October 4, 2017
Education Week, Vol. 37, Issue 07
Education
Letter to the Editor
Textbooks Are Too Dull
To the Editor:
I just read the Education Week story "Watchdog Group Gives Passing Grade to 3 Literature Series" (Sept. 13, 2017). It touches on a subject that has a mighty impact on our schools: textbooks. The very word is a synonym for dull and dreary. How has that happened?
I just read the Education Week story "Watchdog Group Gives Passing Grade to 3 Literature Series" (Sept. 13, 2017). It touches on a subject that has a mighty impact on our schools: textbooks. The very word is a synonym for dull and dreary. How has that happened?
Federal
DeVos Expounds on Policy In One-on-One Interview
The U.S. Secretary of Education spoke with Education Week in a wide-ranging interview during the secretary’s recent “Rethink School” tour
Federal
Scenes From DeVos' 'Rethink School' Tour
The education secretary sought to shine a spotlight on promising educational approaches in a trip that took her to six states.
School & District Management
DeVos Gives Schools Options on Handling of Sexual Assault
The education secretary said higher ed. and K-12 officials need clarity around how to protect due process rights of those who are accused of sexual assault.
Classroom Technology
RAND Researchers Make It Clear: Personalized Learning Is Difficult to Do
The schools in a recent study faced numerous hurdles in turning personalized learning principles into classroom realities, but there were signs of progress.
College & Workforce Readiness
Growing Number of States Embrace Career Education
Over the last year and a half, states have stepped up their focus on career and technical education with a spate of new laws and policies.
Assessment
Independent Charter Schools Aim to Elevate Their Status
Supporters of independent charter schools want to get back to the charter movement's roots: creating schools that serve as education laboratories.
Special Education
Researchers Probe Connections Between Math, Reading Difficulties
Students with dyslexia often struggle with math fluency as well, and scholars at a recent conference put a spotlight on some of the possible connections.
Teacher Preparation
Are Selectivity and Diversity Competing Goals for Teaching?
Educators and experts debated strategies to attract the best and brightest into teaching while also creating a more demographically diverse teaching corps at a conference in Washington last month.
Teaching Profession
States Simplify Rules for Out-of-State Teachers
It's hard to transfer a teaching license from state to state, but 11 states have made it a little easier.
Law & Courts
Report Roundup
Juvenile Justice
Students who get involved with the child-welfare or juvenile justice systems can be particularly at risk of falling off track academically, but interventions that bring in community supports can help buffer them, finds a new American Youth Policy Forum report.
Accountability
Report Roundup
Early Education
Child-care centers in North Carolina improved and parents sought out higher-rated centers, according to a new paper on the state's quality-rating and improvement system.
Families & the Community
Report Roundup
Parent Involvement
Poor and wealthier families get involved at school differently, according to new data from the 2016 federal Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey, a nationally representative study of 14,000 parents of children in K-12 public, private, or home schools.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Teacher Pay
In an attempt to make wages fair and transparent, are salary schedules creating other types of inequities? That's the case made by a new report by the Brookings Institution.
Assessment
Report Roundup
High School
When students experience a rough freshman year of high school, they usually don't recover from it, finds a new study by the University of Chicago's Consortium on School Research.
School & District Management
Obituary
Obituary
William F. "Bill" Goodling, a former teacher, principal, and superintendent who became one of the most influential members of Congress on education policy during his 13 terms in the House of Representatives, died Sept. 17 at his York, Pa., home.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Anthem Protests,Teachable Moment
If the past is any indicator, public schools are about to offer a big learning opportunity about the First Amendment, sparked by tension between President Donald Trump and professional athletes over game-day protests surrounding the national anthem.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
School Coaches Could Face Liability for Student-Athlete Concussions
A federal appeals court has ruled that coaches or other school personnel may be liable when they expose student-athletes to further harm by having them return to play after a suspected concussion.
Federal
News in Brief
Education Secretary Lands at Bottom of Favorability Ratings in Poll
A public-opinion survey released last week reported that 28 percent of those polled have a very or somewhat favorable view of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, while 29 percent have a very unfavorable view of her.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
N.Y.C. Student Kills Classmate, Wounds a Second During History Class
A high school student who police said felt bullied by two classmates attacked them with a switchblade during history class last week, killing one boy and gravely wounding another, police said.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Good Common-Core Test Scores in S.D. Get Automatic Entry Into College
South Dakota will guarantee students automatic admission to state colleges and universities based on their scores on the Smarter Balanced assessment.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
Minn. Board Says It's Not Required to Report Teachers' Sexual Misconduct
The board that has authority over teaching licenses in Minnesota says it's not legally obligated to report allegations of teachers' sexual misconduct or inappropriate behavior to law enforcement.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Citing Discrimination, Teachers Sue Florida Over Bonus Program
The Florida Education Association and seven teachers are suing their state and all 67 public school boards, charging that a performance-based teacher-bonus program discriminates against black and Hispanic teachers and those older than 40.
Federal
News in Brief
Former Obama Officials Launch Legal Group to Challenge DeVos
A group of Obama administration officials is starting a legal-aid organization to challenge the Trump administration's policies on student lending and civil rights.
Standards
News in Brief
Despite Controversy, Most States Continue to Use Common Core
Most of the states that first endorsed the Common Core State Standards are still using them in some form, despite continued debate over whether they are improving student performance in reading and math.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Trump Wants Education Department To Direct $200 Million to STEM
President Donald Trump is calling on the U.S. Department of Education to put a new focus on STEM education, especially computer science education—even as his budget seeks to scrap federal grants that schools can use for those programs.
Curriculum
Opinion
How to Assess Arts Education—And Why You Should
Arts instruction and understanding the creative process can help prepare students for 21st-century challenges.
Curriculum
Opinion
The Arts Need to Be a Central Part of Schooling
The research in favor of arts learning is stacking up, writes Johns Hopkins University’s Mariale Hardiman.
Curriculum
Opinion
There's Something Missing From STEM Learning
Including arts in science and math instruction promotes student creativity and job preparation, writes STEAM specialist Susan Riley.