November 4, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 11
School & District Management
Data: Achievement for Urban Districts on NAEP
Twenty-one city school districts took park in NAEP testing in 2015. Of those, only the District of Columbia saw improvements in both reading and math for both grades 4 and 8.
Education
Correction
Correction
A news brief in the Oct. 28, 2015, issue of Education Week about the Minneapolis district pulling what were considered offensive books mischaracterized when the district collected them. The books were pulled before students ever saw them. Then the district apologized in a Facebook post after a freelance blogger brought the story to light.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Key Spending Provision in House ESEA Bill's Cross Hairs
A House-approved bill to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would scrap the law’s "maintenance of effort" requirement.
Assessment
Ed. Dept. Charts Course Toward Scaled-Back Testing
New principles aim to bolster states and districts in reducing the number of tests students take, while assuring high-quality assessments.
Budget & Finance
Academic Support a Financial Challenge for School Business Officers
Stretching limited dollars to expand educational opportunities will require some creative thinking and better sharing of lessons learned, school business officers suggested at a recent conference.
Teaching
Opinion
Maker Education Is About More Than 3-D Printers
The buzz around the maker movement obscures the benefits of maker education for students, writes researcher Jennifer Oxman Ryan.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Painful Necessity of Replicating Research
Jonathon Plucker and Matthew Makel discuss why people are reluctant to have education studies replicated, and emphasize why replication is so important.
School & District Management
Opinion
The Real 'Prize' in Newark Schools
Amid floundering efforts to improve K-12 education in Newark, N.J., Fr. Edwin D. Leahy shares his school’s secrets to success.
International
Opinion
A Different Kind of Lesson From Finland
We need systemic policies that press for academic growth of all students, write Chester E. Finn and Brandon L. Wright.
Classroom Technology
Cybercharter Students Fall Far Behind on Academic Measures, New Study Says
The first national study of online charter schools found that the schools generate dramatically weaker academic growth than their brick-and-mortar counterparts.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Preschool Years
The 20 states that split $1 billion in federal grant money to support early-learning programs are seeing more providers rated as high quality and more children enrolled in those programs, says a U.S. Department of Education assessment.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Teachers Need Balance of Traits, Study Says
Researchers say that the teaching skills needed to boost students' social-emotional traits differ from those that promote academic achievement.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Ohio Ed. Panel Chair Says Public Schools 'Socialist'
An Ohio lawmaker who has pushed to cut testing and also has called public education "socialism" has been named the new chairman of the state's House education committee.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
U.S. Sues Township Over Muslim School
The federal government last week sued a Michigan township for denying a zoning change that would allow construction of an Islamic school that has outgrown its nearby home.
Education
News in Brief
N.M. Hires Outsider to Probe Credentials
New Mexico's education department will hire an independent investigator to examine how a schools superintendent got educational licenses with phony credentials.
Federal
News in Brief
Federal Grant Rejected for Michigan Charters
The U.S. Department of Education has rejected a $45 million grant request from Michigan to improve and expand charter schools.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Nevadans Seeking Vouchers Live in Upscale Communities
Most of the students taking advantage of Nevada's new, and controversial, education savings accounts come from the wealthier suburbs of Las Vegas, according to data released by the state treasurer's office.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
Injured Football Player Gets $2 Million From Fla. District
The family of a high school football player who suffered a serious brain injury is getting a $2 million settlement from the Hillsborough County school board in Florida.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Arizona Nears Funding Deal Over Treasurer's Objections
The Arizona Senate was set to debate and vote on a package of bills Friday designed to settle a lawsuit filed by schools that argued lawmakers violated the state constitution by failing to provide annual inflation adjustments.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Preschool Doors May Close In Pa. Due to Budget Crisis
Some early-childhood centers certified under Pennsylvania's state-subsidized prekindergarten program are starting to tell parents that they are closing after this week because of the state's 4-month-old budget stalemate.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Math-Curricula Scores Rise With Revised Review
A nonprofit that reviews curricula for common-core alignment, which came under fire after initially posting low ratings for nearly all the texts it analyzed, has tweaked its process—and consequently upped the scores for several publishers.
Education Funding
News in Brief
More Schools Offer Free Meals to All Students
The number of schools offering free meals to all students through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's community-eligibility provision jumped 20 percent this year, the second year the option has been available nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
School & District Management
News in Brief
New Professional Standards Approved for School Leaders
After more than a year of deliberations, a set of professional standards for school leaders has been approved by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration.
Federal
News in Brief
Open Resources Would Get Boost Under Federal Plan
To promote wider use of open educational resources by states and schools, the U.S. Department of Education proposed a new regulation that would require any new intellectual property developed with grant funds from the department to be openly licensed.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
High School
A program to improve students' transition to high school helped improve achievement and close the achievement gap between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students, according to results of a new randomized trial.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Learning English
English-language learners who enter kindergarten with a basic grasp of academic language, "either in their primary language or in English," are more likely over time to be reclassified as former ELLs, an analysis from Oregon State University has found.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Homework Time
High school girls spend about an hour more per week on their homework than their male counterparts, researchers at American University have found.
Federal
GOP White House Hopefuls on Keeping or Scrapping the Ed. Dept.
The Republican candidates for president hold mixed views on whether the department should be retained or eliminated.
School & District Management
Corruption Probe Muddies Efforts to Fix Detroit's Schools
A federal investigation of alleged corruption in Michigan's state-run school district may complicate Gov. Rick Snyder's turnaround plans for the city's school system.