February 27, 2019
Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 23
College & Workforce Readiness
Only 16 States Still Share Common-Core Tests, Survey Finds
Education Week's latest 50-state survey points to a continuing drop in the number of states that require students to take the PARCC or Smarter Balanced tests.
Professional Development
With Bug-in-Ear Coaching, Teachers Get Feedback on the Fly
Real-time coaching through an earpiece, similar to what's used in pro football, is a growing trend in teacher training—and there's evidence it works.
Classroom Technology
Could Artificial Intelligence Automate Student Note-Taking?
An AI-powered digital assistant to take notes for you? It’s already happening in the workplace, but classroom note taking could prove harder to automate.
College & Workforce Readiness
In Many Charter High Schools, Graduation Odds Are Slim
Nearly a quarter of all charter high schools are graduating less than half of their students, according to an Education Week analysis of federal data.
School & District Management
The Ed. Dept.'s Been Pared Back. Here's What That Means for States
The main federal office overseeing K-12 education lost nearly 14 percent of its staff between the end of the Obama administration and the midpoint of the Trump administration. States are weighing the impact.
Standards & Accountability
Common-Core Testing 2.0: Get Updated in 7 Questions
The PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments have evolved since they were launched in 2015. Here's a guide to understanding them now.
Education Funding
What Form Can Charter Schools Take? A Brief Field Guide
Beyond the basics of being independently operated public schools, charters can range widely from management to oversight to the money that keeps them running.
Special Education
Survey Offers Front-Line View Into Special Education
Teachers specializing in students with disabilities feel mostly competent in their own abilities, but far less confident in their general education colleagues, among other findings.
College & Workforce Readiness
Calculating Grad Rates for Charter Schools: It's Complicated
Federal data paint a grim picture of the charter school sector's ability to graduate its students. But comparing charter high schools' graduating power with that of all other public high schools is tricky.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
'All the Black Kids at Harvard Are Rich,' and Other Dangerous Myths About Affirmative Action
Should colleges prioritize racial or class diversity? It isn't actually an either/or choice, writes education professor Julie J. Park.
Student Achievement
Opinion
The Hidden Logic of American Underachievement
What would it really take to disrupt the education status quo in America? Chester E. Finn Jr. and David Steiner explore.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
I Was Tired of How Politicians Treated Teachers. So I Became a Politician
It took a lot to drive Oklahoma teacher John Waldron from the classroom to the statehouse. And he's still angry.
English Learners
Letter to the Editor
In Defense of Retention
To the Editor:
The study about retaining English-language learners can also apply to all students in standard classes in elementary schools ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019).
The study about retaining English-language learners can also apply to all students in standard classes in elementary schools ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019).
English Learners
Letter to the Editor
A New Hypothesis on Reading
To the Editor:
A recent blog post addressed a study concluding that struggling English-language learners would benefit from repeating the 3rd grade ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019).
A recent blog post addressed a study concluding that struggling English-language learners would benefit from repeating the 3rd grade ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019).
English Learners
Letter to the Editor
A Call for Systemic Change
To the Editor:
A recent Education Week blog post discussed a new study by David Figlio and Umut Özek for the National Bureau of Economic Research that indicated early-grade retention for English-language learners might be a good idea ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019). Although this information may be valid, students would be retained only because the current education system doesn't allow a better way to solve the problem.
A recent Education Week blog post discussed a new study by David Figlio and Umut Özek for the National Bureau of Economic Research that indicated early-grade retention for English-language learners might be a good idea ("Study: Repeating 3rd Grade Could Help Struggling English-Learners," February 1, 2019). Although this information may be valid, students would be retained only because the current education system doesn't allow a better way to solve the problem.
School & District Management
Letter to the Editor
Aspen Falls Short on SEL
To the Editor:
The post about the long-awaited Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development report ("Set Social-Emotional Learning Benchmarks to Guide Efforts, Commission Recommends," January 15, 2019) attempted to find something inspiring, important, and new about its recommendations.
The post about the long-awaited Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development report ("Set Social-Emotional Learning Benchmarks to Guide Efforts, Commission Recommends," January 15, 2019) attempted to find something inspiring, important, and new about its recommendations.
Assessment
Letter to the Editor
Where Is PISA Headed?
To the Editor:
I wish to clarify certain points made in the exchange of views concerning the Program for International Student Assessment that was recently published in Education Week. I refer specifically to Michele Bruniges response ("Let's Embrace PISA's Success") to my concerns about how PISA was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success ("Is PISA a Victim of Its Own Success?").
I wish to clarify certain points made in the exchange of views concerning the Program for International Student Assessment that was recently published in Education Week. I refer specifically to Michele Bruniges response ("Let's Embrace PISA's Success") to my concerns about how PISA was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success ("Is PISA a Victim of Its Own Success?").
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
School Nutrition
Nearly 12.5 million low-income students received free or low-cost breakfast at a typical school in 2017-18, says a new report by the nutrition-advocacy group the Food Research and Action Center.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
High School
Many high school students are "college ready" by the end of 11th grade, and a new report argues for letting them finish high school and start college full time.
Standards & Accountability
Report Roundup
Research Report: Homework
Much of the homework students are asked to do aligns to the Common Core State Standards, finds a new analysis from the Center for American Progress—but it overwhelmingly focuses on rote learning.
Education
News in Brief
Transition
Linda Darling-Hammond, a professor of education emeritus at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, has been tapped to chair the California board of education, pending final approval.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Teacher Activism Persists in U.S.
Frustrated about wages, working conditions, and other education issues, teachers are continuing to walk out of their classrooms.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Former Google Leaks Investigator Hired as Broward District's Security Chief
The Broward County school board has hired a new security chief whose background includes investigating employees who divulged secrets at Google.
Assessment
News in Brief
N.H. Initiative Would Offer Students Credit for Out-of-Class Learning
An education initiative being pushed by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu would incentivize learning outside the classroom.
School & District Management
News in Brief
AASA Selects Georgia Leader as 2019 Superintendent of Year
Curtis Jones, a U.S. Army veteran who has led Georgia's Bibb County school system since 2015, has been named the 2019 AASA National Superintendent of the Year.
Federal
News in Brief
Hundreds of E-Rate Applications From 2018 Remain in Limbo
Even as the 2019 E-rate season gets underway, hundreds of school and library applicants are still waiting to learn if they will receive the funding they requested last year, the result of an application-review process some observers deride as cumbersome.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Safe Commute = Better Attendance
Students whose school commutes force them to walk through or wait in violent neighborhoods are more likely to miss school, finds a new study.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Youth Smoking Decline Stalls, And Vaping May Be to Blame
Cigarette-smoking rates have stopped falling among U.S. children, and health officials believe youth vaping is responsible.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Democrats Push for Law to Prohibit ICE Agents From Schools, Bus Stops
House Democrats have introduced federal legislation that would bar immigration agents from conducting arrests, interviews, searches, or surveillance at schools and school bus stops—except in extreme circumstances.