July 14, 2010
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 36
School & District Management
KIPP Middle Schools Boost Learning Gains, Study Says
Across 22 schools studied, researchers found few signs that schools were 'creaming' the best students or pushing out low achievers.
School & District Management
Demand Still Growing for Online Credit-Recovery Classes
As Boston, Chicago, and New York look to online credit-recovery programs, some say state "seat-time" rules need re-examining.
School & District Management
Turnaround Deadline Squeezes States, Districts
Some still await federal approval—and money—for plans to overhaul poorly performing schools starting this fall.
Federal
Studies Take Aim at Policies on English-Language Learners in Arizona
Studies warn the state's policies could widen academic gaps between English-language learners and their mainstream peers.
Recruitment & Retention
'Mutual Consent' for Teacher Placement Gains Traction
Two states and several districts join Chicago and New York City in banning the forced transfer of teachers to specified schools.
Education Funding
Opinion
Are Public-Service Subsidies Good for the Public?
Jennifer Steele, Richard Murnane, and John Willett examine new incentives for college graduates to choose jobs where they're most needed, like teaching in high-need schools.
School & District Management
No Clear Edge for Charter Schools Found in 15-State Study
Mathematica compared results for students who won lotteries to attend 36 charter middle schools with those of their peers who lost out in the random-assignment process.
Assessment
Opinion
Even Galileo Changed His Mind
Archie E. Lapointe applauds Diane Ravitch's reassessment of her views, and says it places her in good company in the evolution of learning theory.
Special Education
Value of IDEA Ratings Questioned
Six years after IDEA ushered in federal ratings of state special education programs, it’s not clear if the process is worth the effort.
Education Funding
Financial Problems Force Districts to Cut Summer School
Even while some districts cut back on summer school, others are reinventing it to make the experience enjoyable for students.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Charter Group Names New Chief
Peter C. Groff joined the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools this month as its president and chief executive officer.
Mathematics
News in Brief
Math Center Contract Awarded
The Institute of Education Sciences awarded a $10 million contract to the research group WestEd to lead a new National Center for Cognition and Mathematics Instruction.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Lawsuit Links Rural Schools, National Security
Supporters of a small Arkansas school district sued the state late last month, claiming that the closure of rural schools threatens the country's security and food supply.
School & District Management
Minn. Law Spurs Some Districts to Rethink Sponsoring Charters
Though seen as a national model, a law putting new demands on charter sponsors is prompting some to consider leaving authorizing.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Missouri Cuts Funding for Parents as Teachers Program
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation cutting funding and allowing fees to be charged for the early-childhood education program Parents as Teachers.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Georgia Bans Student Restraints
Georgia schools are no longer allowed to put students in solitary confinement under a ban approved by the state board of education.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Changes Layoff Rules
The Chicago board of education approved a policy for laying off teachers that would dismiss tenured teachers rated ineffective before dipping into the ranks of higher-rated novices.
Federal
Three Groups Submit Applications for Race to Top Assessment Grants
The consortia submitted applications to the U.S. Department of Education for money to craft assessments aligned to the common standards.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Court Blocks School Closings
New York City did not follow state law when it moved to close 19 underperforming public schools, a state appeals court ruled this month.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Ed. Department Names Head Of English-Language Office
The Obama administration has selected Rosalinda B. Barrera as the assistant deputy secretary and director of the office of English-language acquisition for the U.S. Department of Education.
School & District Management
Jobs Bill Collides With Key Facets of Obama's K-12 Agenda
Congressional efforts to save teacher jobs in part by cutting Race to the Top has states and the administration pushing back.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Student Test Scores Improve at Merged Detroit Schools
A preliminary analysis of 34 sets of Detroit schools that were involved in mergers after the 2008-09 school year found improved reading and math test scores at many of them.
School & District Management
Teacher Induction Found to Elevate Students' Scores
The student-achievement findings are in contrast to those from the first two years of the study, which showed no effects on scores.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Minimum Student Grades Can't Be Required in Texas
Students in Texas must get the grades they earn and not an inflated score on report cards, a Texas district judge ruled.
Education Funding
News in Brief
NEA Votes 'No Confidence' in Race to Top
After a protracted debate, delegates to the National Education Association have voted to take a position of "no confidence" in the Race to the Top guidelines.
Student Achievement
Obituary
Civil Rights Champion Taylor Dies
William L. Taylor, a lawyer who devoted decades of his life to desegregating U.S. schools, died June 28 of complications from a fall. He was 78 and a resident of Washington.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Pittsburgh Teacher Pact Tests New Pay Elements
A new five-year contract between the Pittsburgh school district and its American Federation of Teachers-affiliated union contains major pay reforms, including a revamped salary schedule for new hires and two programs to award bonuses to school staffs and individual teachers who significantly boost student achievement.
English-Language Learners
Report Roundup
Testing Accommodations for ELLs
Modifying the English on mathematics test items doesn’t change the math knowledge assessed, a federally financed study on math-testing accommodations concludes.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Native American Students
The average reading and mathematics scores for Native American and Alaska Native students remained flat on the National Assessment of Educational Progress from 2005 to 2009, a federal report says. And only 57 percent of 8th graders who are Native Americans or Alaska Natives report they plan to go to college full time after high school, the study released last month by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences found.