Issues

March 6, 2019

Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 24
Teaching Profession You're More Likely to Pass the Bar Than an Elementary Teacher Licensing Exam
More than half of aspiring elementary teachers fail the Praxis exam the first time, according to an analysis by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Madeline Will, March 5, 2019
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4 min read
Curriculum Middle School Science Materials Come Up Short in First Review
Just one of six new middle school science series is a good match to national science standards, according to a review by the nonprofit EdReports.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 5, 2019
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5 min read
Federal Third Grade Retention of ELLs: New Research Sparks Furor
New research that suggests struggling English-learners could benefit from repeating 3rd grade is drawing strong pushback from scholars.
Corey Mitchell, March 5, 2019
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6 min read
Protesting teachers wave at passing cars outside Poca High School in Poca, W.Va., last month. Teachers across the Mountain State held their second strike in a year.
Protesting teachers wave at passing cars outside Poca High School in Poca, W.Va., last month. Teachers across the Mountain State held their second strike in a year.
John Raby/AP
Teaching Profession How Teacher Strikes Are Changing
While last year’s teacher walkouts were focused primarily on stagnant wages and crumbling classrooms, the strike demands now are more far-reaching.
Madeline Will, March 5, 2019
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5 min read
Reading & Literacy New Audits Help Schools Rethink Students' Reading 'Diets'
Districts are learning to parse the kale from the iceberg lettuce in their curricular reading with a new K-12 mapping tool.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 5, 2019
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5 min read
Teacher Dina Suarez yells at a rally with other teachers in front of City Hall in Oakland, Calif., last month. Principals have been tasked with keeping schools open during the ongoing strike in that city.
Teacher Dina Suarez yells at a rally with other teachers in front of City Hall in Oakland, Calif., last month. Principals have been tasked with keeping schools open during the ongoing strike in that city.
Jeff Chiu/AP
Teaching Profession During Teacher Strikes, Principals Put to Test
When districts keep schools open during a teachers' strike, principals face a difficult balance between upporting their staff and providing a safe environment for students.
Denisa R. Superville, March 5, 2019
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7 min read
Visitors and guests line up in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol for the beginning of the 86th Texas Legislative session. Lawmakers are poised to tackle a range of school funding issues this session.
Visitors and guests line up in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol for the beginning of the 86th Texas Legislative session. Lawmakers are poised to tackle a range of school funding issues this session.
Eric Gay/AP
States Texas Republicans Eye Cash Rewards for Districts
Legislative leaders are preparing a proposal to set aside $800 million a year for school districts that demonstrate strong outcomes. Skeptics call it unfair and say it wouldn’t work.
Daarel Burnette II, March 5, 2019
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5 min read
Federal DeVos Pushes Federal Tax Credit to Boost School Choice
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is throwing her weight behind new legislation to establish a new federal tax credit to expand choice, a senior department official said.
Alyson Klein, March 5, 2019
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5 min read
School Climate & Safety Report Roundup Research Report: Social-Emotional Learning
Parents and educators can view adolescence as a high-risk time for students, when they are more likely to disconnect from school or try drugs or alcohol. Yet a new study argues that educators also can leverage teenagers' greater willingness to take on "positive risks."
Sarah D. Sparks, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup Research Report: Teachers
When teachers have higher cognitive skills, their students perform better academically, according to a new study in the journal Education Next using data from 31 countries.
Madeline Will, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Education Funding Report Roundup School Finance
Regional desegregation plans can help close racial and socioeconomic disparities between neighboring school districts, finds a new report by the Learning Policy Institute.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup Arts Education
Arts experiences can reduce disciplinary infractions, increase students' engagement, and improve writing skills, says a new study by the Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research.
Sasha Jones, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Education News in Brief Transitions
Carmen Ayala, a 30-year Illinois public schools veteran, has been named superintendent for the state.
March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement News in Brief States See Surge in Young Voters
There's an old joke in journalism that once is a fluke, two's a coincidence, and three's a trend. But what do you call 17 data points all tilting in the same direction?
Stephen Sawchuk, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Education News in Brief New Mexico May Delay Release of School-Related Legal Settlements
Financial settlements of legal claims against public schools and some colleges in New Mexico on accusations ranging from sexual molestation to personal injury would be sealed off from public view for at least six months, under a bill endorsed by a panel of House lawmakers.
The Associated Press, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Arizona Legislators Mull Expanding Exemptions From Vaccinations
Arizona lawmakers are looking at expanding exemptions from children's vaccine requirements as public-health officials in the Pacific Northwest try to contain a measles outbreak that has sickened dozens of people who were not inoculated.
The Associated Press, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Baltimore School Board Reverses Decision on Arming School Police
Just weeks after a school shooting in Baltimore, the city's school board last week reversed its initial rejection of legislation that would have allowed armed school police officers.
The Associated Press, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Supreme Court Tosses Equal-Pay Ruling, Citing Death of Appellate Judge
The U.S. Supreme Court last week threw out a major ruling over gender-based pay discrimination in education, saying that a federal appeals court had improperly counted the vote of a recently deceased judge.
Mark Walsh, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Florida High Court Approves Request for Grand Jury Probe of School Safety
The Florida supreme court has ordered a statewide grand jury with a broad mandate to investigate school safety.
Tribune News Service, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief United States Spends $23 Billion More on White Districts Than Nonwhite Ones
Despite decades of court fights and countless state and local political battles, a $23 billion gap remains between the amount of money spent on predominately white school districts and predominately nonwhite ones, says a report by EdBuild, an advocacy organization that pushes for equitable spending.
Daarel Burnette II, March 5, 2019
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1 min read
School & District Management Kansas City Data-Sharing Effort Showcases Ballmer Group's Strategy
A $59 million investment in software developer Social Solutions aims to ease the flow of data among schools and social service providers.
Benjamin Herold, March 4, 2019
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7 min read
Steve Ballmer was the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. Now the owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, Ballmer and his wife Connie are investing heavily in a “wraparound approach” to improving K-12 schools.
Steve Ballmer was the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. Now the owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, Ballmer and his wife Connie are investing heavily in a “wraparound approach” to improving K-12 schools.
Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times/MCT
Equity & Diversity Ex-Microsoft CEO (No, Not That One) Giving Big to K-12
Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie have quietly committed more than $250 million to education-related efforts, but their philanthropic strategy differs from other tech billionaires.
Benjamin Herold, March 4, 2019
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7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Jared Boggess for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion How to Teach the Story of Human Migration Without Bias
Even the best intentioned educators often harbor blind spots, write Re-Imagining Migration's Adam Strom and Veronica Boix Mansilla.
Adam Strom & Veronica Boix Mansilla, March 4, 2019
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4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Courtesy Ted Kolderie
School & District Management A Pioneer of Public School Redesign Weighs In
Ted Kolderie, who helped launch the charter school movement through his work in Minnesota, discusses school choice, school accountability, the evolving role of teachers, and more.
Bess Keller, February 27, 2019
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5 min read
Education Funding Education Donors Shift Priorities, Survey Suggests
Philanthropies may be moving away from big new investments with a K-12 academic focus and toward areas like social and emotional learning and wraparound services, Grantmakers in Education finds.
Christina A. Samuels, February 27, 2019
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3 min read
A crowd rallies outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters during the teacher strike in that city last month.
A crowd rallies outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters during the teacher strike in that city last month.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Special Education Opinion What Happens to Vulnerable Students When Teachers Strike?
When their advocates are on the picket line, historically marginalized students are hit particularly hard, warns one special education paraprofessional.
David Curtiss, February 21, 2019
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4 min read
Image of a girl selecting a book in the library.
Hakase_/iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Opinion The Problem With Literacy Programs
Most commercial literacy programs won't teach students how to read and write well. Educators need to demand higher quality curricula.
Mike Schmoker, February 20, 2019
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5 min read