Focus On
Education Week’s Focus On reports highlight an important topic in the education field each week.
College & Workforce Readiness
Rural District Nurtures Dual-Enrollment Effort
Work with teachers and students in Halifax County, Va., has focused on making college-level courses a hot ticket.
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.
Families & the Community
School Shutdowns Trigger Growing Backlash
Student and parent groups in five cities are calling for a moratorium on school closings, as debates over their effects intensify.
Teaching
Studies Link Students' Boredom to Stress
Students may say a teacher's lesson is boring, a researcher says, when frustration is really what they feel.
Law & Courts
Symposium Revisits Landmark Student-Speech Cases
Key players on both sides come together to discuss pivotal U.S. Supreme Court cases involving students' free-speech rights.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Lead-Exposure Problems Spotlighted in Detroit
One new study draws attention to the large numbers of Detroit children who have been exposed to lead, and suggests ways schools can help those who struggle academically.
School & District Management
Study Weighs Pros, Cons of Teacher Turnover
Turnaround schools don't always keep the best teachers and lose the worst ones, a researcher finds.
School & District Management
New Studies Dissect School Turnarounds
Researchers say it takes a mix of strategies—but not too many—to engineer school improvement.
School & District Management
New Breed of Community Partnerships Aiding Schools
Formal space-sharing arrangements between districts and other entities enable them to forge a shared vision to benefit the community.
Equity & Diversity
In Districts Where Seniors Outnumber Children, Schools Adjust
Senior citizens now outnumber school-age children in more than 900 U.S. counties—and experts say that trend is growing.
College & Workforce Readiness
Early-College Model Brings Lessons, Results in N.C.
A decade after introducing programs that allow high school students to study on college campuses, the Guilford County district points to greater engagement and achievement among participants.
School Choice & Charters
'Hybrid' Home Schools Gaining Traction
As home schooling grows in popularity, lines are blurring between private and public schooling.
Assessment
Mastery of Science Standards Long Way Off, NAEP Suggests
Science tests of hands-on and computer-based tasks reveal students are foundering at executing higher-level skills.
Federal
Title IX: New Opportunities for Girls, But Gender Gap Remains
More K-12 girls than ever are involved in sports since passage of the 1972 law, but the gap between boys and girls remains huge.