October 17, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 08
Education
Letter to the Editor
Clarifications and Kudos on ‘Adequacy’ Commentary
None of the letter-writers who have responded to my Commentary seriously disputes the central thrust of my essay that plaintiffs have lost or been disappointed in 14 of the last 15 adequacy decisions.
Education
Letter to the Editor
The ‘Comma Splice’ and Harry Potter’s Grammar
I must point out that the English, the Australians, and often the Canadians consider the comma to be an appropriate mechanism to link two independent clauses.
Education
Letter to the Editor
‘Tipping Point’ for Choice Awaits Full Funding Equity
I suggest that we will not reach the “tipping point” until all parents have full choice over the education of their children.
Education
Letter to the Editor
A Core Problem: Parents Get What They Want
Parents elect school board members, at least in Missouri and Kansas, to maintain public education at the lowest “uncommon” denominator. What a tragedy for kids in those two states.
Education
Letter to the Editor
If Merit Pay Is So Good, Use It on Federal Workers
If performance-pay research demonstrates positive results, let the government reform the civil service system first—maybe then we can wipe out the federal deficit.
Education
Letter to the Editor
NEA Favors More Pay—But Not Tied to Test Scores
I am writing to clarify the National Education Association’s position on performance pay for teachers linked to student test scores.
School & District Management
Office Overseeing D.C. Performance in State of Change
The District of Columbia might not be a state, but it has a state office of education. And that office just got a lot bigger.
School & District Management
Miami ‘Zone’ Gives Schools Intensive Help
Some of the lowest-performing schools in the Miami-Dade County, Fla., district could soon be weaned from three years of strategic support. Will they be able to sustain their progress?
College & Workforce Readiness
Big Picture to Bring Its Novel Approach to Planned College
Nearly a dozen years ago, a nonprofit called the Big Picture Company opened the doors of a small, intensely student-focused public high school aimed at educating and graduating students at high risk of academic failure.
Teaching Profession
Federal File
In Supreme Court, Pension Funds Join Battle on Fraud
A U.S. Supreme Court case about corporate fraud attracted the attention of several of the nation’s largest teacher-retirement funds.
Student Well-Being
Report Roundup
Childhood Weight
Children who lose weight are more likely to keep it off if they participate in a weight-maintenance treatment program, but the effects wane over a period of two years, says a recent report.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Satisfaction
New middle and high school teachers are much less satisfied with their roles as educators than new elementary school teachers, a report says.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Bargaining
Local teachers’ unions have cooperated with their school districts to reward and promote effective teaching, give civic leaders a stake in schools, and diminish the harmful effects of teacher-seniority protections, concludes a report.
School Choice & Charters
Report Roundup
Public vs. Private Study Compares Outcomes for Urban Students
Disadvantaged students from urban areas show about the same results in academic achievement regardless of whether they attended a public or private school, a study shows.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Justices Decline to Hear Case on Teacher’s Religious Postings
The Virginia teacher claimed that his principal had wrongfully removed religious items from the bulletin board in the teacher’s public school classroom.
Federal
Ohio Lawsuits Revive Long-Standing Clash Over States’ Charters
Ohio’s new attorney general is turning to the court system to shut down charter schools he argues have shown consistently poor academic results.
Teaching
Opinion
Not Who But What Is Left Behind
Barbara M. Stock fears that the current emphasis on standardization forces schools to abandon the "essential lessons" for becoming a good American.
Assessment
Opinion
Five Assessment Myths and Their Consequences
Are we helping students and teachers with our assessment practices, or contributing to their problems?, Rick Stiggins asks.
Federal
After Four Decades, Pioneer of Calculator Still Leads K-12 Field
Not all educators agree that the best ways to teach mathematics include giving students electronic calculators. But many do.
Student Well-Being
Disabilities Seen Complicating Anti-Obesity Efforts
Children with disabilities may face challenges in maintaining healthy body weights, including a lack of outlets designed to help them engage in physical activity.
College & Workforce Readiness
Georgia’s Graduation-Coach Team to Grow
The state is now recruiting private-sector volunteers to reduce the number of dropouts in their communities.
Federal
‘Scientific’ Label in Law Stirs Debate
Lawmakers' proposals for reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act could reduce the focus on randomized experiments.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Wake County Postpones Decision on Student-Assignment Policy
School board members say they need more time to debate a policy that aims to minimize the concentration of poor students in one school.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
In-Service
Teacher Agusta Lind starts the school year with lessons about everything but lessons.
Teaching Profession
Performance Test for New Calif. Teachers Approved
The rigorous assessment requires aspiring educators to show students are learning before they earn their preliminary licenses.
Federal
Researchers to Study N.Y.C.’s School Improvement Efforts
The new partnership hopes to carry out research with practical applications to inform and guide the nation’s biggest school district.
Law & Courts
Opinion
God in School
Joseph P. Viteritti explains why he finds the idea of religious charter schools problematic.
Federal
Bush, Others Want Law to Go Beyond Basics
President Bush spoke about NCLB last week and added two words to his typical description of the law’s central goal: “or above.”
IT Infrastructure & Management
Los Angeles Tries Luring Back Dropouts Via Social Networks
The school district is mounting an ambitious campaign to keep students in school, making use of popular so-called "Web 2.0" tools.