Issues

December 14, 2016

Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 15
Every Student Succeeds Act Final ESSA Rules Flesh Out Accountability, Testing Details
New federal regulations cover areas such as school ratings and quality indicators, dealing with "consistently underperforming" groups of students, testing opt-outs, and more.
Alyson Klein, December 13, 2016
6 min read
Science Summing Up Results From TIMSS, PISA
Math results were mixed for American adolescents on two major global benchmarking tests released in recent weeks. These charts offer some highlights.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 13, 2016
Teacher Preparation 17 Teacher-Prep. Programs Meet 'Tougher' Standards
Seventeen of 21 programs fully passed the first major test of the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation's new accreditation standards.
Brenda Iasevoli, December 13, 2016
6 min read
School Climate & Safety New Push for Seat Belts on Buses in Wake of Crash
A deadly crash in Tennessee has sparked fresh calls for better bus safety, but no consensus on seat belts.
Evie Blad, December 13, 2016
3 min read
Michelle Willis, an Advise TN college adviser, talks to Northwest High School senior Makayla Litteken in Clarksville, Tenn. To nudge more students to apply to college, Advise TN sent college advisers into 30 schools around the state this fall.
Michelle Willis, an Advise TN college adviser, talks to Northwest High School senior Makayla Litteken in Clarksville, Tenn. To nudge more students to apply to college, Advise TN sent college advisers into 30 schools around the state this fall.
Joe Buglewicz for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness States Beef Up School Counseling Corps
A handful of states are reinvesting in their thinning ranks of school counselors to get more students on the college path.
Catherine Gewertz, December 13, 2016
7 min read
School & District Management In Some States, a Tug of War Over ESSA Plans
Now that states are moving to take on new authority over K-12 policy under the Every Student Succeeds Act, skirmishes are breaking out in several states over who's in charge.
Daarel Burnette II, December 13, 2016
7 min read
Five Steps for Trauma-Informed Ed. Leadership: Effective systems of student trauma support can be replicated from one district to another, writes superintendent Tiffany Anderson.
Science teacher Dianne Denmark quiets her 6th grade class during an animal-therapy session at French Middle School, in Topeka.
Dave Kaup for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion Five Steps for Trauma-Informed Ed. Leadership
Effective systems of student-trauma support can be replicated from one district to another, writes Superintendent Tiffany Anderson.
Tiffany Anderson, December 13, 2016
5 min read
Student Stress Is Education’s Overlooked Crisis: Proven strategies for managing stress help both students and adults within a school community, writes former superintendent Terry Grier.
Melody Newcomb for Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion Student Stress Is Education's Overlooked Crisis
Proven strategies for managing stress help both students and adults within a school community, writes former superintendent Terry Grier.
Terry B. Grier, December 13, 2016
3 min read
The Brain Science Behind Student Trauma: The brain’s response to trauma and unpredictable stress has critical implications for student learning, explains researcher Bruce Perry.
Anthony Russo for Education Week
Student Well-Being Opinion The Brain Science Behind Student Trauma
The brain's response to trauma and unpredictable stress has critical implications for student learning, explains researcher Bruce Perry.
Bruce D. Perry, December 13, 2016
3 min read
What a Shared Trauma Meant for My School: In Darrington, Wash., a deadly natural disaster magnified the other traumatic circumstances in students’ lives, writes principal Tracy Franke.
The March 22, 2014, mudslide in Oso, Wash., killed 43 people and devastated the nearby town of Darrington, 50 miles northeast of Seattle.
Ted S. Warren/AP-File
School Climate & Safety Opinion What a Shared Trauma Meant for My School
In Darrington, Wash., a deadly natural disaster magnified the other traumatic circumstances in students' lives, writes Principal Tracy Franke.
Tracy Franke, December 13, 2016
3 min read
How Art Can Help Children Overcome Trauma: Creative expression in schools gives students an opportunity to work through deep emotional wounds, writes Heidi Durham.
The March 22, 2014, mudslide in Oso, Wash., killed 43 people and devastated the nearby town of Darrington, 50 miles northeast of Seattle.
Elaine Thompson/AP-File
Student Well-Being Opinion How Art Can Help Children Overcome Trauma
Creative expression in schools gives students an opportunity to work through deep emotional wounds, writes Heidi Durham.
Heidi Durham, December 13, 2016
3 min read
Student Well-Being Opinion Inside a Student Wellness After-School Program
Wellness and self-care practices can equip students from underserved communities to handle the circumstances of poverty, writes Ali Smith.
Ali Smith, December 13, 2016
2 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act What Are Multitiered Systems of Supports?
Here's a glossary for help in understanding multitiered systems of support, response to intervention, and their related uses.
Christina A. Samuels, December 13, 2016
3 min read
Curriculum Practical Lessons on Multitiered Systems of Supports
In Michigan, the Ingham Intermediate school district’s experiences offer a road map to the costs and challenges of its multitiered system of supports model for academic and behavioral improvement.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 13, 2016
4 min read
Academic interventionist Pamela Westfall helps a group of 1st graders improve their reading skills at Elliott Elementary School in Holt, Mich.
Academic interventionist Pamela Westfall helps a group of 1st graders improve their reading skills at Elliott Elementary School in Holt, Mich.
Brian Widdis for Edcuation Week
School & District Management Can Michigan Sustain Its Multitiered Supports?
An initiative to embed a new instructional model in more than half the state's elementary and secondary schools has met with some successes—and some "false starts."
Sarah D. Sparks, December 13, 2016
8 min read
Special Education Editor's Note: Response to Intervention 2.0
Education Week's second special report on RTI explores how the instructional framework has expanded into new forms and uses in schools across the country.
The Editors, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Wesley Young, a 7th grader at Martin County Middle School in Kentucky, waits to be called on during a social-skills class at the school.
Wesley Young, a 7th grader at Martin County Middle School in Kentucky, waits to be called on during a social-skills class at the school.
Brian Widdis for Education Week
Special Education RTI Expands, Encounters Growing Pains
Response to intervention has come a long way from its origins in special education law—but not without some bumps along the way.
Christina A. Samuels, December 13, 2016
8 min read
John O’Connor Director of interventions and assessments, Henry County, Ga., public schools
John O’Connor<br> Director of interventions and assessments, Henry County, Ga., public schools
Special Education Q&A Ask an Expert: Creating Multitiered Supports in Schools
Georgia school administrator John O'Connor answers readers' questions about implementing an RTI-like system of supports in their own school districts.
Christina A. Samuels, December 13, 2016
3 min read
Brian McGinnis, a teacher’s assistant, works with student Jacob Carter during a science class at Martin County Middle School in eastern Kentucky.
Brian McGinnis, a teacher’s assistant, works with student Jacob Carter during a science class at Martin County Middle School in eastern Kentucky.
Pat McDonogh for Education Week
Special Education Ky. District Uses RTI-Like Approach on Social Skills
Martin County, Ky., is using a $1.5 million federal grant to unite its secondary schools in a push to create a better school climate.
Christina A. Samuels, December 13, 2016
7 min read
Special Education College Board Expands Test Supports for Special Ed. Students, ELLs
Students with disabilities will find it easier next year to request accommodations on the SAT, the PSAT, and other tests the College Board runs.
Madeline Will, December 13, 2016
4 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Mich. Senate Seeks to Stop Pensions for New Teachers
A Michigan Senate committee narrowly voted last week to close the pension system to new teachers and other school employees and to instead offer them only a 401(k)-style retirement plan, despite objections from Gov. Rick Snyder.
The Associated Press, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act News in Brief Simulator Will Allow States to Track Progress for ESSA
A nonprofit organization has created a simple tool that it says will help states, and by extension local districts, know if they're on track for meeting accountability targets under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Sean Cavanagh, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief N.C. Teacher Suspended for Stepping on Flag in Class
A North Carolina school board has upheld the 10-day suspension of a high school teacher who stepped on the American flag during a First Amendment lesson.
The Associated Press, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Single-Sex Classes in Idaho Violate Title IX, Feds Say
Officials with the U.S. Department of Education said recently that an Idaho school district violated federal law when it segregated elementary students into single-sex classrooms.
The Associated Press, December 13, 2016
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Settlements in LAUSD Case Top $200M to Abuse Victims
The Los Angeles Unified School District has reached another settlement with former students who alleged they were sexually abused by a Miramonte Elementary School teacher, bringing the total payout in the case so far to over $200 million.
Tribune News Service, December 13, 2016
1 min read
English-Language Learners News in Brief Majority of English-Learners Born in U.S., Study Finds
The majority of English-language learners in U.S. K-12 schools were born in the United States, according to an analysis from the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute.
Corey Mitchell, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Annual Civil Rights Complaints to Ed. Dept. Double Since 2008
The number of annual complaints to the U.S. Department of Education's office for civil rights more than doubled since the start of President Barack Obama's administration, increasing from 6,364 in fiscal 2009 to 16,720 in fiscal 2016.
Andrew Ujifusa, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Trump Suggests He's Open to Solutions for 'Dreamers'
President-elect Donald Trump says his administration will "work something out" for so-called Dreamers—young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children—but he did not offer specifics on a potential plan.
Corey Mitchell, December 13, 2016
1 min read
Special Education News in Brief High Court Sets Date to Hear Special Education Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has set Jan. 11 as the date that it will hear a case revolving around the level of benefit that special education is supposed to provide to students with disabilities.
Christina A. Samuels, December 13, 2016
1 min read