June 8, 2016
Education Week, Vol. 35, Issue 34
School & District Management
The Evolution of the 'Chartered School'
Charters have evolved from the original idea of allowing parents and teachers to create new kinds of public schools into a powerful movement driven, to a large extent, by private philanthropy.
School & District Management
From Our Research Center
Data and the Debate Over Diversity in Charters
Charter schools have long been criticized for a lack of diversity, but a national analysis reveals a varied demographic profile.
School Climate & Safety
Video: A Tale of Two Charter Schools
Step inside the Avalon School in St. Paul, Minn., and the Alliance Collins Family College-Ready High School in Los Angeles to see how the charter movement has changed over the last 25 years.
School & District Management
Opinion
School Boards Must Narrow Their Focus
School boards spend too much time on routine and not enough on issues that could have an impact on student achievement, writes Cathy Mincberg.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
In Terms of Assessment, Teachers Know Best
To evaluate students' soft skills, educators should rely on their training rather than a standardized assessment, argue educators Jessica and Skip Potts.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
What Does Research Suggest About Transgender Restroom Policies?
Amid the contentious debate over transgender restroom policies, Amira Hasenbush of the Williams Institute at UCLA delves into the relevant research.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Not All School Attendance Data Are Created Equal
To address absenteeism, it's not enough to just look at numbers of school days students miss, write Russell Rumberger and Michael Gottfried.
Every Student Succeeds Act
State K-12 Leaders Cautious in Assessing Draft ESSA Rules
Timing issues, as well as electoral uncertainties, complicate the picture as states and districts weigh accountability rules under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Law & Courts
Special Session Called to Deal With Kansas School-Aid Showdown
School districts are girding for the possible cutoff of state funding at the end of the month if lawmakers fail to satisfy a Kansas high court ruling demanding more equitable K-12 funding.
School Climate & Safety
Schools to Begin Monitoring Students From Military Families
Schools across the country are preparing to formally track students from military families, monitoring their academic progress as they move from military base to military base and state to state, under a new provision in the federal education law.
Federal
U.S. House Bill Seeks to Improve Portability of Teacher Licenses
Newly introduced federal legislation is looking to help teachers move from one state to another without jumping through a lot of hoops.
Law & Courts
Restroom Guidance a Thorny Study in Administrative Law
The clash involving the Obama administration's "Dear Colleague" letter on transgender students' choice of restrooms spotlights the often-arcane wrangling over federal regulatory guidance.
School & District Management
Skill Levels Remain Issue in Pre-K Staffing
Concerns about literacy and other shortfalls on the part of some child-care and preschool staff members renew calls for more training and support to boost worker qualifications.
Equity & Diversity
Unaccompanied Minors Face New Milestone: Graduation
Katherine and Kenia were among the recent surge of Central American children fleeing to the U.S. Now they're graduating from high school.
Equity & Diversity
Letter to the Editor
Diversity Training in Clinical Settings Is Key for Teachers
To the Editor:
A May 10 post on Education Week Teacher's Teaching Now blog cites a recent study which found that after a semester's clinical experience in a diverse classroom, white teachers felt more comfortable with students of color but did not generally see a need to tailor their teaching practices to the needs of students from backgrounds different from their own ("Study: Teacher-Prep Programs Need to Deepen Educators' Racial Awareness").
A May 10 post on Education Week Teacher's Teaching Now blog cites a recent study which found that after a semester's clinical experience in a diverse classroom, white teachers felt more comfortable with students of color but did not generally see a need to tailor their teaching practices to the needs of students from backgrounds different from their own ("Study: Teacher-Prep Programs Need to Deepen Educators' Racial Awareness").
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Essays Offer 'Critical Recipe' for Evaluating Teachers
To the Editor:
The state-level professionals evaluating licensed education professionals should learn from the two Education Week back-page Commentaries of April 20 and 27 ("It's Time to Rethink Teacher Evaluation" and "How to Improve Teacher Evaluation in the Age of ESSA"). Each is distinctive in its recommendations, but taken together they form a critical recipe for creating an operational equilibrium as states try to work out credible and authentic accountability systems to evaluate teachers.
The state-level professionals evaluating licensed education professionals should learn from the two Education Week back-page Commentaries of April 20 and 27 ("It's Time to Rethink Teacher Evaluation" and "How to Improve Teacher Evaluation in the Age of ESSA"). Each is distinctive in its recommendations, but taken together they form a critical recipe for creating an operational equilibrium as states try to work out credible and authentic accountability systems to evaluate teachers.
Special Education
Letter to the Editor
Missing Reference Point Could Skew Article's Data
To the Editor:
I read with interest the article reporting and analyzing an "uptick" in special education enrollments ("National Count of Special Education Students Shows Uptick"). The article, as is Education Week's norm, is well written, and canvassed the opinions of an impressive group of experts.
I read with interest the article reporting and analyzing an "uptick" in special education enrollments ("National Count of Special Education Students Shows Uptick"). The article, as is Education Week's norm, is well written, and canvassed the opinions of an impressive group of experts.
Education Funding
Ed-Tech Market in Flux as Investors Grow More Selective
Analysts see signs that the market, both globally and in the United States, is cooling off a bit after years of intense activity.
Special Education
News in Brief
Special Ed. in Iowa City Under Review by State
The Iowa education department has opened two reviews of the Iowa City school district over the way it runs its special education program.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Filming of Rap Video Leads to Paid Leave for Principal
A principal at a New Jersey high school where rapper Fetty Wap recorded a music video has been placed on leave.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Cancer Survivor Not Allowed to Walk With Senior Class
A suburban Phoenix high school student who kept up with classes through cancer treatments but was denied permission to walk at graduation has received support from around the world after a Facebook post about his situation.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Philadelphia District Includes Muslim Holidays in Calendar
The Philadelphia district will add two Muslim holidays to its school calendar. The two holidays are Eid al-Fitr, celebrated after the monthlong observance of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, celebrated at the conclusion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Special Education
News in Brief
District Pays $1.75 Million to Injured Student's Family
The family of an autistic teenager whose legs were broken when a teaching assistant physically restrained him will be paid $1.75 million by a Kentucky school district.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Maine Teachers Trade IPads for Laptops
Middle and high schools in Maine are returning their iPads and switching back to laptops after a survey found that 88.5 percent of teachers and 74 percent of students in one district preferred laptops for schoolwork and instruction, reports the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Many Portland Schools Have Lead in Water
The Portland, Ore., public schools failed to disclose that the drinking water at dozens of schools had elevated lead levels, the Williamette Week newspaper reports.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Without More Money, Chicago Schools May Not Reopen
Chicago's schools won't open in the fall if the district doesn't get additional state funding, CEO Forrest Claypool said last week.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Mississippi: No Public Funds For Superintendents' Group
State lawmakers have made it illegal for school districts to spend any public money on the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents, saying district leaders personally attacked state officials while they were seeking votes for a school funding initiative last year.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Michigan Poised to Pass $617M Bailout for Detroit
Detroit's debt-ridden school district would receive a $617 million state bailout under a compromise restructuring plan that appears poised for final legislative votes and the governor's signature after winning narrow approval in the House.