September 26, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 06
States
K-12 Funding in Spotlight as Bitter Rivals Do Battle for Wis. Governor's Seat
Discussion of Wisconsin's school spending has come to dominate the gubernatorial contest between Gov. Scott Walker and challenger Tony Evers, both of whom have made their education records a high-profile piece of their pitch to Wisconsin voters.
Families & the Community
New Money and Energy to Help Schools Connect With Families
New forces are building around the need for schools and educators to forge deeper connections with families to support student learning.
Teaching
Opinion
We Learn by Doing: What Educators Get Wrong About Bloom's Taxonomy
If students can't use what they've learned, they won't remember it for long, writes former teacher Ron Berger.
Law & Courts
A Scholar's-Eye View of School Law as High Court Gears for New Term
Chicago Law School Professor Justin Driver surveys the U.S. Supreme Court's long and often contentious history on a wide range of issues affecting public education and students' rights.
Every Student Succeeds Act
What's in Store for States on Federal ESSA Oversight
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has the tools to hold states' feet to the fire on implementation of the federal K-12 law, but advocates remain wary about how aggressively her team will use them.
College & Workforce Readiness
Does Credit Recovery Lead to a Two-Track High School System?
A new think-tank study adds fuel to the growing controversy about high school credit-recovery programs.
Social Studies
Opinion
Civics Education Must Put Racial Equity First
Simply teaching how government works is not sufficient for building an engaged citizenry, write Scott Warren and Andrew Wilkes.
College & Workforce Readiness
What Literacy Skills Do Students Really Need for Work?
When it comes to literacy skills, there seems to be a gap between what employers want and what schools provide, but it’s a fuzzy one.
College & Workforce Readiness
Speaking Skills Top Employer Wish Lists. But Schools Don't Teach Them
Is school where students should learn to speak clearly, make a 60-second elevator speech, or hold a difficult conversation? That's what employers think.
Reading & Literacy
How to Make Reading Relevant: Bring Job-Specific Texts Into Class
If students will need to synthesize and analyze complex information on the job, why not start them early?
College & Workforce Readiness
Jobs at All Levels Now Require Digital Literacy. Here's Proof.
Education Week visited Delaware's largest employer for a closer look at how digitization is changing the workplace.
Reading & Literacy
Is Professional Writing the Missing Link in High School English Classes?
The limited amount of academic writing that students learn in school may not be what they need for the workplace, argue some experts.
Reading & Literacy
Do Students Need an Exam to Measure Workplace Skills? Four States Think So.
Alabama, Michigan, South Carolina, and Wisconsin require all students to take the WorkKeys exam to measure reading and writing skills for work.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Timeless Values in School
To the Editor:
After taking a late summer vacation this year, I returned to find my August 22 edition of Education Week; and I'd like to respond to the lead Commentary by LaShawn Routé Chatmon and Kathleen Osta ("How to Liberate the Schoolhouse From Racial Bias," August 22, 2018). Chatmon and Osta make excellent points that we must be prepared to talk about race in order for social-emotional learning to advance educational equity, and that rigorous teaching and learning can only thrive in a caring and welcoming school culture. I also heartily agree with their five recommendations for educators.
After taking a late summer vacation this year, I returned to find my August 22 edition of Education Week; and I'd like to respond to the lead Commentary by LaShawn Routé Chatmon and Kathleen Osta ("How to Liberate the Schoolhouse From Racial Bias," August 22, 2018). Chatmon and Osta make excellent points that we must be prepared to talk about race in order for social-emotional learning to advance educational equity, and that rigorous teaching and learning can only thrive in a caring and welcoming school culture. I also heartily agree with their five recommendations for educators.
Standards & Accountability
Letter to the Editor
A New Model for Teacher-Prep
To the Editor:
A recent article about teacher-prep standards ("Colleges Grapple With Teacher-Prep Standards," August 29, 2018) reports that teacher-prep programs are still grappling with CAEP Standard 4, which measures the program's impact on P-12 student learning and development. However, over the past eight years, we at Miami University have developed and validated a simple, cost-effective way to meet parts of this standard.
A recent article about teacher-prep standards ("Colleges Grapple With Teacher-Prep Standards," August 29, 2018) reports that teacher-prep programs are still grappling with CAEP Standard 4, which measures the program's impact on P-12 student learning and development. However, over the past eight years, we at Miami University have developed and validated a simple, cost-effective way to meet parts of this standard.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
State Education Support
Despite investing in education data systems, California produces little information on how to provide an effective education for its students, according to a 36-study analysis by the Policy Analysis for California Education Center at Stanford University.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Research Report: Literacy
Poetry reading has seen a dramatic resurgence among young adults, concludes a new study by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Early Education
Young children are more likely to persist in a difficult task if adults frame the task as something to do—such as "helping," rather than a way to be, like "helpful."
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Research Report: Education Technology
The lack of access to technology and internet connectivity at home is especially severe among poor, rural, and minority students, according to a new survey from ACT's nonprofit Center for Equity in Learning.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Research Report: Teachers
Most teachers receive health-care benefits after they retire, costing states hundreds of billions of dollars. But many states have set aside little to nothing to pay for their obligations, finds a new analysis in the journal Education Next.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Pa. Lawmaker Wants to Ban Class Talk on Civics, Government, and Politics
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is pushing passage of a bill that would rewrite free speech rules in schools by banning discussions centered around modern-day civics, politics, and science in classrooms.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Revamped School Board Starts Search for New Schools Chief for Missouri
The search for Missouri's next top education official has begun nearly 10 months after the last one was fired. The state board of education began accepting applications last week.
Education Funding
News in Brief
School Board in Broward County Delays Bid for Funds to Boost Public Relations
Broward County schools' attempt to spend $400,000 to try to get better publicity following the fatal school shootings in Parkland, Fla., and issues surfacing in their aftermath will have to wait.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
In Lieu of Math or Science, Mo. Students May Be Able to Take Computer Science
Missouri high school students could apply a computer science credit toward math, science, or practical-art credits needed for graduation under a bill passed by state lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Mike Parson's signature.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Shootings Spur Teachers to Appeal for Help in Buying Safety Supplies
In the wake of deadly school shootings, more teachers are turning to crowdfunding sites to ask for help buying emergency supplies for classrooms.
Assessment
News in Brief
PISA Working Toward Exam to Gauge Creative Thinking—Built by ACT
When teenagers worldwide take PISA in 2021, they could face a new kind of test—one that aims to measure their creativity. And the maker of a major U.S. college admissions exam, ACT Inc., would build it.
Federal
News in Brief
Duncan Asserts Trump Doesn't Want a Highly Educated Citizenry
President Donald Trump and his administration get a political boost when Americans aren't taught to think critically or to have a deep understanding of civics, former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a crowd at the National Press Club in Washington last week.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Washington State Teachers End Strikes, Enabling Students to Go to School
After three weeks of teacher strikes dotting the state of Washington, students in all districts are back in school. Teachers in the Tacoma and Battle Ground districts returned to school at the beginning of last week after settling contract agreements.
