July 18, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 37, Issue 37
Federal
What Would a Merged Education and Labor Department Look Like?
Here's a breakdown of what could happen to key Education Department offices if the Trump administration's plan to combine the two agencies ever gets off the ground.
Teaching Profession
With Onslaught of Emails and Ads, Conservative Groups Push Teachers to Drop Their Unions
Within days of the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish union fees for nonmembers, conservative groups—including ones with ties to Ed. Secretary Betsy DeVos—launched email, social media, and billboard campaigns to try to convince teachers not to join their unions.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
The Right-Wing Assault on Teachers' Unions Won't Win. It Only Makes Us Angrier
The Janus ruling and subsequent attempts to "defang" unions offer opportunities as well as threats, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Law & Courts
After Supreme Court Blow, Defiant Union Looks Ahead
Despite leaders' messages of defiance and solidarity, reminders of the Supreme Court's recent decision to abolish agency fees—and its financial implications for teachers' unions—were everywhere at the National Education Association's yearly convention.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Stop Writing That Obituary for Teachers' Unions. We're Not Going Anywhere
In the face of well-funded opposition to organized labor, teachers will not be silenced, writes NEA President Lily Eskelsen García.
Equity & Diversity
K-12 and the U.S. Supreme Court: Highlights of the 2017-18 Term
The just-concluded U.S. Supreme Court term included a blockbuster union rights ruling, the announced retirement of a justice influential on education issues, and a variety of rulings with relevance for K-12.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
Betsy DeVos: How We Can Catch Up to Other Countries in Education
Following a trip to Europe, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reflects on how we should restructure education at home.
School & District Management
Students Get 'Too Little' Civics Teaching, Principals Say
At a time of sharp political divisions, civics teaches students how to engage in civil discourse, according to school leaders interviewed for the Education Week Research Center poll. More than half said their students don’t get enough of it.
Law & Courts
Justice Kennedy Retiring From High Court, Had Deep Imprint in Education Arena
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy was a highly influential moderate-conservative at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court for three decades.
Law & Courts
Supreme Court Deals Unions a Stinging Defeat in 'Janus' Case
Teacher and other public employee unions can’t collect agency fees from nonmembers, the court ruled in the Janus case, a decision that could hurt unions' revenue and membership numbers.
School Climate & Safety
Even in a Field Dominated by Women, 25% of Female Educators Say #MeToo
Nearly half of K-12 teachers and administrators report that they've experienced or witnessed sexual harassment or assault while at work, in a new Education Week Research Center survey.
Teacher Preparation
'An Expensive Experiment': Gates Teacher-Effectiveness Program Shows No Gains for Students
An evaluation of a multi-year effort by the Gates Foundation to improve teaching, which cost $575 million, found no evidence the program improved student outcomes or gave low-income and minority students greater access to effective teachers.
Equity & Diversity
Educating Migrant Children in Shelters: 6 Things to Know
Here's a look at the official education requirements for children being detained, the qualifications for those being hired to provide these children with classroom instruction, and more.