March 25, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 25
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Ala. Governor Signs Charter School Bill
Gov. Robert Bentley, a Republican, last week signed legislation allowing charter schools to open in Alabama.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Governor Strips Ed. Agency of Power Over Reform Board
Gov. Rick Snyder has signed a controversial executive order transferring the state school reform office from the Michigan education department to a state office that is directly under his control.
Special Education
News in Brief
Districts Can't Sue States Over IDEA Procedures
School districts have no right to sue their states in federal court in disputes over the procedural requirements of U.S. special education law, a federal appeals court ruled last week.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Atlanta Cheating Trial Rests With Jury
Jurors in the Atlanta district's test-cheating case have begun deliberations in what is believed to be the longest and most complex academic-misconduct trial in U.S. history.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
'Ducktails' Discipline: Disrespect Writ Large
To the Editor:
All teachers have experienced the task of getting students to behave while walking down the hall. Many find themselves confronting students who are talking and can't keep their hands to themselves.
All teachers have experienced the task of getting students to behave while walking down the hall. Many find themselves confronting students who are talking and can't keep their hands to themselves.
Federal
Letter to the Editor
Annual Testing Shackles Schools and Students
To the Editor:
The No Child Left Behind Act, which mandated annual standardized testing in U.S. public schools, states that National Assessment of Educational Progress scores will be used to evaluate its effectiveness. My organization's analysis of NAEP results, however, shows that overall student achievement was rising faster before NCLB went into effect. The rate of score gains for African-Americans, English-language learners, and students with disabilities generally slowed under NCLB.
The No Child Left Behind Act, which mandated annual standardized testing in U.S. public schools, states that National Assessment of Educational Progress scores will be used to evaluate its effectiveness. My organization's analysis of NAEP results, however, shows that overall student achievement was rising faster before NCLB went into effect. The rate of score gains for African-Americans, English-language learners, and students with disabilities generally slowed under NCLB.
School & District Management
New Studies Find That, for Teachers, Experience Really Does Matter
New research challenges the belief that teachers plateau early in their careers, suggesting instead their effectiveness grows over the first decade in the classroom and beyond.
Law & Courts
Fight Looms in Kansas on Funding K-12 Via Block Grants
Lawmakers approve a plan that would ditch the state’s current education formula, but its fate is entangled with a long-running legal dispute over the funding.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Which 'Common Core' Are We Talking About?
Sometimes the common core seems like a blank projection screen for what people want to see, says teacher Peter Greene.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Teaching the Common Core Requires Fine-Tuning School Policies
While the standards offer depth, they are not well supported by school instructional policies, writes teacher John Troutman McCrann.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Why My School District Is Holding Off on PARCC Tests
Following his district's big academic gains, receiver/superintendent Jeffrey Riley explains why he won't yet implement the standards assessment.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Helping Educators Overcome 'Initiative Fatigue'
Charlotte Danielson explains what a study uncovered about the kind of support educators need to implement the standards.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Decoding the Common Core: A Teacher's Perspective
The common standards have had positive and negative results for teacher Ariel Sacks, who says that the key to realizing their potential is teacher input.
Education
A Virtual Science Fair: Share Your Experiments
We're asking K-12 students and teachers to share videos and photos of their science fair projects, including an explanation of the experiment and what was learned.