December 9, 2015
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 14
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
How to Create Safe Learning Environments
Two researchers suggest evidence-based classroom practices that help teachers promote a positive and secure student learning environment.
College & Workforce Readiness
Tenn. Free-Tuition Program Moves Focus to College Retention
The promise of free tuition lured 16,000 students to Tennessee colleges this year; now state officials are working to keep them there.
Equity & Diversity
Ariz. District Teaches Coding to K-8 Students
As big districts like New York and Chicago gear up to teach computer science, the coding lessons are already going full tilt in Avondale, Ariz., schools.
School & District Management
School Facilities Fuel State-Local Tensions in W.Va. District
A consolidation plan for Fayette County schools pushed by the state schools chief that aims to shutter dilapidated facilities and open a new one has proved divisive.
School Climate & Safety
In Many States, Prospects Are Grim for Incarcerated Youths
The quality of education for tens of thousands of locked-up juveniles significantly lags that of their peers in public schools, advocates say.
School & District Management
Positive Mindset May Prime Students' Brains for Math
When students have a positive attitude about math, their brains operate more efficiently, according to researchers from Stanford University.
Every Student Succeeds Act
House Approval of ESEA Overhaul a Bipartisan Move
The bill approved by a 359-64 margin would scale back the federal role in education for the first time since the early 1980s.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Three Wrongheaded School 'Reform' Myths
Many claims about the merits of school reform are "awash in misguided convictions," argues UFT President Michael Mulgrew.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Explainer
The Every Student Succeeds Act: Explained
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, states would get significant leeway in a wide range of areas, with the U.S. Department of Education seeing its hands-on role in accountability scaled back considerably. Here are key highlights.
Families & the Community
Letter to the Editor
Students' Privacy Extends to Military-Recruitment Tools
To the Editor:
In New York state, a network of parents and other activists led by the New York City-based nonprofit Class Size Matters were instrumental in quashing a plan by the now-closed education technology vendor inBloom to warehouse student information. Leonie Haimson, the founder and executive director of Class Size Matters, said at the time that inBloom was "only the tip of the iceberg." How right she was.
In New York state, a network of parents and other activists led by the New York City-based nonprofit Class Size Matters were instrumental in quashing a plan by the now-closed education technology vendor inBloom to warehouse student information. Leonie Haimson, the founder and executive director of Class Size Matters, said at the time that inBloom was "only the tip of the iceberg." How right she was.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Law Enforcement in Schools Teaches Accountability
To the Editor:
I know firsthand what a travesty of justice occurred with the firing of the South Carolina deputy who—I would argue—used justified force to arrest a student.
I know firsthand what a travesty of justice occurred with the firing of the South Carolina deputy who—I would argue—used justified force to arrest a student.
Special Education
Letter to the Editor
Proposed Education Cuts Hurt Special Education
To the Editor:
Now that an overall budget deal has been reached, adding billions of dollars to the federal budget for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, we urge Congress to reject proposed cuts for education and special education research, and provide these programs with a much-needed funding increase.
Now that an overall budget deal has been reached, adding billions of dollars to the federal budget for fiscal years 2016 and 2017, we urge Congress to reject proposed cuts for education and special education research, and provide these programs with a much-needed funding increase.
Education
Report Roundup
Science Education
While President Barack Obama discussed the human impact on climate change in very certain terms at the recent climate talks in Paris, a new Stanford University study found middle school textbooks can send a different message.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Language Learning
Even if a child has long forgotten her native language, it still affects the way she thinks, finds a new study in the journal Nature Communications.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Suspensions
California suspended 200,000 fewer students in 2013-14 than it did two years earlier, according to a new report by the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Research Report: Reading
Few states have put comprehensive policies in place to support early literacy, finds a report from the think tank New America.
Families & the Community
Report Roundup
Parent Involvement
Watching and playing with educational media with children can help boost low-income parents' confidence and strategies to support their children's learning, according to a new study of a program in the federal Ready to Learn Initiative.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Admissions Tests Do Double Duty
States are increasingly using tests like the SAT and the ACT for high school accountability, says a report from the Education Commission of the States.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Child-Poverty Researchers Win Prestigious Award
A trio of Baltimore researchers who tracked 30 years of pitfalls and roadblocks that hobble children born in poverty have been honored with a national award.
Ed-Tech Policy
News in Brief
Facebook Founder and Wife to Donate Billions to Education
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, last week pledged to donate 99 percent of their company shares—currently valued at $45 billion—to support efforts to improve public health, education, and communities.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Charter School Reverses Ban on School Clubs
The board of directors of a North Carolina public charter school last week reversed its ban on student-led clubs, two weeks after complaints about a newly formed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender group.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
High School Group Wins Dismissal of Concussion Suit
An Illinois judge has dismissed the nation's first class action against a state high school association over its handling of concussions, ruling that it had made strides in that regard since the filing of the lawsuit.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Transgender Student Gets to Use Girls' Locker Room
A suburban Chicago district has reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights over its treatment of a transgender student, the federal agency announced Thursday.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Michigan Districts' Finances Better for Some, Not Others
The number of Michigan districts in financial distress has declined for the first time in a dozen years, a turnaround to a trend that saw the number grow annually as schools struggled with declining enrollment and increased costs.
Classroom Technology
News in Brief
Suit Filed Against Google Over Student Privacy
Google is being accused of invading the privacy of students using laptop computers powered by the Internet company's Chrome operating system.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Final Professional Standards For Leaders Unveiled
The Council of Chief State School Officers has released the long-awaited set of professional standards for educational leaders.
Assessment
News in Brief
National Tests Pared Down For High School Seniors
Seniors won't have to take the National Assessment of Education Progress in 2017.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
How Woodrow Wilson Denied African-Americans an Academic Education
Woodrow Wilson's administration backed the effort to promote vocational-only education for African-American students, writes Williamson M. Evers.