February 9, 2005
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 22
School & District Management
District Initiative Key to Improving High Schools, Study Says
State accountability systems can motivate low-performing high schools to change, a soon-to-be released study concludes, but many of those changes are likely to be modest at best.
Federal
Albeit Late, State Data to Go Online in March
A much-anticipated $45 million project to post school data on a public Web site has been delayed by at least a month while state officials comb through the first version of the database to assure its accuracy.
Early Childhood
More Governors Want to Rate Early-Childhood Programs
Hoping that child-care centers and preschools in their states will respond to higher expectations, more governors are proposing rating systems both to encourage providers to improve their services and to give parents the information they need to choose a high-quality environment.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Kansas Senate Committee Wants Aid-Formula Rewrite
The Kansas Senate education committee has asked the state education department to draft a new school finance formula based on the results of a recent state survey of education costs in 55 of Kansas’ 301 school districts.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Report Urges Reform in Colo. High Schools
Colorado high schools need major changes if the state is going to lower its dropout rate and better prepare students for college, a report by the Colorado Commission for High School Improvement says.
School & District Management
Early Bersin Exit Further Clouds San Diego Plans
With Alan D. Bersin now set to make an early exit from the top job in the San Diego school district, the fate of his much-studied improvement agenda has been left in greater doubt.
Education
Report Roundup
Public Libraries
A study by University of Chicago researchers suggests that communities, especially in low-income areas, should figure out how their public libraries can play larger roles in enhancing teenagers’ academic and social skills.
Education
Report Roundup
Children of Immigrants
The percentage of children in the United States who have immigrant parents appears to be increasingly gradually, according to a report from the Washington-based Urban Institute.
School & District Management
Mich. Chief Steps Down, Looks Ahead
Under pressure from Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, Michigan Superintendent of Public Instruction Thomas D. Watkins Jr. has agreed to step down.
Education
Summertime Blues
Students have always griped about being given too much homework, but when Peer Larson of Hales Corners, Wis., was assigned math work to do over the summer, he went to court.
Federal
States Taking Note of Federal Faith-Based Efforts
When President Bush first took office four years ago, he made expanding the role of faith-based groups in providing public services a federal priority. Now, it appears that the idea is getting more attention in state capitals as well.
Law & Courts
Georgia Lawsuit Seeks Vouchers as Remedy to School Aid Disparities
Adding a novel twist to the array of school finance lawsuits against states, a group of Georgia parents is asking a judge to declare both that the state’s education funding system is unconstitutional and that the remedy is not more money to public schools, but greater parental choice.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Tenn. Board OKs New Grading Policy
Tennessee’s board of education has unanimously approved a measure that will require all of the state’s high schools to adopt a uniform grading policy.
School & District Management
Governors’ Association Offers Steps to Help States Improve High Schools
Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia, the chairman of the National Governors Association, has unveiled a list of 10 steps that states could take to accelerate improvements in high schools.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Ky. Study Finds Similarities Between Good Schools
Kentucky schools that are successful with low-income students share many common characteristics, a study commissioned by a state advocacy group concludes.
Education
Report Roundup
Healthier-Food Sales Seen as Competitive
Schools that replace sugary snacks in vending machines with healthier foods do not experience a drop in sales revenue, concludes a study released last week by the Arizona Department of Education.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Ga. Senate Advances Virtual-School Bill
Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia is pushing a new bill in the state legislature that would provide state funds to allow public, private, and home-schooled students to take classes over the Internet.
Education
State of the States
Washington
State of the States: Latest governor's address before the legislature.
Education
Table: President’s High School Agenda
President Bush’s proposal for high schools calls for $1.5 billion in new testing and intervention funds in fiscal 2006, plus more spending for some existing programs.
Federal
Bush’s High School Agenda Faces Obstacles
A cornerstone of President Bush’s second-term agenda for education—imposing greater accountability in high schools through more testing—appears likely to face serious political and practical challenges that some observers argue could imperil the plan.
Education
Federal File
Pomp and Circumstance
It’s doubly official. Margaret Spellings is now really the new secretary of education.
Federal
Chicago, Ed. Dept. Settle Tutoring Dispute
The Chicago school district will continue to tutor 40,000 students under the No Child Left Behind Act, but will have to use money other than that earmarked for the program, a move that resolves a stalemate between the school system and federal education officials.
Special Education
Hearing Offers Range of Views on IDEA Regulations
Parents of children with disabilities urged the federal Department of Education to preserve their rights, during the first public hearing held to gather comment on the recent reauthorization of the nation’s main special education law.
School Climate & Safety
First Lady to Lead Youth Initiative
President Bush is asking the first lady to head a proposed $150 million outreach effort aimed at helping at-risk youths, especially boys, have a successful future, he announced during his State of the Union Address last week.