April 29, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 28, Issue 30
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Do Texas Science Standards Hinder Critical Thinking?
In public school science classrooms, discussions about science should not be constrained by self-imposed definitions within science.
Education Funding
Letter to the Editor
Sports Facing Budget Cuts Just Catching Up to Arts
Attention just to athletics overlooks an ongoing issue: cuts to arts programs.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Global Education Aid
Aid for basic education in developing countries declined from $5.5 billion in 2006 to $4.3 billion, or 22% in 2007.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Pittsburgh Leader Threatened
Pittsburgh police are increasing patrols near Superintendent Mark Roosevelt’s house.
Education
News in Brief
N.C. Officials Move to Help District
A judge accused one school system of committing “academic genocide,” education officials said last week.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Research Report: School Safety
Students between the ages of 12 and 18 were victims of 1.7 million violent and nonviolent crimes at school in 2006.
Education
News in Brief
Wisconsin Probes Use of 'Quiet Rooms'
Wisconsin is investigating Ashland Middle School for allegedly misusing its quiet rooms.
Teaching Profession
Law Stiffens Math Credentials for New Mexico K-8 Teachers
|New Mexico| In a legislative session long on education action, state lawmakers trimmed the fiscal 2010 education budget and approved measures—since signed into law—stiffening the required math credentials for K-8 teachers and tightening financial-audit requirements for districts and charter schools.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Washington Lawmakers Suspend Teacher Bonuses, Training Programs
Mandatory teacher bonuses could be postponed under a bill passed by the Washington state legislature.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Nashville Superintendent to Cut Central Office, Beef Up Schools
Jesse Register, the Metro Nashville schools chief, says he will eliminate 225 positions at the school system’s central office and restructure teachers’ pay.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Oklahoma Judge Rules Charter Law Does Not Violate State Constitution
An Oklahoma County, Okla., judge has ruled a 1999 law that allowed the creation of charter schools in the state is constitutional.
Education
Report Roundup
Large Cities See a Rise in Graduation Rates
The high school dropout problem is getting better in some big cities where it’s most severe, a new study finds.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Leadership Institute Names President
The Institute for Educational Leadership has named Martin Blank as its new president.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
After-School Opportunities
Students involved in high-quality before- and after-school programs show substantial improvement in academic achievement and other indicators of well-being.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Phila. Panel OKs Reform Plan
Philadelphia’s school board has unanimously passed a five-year strategic plan written by Superintendent Arlene Ackerman.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
Math Skills
"Conceptual" instruction in math was more efficient, and led to higher-quality explanations of math, a recent study finds.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Federal Appeals Court Revives Challenge to Ariz. Tuition Tax Credit
A federal appeals court has revived a challenge to Arizona’s income-tax credit for donations for private school scholarships, ruling that the program could be unconstitutional by favoring religion.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
Research Report: Achievement Gap
African-American middle school students narrowed the achievement gap, relative to their white peers, a new report states.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Dallas Warns Teachers to Improve or Be Fired
Nearly 600 low-performing Dallas public school teachers have a year to improve or be fired.
Education
News in Brief
College Board Backs Tuition Aid for Illegal-Immigrant Students
The College Board is urging Congress to give undocumented immigrants tuition aid and a path to citizenship.
Education Funding
Fla. Budget Threatens Online Ed. Mandate
Lawmakers are mulling restrictions and budget cuts for the state’s nationally known virtual school.
School Climate & Safety
Strip-Search Case Testing Balance Between Privacy, Student Safety
The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing the right balance between student rights and school officials’ push for a safe environment.
Education Funding
Pay Hikes in Ga. a Recruitment Tool
|Georgia| New fully certified math and science teachers in Georgia will start out making as much as teachers with five years of experience, now that Gov. Perdue has signed legislation mandating the salary bump.
States
State of the States: Delaware (2009)
Here are summaries of recent annual addresses by governors around the country.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Lawmakers in Oklahoma Move to Establish Office on Data Systems, Testing
Oklahoma lawmakers have sent the governor a measure that would move the office that analyzes student test scores out of the state education department.
School & District Management
Texas Board Feud Stirs Up Legislators
The Texas state board of education drew worldwide attention recently when its members tussled over the theory of evolution’s place in the school curriculum.
Federal
States Tap Stimulus Aid; Holdouts Remain
Governors in South Carolina and Alaska balk at accepting education funding, even as others queue up for the money.
Federal
Education Funds a Selling Point on Obama Budget
Advocates are using planned increases for K-12 and higher education to build support for the president’s spending blueprint.