September 23, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 04
IT Infrastructure & Management
In Fulton County, Ga., Use of Data at Center Of Efforts to Improve
Better use of data has remained high on the district’s priority list as a key tactic for improving student achievement.
School & District Management
Turnaround Aid Raising Hopes, Also Concerns
As the Education Department readies billions of dollars in Title I cash, some question how much change will actually take place.
Education
News in Brief
Voucher Questions
U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., says the federal government paid for more than 1,700 District of Columbia students to attend private schools, but doesn’t know what schools many attended.
Education
News in Brief
Strike Ends in Wash. District
Teachers in Kent, Wash., agreed last week to end a strike and head back to their classrooms.
Standards
News in Brief
'Common Core' Group Takes Aim at Move For 21st-Century Skills
The Washington-based group has organized an open letter arguing that the Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ learning goals risk “undermining the quality of education in America.”
Education
Letter to the Editor
Philadelphia Teacher Rules Offer a Negative Incentive
To the Editor:
I was stunned to read in "Leader in Phila. Seeks Changes in Teacher Rules" (Sept. 2, 2009) that the Philadelphia school district is proposing to assign teachers who have been successful in raising student achievement to the city’s hardest-to-staff schools.
I was stunned to read in "Leader in Phila. Seeks Changes in Teacher Rules" (Sept. 2, 2009) that the Philadelphia school district is proposing to assign teachers who have been successful in raising student achievement to the city’s hardest-to-staff schools.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Chicago Principal-Training Program Wins Prestigious Innovation Award
The New Leaders for New Schools principal-training program in Chicago has won a prestigious award from Harvard University.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Having It Both Ways on Turnaround Research
To the Editor:
Recent Education Week stories highlight troubling contradictions in federal efforts to guide public school reforms. On the one hand, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan demands a “proven” track record for programs seeking grants from his $650 million innovation fund ("Duncan Sets Bar on Fund," Aug. 26, 2009). Yet, on the other, the priorities and requirements spelled out in the Department of Education’s school improvement and Race to the Top grant guidelines either have no track record or, worse, have a track record of failure ("Tight Leash Likely on Turnaround Aid," Sept. 2, 2009; Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines," Aug. 12, 2009).
Recent Education Week stories highlight troubling contradictions in federal efforts to guide public school reforms. On the one hand, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan demands a “proven” track record for programs seeking grants from his $650 million innovation fund ("Duncan Sets Bar on Fund," Aug. 26, 2009). Yet, on the other, the priorities and requirements spelled out in the Department of Education’s school improvement and Race to the Top grant guidelines either have no track record or, worse, have a track record of failure ("Tight Leash Likely on Turnaround Aid," Sept. 2, 2009; Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines," Aug. 12, 2009).
Education Funding
News in Brief
D.C. Chancellor Warns of Cuts After Hiring Hundreds of Teachers
Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee says budget cuts will force teacher layoffs and increase class sizes only weeks after classes began.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Muslim Principal's Case Remains in Litigation
To the Editor:
Your news item “Principal’s Comments to Press Were Not Protected Speech” ("Principal's Comments to Press Were Not Protected Speech," Sept. 7, 2009), about the recent decision in Almontaser v. New York City Department of Education, implies that the case is over. It is not.
Your news item “Principal’s Comments to Press Were Not Protected Speech” ("Principal's Comments to Press Were Not Protected Speech," Sept. 7, 2009), about the recent decision in Almontaser v. New York City Department of Education, implies that the case is over. It is not.
School & District Management
News in Brief
N.J. District Leader With Degree From Unaccredited School Resigns
Mr. Wasser last year apologized and gave up a $2,500 raise after it was learned he and two other administrators had received degrees from Breyer State University, which has been dubbed a diploma mill.
Education
Letter to the Editor
'Broken' Title I Formula Needs Congress' Action
To the Editor:
If one is under the impression that the Title I formula of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is rational, consider this. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Hamlet, N.C., to discuss rural education ("Rural Areas Perceive Policy Tilt," Sept. 2, 2009). Hamlet is in the Richmond County school system, a small district with a high poverty rate. Thirty-two percent of its students are Title I-eligible. Under the formula, it received $1,209 per Title I student in 2008-09. The adjacent Charlotte-Mecklenburg district, the largest in North Carolina, has a 16 percent eligibility rate, but received $1,398 per student, nearly $200 more than Richmond County.
If one is under the impression that the Title I formula of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is rational, consider this. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Hamlet, N.C., to discuss rural education ("Rural Areas Perceive Policy Tilt," Sept. 2, 2009). Hamlet is in the Richmond County school system, a small district with a high poverty rate. Thirty-two percent of its students are Title I-eligible. Under the formula, it received $1,209 per Title I student in 2008-09. The adjacent Charlotte-Mecklenburg district, the largest in North Carolina, has a 16 percent eligibility rate, but received $1,398 per student, nearly $200 more than Richmond County.
School & District Management
News in Brief
25 Groups Across Globe Create World Research Association
Twenty-five education research groups from around the world announced plans last week to create an umbrella group called the World Education Research Association to promote studies in the field.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Latino School Challenges Extend Beyond Latinas
To the Editor:
Your Sept. 2, 2009, article on the challenges facing Latina students in school ("Report Probes Educational Challenges Facing Latinas") gives a false impression of the Latino education gap (the difference in educational attainment by Latinos on the one hand, and whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders on the other).
Your Sept. 2, 2009, article on the challenges facing Latina students in school ("Report Probes Educational Challenges Facing Latinas") gives a false impression of the Latino education gap (the difference in educational attainment by Latinos on the one hand, and whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders on the other).
Education Funding
News in Brief
Foundation Center Launches Site To Help Charities Leverage Stimulus
The New York City-based Foundation Center has launched a Web portal to help the philanthropic community leverage federal education dollars.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
Massachusetts Charter School Announces Contract With Teachers
The first teachers’ union contract approved for one of Massachusetts’ 57 charter schools that operate outside a local public school district will allow performance-based teacher pay and a longer school day.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Abuse of Foreign Teachers Cited
Companies that recruit teachers from abroad are almost wholly unregulated, and some have subjected teachers to conditions similar to indentured servitude, a new report asserts.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Support for 'Strategic Use' of Randomized Trials
To the Editor:
At Innovations for Poverty Action, we disagree with Lisbeth B. Schorr’s assessment that rigorous evaluation methods will inhibit innovation in social policy. In fact, randomized trials offer the best chance to generate lessons on what works.
At Innovations for Poverty Action, we disagree with Lisbeth B. Schorr’s assessment that rigorous evaluation methods will inhibit innovation in social policy. In fact, randomized trials offer the best chance to generate lessons on what works.
School Choice & Charters
Letter to the Editor
Charter Quality's the Issue, Not Research Methods
To the Editor:
Your recent online Commentary by Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform ("Charter Laws and Flawed Research," Sept. 8, 2009) perpetuates a misconception she has about the compositions of “virtual twins” that were used in a report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, “Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States.”
Your recent online Commentary by Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform ("Charter Laws and Flawed Research," Sept. 8, 2009) perpetuates a misconception she has about the compositions of “virtual twins” that were used in a report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, “Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States.”
Education
Report Roundup
Report Advises High Schools on Ways to Steer Students to College
A practice guide from the U.S. Department of Education's research office says few studies met its evidence standards.
Federal
Report Roundup
Enrollment Trends
Statistical projections from the National Center for Education Statistics forecast continued growth in the number of public school students, but a slight dip in the number of students who attend private schools.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
Early-Childhood Literacy
While many Americans are aware of the importance of pre-reading skills, they have much less understanding that children who fall behind in early-literacy skills often do not catch up to their peers in elementary school.
Accountability
Opinion
Literacy Accountability in a New-Media Age
It's time we quit judging students' ability to interpret and gather information based solely on their mastery of print media, writes Paul Barnwell.
Law & Courts
Report Roundup
School Law
A new book examines the role of the courtroom in U.S. education in recent decades, noting that such involvement has grown exponentially over the past 60 years.
Education
Report Roundup
Drug Prevention
A drug-prevention program known as "Communities That Care" has been shown to lead to lower rates of delinquency and illegal substance abuse among students in 8th grade.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Financial Literacy
A new study suggests that a game designed to teach students how the stock market works boosts their skills in both mathematics and financial literacy.
Federal
Opinion
National Subject-Matter Standards? Be Careful What You Wish For
Marion Brady writes that national content standards may hinder the development of educated generalists able to tackle today's big issues.
International
Documentary Sequel Touts Charter School as Model for Nation
The film is a sequel to a documentary that took a critical view of U.S. students' performance compared with peers in China and India.
Classroom Technology
Funding Cuts Compel Florida Virtual School to Get By With Less
The Orlando-based school has seen its budget reduced by nearly 10 percent with more cutting set for next year, while most other public schools in Florida have received a modest increase.