October 14, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 07
School & District Management
News in Brief
Spec. Ed. Official Confirmed
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kansas education Commissioner Alexa Posny's appointment as assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Michigan Legislators Pass Budget Cutting K-12 Education Spending
Michigan lawmakers last week passed a new $12.8 billion budget for public schools in fiscal 2010, but still must finish an overall state government spending plan for the next year.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Nashville Judge Reduces Sentence for PTA President Who Embezzled
A Nashville judge has reduced the sentence of a former parent-teacher association president convicted of stealing $150,000 from the group.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
District of Columbia Union Sues Over Layoffs of Nearly 400 Staff
The Washington D.C. teachers Union is taking the district to court after hundreds of layoffs.
Federal
News in Brief
Fordham Thumbs-Up on Standards
A high-profile effort to establish common academic standards across states is far from complete, but an early blueprint has won a favorable review from a Washington think tank.
Ed-Tech Policy
Report Roundup
Commercialism in Schools
Advertisers' attempts to build a "total advertising environment" around children through social networking, computer games, and other uses of digital technology are the focus of the latest report on commercialism in schools.
Federal
Report Roundup
Economic-Stimulus Funds
A report from the National Governors Association offers guidance for states on how to qualify for and make the best use of the federal aid they receive for education through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Education
Report Roundup
'Portfolio' Districts
Efforts in four big-city school districts to build diverse "portfolios" of schools, rather than rely on a single model of schooling, are showing promise but still have big problems to solve.
Education
Report Roundup
"Turning Around Schools"
The stories of five low-performing schools that were successfully turned around are told in this report from Public Impact, a research and consulting group based in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Education
News in Brief
Charlottesville, Va., Apologizes for Role in ‘Massive Resistance’
Charlottesville, Virginia City Council publicly apologized for anti-integration stances in the 1950's.
Education
News in Brief
Wake County, N.C., Voters Back Change in Diversity-Assignment Plan
Three newly elected Wake County, N.C. officials have intentions to change the county's diversity policy. The current model mixes students based on socioeconomics.
Standards
Report Roundup
Time on Learning, Assessment
Two papers issued last week by the National Academy of Education examine efforts to increase the amount of time students spend in school, and the connection between standards and high-quality assessments.
Education
Report Roundup
More Children Alone After School
The number of school-age children in after-school programs has risen, but so have the ranks of those left unsupervised, a report says.
Education
Report Roundup
Community Organizing
Student achievement rose, teacher recruitment improved, and college-preparatory curricula were adopted in urban districts where grassroots organizing efforts to reform schools were strong.
Federal
News in Brief
Decline in Schools Selling Candy, Snacks Reported by CDC
Fewer American middle and high schools are selling candy and salty snacks to students, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Teaching Is More Than Content and Enthusiasm
To the Editor:
Having realized, albeit reluctantly, that there is more to successful teaching than content knowledge and enthusiasm, Teach For America endeavored shortly after its inception to expand and deepen the preservice and in-service preparation of its candidates—oftentimes through affiliations with higher education teacher-preparation programs. It is gratifying, again, to see the organization adopt professional-development practices that have long been a mainstay of university-based preparation and induction programs ("Growth Model," In Perspective, Sept. 16, 2009).
Having realized, albeit reluctantly, that there is more to successful teaching than content knowledge and enthusiasm, Teach For America endeavored shortly after its inception to expand and deepen the preservice and in-service preparation of its candidates—oftentimes through affiliations with higher education teacher-preparation programs. It is gratifying, again, to see the organization adopt professional-development practices that have long been a mainstay of university-based preparation and induction programs ("Growth Model," In Perspective, Sept. 16, 2009).
Education
Letter to the Editor
Data-Oriented District Draws Reader Question
To the Editor:
As a scholar who has studied and written about the influence of the business community and business practices on school reform during the last century, I found myself having a déjà vu moment as I read about the selection of Fulton County, Ga., as a “best practice” district for its data-oriented outlook ("In Fulton County, Ga., Use of Data at Center of Efforts to Improve," Sept. 23, 2009).
As a scholar who has studied and written about the influence of the business community and business practices on school reform during the last century, I found myself having a déjà vu moment as I read about the selection of Fulton County, Ga., as a “best practice” district for its data-oriented outlook ("In Fulton County, Ga., Use of Data at Center of Efforts to Improve," Sept. 23, 2009).
Education
Letter to the Editor
Did N.Y.C. Charter Study Have a Selection Bias?
To the Editor:
Your Sept. 30, 2009, article "N.Y.C. Study Finds Gains for Charters" begs an important question about the recent study on New York City charter schools’ academic outcomes: What about the background variable of students’ English-language proficiency?
Your Sept. 30, 2009, article "N.Y.C. Study Finds Gains for Charters" begs an important question about the recent study on New York City charter schools’ academic outcomes: What about the background variable of students’ English-language proficiency?
Education Funding
Alaska Eyes Gold for Scholarships
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is hoping state lawmakers will use $400 million from reserve funds to finance higher education scholarships for high school students.
Special Education
High Court Denies Hot-Button School Cases
Disputes involving the Pledge of Allegiance, Confederate flag symbols, and peer sexual harassment failed to make the cut.
Federal
Teacher Compensation Ripe for Change, Authors Say
Interest in new pay plans for teachers has gone in cycles, a new book says, but the latest surge of attention could last longer.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Growing Up Scripted
History teacher Christopher L. Doyle says today's adolescents lead overprescribed lives that tell them little about what freedom means.
School & District Management
Opinion
For Better Schools and for Civic Life, Boards Must Assert Power
Peter Meyer writes, "School boards' apparent irrelevance should not be taken as evidence of the need to hurry them out the door."
School & District Management
Opinion
Keeping an Eye on the Big Picture—From a Small Town
"As a school board member, I realize our students need to be equipped for a future beyond high school, but thinking long-term isn't easy," writes Lonnie Harp.
School & District Management
Opinion
Meetings Are Just Tip of Iceberg
"The public doesn't see much of the real work of school boards, which wield far less power than voters might expect," writes Gene I. Maeroff.
School & District Management
Mayors Can Be 'Prime Movers' of Urban School Improvement
Under this arrangement, districts are no longer insulated from the city’s social, civic, and economic sectors.
School & District Management
Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role
Interest in bringing urban school districts under the municipal umbrella continues to grow.
School & District Management
At State Level, Power Over Schools a Contentious Issue
Governors have moved steadily to increase their influence over K-12 education, sometimes antagonizing their states' education establishments in the process.