August 12, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 37
Education
Letter to the Editor
The Benefits of Ending Charter School Caps
To the Editor:
Lower-performing charter schools are especially problematic when states cap charter school numbers (“Accountability Looms Large as Charter Proponents Mull Future,” July 15, 2009). Absent the cap, newer, better schools would enter to displace the low performers.
Lower-performing charter schools are especially problematic when states cap charter school numbers (“Accountability Looms Large as Charter Proponents Mull Future,” July 15, 2009). Absent the cap, newer, better schools would enter to displace the low performers.
Education
Report Roundup
Black-White Achievement
Schools have made modest progress in closing the achievement gap between black and white students in math and reading.
English Learners
Report Roundup
Early Achievement Gaps
Even before they walk or enter preschool, children from poor families trail behind their more advantaged peers on measures rating their behavior and cognitive abilities.
Education
Report Roundup
Wellness Policies
Most of the school wellness policies that districts now have in place are weak, a report concludes.
Education
Report Roundup
Air Pollution and IQ
Researchers for the first time have linked air-pollution exposure before birth to lower IQ scores in childhood.
Education
Report Roundup
P.E. Injuries
Injuries to children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997 to 2007, a new study finds.
Education
Report Roundup
Study Says 'Plateau Effect' Not Pervasive
One of the common beliefs about testing in the era of accountability holds that student test scores improve rapidly in the first few years of a new testing program, but are followed by a plateau in scores as it becomes harder for educators to bump up the performance of students with learning challenges.
School & District Management
Opinion
Inexperience Not Preferred
"We cannot afford to hire school leaders whose learning curve is steeper than our children's," writes Ami Novoryta.
Federal
Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines
States not meeting absolute guidelines would be ineligible to compete for aid from the Race to the Top Fund, a comparatively small—but highly coveted—slice of some $100 billion in federal economic-stimulus aid for education.
School & District Management
State Senate Extends Mayor’s Control Over N.Y.C. Schools
Legislators approved a measure that will keep Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in charge of New York City’s 1.1 million-student school system for an additional six years.
Federal
Schools Offered Leeway in Handling Swine Flu
Closures are only needed if large numbers of high-risk students are infected or if absences make staying open impractical, new federal guidelines say.
Federal
NAEP Panels Propose More ELL, Spec. Ed. Inclusion
The plan's goal is to check disparities among states in the rate of English-learners' and special education students' participation.
Law & Courts
Sotomayor Wins U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation
President Barack Obama's nominee was backed by some prominent civil rights and education groups, including the two national teachers' unions.
Law & Courts
From the Confirmation Hearings
Last month’s confirmation hearings gave then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and her questioners a chance to address issues affecting schools and education. Among the highlights:
Federal
Teachers Pick Up Tips For Enhancing Topic of Evolution in Class
A forum run by the University of Pittsburgh helps teachers prepare lessons on the controversial and confusing topic of evolution.
Special Education
Federal Center Aids Special Education Practices
A federal center is working with states that have invested substantially in evidence-based practices to improve special education.
Education Funding
Philosophy Students Explore 'Big Questions'
A summer program at Johns Hopkins University is part of a broader effort to expand public school course offerings in the subject, which builds students’ critical thinking skills.
Federal
Experts Hope Federal Funds Lead to Better Tests
Race to the Top money could serve as a down payment for scaling up tests that would better measure critical thinking, experts say.
Federal
Research Doesn't Offer Much Guidance on Turnarounds
The nation has few real examples of dramatic school change, experts say, leading to a lack of information on what strategies work.
Federal
Opinion
Obama’s School Choice
David Marshak asks, “If Barack and Michelle Obama have chosen to send Malia and Sasha to a post-modern school focused on the personalization of learning, isn’t it time for every family in the nation to have the same opportunity?”
School & District Management
Opinion
Teachers as Control Freaks
“Despite positive steps, our profession remains too much a mishmash of well-meaning, hard-working solitaires, exhausted by the effort of trying to single-handedly move mountains for children,” writes Andrea Fanjoy.
Law & Courts
State Picture on Charter Caps Still Mixed
Amid pressure from the Obama administration to lift caps on schools, state lawmakers turn in a mixed record on charter schools.
Federal
Opinion
Branding Education, Government-Style
Shawn Maureen Powers examines titles and catchphrases from federal education efforts, and what their development means for our current approach to school reform.
Federal
Decline and Fall
Robert C. Bobb was appointed by the state to try to close a huge budget deficit that is the legacy of declining enrollment and management problems.
Special Education
N.Y. State Settles Suit Over School Medicaid Claims
Under the deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, the state and city of New York has to pay back false claims by school districts.
Special Education
Senate Panel Rejects Bid to Further Boost TIF
The appropriations committee passed an education spending bill that ups funding for the program, but by less than the administration wanted.
Federal
Transparency of Common-Standards Process at Issue
Some observers are arguing for more input, but the groups guiding the effort say there will be plenty of opportunities down the road.
School & District Management
Ed. Dept. Gears Up for 'Innovation' Grants
As Arne Duncan continues his “listening tour,” his team is kick-starting a $650 million grant competition for district-level innovations.
Federal
Senate Budget Panel OKs Slim Boost for Education
After a windfall in the stimulus bill, K-12 schools would see just a modest funding increase in fiscal 2010 under the U.S. Senate plan.