Issues

March 13, 2019

Education Week, Vol. 38, Issue 25
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School & District Management Recession-Proofing Tips for Districts
Marguerite Roza, a Georgetown school finance professor, provides five tips on how districts could prepare for the next recession, which many economists predict is right around the corner.
Daarel Burnette II, March 12, 2019
5 min read
Special Education Feds Can't Delay Special Education Bias Rule, Judge Says
The Education Department made an "arbitrary and capricious" decision in delaying an Obama-era rule that would change the way states monitor how minority students are identified and served in special education, a federal judge rules.
Christina A. Samuels, March 12, 2019
4 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Schools Finding Record Numbers of Homeless Students, Study Says
Nearly 1.36 million children went to school in 2017 without knowing where they would sleep at night, a new report finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 12, 2019
5 min read
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School & District Management Taking the Guesswork Out of Teacher Hiring
School districts and researchers are working together to try to predict teacher effectiveness by looking at resumes and job applications.
Madeline Will, March 12, 2019
6 min read
School & District Management The Best Ed-Tech Research: 5 Key Lessons for Educators
A new review of 126 rigorous research studies yielded key insights on expanding access to classroom technology, the role of adaptive software, and the dangers of "social-psychological" nudges.
Benjamin Herold, March 12, 2019
7 min read
Image of an adult and student talking as they walk down a school hallway.
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Teaching Profession Why Teacher-Student Relationships Matter
New studies are painting a clearer picture of why teacher-student relationships matter and how teachers should cultivate them.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 12, 2019
6 min read
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Special Education Opinion What Really Causes Special Education Teachers to Burn Out?
Special education students need more support, but so do their teachers, writes high school teacher Josh Brown.
Josh Brown, March 12, 2019
4 min read
Senior Rina Amom speaks to peers during a professional-development session at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa, where school leaders are using student feedback to redesign the school’s mission and make lessons more engaging.
Senior Rina Amom speaks to peers during a professional-development session at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa, where school leaders are using student feedback to redesign the school’s mission and make lessons more engaging.
Rachel Mummey for Education Week
Professional Development These Students Are Doing PD With Their Teachers. Their Feedback Is Candid
After realizing that attendance and engagement were low for students of color, educators turned to the experts: the students themselves.
Denisa R. Superville, March 12, 2019
10 min read
Principal Betsy Gavron of Wayland Middle School, in Wayland, Mass., takes part in an un-birthday celebration for the school’s 6th grade advisory group, which sets aside unstructured time for students to build relationships and bond with each other.
Principal Betsy Gavron of Wayland Middle School, in Wayland, Mass., takes part in an un-birthday celebration for the school’s 6th grade advisory group, which sets aside unstructured time for students to build relationships and bond with each other.
Gretchen Ertl for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement How Schools Can Make Advisories Meaningful for Students and Teachers
Advisory periods—that common block of time in middle and high school schedules intended to strengthen relationships in schools—often feel burdensome to teachers and useless to students. But some schools are finding ways to make advisories matter.
Evie Blad, March 12, 2019
8 min read
The new Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Conn., built in the wake of 2012’s school massacre in that community, incorporates features intended to assure student safety while fostering a positive school environment. Among them is controlled access via three footbridges, and a sunken rock rain garden that acts as a buffer as well as an educational tool.
The new Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Conn., built in the wake of 2012’s school massacre in that community, incorporates features intended to assure student safety while fostering a positive school environment. Among them is controlled access via three footbridges, and a sunken rock rain garden that acts as a buffer as well as an educational tool.
Robert Benson Photography
School Climate & Safety Making School a Safe Haven, Not a Fortress
With deep concerns about safety, schools look for ways to blend security features that students hardly notice with welcoming learning environments for them.
Alyson Klein, March 12, 2019
8 min read
Teaching A Student Advises His Teachers on How to Improve
Zion Freeman saw positive changes in his history class after a conversation with his teacher on how to make the lessons more engaging and collaborative.
Denisa R. Superville, March 12, 2019
2 min read
Lila Berg, a 6th grader in Wayland, Mass., said her advisory group has helped her form friendships with other students and provides a source for academic help.
Lila Berg, a 6th grader in Wayland, Mass., said her advisory group has helped her form friendships with other students and provides a source for academic help.
Gretchen Ertl for Education Week
Teaching New 6th Grader Finds Friends, Support in Advisory Group
Lila Berg was starting middle school in a new town, making the often rocky transition to 6th grade potentially even more fraught.
Evie Blad, March 12, 2019
1 min read
Abigail Belch, an 8th grader at DuPont Hadley Middle School, is serving her second year on the school’s student-led court.
Abigail Belch, an 8th grader at DuPont Hadley Middle School, is serving her second year on the school’s student-led court.
Abigail Belch
School Climate & Safety Opinion My School's Peer Court Helps Students Make Amends
The goal of DuPont Hadley Middle School's youth-led court is to help fellow student take steps to repair harm they cause through bad choices and behavior, writes 8th grader Abigail Belch, a second year member of the court who is currently its bailiff.
Abigail Belch, March 12, 2019
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Why Lunch, Exercise, Sleep, and Air Quality Matter at School
There’s mounting evidence that addressing basic quality of life issues can improve students’ achievement and well-being.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 12, 2019
17 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement 5th Grader: My School's Morning Runs 'Helps Us All Listen Better'
Riley Quinn exercises each day as part of her elementary school's "Morning Mile" program, which the principal says makes a huge difference in kids' readiness to learn.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 12, 2019
1 min read
Special Education N.Y.C. Shelving Troubled Special Education Data System
After investing eight years on a system that fell far short of expectations, the city is gearing up to replace or fix it.
Christina A. Samuels, March 11, 2019
4 min read
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Teaching Profession Opinion Conservatives, It's Time for Us to Focus on Teacher Professionalism
These five policy facets of the teacher profession should take center stage for state legislatures, write Mary Scott Hunter, Mike Bileca, and John Eichelberger.
Mary Scott Hunter, Mike Bileca & John Eichelberger, March 11, 2019
4 min read
Early Childhood Report Roundup Early Childhood
The state a baby is born in makes a big difference in whether that child gets a good start in life, concludes a 50-state ranking of early-childhood education and supports.
Marva Hinton, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Report Roundup After-School Programs
After-school programs can help schools support students' reading and math achievement, social-emotional development, and their likelihood of graduating high school, finds a research analysis.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Report Roundup Research Report: Testing
As states develop new testing and accountability systems under the Every Student Succeeds Act, a report by the think tank National Education Policy Center offers guidance to prevent misuse of tests.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Special Education Report Roundup Students With ADHD
A substantial percentage of students with ADHD symptoms severe enough to affect them both academically and socially are not getting support in school for the disorder, says a study of nearly 2,500 children and youth.
Christina A. Samuels, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Teacher Workforce
While there are more teachers of color now than there were a few decades ago, the teacher workforce is growing whiter than the college-educated population as a whole, according to an analysis from the Brookings Institution.
Sarah Schwartz, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Teaching & Learning Obituary Obituary
Pearl Rock Kane, a former elementary school teacher who led the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University for 37 years, died of pancreatic cancer Feb. 26. She was 79. Kane was a board member of Editorial Projects in Education, the parent company that publishes Education Week, from 1982 until 2012. In recent years, she created an online course, "The Science of Learning: What Every Teacher Should Know," which has enrolled more than 50,000 students internationally.
March 11, 2019
1 min read
Education News in Brief Corrections
In a March 6, 2019, Commentary, the name of one author, Veronica Boix Mansilla, was misspelled.
March 11, 2019
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Cops vs. Counselors
As policymakers call for more school police in response to safety concerns, a new analysis of federal data shows many students don't attend schools with other types of staff necessary for safety and support—like nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists.
Evie Blad, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Kentucky Districts Close Amid Wave of Teacher Absences
At least four Kentucky school districts were forced to close last Thursday as hundreds of teachers called in sick to continue protesting what they believe to be anti-public education proposals in the state legislature.
The Associated Press, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Federal News in Brief FTC Hits Company With Record Fine Over Children's Privacy
When children from across the country were signing up in huge numbers for an app to create their own lip-syncing and dance videos, they were also being asked to turn over personal information without their parents knowing about it, in violation of the law, according to federal officials.
Sean Cavanagh, March 11, 2019
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief West Virginia Gov. Calls Special Session to Address Teacher Pay, Ed. Issues
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is calling a special legislative session to address teacher pay raises and other education issues.
The Associated Press, March 11, 2019
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Vaping-Related Bill Passes Without Tougher Age Restrictions in Kentucky
Kentucky lawmakers missed the chance last week to combat chronic health risks by failing to consider raising the age for purchasing tobacco and e-cigarettes, public health advocates said.
The Associated Press, March 11, 2019
1 min read