Quick Hits

Chicago schools to focus on college readiness in school ratings: Chicago Public Schools is implementing a new system for evaluating schools that is based in part on how well they are preparing students for college. As the district prepares to release a list of low-performing schools slated for consolidation or closure, this tougher evaluation system is expected to lead to the inclusion of schools that fall short of the standard. Next spring, the district also will begin using new assessments that are more closely aligned with the ACT and other college-readiness benchmarks to rate schools' performance. (Chicago Tribune)

Ideas for using fantasy football to help students score in math: Fantasy football can be used to teach students lessons in math, particularly statistical analysis and quantitative evaluations, this blog post argues. After students are familiar with the game, students should work in pairs and select teams. The writers suggest students then study statistics, such as touchdowns, yards passing and interceptions, then average player and opponent data. As games progress, students can do their own calculations to determine who won. The New York Times (The Learning Network blog)

Researchers say common core is aligned with top standards: The new Common Core State Standards in English/language arts and mathematics are, in general, on par with the standards of leading states, as well as those of the International Baccalaureate and others used to assess college readiness, but they may be more demanding in some areas, according to a new report by the Educational Policy Improvement Center. Researchers said the new standards require more complex thinking, particularly for certain reading and writing skills, plus geometry. (Education Week)

Report - States emphasize test scores in teacher evaluations: Nearly half of the states in the U.S. use standardized testing data when evaluating public-school teachers, according to a National Council on Teacher Quality report released Wednesday. Separately, districts in 14 states can use testing data as cause to fire teachers, the report shows. About two-thirds of states have adopted new teacher-evaluation policies, though California is among the holdouts. (Los Angeles Times), (The Wall Street Journal)

Report criticizes rush to virtual education: A new report by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder questions whether there is enough oversight of full-time virtual schools and whether virtual schooling should be considered an effective replacement for traditional education. The report, which comes amid a growing interest in cyber-schooling, recommends steps to improve online learning, including more careful financial monitoring of schools and face-to-face exams for students. /(The Answer Sheet)

Can schools raise student achievement with longer days?: Many districts across the country are expanding the school day in the hopes of raising student achievement, but critics say the way the additional time is used is crucial to the effectiveness of the approach. In one Providence, R.I., school, an extra hour has been added each day for in-depth, mostly off-campus study of STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math -- subjects, which some say is a strategy that has the most impact on student learning. (Education Week)

Is the interactive whiteboard living up to the hype?: Interactive whiteboards are expensive and time-consuming, says teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron, who writes that the future of education technology will be guided by mobile devices. She writes that mobile technology is less expensive, and encourages student-centered learning and greater access to information. She compares the benefits of mobile technology, such as smartphones, to what she describes as the interactive whiteboards' antiquated style, which still relies on a teacher-focused style of learning. (TweenTeacher.com)

Research weighs civics education as important as literacy: Civics education is as important as mathematics and literacy instruction, according to new research from the American Enterprise Institute. Scholars from various disciplines contributed to the research, which suggested that teachers expand their civics understanding, and model and teach civic engagement to help boost students' practical knowledge of the subject. (Education Week)

Merit pay is tied to parental engagement in some Idaho schools: Teachers at one Idaho school this year will receive merit bonuses based in part on the percentage of parents who attend parent-teacher conferences, which has been lagging in recent years. At another school in the district, teacher bonuses will be tied to the percentage of students who complete portfolios for student-led conferences attended by their parents. The new systems are the result of a law requiring districts to develop their own pay-for-performance plans. (The Times-News)

How much is too much work for today's students?: Several elite private schools in New York City are working to ease the workload for their students by staggering exam schedules, offering reprieves from homework and adding new tutoring support. Some educators and parents maintain that rigor and hard work are the cornerstones of success, while others say chronically overworked students lack sleep and happiness. (The New York Times)

Gates - Teachers should be evaluated using business model: Teachers want to -- and should -- be treated as professionals, say Bill and Melinda Gates, who push in this article for an evaluation system modeled after the private sector. Using data from a recent survey of teachers, the couple writes that teachers want additional support and are seeking an evaluation system that takes students' achievement into consideration. The couple also shares their progress in working to define effective teaching, which they say should be at the heart of the systems used to evaluate teachers. (The Wall Street Journal)

Ore. district abandons grant for teacher merit pay: An Oregon school district is turning down a $2.54 million federal grant to provide performance pay for its classroom teachers after district officials in Oregon City remained divided over plans to provide merit pay for individual teachers based on student test scores. "Oregon City's design team could not support the requirement by TIF -- which is an absolute in the Teacher Incentive Fund -- of priority for individual awards," U.S. Education Department spokeswoman Jane Glickman said. (The Oregonian)

Some Tenn. educators struggle under new evaluation system: Some Tennessee teachers and administrators are struggling under the state's new system for awarding teacher tenure. The system, adopted as part of the state's bid for federal Race to the Top funds, includes a detailed checklist to determine teachers' mastery of lessons -- this type of "nitpicking" is unfamiliar to many veteran educators, according to this analysis. Some educators are calling on the state to ease the new process, which they say is time-consuming for administrators and demoralizing for teachers. (WPLN-FM)

Occupy L.A. protest offers democracy lesson for students: A group of students in fifth through eighth grade from a private school in Pasadena, Calif., took a field trip Tuesday to the Occupy Los Angeles event to discuss democracy with protesters, attend a city council meeting and hear a speech by a member of the tea party. "My goal as a teacher, regardless of my own personal beliefs, is to expose the students to as many viewpoints as possible," teacher Susanna Barkataki said. "We're here to get first-hand experience." (Los Angeles Times)

Should alternative-program grads be considered "highly qualified"?: A coalition of civil-rights groups is calling on lawmakers to renew their commitment to ensuring that all students are taught by "Highly Qualified Teachers" as part of a revised No Child Left Behind Act, veteran teacher Anthony Cody reports. Cody argues that such a commitment should include a return to a stricter interpretation of the designation and exclude those teachers who have been certified in alternative training programs, who, he claims, often lack the skills and longevity in the profession to match the label. (Living in Dialogue blog)

New laws on bullying are adopted in 21 states: Twenty-one states have passed laws this year aimed at preventing and reducing bullying in schools. The laws vary in scope with the most far-reaching in New Jersey requiring schools to employ specialized personnel and report all incidents to the state. Many states also are working to address online bullying, provide new protection for victims of bullying, and are requiring new training for teachers on bullying prevention. In some states, however, budget constraints are making it challenging to implement such programs. (Education Week)

L.A. principals are granted access to teachers' ratings: School principals in Los Angeles will have access to ratings that measure teachers' effectiveness at improving students' standardized test scores. The evaluations -- which are similar to value-added measurements -- have been confidential. The change comes as the district and teachers union negotiate using the effectiveness measures in teachers' formal evaluations. (Los Angeles Times)

Judge blocks Ala. immigration law's student-related provisions: A federal judge temporarily blocked portions of an Alabama immigration-enforcement law under which as many as 5,300 Hispanic students across the state had been absent from school on an average day. The stricken provisions required that school officials determine the immigration status of students enrolling in school for the first time, as well as that of their parents. The judge, however, upheld a requirement that police officers determine the immigration status of individuals who are arrested or stopped for traffic violations, among others. (The New York Times)