September 19, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 05
Equity & Diversity
Education Tops List of Civil Rights Issues on Survey
The issue was named ahead of criminal justice, voting rights, freedom of expression, and enforcement by many advisory group members surveyed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Assessment
Conn. Stumbles in Quest to Use SAT as Achievement Test
The state's closely watched bid falls shy of full approval from federal reviewers.
Assessment
Was the SAT Leaked? Six Questions Answered
Rumors are circulating that the exam reused questions from a test given in Asia last fall. Here's what you need to know.
Law & Courts
School Aid Skirmishes Still Flare in Washington State
The state’s supreme court ended a yearslong fight over K-12 funding earlier this summer, but in districts across the state the battles have continued and tensions remain.
Teaching Profession
Cash-Strapped Teachers Are Getting Up Early to Tutor Students in China
Frustrated by low pay, some U.S. teachers are spending their free time working for online tutoring platforms based in China.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Teens' Rising Social Media Use Is Not All Bad News
Social media use among teenagers is skyrocketing, but educators should take a more nuanced view of the benefits and drawbacks, a survey and experts suggest.
Federal
If Democrats Take House, What Next?
If Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year, expect them to focus heavily on Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' civil rights record.
School Climate & Safety
State Election Cheat Sheet: Education Issues to Watch
Public school funding, teacher pay, and improving academic outcomes in the Every Student Succeeds Act era have fueled midterm-election debate in many states. Here's some key issues and states to watch.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Choice
Alabama children attending private schools on a taxpayer-backed scholarship program are not showing significant improvement on standardized tests, a University of Alabama study has found.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
School Improvement
A gloomy federal analysis of the Obama administration's multibillion dollar School Improvement Grant program missed the boat, according to a report released last week by FutureEd, a nonpartisan think tank at Georgetown University.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Completion
An international study highlights large state-to-state differences in college-completion rates across the United States.
Education
Clarification
Clarification
An article on the gun debate in Washington in the Sept. 12, 2018, issue of Education Week should have noted that Betty Rosa's title is chancellor of the New York state board of regents, which has authority over K-16 education as well as museums, libraries, and more.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
'Straight-A' Student Fatally Stabbed in Detroit-Area Classroom
A 16-year-old girl died after being stabbed twice in the chest last week by another teenage girl during a fight apparently over a boy at a suburban Detroit high school, police said.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Florida Legislators Reject Plan to Give Schools Money to Hire Police Officers
Despite repeated requests from Florida Gov. Rick Scott, legislative leaders have officially refused to steer $58 million to school districts to help them hire more campus police officers.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Student Killed During Activities After School in North Las Vegas
Authorities say the single victim of a shooting this week at a high school in North Las Vegas, Nev., was an 18-year-old student.
Every Student Succeeds Act
News in Brief
Preschool Requirements Lessened, Under Revised Grant Program
Federal Preschool Development Grants are back, but they offer substantive differences from the legacy program created during the Obama administration.
Every Student Succeeds Act
News in Brief
Dozen-Plus Education Groups Tell Congress: No Money for Weapons
Don't allow federal funding to be spent on arming school staff members or training them to use weapons, more than a dozen groups representing educators told lawmakers in charge of education spending in a letter last week.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Amazon's Bezos Pledges $2 Billion for Preschools, Homeless Families
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, considered the world's richest man, last week announced that he and his wife, Mackenzie, are contributing $2 billion to launch new preschools in under-served communities and tackle the issue of homelessness in young families.
Science
News in Brief
Science Teachers' Group Comes Out Strong on Teaching Climate Change
The major group representing science educators is making this point crystal clear: The scientific consensus for climate change caused by human activity is overwhelming, and the topic must be taught in K-12 classrooms.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
FBI Raises Alarm on Education Technology and Security of Students
The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned last week that the rapid proliferation of education technologies in schools poses privacy and safety risks for children.
Assessment
Opinion
Think Today's Students Don't Know History? Try Looking at Students 100 Years Ago
Hand-wringing over young people’s historical illiteracy may be popular, but it isn’t new, writes Sam Wineberg
Education
Letter to the Editor
A New Day for Teacher Prep
To the Editor:
As chair of the board of directors for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), I appreciate Education Week's attention to national accreditation in the educator preparation landscape ("Colleges Grapple With Teacher-Prep Standards," August 29, 2018). Dissatisfied with the limitations of the current accreditation system and heavy-handed federal initiatives trying to regulate and reform teacher-preparation programs, many in teacher education have sought a more productive option for quality assurance. Now, through AAQEP, professionals in the field are starting a different conversation that focuses on program quality, fosters deep engagement with local challenges such as teacher shortages or particular community needs, and values inquiry and experimentation over compliance with predefined practices.
As chair of the board of directors for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), I appreciate Education Week's attention to national accreditation in the educator preparation landscape ("Colleges Grapple With Teacher-Prep Standards," August 29, 2018). Dissatisfied with the limitations of the current accreditation system and heavy-handed federal initiatives trying to regulate and reform teacher-preparation programs, many in teacher education have sought a more productive option for quality assurance. Now, through AAQEP, professionals in the field are starting a different conversation that focuses on program quality, fosters deep engagement with local challenges such as teacher shortages or particular community needs, and values inquiry and experimentation over compliance with predefined practices.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Vaping Reaches Epidemic Level, FDA Warns
The use of electronic cigarettes by youths "has reached an epidemic proportion," the leader of the Food and Drug Administration said last week.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Poverty Indicators
Education researchers often use children's free and reduced-price school lunch status to measure socioeconomic disadvantage in schools. But research published this month in Educational Researcher points to limitations and benefits in that approach.
Federal
Report Roundup
Private Schools
The number of international private schools offering instruction primarily in English continues to surge worldwide, growing by more than 6 percent over the most recent year, as families' incomes rise and they prepare their children for college abroad.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opioid Epidemic Raising Special Education Concerns
Thousands of babies are born each year to mothers who abused opioids while pregnant, and a new study offers a snapshot of the educational impact of that early trauma.
English Learners
Dual-Language Learning: 6 Key Insights for Schools
Demand for bilingual, biliterate graduates is high. Experts in dual-language learning explain how schools can start programs and strengthen existing ones.
Science
Opinion
Climate Change Is Not Up for Debate. Why Do So Many Teachers Act Like It Is?
The majority of teachers are behind on climate-change science, but they aren’t necessarily to blame, explains Ann Reid.