January 17, 20007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 19
Classroom Technology
Meetings on 1-to-1 Computing to Target Top School Leaders
A Bellevue, Wash.-based organization will hold five "summits" designed to give administrators the “leadership vision” needed to create an “anytime, anywhere learning environment.”
Law & Courts
A State Capitals Roundup
Children of Immigrants Prevail in Lawsuit Over Scholarships
A state-administered college-scholarship program for low-income students in Indiana that barred children of undocumented immigrants from receiving money has dropped its rule in the face of a federal lawsuit.
Science
A State Capitals Roundup
Kansas Once More Moving to Revise Science Standards
The recently reconstituted Kansas state board of education voted Jan. 9 to revise its science standards when it meets next month, with a majority of members moving to reverse past policy and strengthen the teaching of evolution.
States
State of the States
Early Education, Child Health Care Get Push In Washington State
Deeming education her top priority, Gov. Christine Gregoire pledged in her Jan. 9 State of the State address to improve opportunities for the youngest children in Washington state by spending more money on early education and health care.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Nonprofit Literacy Organization Joins Online Pen Pal Company
The Herndon, Va.-based ePALS will combine with In2Books to provide curriculum-based lessons and activities in various subjects for use in schools, after-school programs, and homes.
States
State of the States
Private, Church Preschool Options Proposed By Virginia Governor
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine reiterated his desire to expand preschool options for Virginia children in the State of the Commonwealth address he delivered to the legislature Jan. 10, saying his budget plan offers a way to expand early-learning programs, including those offered by religious institutions.
States
State of the States
In South Dakota, Governor Girding for Budget Battle With Lawmakers
Gov. Michael Rounds’ speech opening South Dakota’s 2007 legislative session last week gave plenty of hints that the Republican governor expects the budgetary debates in the GOP-controlled legislature to be as intense this year as any in his five-year tenure.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Students From U.S., Europe Collaborate on Internet Safety
Contestants will work on projects that educate their peers on awareness of Internet issues such as e-privacy and “netiquette.”
States
State of the States
Ore. Leader Seeks ‘Rainy Day’ Fund, Double-Digit Hike in Aid for Schools
“Opportunity” was the theme of Oregon Gov. Theodore R. Kulongoski’s Jan. 8 inaugural address as he highlighted increased education funding at all levels on the opening day of the legislature’s 2007 session.
States
State of the States
Property Taxes, School Funding Debate Form Backdrop for New Jersey Speech
A need to reduce property taxes in New Jersey—and to restructure the school funding that drives those taxes—formed the centerpiece of Gov. Jon Corzine’s State of the State address.
States
State of the States
Nebraska Governor Aims to Cut Taxes While Increasing K-12 Education Funds
Gov. Dave Heineman of Nebraska called for both lower taxes and higher spending on K-12 education in his State of the State address last week.
States
State of the States
Kansas Executive Calls on Lawmakers to Fulfill Commitment to Education
Eight months after the Kansas legislature passed a three-year, $466 million K-12 education spending plan, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius praised lawmakers in her Jan. 10 State of the State address for their efforts, and urged them to fulfill their promise.
States
State of the States
Education Is Called Top Budget Priority in Idaho Governor’s Maiden Address
In his inaugural State of the State address on Jan. 8, Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter called education the highest budget priority in a year when the state has a new governor, a new speaker of the House, and a new state superintendent.
States
State of the States
Georgia’s Perdue Proposing Raises To Keep State Teachers ‘Highest-Paid’
Saying he wants to keep Georgia’s teachers the “highest-paid in the Southeast,” Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed a 3 percent across-the-board raise for the state’s teachers in his Jan. 10 State of the State address.
States
State of the States
Prekindergarten Program Would Grow Under Arkansas Leader’s Proposal
In his first State of the State address, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, proposed a $40 million expansion of the state’s prekindergarten program, the Arkansas Better Chance program, bringing its total funding up to $111 million. Children whose families earn up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for the program.
States
State of the States
High School Graduation Requirements Focus of Arizona Governor’s Address
Gov. Janet Napolitano used her Jan. 8 State of the State address to propose increasing the minimum requirements for high school graduation in Arizona and raising the age at which youths there can drop out of school.
Education Funding
Law May Squeeze Smallest Districts
An Oklahoma law intended to curb runaway bureaucracy could have 10 tiny school districts scrambling to make ends meet this year.
Federal
NCLB Renewal Debate Launched in Earnest
President Bush and top education lawmakers may struggle to renew the law if they can’t compromise on how much to spend on it.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
The College Juggernaut
Elliot Washor and Charles Mojkowski offer suggestions on how to make the challenges of college preparation easier to face.
School & District Management
Ohio District Tests Performance Pay—for Students
Students can earn up to $100 if they ace their exams.
Education Funding
Venture Fund Fueling Push for New Schools
A nonprofit group in California is plowing millions of donated dollars into new charter schools around the country, with uneven but largely promising results.
Teaching Profession
Analysis Questions Inflexibility of Contracts
Many schools could lavish a fifth or more of their current budgets on measures to raise student achievement if they axed spending on teachers’ contract provisions.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Citizen Schools: An After-Hours Adventure
The program connects middle-school students with professionals from various fields.
Federal
Standards Get Boost on the Hill
Increasing the rigor of state standards and tests by linking them to standards set at the national level is getting a push from prominent lawmakers.
Law & Courts
Defense Dept. Settles Suit on Student-Recruiting Database
The department will clarify what young people must do to remove their names from its recruitment database.
Teaching Profession
Performance System Slow to Catch On in Minnesota
Only ten percent of the state's school districts have joined the Q Comp initiative supported by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and one district recently voted to dump it.
School & District Management
Maine Governor Seeks Sweeping Consolidation of Districts
Gov. John E. Baldacci's proposal would eliminate hundreds of locally elected school boards and scores of superintendents and replace them with 26 regional boards and schools chiefs.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report: Broader Skills Best for College Grads
Students must have a firm grasp of critical thinking, teamwork, and written communication skills to succeed in the global economy.