Instructional Time
Families & the Community
Proposal to Boost Head Start Hours, Year Draws Concern
Some providers warn they would have to drop children from the federal early-education program because of a lack of facilities or teachers.
School & District Management
Opinion
Give Teachers Time to Collaborate
Schools with expanded schedules shouldn't overlook the need for increased teacher-collaboration time, writes NCTL president Jennifer Davis.
Assessment
Opinion
What Opting In Reveals About Opting Out
Every year millions of students Opt-in to voluntary Advanced Placement tests. What can these students tell us about the reasons other students and families are choosing to Opt-Out?
School & District Management
Opinion
Lessons From a Longer School Day (and Year)
Schools in Rochester, N.Y., demonstrate winning strategies for extending learning time, write the superintendent and a city leader.
Early Childhood
Head Start Proposals Draw Cheers, Cautions
Early-education advocates welcome the idea of a longer day and year for Head Start operations, but wonder if there will be federal funding to match.
Federal
Arizona's English-Learner Debate Unlikely to Wane, Despite Ruling
Though a federal appeals court has upheld the state's mandate of four-hour blocks of English-immersion daily for ELLs, federal civil rights officials are pushing Arizona to overhaul its approach to language instruction.
Recruitment & Retention
SIG Money Gives Principal Tools for Turnaround
A federal School Improvement Grant has helped the principal at one North Carolina school amp up the focus on using data to boost student achievement.
Special Education
Hurdles in Pairing General, Special Education Teachers
Poorly implemented co-teaching practices may be taking the "special" out of special education, say many who train teachers and districts in collaboration.
Education Funding
As School Day Grows, Ties Deepen Between Schools, Providers
Expanded-learning initiatives are pushing educators and outside groups to collaborate in new, more integrated ways.
Standards & Accountability
Common-Core Testing Drives 'Tech Prep' Priorities
As states shift required tests to computers, teachers are discovering that students are missing key technical skills to show what they know.
Federal
After-School Programs Feel Heat From Congress, Critics
A congressional proposal to roll federal after-school funds into a broader block grant has created an opening for critics and a rallying cry for advocates.
Assessment
Opinion
We're Racing Through K-12 Education
Learning takes time, so rushing children to finish assignments is not the answer, writes speech-language pathologist Rebecca Givens Rolland.
Student Well-Being
Districts Work With Families to Curb Pre-K Absenteeism
Amid a national push to expand early education, officials in a number of cities work to combat chronic nonattendance among preschoolers, seen as a warning sign of issues in the later grades.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Competency-Based Education Is Working
New Hampshire schools demonstrate how competency-based education offers a positive, skills-based approach to standards learning, writes Ronald A. Wolk.
