April 15, 2015

Education Week, Vol. 34, Issue 27
School & District Management Report Roundup Educational Equity
Bright students from high-income families are more likely to succeed in school than their equally gifted low-income peers who often backslide as they progress through school, according to a report.
April 14, 2015
•
1 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Peer Pressure
If all your friends jumped off that bridge, would you do it too? Well, it depends on how old you are, according to a new study in Psychological Science.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 14, 2015
•
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Students' Vocabulary Skills Aren't Improving, Study Says
A new NAEP analysis suggests that 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students are not getting much better at choosing just the right words.
Catherine Gewertz, April 14, 2015
•
1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act States Pitch Changes as They Seek NCLB Waiver Renewals
Testing, teacher evaluations, and A-F grading systems are among the issues as states apply for renewal of flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Alyson Klein, April 14, 2015
•
6 min read
Students practice BMX riding in an after-school program in Walla Walla, Wash. After-school programs in Walla Walla and across the country are in limbo because of a disagreement in Congress over federal funding for them.
Students practice BMX riding in an after-school program in Walla Walla, Wash. After-school programs in Walla Walla and across the country are in limbo because of a disagreement in Congress over federal funding for them.
Photo by Molly Van Wagner for Education Week
Federal After-School Programs Feel Heat From Congress, Critics
A congressional proposal to roll federal after-school funds into a broader block grant has created an opening for critics and a rallying cry for advocates.
Kathryn Baron, April 14, 2015
•
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Jori Bolton for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Why Colleges Should Care About the Common Core
Higher ed. should be prepared for the common-core learning experiences of college-bound students, write Harold G. Levine and Michael W. Kirst.
Harold G. Levine & Michael W. Kirst, April 13, 2015
•
6 min read
Supporters of public education rally at the New York State Capitol on March 26, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. Lawmakers ultimately included several of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposals to tie increases in school spending to revisions to teacher evaluation in a recently passed 2015-16 budget bill.
Supporters of public education rally at the New York State Capitol on March 26, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. Lawmakers ultimately included several of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposals to tie increases in school spending to revisions to teacher evaluation in a recently passed 2015-16 budget bill.
Photo by Mike Groll/AP
Recruitment & Retention N.Y. Budget Accord Seeks to Tighten Rules on Teacher Quality
A last-minute budget deal in New York will have major implications for how the state’s teachers are trained, evaluated, and granted tenure.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 13, 2015
•
4 min read
Classroom Technology Colo. System Lets Individual Schools Shape Ed-Tech Buying
A Colorado district has given its schools significant leeway in making decisions about buying blended learning software, despite the challenges in ceding purchasing authority.
Benjamin Herold, April 13, 2015
•
2 min read
Kim S. Burke, the principal at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in the District of Columbia, shows enthusiasm during an open house to explain blended learning software to teachers and leaders from other schools, as Kevin Wenzel, blended learning specialist for the school system, watches.
Kim S. Burke, the principal at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in the District of Columbia, shows enthusiasm during an open house to explain blended learning software to teachers and leaders from other schools, as Kevin Wenzel, blended learning specialist for the school system, watches.
Photo by Eric Kruszewski for Education Week
Classroom Technology D.C. Favors Centralized, But Flexible Ed-Tech Buying
The District of Columbia school system arranged to purchase a blended learning software program, ST Math, through its central office, but left decisions whether to adopt it to individual schools.
Benjamin Herold, April 13, 2015
•
3 min read
IT Infrastructure & Management Businesses Build Online Wi-Fi Network in Ga. School District
A network of about 50 businesses and facilities in Forsyth County, Ga., are advertising themselves as offering free Wi-Fi to students who are seeking to continue their blended-learning lessons outside school.
Sean Cavanagh, April 13, 2015
•
3 min read
Teaching Wi-Fi Hubs on Buses Connect Students in Transit
An Arizona school system is one of a number of districts around the country to install Wi-Fi devices on its school buses, with the goal of allowing students to schoolwork during their rides to and from school.
Michelle R. Davis, April 13, 2015
•
3 min read
IT Infrastructure & Management District Loans Out Wireless Hubs to Bring Students Online
The Green Bay, Wisc., district allows students, many of them from poor backgrounds, to check out mobile, wireless hotspots so that they have the Web connectivity to do online assignments.
Michelle R. Davis, April 13, 2015
•
3 min read
Classroom Technology Creating an Out-of-School Wireless Community
The Kent, Wash., school district has placed kiosks that beam free Wi-Fi in locations across the community, including public housing, to give students who lack home Internet access more options for doing homework and school research.
April 13, 2015
Classroom Technology Report Summary: Breaking Down Barriers to Blended Learning
This report examines some of the most intractable challenges schools face in trying to use technology to improve teaching and learning—and how K-12 systems are attempting to clear those hurdles.
The Editors, April 13, 2015
•
1 min read
Fatuma Shoka, a 9th grader at Auburn Mountainview High School, uses the wireless Internet at the Birch Creek Community Center. The center, through a program supported by the Kent, Wash., school district, offers a kiosk emitting free Wi-Fi so students can go online to complete their school assignments.
Fatuma Shoka, a 9th grader at Auburn Mountainview High School, uses the wireless Internet at the Birch Creek Community Center. The center, through a program supported by the Kent, Wash., school district, offers a kiosk emitting free Wi-Fi so students can go online to complete their school assignments.
Matthew Ryan Williams for Education Week
Teaching District Extends Wi-Fi to Students in Public Housing
The Kent, Wash., district has set up kiosks with Web connectivity across the community, including public-housing complexes, to help students take part in blended learning away from school.
Michelle R. Davis, April 13, 2015
•
9 min read
Thanh Nguyen, a technology instructional coach at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in the District of Columbia, works with students Traci Burton, left, and Nygal Young during a lesson using the blended learning software ST Math. The district has encouraged, though not required, schools to use the program.
Thanh Nguyen, a technology instructional coach at J.C. Nalle Elementary School in the District of Columbia, works with students Traci Burton, left, and Nygal Young during a lesson using the blended learning software ST Math. The district has encouraged, though not required, schools to use the program.
Photo by Eric Kruszewski for Education Week
Classroom Technology Districts Weigh Control Over Software Buying
School leaders and researchers often disagree about who should have the ultimate decisionmaking authority over buying blended learning software—central district offices, or individual schools?
Benjamin Herold, April 13, 2015
•
4 min read
Instructional coaches and administrators, standing behind a two-way mirror, watch to see how 4th graders react to technology in the Catalyst laboratory at Ridge Middle School in Mentor, Ohio.
Instructional coaches and administrators, standing behind a two-way mirror, watch to see how 4th graders react to technology in the Catalyst laboratory at Ridge Middle School in Mentor, Ohio.
Photo by Dustin Franz for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Ohio District Creates a Lab for Blended Learning
In Mentor, Ohio, teachers test out and refine blended learning best practices in the “Catalyst,” a laboratory for educators to observe each other at work.
Robin L. Flanigan, April 13, 2015
•
7 min read
Classroom Technology K-12 Librarians' Roles Shift to Meet Digital Demands
A school district in Vancouver, Wash., has recast the duties of librarians to serve as experts in technology and blended learning strategies, capable of training peers on the use of digital tools.
Carol Brzozowski, April 13, 2015
•
7 min read
Classroom Technology Blended Learning Research Yields Limited Results
Drawing conclusions about what works in blended learning is difficult, because of the amorphous nature of the term, rapid changes in technology and how it is used, and other factors.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 13, 2015
•
7 min read
On the Intrinsic Schools’ Chicago campus, each grade has two interconnected classrooms, or “pods,” with their own functions.
On the Intrinsic Schools’ Chicago campus, each grade has two interconnected classrooms, or “pods,” with their own functions.
Photos by John Zich for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Chicago School Designed With Blended Learning in Mind
At the Intrinsic Schools' first permanent campus, students and teachers are working in spaces designed to support blended learning and a mix of individualized and group instruction.
Bryan Toporek, April 13, 2015
•
9 min read
Adriel Arocha.
Adriel Arocha.
Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas
Law & Courts Religious-Freedom Laws Add to Schools' Complex Duties
Recent controversies over statutes aimed at protecting religious beliefs offer a reminder of challenges school administrators face in dealing with the sensitive issue of religious accommodation.
Mark Walsh, April 10, 2015
•
6 min read
School & District Management Oregon Schools Chief Rob Saxton Resigns
Oregon schools chief Rob Saxton resigned after nearly three years as the state's first appointed head of public schools.
Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian, Portland (MCT), April 9, 2015
•
6 min read
Alison Cotey is a first-year, 5th grade teacher at John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Tenn.
Alison Cotey is a first-year, 5th grade teacher at John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Tenn.
Shawn Poynter for Education Week
Standards Dueling Tests, Standards Put Squeeze on Tennessee Teachers
The pressure is on as educators—especially those new to the classroom—toggle between leftover requirements from Tennessee's retired standards and those imposed by the common core.
Lauren Camera, April 9, 2015
•
10 min read
Alison Cotey is a first-year, 5th grade teacher at John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Tenn. Cotey and her fellow Tennessee teachers are preparing their students to perform well on a looming state exam.
Alison Cotey is a first-year, 5th grade teacher at John Adams Elementary School in Kingsport, Tenn. Cotey and her fellow Tennessee teachers are preparing their students to perform well on a looming state exam.
Shawn Poynter for Education Week
Standards Eagerness, Anxiety Await Rollout of New Tennessee Test
Next spring's round of assessments will be aligned to the Common Core State Standards, but the test-developer's tight time frame poses challenges.
Lauren Camera, April 9, 2015
•
3 min read
Defense attorney Robert Rubin, left, talks with his client, former Dobbs Elementary principal Dana Evans, center, before she is led to a holding cell after a jury found her guilty in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial on April 1, in Atlanta.
Defense attorney Robert Rubin, left, talks with his client, former Dobbs Elementary principal Dana Evans, center, before she is led to a holding cell after a jury found her guilty in the Atlanta Public Schools test-cheating trial on April 1, in Atlanta.
Kent D. Johnson/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
Assessment Convicted Atlanta Educators Draw Empathy, Condemnation
The conviction of 11 former educators on state racketeering charges that could land them behind bars has ignited debate about whether the punishment fits the crime.
Corey Mitchell, April 8, 2015
•
7 min read
Load More ▼