All Students
Can academic boarding schools remove the environmental barriers to achievement for disadvantaged students? Yes—and no—finds a new study of French schools.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
High School Completion
The national, four-year high school graduation rate has ticked up for the second year in a row, growing from 80 percent in the 2011-12 school year to 81 percent in 2012-13, according to data released in January by the U.S. Department of Education.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College-Going
A new study suggests that statewide administration of the SAT can lead to higher college-going rates, particularly among students who would not otherwise have taken the college-entrance exam.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Achievement Gaps
While the nation's graduation rate, including that of black and Latino males, has continued to grow, the gap between black males and their white peers has widened, according to a report released last week by the Schott Foundation for Public Education.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Calif. Tells Schools to Drop Parent-Volunteering Rules
California's education department is telling schools that it's illegal to require parents to volunteer at a public school.
English-Language Learners
News in Brief
LAUSD Lawyers to Represent Students Facing Deportation
Some Los Angeles Unified School District students facing deportation will receive legal help from lawyers who work for the district.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Arizona Official Defies Federal Snack Rules
Arizona's top public education official says she's disregarding federal rules that limit the sale of unhealthy snacks in school fundraisers.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
TFA's Recent Growing Pains Analyzed in New Report
Teach For America is struggling with the fallout of recent growing pains, including recruitment challenges, which were apparently partly caused by a barrage of negative press it wasn't prepared for, says an analysis of the group's evolution.
Science
Letter to the Editor
Yes, the Arts Do Improve Reading, Math Outcomes
To the Editor:
I couldn't agree more with the authors of "Art Matters: We Know, We Measured It" (Commentary, Dec. 3, 2014) that there is great value in teaching arts and culture to children. However, I respectfully disagree with the authors' assertion that the value of the arts does not include improving outcomes in reading and math, and that there are no rigorous studies of the arts' effects on these subjects.
I couldn't agree more with the authors of "Art Matters: We Know, We Measured It" (Commentary, Dec. 3, 2014) that there is great value in teaching arts and culture to children. However, I respectfully disagree with the authors' assertion that the value of the arts does not include improving outcomes in reading and math, and that there are no rigorous studies of the arts' effects on these subjects.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Graduation Requirements
States are increasingly allowing high schools to move away from traditional course-seat-time requirements for graduation and allowing competency-based assessments, grade point average, class rank, and course rigor as indicators that students are ready for college.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
'Grit' Helps Everyone Gain Real-World Success
To the Editor:
A recent blog post ("Is 'Grit' Racist?," Digital Education blog, www.edweek.org, Jan. 24, 2015) presented a cynical perspective on an important life skill. Believe it or not, some folks think fostering grit is lowering expectations for students or failing to appreciate the obstacles they face. While there are some who may misunderstand or misapply the teaching of grit, it's wrong to assume that these misapplications are representative of grit's true purpose: to help all students learn to succeed in the real world.
A recent blog post ("Is 'Grit' Racist?," Digital Education blog, www.edweek.org, Jan. 24, 2015) presented a cynical perspective on an important life skill. Believe it or not, some folks think fostering grit is lowering expectations for students or failing to appreciate the obstacles they face. While there are some who may misunderstand or misapply the teaching of grit, it's wrong to assume that these misapplications are representative of grit's true purpose: to help all students learn to succeed in the real world.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Missouri Pre-K Funding Should Be Public Only
To the Editor:
So, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is recommending an $11 million appropriation for public and private pre-K schools (State of the States, Jan. 28, 2015). Why not confine that aid to just public school programs? Doesn't Mr. Nixon remember that Missouri voters rejected tax aid for private schools in a 1976 referendum by 60 percent to 40 percent?
So, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is recommending an $11 million appropriation for public and private pre-K schools (State of the States, Jan. 28, 2015). Why not confine that aid to just public school programs? Doesn't Mr. Nixon remember that Missouri voters rejected tax aid for private schools in a 1976 referendum by 60 percent to 40 percent?
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Teachers Face Prosecution Under 'Harmful Material' Bill
Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it easier to charge and prosecute teachers with distributing "harmful material" to minors.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Can Competition Boost Study Habits and Learning?
To the Editor:
Competition has always defined our schools as well as our society.
Competition has always defined our schools as well as our society.
Education
News in Brief
Most Students Will Not Take Tests Offered by Consortia
More than half the nation's students live in states that will not be using the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and Smarter Balanced assessments this year.
Standards
Calif. Districts Seek $1 Billion to Fund Test Mandate
The formal push by four school districts to boost state funding for new standardized tests could muddy rollout of California’s common-core assessments.
School Climate & Safety
Schools Weigh Access to Students' Social-Media Passwords
State lawmakers and school district officials are again wrestling with questions about schools' authority to access and monitor students' social-media accounts.
Special Education
State Legislatures Take Aim at Restraint, Seclusion in Schools
People looking to curb the behavioral-modification practices, including advocates for those with disabilities, are finding fertile ground among state lawmakers.
Curriculum
States Ceding Power Over Classroom Materials
When it comes to choosing print and online resources for schools, states are increasingly putting more of the authority in the hands of districts.
Education
Correction
Corrections
An article in the Feb. 4, 2015, issue of Education Week misstated the number of states where Healthy Families America operates. It operates in 40. The program also works with families that are at-risk for adverse childhood experiences, including but not limited to child maltreatment.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
The two top leaders of the TNTP, an alternative teacher-certification and advocacy group, have announced plans to step down, paving the way for the first major leadership transition since Michelle Rhee left in 2007.
School & District Management
Clash Looms Over Obama's Education-Budget Priorities
The president wants a 7 percent hike in funding for the U.S. Department of Education, but a GOP-controlled Congress has pledged to keep a tight rein on spending.
Federal
Opinion
Why Annual State Testing Matters
The reauthorization of the ESEA must require annual testing so states can help struggling school districts, argues Karen Hawley Miles.