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.
Chester E. Finn Jr. & Jessica A. Hockett, October 18, 2012
6 min read
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.
Stephen Sawchuk, October 16, 2012
1 min read
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits by his side to monitor the student-run session.
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits by his side to monitor the student-run session.
Sarah Rice for Education Week
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.
October 16, 2012
9 min read
Students walk through the hallways on their way to class at Walter H. Dyett High School. Community members and students are protesting a planned closure of the school, which they say will force students to attend a high school two miles away.
Students walk through the hallways on their way to class at Walter H. Dyett High School. Community members and students are protesting a planned closure of the school, which they say will force students to attend a high school two miles away.
Jon Lowenstein/NOOR for Education Week
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.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, October 16, 2012
8 min read
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.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, October 16, 2012
3 min read
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.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Nirvi Shah, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Ross Brenneman, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Julie Rasicot, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, October 16, 2012
1 min read
Lorenzo García, the former superintendent of the El Paso, Texas, schools, is flanked by his lawyers as he walks to U.S. District Court in El Paso on Oct. 5. He was sentenced to spend 3½ years in prison, and ordered to pay fines and restitution, for conspiring to manipulate scores on state tests and other misdeeds. As part of his restitution, he will have to return $56,500 in bonuses that he received for students’ improved performance.
Lorenzo García, the former superintendent of the El Paso, Texas, schools, is flanked by his lawyers as he walks to U.S. District Court in El Paso on Oct. 5. He was sentenced to spend 3½ years in prison, and ordered to pay fines and restitution, for conspiring to manipulate scores on state tests and other misdeeds. As part of his restitution, he will have to return $56,500 in bonuses that he received for students’ improved performance.
Ruben R. Ramirez/The El Paso Times/AP
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.
Jaclyn Zubrzycki, October 16, 2012
4 min read
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.
Caralee J. Adams, October 16, 2012
1 min read
Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential nominee, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, square off at a debate in Danville, Ky., last week that focused heavily on foreign policy and Medicare. Moderating the debate was Martha Raddatz of ABC News.
Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential nominee, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, square off at a debate in Danville, Ky., last week that focused heavily on foreign policy and Medicare. Moderating the debate was Martha Raddatz of ABC News.
Michael Reynolds
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.
Alyson Klein, October 16, 2012
2 min read
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.
Jason Tomassini, October 16, 2012
7 min read
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.
Sean Cavanagh, October 16, 2012
6 min read
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.
October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Bryan Toporek, October 16, 2012
1 min read
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.
Catherine Gewertz, October 16, 2012
1 min read
iStockphoto.com/Paul Fleet
iStockphoto.com/Paul Fleet
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.
Eugene Bratek, October 16, 2012
4 min read
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.
Nirvi Shah, October 16, 2012
2 min read
Students from New York's Washington Irving Educational Complex line up to store their cellphones with private storage operators before entering school. Because the city school district bans cellphones in schools, many students pay a dollar a day to businesses, such as the one above, to store their devices.
Students from New York's Washington Irving Educational Complex line up to store their cellphones with private storage operators before entering school. Because the city school district bans cellphones in schools, many students pay a dollar a day to businesses, such as the one above, to store their devices.
Tina Fineberg/AP
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.
The Associated Press, October 16, 2012
4 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Community Colleges Rethink Placement Tests
Schools are looking for alternatives to the tests that determine whether students must take remedial courses.
Caralee J. Adams, October 16, 2012
7 min read
Teaching Opinion Thinking About Cursive in a Digital World
David Polochanin reflects on cursive handwriting's declining role in schools and the larger world.
David Polochanin, October 16, 2012
5 min read
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."
Sarah D. Sparks, October 16, 2012
4 min read