May 2, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 35
Education
‘Just-in-Time’ Tests Change What Classrooms Do Next
Educators increasingly are interested in measures designed to improve, not just monitor, learning and teaching.
Student Well-Being
Ban Junk Food, Sodas in Schools, Prominent Scientists Recommend
A panel recommends that water, fruits, and vegetables replace the chips, candy bars, and sugary juices found in school vending machines.
School Climate & Safety
Schools’ Role in Mental-Health Care Uneven, Experts Say
Evidence suggests that screening programs and appropriate support can help alleviate poor school performance, bullying, depression, and suicide.
Education Funding
Funds to Push Education as Election Issue
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Broad Foundation unveil major campaign to raise topic’s profile in presidential race.
Assessment
Most Nations Seen Falling Short of NAEP ‘Proficiency’
Outside of a handful of Asian nations, the typical 8th grader in many foreign countries would not meet “proficient” levels on U.S. tests of mathematics and science.
School & District Management
Reading-Research Chief Takes Collaborative Approach
Peggy McCardle has kept a lower profile than that of her predecessor, G. Reid Lyon, which observers say reflects a changing tone in debates over reading instruction methods.
Recruitment & Retention
Study Looks at California Teacher Retention
Teachers who leave education before they reach retirement say they feel bogged down by bureaucracy, lack of support.
School & District Management
Benchmarks to Allow Urban School Districts To Track Business Side
A new tool will help school districts compare their business operations with those of other districts.
Early Childhood
Teacher Colleges Urged to Pay Heed to Child Development
A report says textbooks that contain current research on the topic don't explain how new teachers can use that information in classrooms.
Reading & Literacy
Homegrown Tests Measure Core Critical-Reading Skills
FAST-R, or Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading, is now used in more than 50 schools in the 57,000-student Boston district.
Teaching
Opinion
A New Day for Learning
Members of the Time, Learning, and Afterschool Task Force argue that "the structure of the day for American children and youth is more than timeworn. It is obsolete."
Reading & Literacy
DIBELS Involved in ‘Reading First’ Controversies
The assessment tool is approved for use under the federal reading program in 45 states to monitor student progress on reading fluency.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Leaders’ Blogs Offer Candid Views on Life In Schools
The few principals and superintendents who do blog see great value in the online tool.
Reading & Literacy
Instant Read on Reading, in Palms of Their Hands
Teachers in a rural New Mexico district use hand-held computers to assess students’ reading progress and target instruction accordingly.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Chat Wrap-Up: Unions and No Child Left Behind
Experts fielded questions about how the nation’s top two teachers’ unions are trying to influence the reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
School & District Management
Mayor Backs Off Plan for School Funding Method in N.Y.C.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought to put more veteran teachers in schools that serve the most disadvantaged students.
Federal
Student-Loan Controversy Is Drawing Wide Concern
New York state Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo faults the federal government's monitoring of the industry.
School & District Management
State Schools Chiefs Weigh Issue of National Standards
Some are wary of the prospect of a national exam or other mandates being imposed by the federal government.
Reading & Literacy
Spellings Called to Testify About ‘Reading First’ Complaints
The House education committee is probing charges of mismanagement and conflict of interest in the program.
Federal
Bush Pressing His Case on Renewal of NCLB
The president has been actively highlighting what he sees as the successes of the law.
Federal
Senate Measure Targets High Schools With Serious Dropout Problems
A bipartisan bill would provide grants to support proven methods to increase graduation rates and help middle schools identify at-risk students.
Education
Letter to the Editor
As Excellence Fades Away, Mediocrity Becomes Goal
Students will no longer be able to hold the title of valedictorian or salutatorian in my district, as the board has chosen to move to a college-type system of cum laude standings.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Firing Bad Teachers Trumps Retention Efforts
It is quite easy to share the anger of Randi Weingarten, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, when it comes to the application of theory that has obviously not worked to date to bolster teacher quality.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Superintendent Reacts to Teacher’s Commentary
I have been following with interest the recent letters to the editor responding to Kim Chase’s Commentary "Understanding by Accident."
Education
Letter to the Editor
Differentiated-Pay Plans: Implementation Is the Rub
"Teacher Panel Calls for Overhaul of Pay Across Profession" leaves readers with the distinct impression that opposition to reform in the way teachers are paid is peculiar to the United States.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Confusing Numbers From ‘It’s Being Done’ Essay
I’m puzzled by this statement in Karin Chenoweth’s Commentary "‘It’s Being Done’": “Today a higher percentage of Stanton students meets state math and reading standards than Pennsylvania students as a whole.”
Federal
Federal File
Education Dept. Included in Political Briefings
A committee is probing whether briefings violated a law that governs federal employees on matters of engaging in partisan politics.
Federal
Federal File
Taking a Stand on Standards
GOP amendment heads off federal influence over curricula.
Federal
Federal File
Supplemental Bill Includes Hurricane Aid for Schools
Congress approved a war spending bill that also provides $60 million to school districts and colleges hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Congress last week gave final approval to an emergency spending bill financing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that also includes $60 million in aid to school districts and colleges hit by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
