January 17, 2013

Local News

Sussex County Post
Superintendent casting shadow for students’ perspective
John D. Ewald wants to know more about life in the day of Laurel students. So Laurel School District’s fi rst-year superintendent is “shadowing” students. “I feel it is very important for any leader, especially a superintendent, to see and hear and experience first-hand what our students do everyday,” said Mr. Ewald.

National News

Education Week
Flood of investment, products stirs fears of education ‘tech bubble’
Educational technology companies and entrepreneurs may face the risk of a “tech bubble,” similar to the massive boom-and-bust that rocked the technology market in the late 1990s, according to market analysts and a recently released paper. A relatively new focus on K-12 educational technology as an investment vehicle, a surge of investors looking to cash in on the latest innovations, and fewer barriers to developing an ed-tech business have merged in ways that have some market observers wary of what’s ahead.

Schools’ design can play role in safety, student engagement
A building alone does not create a school culture. But research shows that school buildings can affect students’ morale and academic performance. Now, school officials are moving away from the “cells and bells” design marked by long, locker-lined hallways of windowless classrooms, and toward more open, flexible buildings aimed at creating a sense of community and collaboration. Such new designs tie together a shift to a more technology-driven, collaborative, student-centered approach to education with an effort to improve students’ safety, engagement, and community.

Global-achievement study casts U.S. scores in better light 
U.S. student achievement looks more favorable on the global stage when comparisons take into account the especially large share of American adolescents who come from disadvantaged social backgrounds, concludes a new study. The gap, for instance, between U.S. students and those from top-scoring nations on one global assessment would be cut in half in reading and by at least one-third in math.

Hechinger Report
Should students grade their teachers?
One of the options available to New Jersey districts as they build teacher evaluation systems is including student surveys among the multiple measures of student achievement. The idea is gaining popularity, at least among policymakers. Several districts that are part of the pilot program testing evaluation models have included or plan to include student surveys, although not necessarily as part of a teacher’s grade.

Related Topics: Education Technology, global competitveness, Teacher Evaluation