October 24, 2018
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 10
Social Studies
How History Class Divides Us
What if Americans' inability to agree on our shared history is a cause of our current polarization and political dysfunction, not a symptom?
Curriculum
Citizen Activists Push to Revise History Textbooks
History-minded residents of Charlotte County, Fla., are among the first to test a state law that permits citizens to challenge the curriculum taught in their schools.
Early Childhood
Academic Focus or Whole-Child Approach? Inside the Pre-K Curriculum Debate
There’s ongoing debate about what kind of instructional approach is best for young children, with whole-child and literacy/math-based curricula both in play.
Federal
Lame-Duck Indiana Chief Frustrated Over K-12 Governance
Jennifer McCormick, a Republican who will not run for re-election in 2020, says the state's government structure "causes confusion and stretches resources."
Professional Development
Letter to the Editor
Let Media Specialists Do Their Job
To the Editor:
Contrary to Education Week's recently published article that reported the benefits of hiring technology coaches in schools ("To Improve Teachers' Use of Technology, Schools Try Hiring Coaches," October 3, 2018), I believe that turning teachers into coaches is not the solution to a lack of technology-savvy teachers. These schools need to find their library media specialists, and let them do their jobs instead of placing them in unofficial positions that have nothing to do with their skill sets.
Contrary to Education Week's recently published article that reported the benefits of hiring technology coaches in schools ("To Improve Teachers' Use of Technology, Schools Try Hiring Coaches," October 3, 2018), I believe that turning teachers into coaches is not the solution to a lack of technology-savvy teachers. These schools need to find their library media specialists, and let them do their jobs instead of placing them in unofficial positions that have nothing to do with their skill sets.
Education
News in Brief
Correction
Three advocacy organizations—Democracy Forward, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Southern Poverty Law Center—are suing the Trump administration for failing to release records.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Groups Sue Trump Administration for Details of Requests to Arm Teachers
Three advocacy organizations—Democracy Forward, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Southern Poverty Law Center—are suing the Trump administration for failing to release records.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Conservative Group Expands Push to Get Teachers to Leave Their Unions
A conservative, free-market nonprofit group that has encouraged teachers to consider dropping their union membership is expanding its outreach strategy, partnering with think tanks in California and four other states.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Los Angeles Teachers Poised to Strike After Three Rounds of Mediation Fail
Los Angeles teachers are inching closer to a strike after three mediation sessions between the district and its teachers' union failed to reach an agreement.
Ed-Tech Policy
News in Brief
Groups Offer Guidance on Strengthening Data-Privacy for Students and Teachers
Advice for schools on how to do a better job protecting the data privacy of students and teachers is outlined in a report by the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy and The Badass Teachers Association.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Colorado Voters to Decide Nearly 40 Ballot Questions to Support Education
Dozens of Colorado school districts are asking voters next month for more funding for education through bond issues, mill levy overrides, or renewal of a city sales tax.
Assessment
News in Brief
Four More States Express Interest in ESSA Innovative Assessment Pilot
Four states say they will apply for the second round of the Every Student Succeeds Act's Innovative Assessment pilot: Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, and South Carolina.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Newtown Educators Defend Efforts to Address Sandy Hook Shooter
Two former Newtown, Conn., educators are defending the school system's work with a young Adam Lanza in a 22-page rebuttal handed to state senators last week, four years after the primary report on the childhood and schooling of the Sandy Hook shooter was released.
Special Education
News in Brief
Education Dept. Will Attempt to Address Racial Bias in Special Education
Four months after deciding to put on hold Obama-era rules relating to racial disparities in special education, the U.S. Department of Education has signaled it will create its own set of policies on the topic this fall.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
English-Learners
Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole are the top five home languages for English-language learners in the nation's K-12 public schools, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Education.
Classroom Technology
Report Roundup
Learning Science
In an update to its landmark reports on education research, the National Academies suggests schools can leverage students' culture and experience to improve learning.
Assessment
Report Roundup
Science Education
School systems across the country should do more to ensure that current and former English-language learners have access to STEM education, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Evaluation
When teacher evaluation systems are implemented with fidelity and with certain tactics, good teachers are more likely to stay, and low-performing teachers are likely to either leave the district or improve.
Federal
Report Roundup
School Nutrition
The number of children participating in free after-school meals continues to accelerate, yet still falls far short of the number of children who could use the service from schools, according to a new analysis by the Food Research and Action Center.
Social Studies
Interactive
Data: Most States Require History, But Not Civics
Students spend far more time learning about America’s history than they do learning about civics, according to a 2018 Education Week survey.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
What Betsy DeVos Can Learn From Bush-Obama School Reform
There are four practical lessons for avoiding past administrations' education pitfalls, write Fredrick M. Hess and Michael Q. McShane.
School Climate & Safety
Hurricanes Deal Deep Blow to Schools' Finances
With disputes over insurance coverage and the need for upfront cash to pay for clean-up, getting schools back to normal after a big storm is arduous and expensive.
Federal
Teachers Running for Office Face Tough Choice: Go Negative or Not?
“I need to be able to look my students in the eyes at the end of all of this,” said one of the scores of classroom teachers running for state office this election season.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
What the Trump Administration's Latest Attack on Immigrants Means for Kids
A new regulation change will affect millions of immigrant families, including U.S.-born children, write Ajay Chaudry and Hirokazu Yoshikawa.
Assessment
Math Scores Slide to a 20-Year Low on ACT
The continuing decline in math achievement comes even as fewer students are taking the college-readiness exam.
School & District Management
'This Road Just Got a Lot Harder': Teachers' Unions Hit With New Round of Lawsuits
In the wake of the 'Janus' Supreme Court case, teachers' unions are facing more than a dozen legal challenges backed by right-leaning groups that could further dampen their membership numbers and finances.
Law & Courts
'They Didn't Have My Back': Teachers Sue Student-Loan Servicer Navient
Nine educators, backed by the American Federation of Teachers, say the loan servicing giant misled and impeded them on a loan-forgiveness program intended to help public service workers.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Opinion
We Shouldn't Teach Young Men to Fear #MeToo
The Kavanaugh confirmation process demonstrates that schools must offer boys space to understand their emotional responses, writes Jeff Frank.
Assessment
What Happens When States Un-Standardize Tests?
Many forge their own path on assessments that steer clear of traditional fill-in-the-bubble tests, but few have signed up for a much-touted ESSA pilot program.