March 30, 2011
Education Week, Vol. 30, Issue 26
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Immigrant Children
On two social factors that help determine the well-being of young people, children of immigrants stack up almost as well or better than the offspring of native-born parents, a new report says.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Graduation Rates
A new report spells out the economic benefits that would come to individuals—and the entire nation—if the United States were to cut its dropout rate in half.
Equity & Diversity
Report Roundup
District Demographics
A new report from researchers on the demographics of the nation's 100 largest school districts shows that well over half of students, about 63 percent, are black or Hispanic.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Budget-Cut Effects
A new report from researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, shows state budget cuts have widened the gap between schools in poor and wealthy communities.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Breakfast
A survey of school nutrition directors found that serving breakfast at school remains a challenge, especially with older students.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Quality
A Washington State program that provides bonuses to teachers who earn national certification and agree to teach in hard-to-staff schools is yielding mixed results, according to a new report.
Standards
Multiple 'Curriculum' Meanings Heighten Debate Over Standards
Multiple meanings of the word are driving some of the debate around translation of the common standards into classroom use.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Researchers Find Fewer 'Dropout Factory' Schools
The number of U.S. schools with such poor graduation rates that they are known as "dropout factories" fell by 6.4 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a new report.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Detroit Emergency Manager Gets Full Control of Schools
Emergency manager Robert Bobb gained total control of the Detroit school system after a judge lifted an injunction that had limited his authority to financial matters.
Education Funding
News in Brief
N.J. School Cuts Ruled Unconstitutional
Gov. Chris Christies $1 billion in cuts to school aid last year left New Jersey unable to meet its obligation to provide all children with a thorough and efficient education, a judge ruled last week.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Judge Rules in Parent-Trigger Case
A California Superior Court judge ruled last week that the Compton Unified School District violated parents' First Amendment rights by imposing an onerous signature-verification process on a disputed petition for a charter school.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
KIPP, Union Reach Deal on Baltimore Teachers' Pay
The KIPP charter school network has reached a 10-year agreement with the Baltimore Teachers Union for how much it will pay its teachers for working extra-long hours.
Education
News in Brief
Wake County, N.C., Given 'Accredited Warned' Status
Auditors from the accrediting agency AdvancED have placed the 143,000-student Wake County, N.C., school district on "accredited warned" status and issued an unsparing assessment of who should take the blame for the community uproar over changes to the district's school assignment policy.
Education
News in Brief
Florida Commissioner Stepping Down in June
The chairman of Florida's State Board of Education resigned in protest last week over what he saw as Gov. Rick Scott's ouster of Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith.
Education
News in Brief
Ohio State Schools Chief Felt Pressured to Resign
Citing pressure from new Republican Gov. John Kasich, Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle has announced that she will resign on April 30.
Education
News in Brief
Broad Prize Gets $40 Million, Narrows Its Eligibility Pool
The Broad Foundation has endowed the Broad Prize for Urban Education with $40 million in order to sustain the prize in future years, and it is making some changes in eligibility.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Idaho Gov. Signs Merit Pay, Collective Bargaining Bills
A week after Wisconsin officials approved a law to limit collective bargaining for teachers, Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter signed into law a similar measure, one that drew protests in his state.
Education
News in Brief
Wis. Judge Blocks Bargaining Law
A Wisconsin judge temporarily blocked a law supported by Gov. Scott Walker that would strip teachers and other public workers of many collective bargaining rights.
Mathematics
News in Brief
Co-Founder Leaving School of One
Joel Rose, the co-founder and chief executive officer of the School of One, a New York City math program with some big-name supporters, including technology giants Microsoft Corp. and Cisco Systems, announced last week that he will be leaving to launch his own nonprofit group with the aim of spreading the model beyond the city.
Federal
Lawmakers Team to Target Red Tape
Two lawmakers have teamed up to introduce a bill that seeks to make better sense of the maze of federal and state K-12 regulations and the intersection between the two.
School Choice & Charters
Detroit Plans to Turn 41 Schools Over to Outside Operators
Detroit proposes to turn over 41 low-performing schools to charter operators, joining a growing list of districts embracing that strategy.
School & District Management
Federal Officials Aim to Reshape Regional Education Laboratories
The Education Department is soliciting contract proposals for a new generation of regional education laboratories—just as federal lawmakers target the long-running program for elimination.
States
State of the States
State of the States 2011: Maine, Minnesota, Texas
Education Week's coverage of the governor's addresses in Maine, Minnesota, and Texas.
School & District Management
Urban Study Partnerships Start to Yield Research Results
A five-year-old research collaboration between researchers and some of the nation's largest school districts sheds some light on how students can better understand academic language.
Education
Letter to the Editor
We Need Accountability for Parents and Students
To the Editor:
Much like a car, the education system has several parts: educators, students, and the parents/guardians of the students; yet, we only tinker with educators and hold them accountable for the failures of our system.
Much like a car, the education system has several parts: educators, students, and the parents/guardians of the students; yet, we only tinker with educators and hold them accountable for the failures of our system.
International
Countries Pursue Different Paths to Mastering Technology
School officials from Uruguay, Ireland, and other countries discuss how their students are using technology for learning.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Linking Pay and Class Size Hurts Teaching Quality
To the Editor:
In proposing larger classes for the best teachers, Bill Gates assumes mistakenly that teaching in K-12 classrooms is just like lecturing to university students (“Gates to NGA: Tie Class Sizes to Teachers’ Skill,” March 9, 2011).
In proposing larger classes for the best teachers, Bill Gates assumes mistakenly that teaching in K-12 classrooms is just like lecturing to university students (“Gates to NGA: Tie Class Sizes to Teachers’ Skill,” March 9, 2011).
Education
Letter to the Editor
Before Teachers Teach, Assess Them Rigorously
To the Editor:
In the search for improved student learning, policymakers rightfully look to much-needed improvements in teacher-preparation programs. A seemingly sensible strategy is to measure the effectiveness of and accredit preparation programs to examine how well their graduates do in teaching their students (“New Rules for Ed. Prep Are Mulled,” March 9, 2011).
In the search for improved student learning, policymakers rightfully look to much-needed improvements in teacher-preparation programs. A seemingly sensible strategy is to measure the effectiveness of and accredit preparation programs to examine how well their graduates do in teaching their students (“New Rules for Ed. Prep Are Mulled,” March 9, 2011).