March 30, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 26
Data
House Hearing Weighs Student-Data Privacy Concerns
Parents, researchers, and educators all have distinct points of view about the proper collection and use of sensitive student data.
School & District Management
State Teams See Mixed Progress on Teacher-Leadership Initiatives
Modest gains by delegate groups associated with the U.S. Department of Education's Teach to Lead initiative show the difficulties in gaining policy traction around ideas to give teachers more influence in school systems.
Standards
Can 'Micro-Credentialing' Salvage Teacher PD?
Advocates say the movement offers an opportunity for schools to shift away from arbitrary credit-hour requirements toward a system based on evidence of progress in specific instructional skills.
Every Student Succeeds Act
State School Boards Feel New Urgency to Flex Muscles
With the advent of the Every Student Succeeds Act, state boards of education seek to reassert their influence, as legislators, superintendents, and others vie for a piece of the policy pie.
Law & Courts
More Military Families Embrace Home Schooling
Parents concerned about the impact of frequent moves and long deployments on their families are seeking stability in their children's educational opportunities.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Group Probes Ed-Tech Pricing, Buying
A new nonprofit organization has set out to help school districts compare the prices they pay for education technology and examine the fairness and logic of their procurement practices and contracts with vendors.
Law & Courts
N.C. Law Restricts Transgender Student Restroom Access
The state is the first to enact a law that will limit transgender students access to restrooms and locker rooms in public schools.
College & Workforce Readiness
New 10th Grade ACT Test May Compete With PSAT
The new PreACT test is a multicple-choice test designed to prepare 10th graders for the ACT college-entrance exam.
Federal
ESSA Rule Negotiators Grapple With Issues of Flexibility, Equity
A panel of educators, advocates, and others are seeking to hash out the best approach to regulating under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Bring Joy Back Into the Classroom
A teacher's enjoyment in the classroom is a precondition for student learning, writes assistant education professor Jonathan Eckert.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Good Teachers Don't Have to Like Teaching
Teaching doesn't have to be fun to be gratifying, writes high school English teacher Patrick O'Connor.
School & District Management
Opinion
K-12 Principals, Get Your Irish On
The challenges facing the principal profession are more universal than Americans might realize, writes psychologist Robert Evans.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
What Defines a Good School?
To create school environments that reflect our humanity, the words we use matter, writes Superintendent David Gamberg.
Federal
Letter to the Editor
Reader Asks If a Democratic President Would Advocate for Public Education
To the Editor:
After following the education news and political campaigns of the last few years, I would argue that Democrats at both the state and national levels continue to disappoint teachers and parents on K-12 education policies.
After following the education news and political campaigns of the last few years, I would argue that Democrats at both the state and national levels continue to disappoint teachers and parents on K-12 education policies.
Equity & Diversity
Letter to the Editor
Schoolhouse Diversity Offers Broad Benefits to All Students
To the Editor:
I applaud Education Week for keeping the essential issue of increasing teacher diversity—particularly ensuring more black men are leading classrooms—in the spotlight. I read "Black Male Teachers a Rarity" with much agreement. However, the statement that "America's K-12 schools have never been more diverse" struck me as potentially misleading to readers and worth clearing up.
I applaud Education Week for keeping the essential issue of increasing teacher diversity—particularly ensuring more black men are leading classrooms—in the spotlight. I read "Black Male Teachers a Rarity" with much agreement. However, the statement that "America's K-12 schools have never been more diverse" struck me as potentially misleading to readers and worth clearing up.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Study of Louisiana's Narrowing Achievement Gap Is Valuable
To the Editor:
As reported in an Education Week news blog, the Education Research Alliance at Tulane University and the Education Reform Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas have released a new study ("Student Test-Score Performance Fell in Louisiana Voucher Program, Study Finds").
As reported in an Education Week news blog, the Education Research Alliance at Tulane University and the Education Reform Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas have released a new study ("Student Test-Score Performance Fell in Louisiana Voucher Program, Study Finds").
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Farm-to-School Efforts Take Root in Schools
The number of schools participating in farm-to-school programs and activities is on the rise, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Weapons Said to Be on Rise in N.Y.C. District Schools
A group that supports charter schools says the number of weapons confiscated in the New York City school system rose sharply last year.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Teachers Union Approves 1-Day Walkout
The Chicago Teachers Union has approved a one-day walkout on April 1, which the union has billed as a "day of action" to draw attention to such issues as public school funding, racial justice, and poverty.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Teacher Fined for Showing Video of Beheading
A New York City middle school teacher has been fined $300 for showing students a video of an Islamic State beheading.
Early Childhood
News in Brief
CEO Bestows Salary on Education Aid
The president and CEO of a shipbuilding company says he will forgo his base salary and use the money to launch an educational assistance fund for employees' children.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Chicago District Sues Over Charter Reversal
Chicago school district officials are suing a state commission for overturning their decision to close charter schools that were not meeting the district's performance benchmarks.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Poll: Parents Take Dim View of Careers in STEM Teaching
A poll from the nonprofit group ASQ (formerly the American Society for Quality) finds that while 90 percent of parents would encourage their children to pursue a career in a STEM field, 87 percent said they would be "concerned" if that career happened to be as a K-12 teacher.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Federal Bill Would Give ESAs to Indian Students
Legislation proposed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would provide education savings accounts to Native American students who attend Bureau of Indian Education schools.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Kentucky Mulls Picking Up Community College Tuition
Kentucky's House of Representatives has approved a bill that would give free community college tuition to all the state's high school graduates.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
In Shakeup, TFA Cuts 15 Percent of Staff
Teach For America is laying off some of its national and regional staff as part of its transition to a less-centralized business model.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Teacher-Prep Enrollment Continues to Decline
Newly released data show that both the numbers of enrollments in, and completers of, teacher-preparation programs continued to decline through 2014, but not as sharply as they had a few years before.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Many Illinois Districts See Deficit Spending
Most school districts across Illinois are spending more than they're taking in and dipping into reserves or borrowing to stay afloat, according to new state data.