April 5, 2017
Education Week, Vol. 36, Issue 27
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Bullying Through the Eyes of a Student Artist
A 7th grade student shares her interpretation of bullying through art.
School Choice & Charters
Proposed K-12 Cuts Could Hit Charter, Private Schools
Programs to help improve teacher quality and boost after-school programs are on the Trump administration’s budget hit list and have a footprint beyond just traditional public schools.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
How We Got Colorado's Teacher-Evaluation Reform Wrong
Colorado’s new teacher-evaluation laws relied on partial data, had few supporters, and created unnecessary bureaucracy, writes CEO of A+ Colorado Van Schoales.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
In Defense of Teacher-Evaluation Reform
Teacher-evaluation and tenure-reform laws have great potential, but transformative change takes time, says Scott Laband.
Special Education
Supreme Court Firms Up Goal Posts on Spec. Ed. Rights
Advocates for children with disabilities cheer a high court decision setting more-ambitious academic expectations for those in special education, while district administrators have a more measured response.
Every Student Succeeds Act
States Get Leeway on Naming 'Dropout Factories'
A loophole created when Congress dumped Obama-era ESSA rules could allow states to avoid publicly identifying high schools in need of intensive help.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Digital Communication Tools Target ESSA Parent-Engagement Mandate
School districts face new demands under federal law to show they're engaging parents in students' education, and many ed-tech companies are trying to address that need.
College & Workforce Readiness
Course Choice: A Different Way to Expand School Choice?
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has talked about it. It's permitted under ESSA; and some states already use it. But what is course choice?
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Online Education Is Only Option That Works for Some Families
To the Editor:
I write in response to the Digital Education blog post about the New York University and RAND Corp. study on online education in Ohio ("Online Charter Students in Ohio Perform Far Worse Than Peers, Study Finds," Feb. 16, 2017).
I write in response to the Digital Education blog post about the New York University and RAND Corp. study on online education in Ohio ("Online Charter Students in Ohio Perform Far Worse Than Peers, Study Finds," Feb. 16, 2017).
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Performance-Based Assessments Bring True Reform to Schools
To the Editor:
I write in response to an article in your Quality Counts report titled "Offered Chance to Craft Tests, States Moving With Caution" (Jan. 4, 2017), which addresses the most significant issue leading to innovation in the history of education.
I write in response to an article in your Quality Counts report titled "Offered Chance to Craft Tests, States Moving With Caution" (Jan. 4, 2017), which addresses the most significant issue leading to innovation in the history of education.
School Climate & Safety
Letter to the Editor
When It Comes to Student Discipline, Empathy Makes a Difference
To the Editor:
"Mistrust in School Can Have Lasting Negative Effects" (Feb. 15, 2017) is a critically important article. Everyone wants to be treated with fairness and respect. It is significant that, as your article reports, students' perception of teachers' mistrust of students of color increases between 6th and 7th grade, a time when boys are becoming teenagers and boys of color are facing many hurdles.
"Mistrust in School Can Have Lasting Negative Effects" (Feb. 15, 2017) is a critically important article. Everyone wants to be treated with fairness and respect. It is significant that, as your article reports, students' perception of teachers' mistrust of students of color increases between 6th and 7th grade, a time when boys are becoming teenagers and boys of color are facing many hurdles.
Law & Courts
Special Education Rulings Put High Court Nominee on Hot Seat
Democrats grilled Judge Neil M. Gorsuch on the stance he's taken toward the level of services due students with disabilities.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Teacher Prep Slow to Embrace Social-Emotional Learning
As SEL gains traction in schools, teacher-preparation programs and states' certification requirements need to catch up, advocates say.
Law & Courts
New Dimension to Kansas' K-12 Funding Puzzle
Lawmakers trying to satisfy judges in a school funding case grapple with how increased funding can be used to boost results for black, Latino, and low-income students.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Suit Filed to Block Funds for Private Schools
Public school advocates in Michigan are suing to block the state from helping private schools with the cost of complying with state requirements such as immunization reporting and safety drills.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Canadian Teacher Wins Prize for Work with Inuit
Maggie MacDonnell, a teacher in a remote village in the Quebec province of Canada, has won the 3rd annual Global Teaching Prize, sponsored by the Varkey Foundation.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Wis. Voucher Aid Higher Than Public School Funding
Taxpayer-funded payments to children choosing to attend private schools in Wisconsin using a voucher will increase an estimated $217 per student in each of the next two years—payments that will continue to exceed per-student state aid for public schools.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Graduation Rates Probed by Florida Officials
Florida education officials have launched an investigation into whether school districts are moving students around as part of an effort to manipulate graduation rates.
Federal
News in Brief
Toronto District Stops Booking U.S. Travel
Canada's largest school district will no longer book any trips to the United States because of fears students might have trouble at the border stemming from travel restrictions enacted by President Donald Trump.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Audit Faults IES' Method of Screening Contractors
The U.S. Department of Education's office of inspector general has released an audit sharply criticizing the Institute of Education Sciences' security screenings for federal education contractors.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Exchange Students View U.S. Schools as 'Easier'
Foreign-exchange students studying in the United States say that American classes are easier than in their home countries, a new survey shows.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Federal Teacher-Prep Rules on Effectiveness Dumped
President Donald Trump signed a bill last week overturning a controversial regulation put in place by the Obama administration that sought to rate the effectiveness of programs training K-12 teachers.
School & District Management
Obituary
Obituary
William L. Sanders, the statistician and researcher who developed the controversial value-added system for evaluating teachers based on student growth, died March 16. He was 74.
Education
News in Brief
Transitions
Steve Paine, a former state schools chief in West Virginia, is getting a second stint in that post. Paine served from 2005 until his retirement in January 2011 at age 55. After that, he worked in the private sector. He currently is the interim superintendent of the Wayne County schools in West Virginia.
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Downloads of Math Materials
EngageNY, the online library of open reading and math materials developed by New York state, has proved popular—surprisingly so. The site has had more than 17 million users and 66 million downloads since the resources went online in 2011, according to the state education department.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Access
Admission officers at selective colleges are more likely to offer spots to low-income students if they have a better understanding of the high schools those students attend, finds a study in the March issue of Education Researcher.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Homeless Students
Nearly two years after living in an emergency homeless shelter, young children often still had unstable housing and lagged their peers academically and behaviorally, finds a new study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Early-Childhood Education
Nearly two years after living in an emergency homeless shelter, young children often still had unstable housing and lagged their peers academically and behaviorally, finds a new study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Closures
While urban schools are disproportionately at risk of being shuttered, rural communities may have a harder time making up for their loss, finds a new study by the Urban Institute.