April 21, 2010
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 29
Education
Report Roundup
Foster Children
Young people who have "aged out" of foster care are three times more likely than their peers in the general population to not have a high school diploma or its equivalency, according to a study.
Education
Report Roundup
Online Assessment
A study has found that many states are already using online state assessments, or plan to do so in the near future.
Education
Report Roundup
Teacher Pensions
Teachers' pension plans are underfunded by $933 billion, according to an analysis released by the Manhattan Institute and the Foundation for Educational Choice.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Reading and Writing
Teachers can improve students' reading skills by having them write about what they are reading and teaching them writing skills, an analysis concludes.
Education
Report Roundup
Schools' Time Use
A new analysis of data from high schools in six urban districts says the schools did not use data to adjust the management of time based on student demands.
Education
Report Roundup
Assessment Costs
States can halve their assessment costs by tilting more toward essay questions and performance tasks than the multiple-choice-heavy approaches now used in most states, a new analysis says.
Education
Report Roundup
Scholars Call for Examining School Violence in a New Context
Researchers make a pitch for a broader, cross-disciplinary, and more evidence-based approach to conquering school violence problems.
Education Funding
Continued Fiscal Woes Force Idaho Ed. Cuts
A major revenue shortfall forced Idaho lawmakers to cut K-12 education programs by 7.5 percent.
Education Funding
Iowa Schools Receiving Modest Spending Hike
Despite difficult budget circumstances, Iowa lawmakers were able to provide a modest boost for education programs, including community colleges and early-childhood education.
Teaching Profession
Nebraska Approves Performance Pay, K-12 Funding Boost
Teacher performance pay may soon be coming to the Cornhusker State.
Education
Tenure Rules Tightened as Md. Gears Up for Race to Top Bid
Teachers would have to put in three years, instead of two, to earn tenure, under recently passed legislation.
Federal
ELLs Raise Proficiency Rates in Reading, Math, Study Finds
English-language learners gained in recent years on state tests, the Center on Education Policy says, but big gaps remain.
Teaching Profession
Florida Governor Vetoes Legislation on Merit Pay, Tenure
Crist cites flaws in the measure, teacher and parent opposition, along with its rush to passage in the legislature.
Accountability
Opinion
A Seamless System of Assessments
Robert Rothman envisions a world in which testing is neither excessive nor a waste of time, but a source of knowledge that can improve practice.
Education
News in Brief
Fla. Board Bans Paddling
The Marion County school board has decided that area principals can no longer paddle misbehaving students as punishment.
Education
News in Brief
Teacher Who Wrote 'Loser' Quits
An Ohio teacher accused of writing the word "loser" on a student's arm has resigned.
Education
News in Brief
Maine Schools Chief Moving On
Susan Gendron, Maine's commissioner of education, is stepping down at the end of the month.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Teacher Incentive Fund: Trivial or Transformative?
The president's proposed increases to the fund could help more states and districts create effective performance-pay systems, Bryan C. Hassel and Dan Katzir write.
Education
News in Brief
Educators Seek Delay of Vote on Social Studies Standards
A group of university educators called on the Texas board of education last week to delay a final vote on contentious statewide curriculum standards.
Education
News in Brief
Wis. Official Threatens Prosecution Over Lessons on Sex Education
A local district attorney in Wisconsin has sent a letter to area school districts warning that health teachers could face criminal charges.
Education
News in Brief
Principals Must Reapply for Jobs in Mo. District's 'Right-Sizing' Plan
Every principal and vice principal will have to reapply if they want to continue as building leaders next fall.
Standards
Opinion
Will We Ever Learn?
With dropout rates sky-high and future jobs stressing "soft skills," we don't need everyone to study quadratic equations, say Robert I. Lerman and Arnold Packer.
Education
News in Brief
College Board Launches Center on Higher Ed. Policy and Practice
The College Board announced last week that it is creating a new center aimed at making connections between research, policy, and practice related to higher education.
Education
News in Brief
'Rubber Rooms' for Teachers to Be Shuttered in N.Y.C.
Hundreds of New York City teachers who are paid full salaries to do nothing while they await disciplinary hearings will be released from the city's "rubber rooms" this fall.
Education
News in Brief
Charlotte, N.C., Superintendent Predicts Layoffs for Next Year
The schools chief in North Carolina’s largest city says he expects to have to lay off more than 1,000 of the district’s 19,000 employees.
Education
News in Brief
L.A. Approves Plan to Shorten School Year, Head Off Layoffs
The Los Angeles school board has signed off on an agreement with the teachers’ union to shorten the school year.
Education
News in Brief
Governors' Association Helps States Set Up Early-Childhood Initiatives
The National Governors Association is undertaking an effort with Kansas, Louisiana, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington state to help develop high-quality early childhood education systems.
Education
News in Brief
Judge Bars Transfers of Pupils in Bias Case
A judge has ordered a small southern Mississippi school district to stop allowing hundreds of white students to transfer out of majority black schools.