October 24, 2012
Education Week, Vol. 32, Issue 09
Student Well-Being
At S.C. School, Behavior Is One of the Basics
With a special class on behavior and a strategy known as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, a Charleston middle school has found a way to reduce suspensions.
Federal
New School Lunch Rules Spur Student Protests
Some students are balking at the healthier lunches they are getting this year under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.
Teacher Preparation
National Board Puts Focus on Lifting Profile
The "master teacher" certification group, stymied by eroding state support, hopes to boost its influence in the education field.
School Choice & Charters
Catholic Schools Turn to 'Blended Learning' to Get More Students
The approach of mixing online instruction and face-to-face learning comes as Catholic schools face increasing competition from charter schools.
School & District Management
State Boards Could Feel Electoral Winds
A sixth of some 600 state school board seats nationwide could turn over through election or subsequent appointment this year.
School & District Management
As Ed-Tech Competition Ratchets Up, Blackboard CEO to Step Down
The resignation is the latest change for the educational software giant, which is facing increasing competition in selling learning-management systems to schools and colleges.
Teaching Profession
'Value Added' Measures at Secondary Level Questioned
Researchers found value-added estimates of teachers' impact on student scores can be biased if academic tracking isn’t considered.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
From STEM to ST2REAM
Students learn best with a curriculum that reaches across many disciplines, including the sciences and the humanities, writes Kenneth Wesson.
Curriculum
Calif. Laws Shift Gears on Algebra, Textbooks
The new measures set the state on a course for some potentially significant changes to the curriculum.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Schools Can Be the Difference in Preventing Suicide
Every school should create a suicide-prevention task force to head off tragedies, Genevieve LaFleur and Scott Poland write.
Standards & Accountability
Letter to the Editor
Common Standards Are a 'Living Work'
To the Editor:
Educators at every level—from teachers and principals to chief state school officers—have become increasingly comfortable using evidence-based research data to make sound educational decisions to maximize student learning outcomes. The developers of the Common Core State Standards are no exception. On the introductory pages of the English/language arts, or ELA, standards is this statement: "The standards are intended to be a living work: As new and better evidence emerges, the standards will be revised accordingly."
Educators at every level—from teachers and principals to chief state school officers—have become increasingly comfortable using evidence-based research data to make sound educational decisions to maximize student learning outcomes. The developers of the Common Core State Standards are no exception. On the introductory pages of the English/language arts, or ELA, standards is this statement: "The standards are intended to be a living work: As new and better evidence emerges, the standards will be revised accordingly."
College & Workforce Readiness
Letter to the Editor
Commentary Misleading on NAEP, Dropouts
To the Editor:
The recent Commentary "Public Schools: Glass Half Full or Half Empty?" (Oct. 10, 2012), provides a problematic view of education progress that can easily backfire.
The recent Commentary "Public Schools: Glass Half Full or Half Empty?" (Oct. 10, 2012), provides a problematic view of education progress that can easily backfire.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Special Educators
A new report says that looming automatic cuts to federal spending will take an especially big bite out of special education.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
College Graduation
New research investigates whether the nation could meet President Barack Obama's 2020 goal of leading the world in producing college graduates.
Student Well-Being
At S.C. School, Behavior Is One of the Basics
Learning 'how to be a Haut Gap student' is one of the basics at Charleston's Haut Gap Middle School.
Early Childhood
Report Roundup
Early Learning
A parent education program aimed at Latino parents is having some success in improving parents' knowledge about early-literacy skills, among other things.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Broadband Access
Education is one of the areas with the greatest "opportunity gap" between residents of rural and urban communities because of disparities in broadband Internet access.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Study: Dual Enrollment Paves Path Out of College
New research shows students who get a taste of college while still in high school are much more likely to continue their education and complete a degree.
Education Funding
New RTT Twist: Nonacademics
States seeking the federal aid could get points for addressing students' social, emotional, and behavioral needs.
Student Well-Being
Report Roundup
Students and Sleep
Getting less than half an hour of additional shut-eye can improve young children's alertness, suggests a new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Review Requested in Local Chief's Firing
A nonprofit organizations focused on monitoring government spending is calling for an investigation into the firing of former superintendent Anthony Tata.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Texas Judge Permits Religious Banners
A Texas state judge issued a temporary injunction last week allowing a group of cheerleaders to continue to display banners with Christian messages at high school football games.
Federal
News in Brief
Idaho Granted Waiver From NCLB Rules
Idaho has been granted a waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act, bringing the number of states awarded the waiver to 35.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Accreditation Restored to St. Louis Schools
The 23,000-student public school system in St. Louis is officially accredited again after having been unaccredited for more than five years.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Tenn. Withholds Aid Over Charter Rejection
The Tennessee education department is withholding aid from the Metropolitan Nashville district, citing its refusal to approve a charter school as a violation of state law.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Facebook Grant Funds Newark Teacher Plan
A tentative contract for teachers in the Newark public school system allows for merit pay bonuses funded mainly through a grant from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Families & the Community
News in Brief
Charter Group Picked in Calif. 'Trigger' Vote
A group of California parents chose a charter operator partnered with a local university to take over a failing elementary school.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Ohio Data Scrubbing Driven by 'Mal-Intent,' Auditor Says
An investigation into attendance-data tampering in Ohio's school districts leads state Auditor to believe there was 'mal-intent' on part of some school officials.