October 17, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 08
School & District Management
Opinion
The Best Bargain in American Education
Chester E. Finn Jr. and Jessica A. Hockett write that exam schools offer a great high school education to students that is both free and competitive.
Teaching Profession
Hawaii Grapples With Teacher-Pact Impasse
Some commentators warn that stalled talks in Hawaii over a new teachers contract could lead to a strike.
School Climate & Safety
'Restorative Practices': Discipline But Different
As criticism of school suspension grows, some schools turn to techniques aimed at teaching students to right their wrongs.
Families & the Community
School Shutdowns Trigger Growing Backlash
Student and parent groups in five cities are calling for a moratorium on school closings, as debates over their effects intensify.
Equity & Diversity
Chicago Neighborhood Angered by School's Closing
The community surrounding Walter H. Dyett High School say the planned phaseout of their school is just the latest blow to their struggling students.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Immigrant Children
The U.S.-born children of black immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America display strong signs of school readiness, compared with their native-born black peers and children born to Hispanic immigrants, a study concludes.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Autism
A new study finds that nearly half of children diagnosed with autism have tried to wander away from home, school, or other places, and that many wind up missing, even temporarily.
Standards & Accountability
Report Roundup
Nation Gets Lackluster Grades on Child Well-Being Report
Despite a prioritization of children in the national agenda, the United States seriously lags in keeping its youngest citizens healthy and ensuring they are ready to learn, according to a new report.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Language Development
A British study has found that mothers who communicate with their infants by sign language aren't necessarily accelerating the child's language development.
Student Well-Being
Report Roundup
Lead Exposure
Programs that reduce the rate of lead exposure and poisoning in children were tied to improved academic achievement in a study of Massachusetts children.
Assessment
Former Schools Chief Sentenced to Prison
El Paso, Texas's ex-superintendent faces 42 months in prison for conspiring to boost students' scores on state tests.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Enrollment
After years of expansion, overall college enrollment dropped slightly in fall 2011, according to new numbers posted by the federal government this month.
Federal
Education Gets Brief Nod at VP Candidate Debate
Vice President Joe Biden slams GOP rival Paul Ryan's budget plans, which Biden says would cut education funding.
Classroom Technology
New Tools Seek to Evaluate Ed-Tech Products
An ambitious proposal from two economists attempts to create a "Consumer Reports" for educational technology.
School & District Management
Maine's Charter Rollout Raises Practical Issues
The latest state to allow charters wrestles with how to manage their growth and relationship with regular public schools.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Los Angeles School Board Makes Arts an Essential 'Core' Subject
The Los Angeles school board voted last week to elevate the arts to an essential "core" subject and to gradually restore budget cuts for arts education.
Equity & Diversity
News in Brief
Suit Requests Data on Ala. Immigration
A lawsuit accuses the Alabama department of education of refusing to release data on student enrollment before and after the state's immigration law went into effect.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Donor Is Concern in Idaho Campaign
A nonprofit that gave campaign cash to another group for ads promoting Superintendent Tom Luna's changes won't reveal their source.
School & District Management
News in Brief
La. Officials Delay Pre-K Grading Plan
State schools superintendent John White has delayed plans to give his recommendations for grading Louisiana's prekindergarten and early-childhood programs.
School & District Management
News in Brief
After Strike Turmoil, Chicago CEO Resigns
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's efforts to improve Chicago's schools face yet more upheaval.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Chief Gives Own Raise to Anti-Bullying Effort
Superintendent Bob Webber refused to take a 4 percent annual raise when he saw the opportunity to connect the money with a program that combats bullying.
Student Well-Being
News in Brief
Gender Gap Grows in High School Sports
Despite gains in the number of athletic opportunities made available to high school boys and girls, boys saw a larger share of those gains.
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
Consortium Releases Sample Test Items
A group of states released a new round of sample questions and performance tasks to help guide educators as they implement the common standards.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Moving From Cheating to Academic Honesty
Schools need to create and support communities of trust to foster honesty in their students, Eugene Bratek writes.
Special Education
Center Addresses E-Learning for Spec. Ed. Students
Leaders of a new center designed to expand students with disabilities' access to online courses have expressed concerns about those students' participation in e-learning.
IT Infrastructure & Management
N.Y.C. Teens Pay Valets to Store Cellphones During School Hours
Thousands of students are paying a dollar a day to leave their digital devices in trucks parked near the schools as a result of the district's policy banning cellphones in school buildings.
College & Workforce Readiness
Community Colleges Rethink Placement Tests
Schools are looking for alternatives to the tests that determine whether students must take remedial courses.
Teaching
Opinion
Thinking About Cursive in a Digital World
David Polochanin reflects on cursive handwriting's declining role in schools and the larger world.
School & District Management
IES to Seed New Methods for Studying Schools
The Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, wants studies that take an iterative approach to finding "what works."