September 15, 2004
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 03
Education
Corrections
The Take Note column ("Food for Thought") in the Aug. 11, 2004, issue of Education Week gave an incorrect estimate for the number of students who prepare for college-entrance tests online with the help of Peterson’s. The company said it has about 10,000 such customers.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letters
- On Charters: Pluses, Plots, and Paradigm Shifts
- Teacher Is 'Appalled' by Ed. Dept. Bonuses
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
Romantic Fiction
Will Fitzhugh of the National Writing Board laments the decline of "serious academic writing" in schools, and fears a dumbing down of student opportunity is occuring as a result.
Families & the Community
Opinion
Parents Take Choice Driver’s Seat, But Few Have a Map
Although the majority of U.S. parents report having the ability to choose among public schools, authors Bryan C. Hassel and Emily Ayscue Hassel say most do not have the necessary information to make the right choice.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitols Roundup
- Kentucky Teachers Eyeing a Strike
- Minnesota Governor to Link Driver’s Licenses, Truancy
- W. Va. Home Schoolers Can Play on School Teams
- Wash. Governor Offers Aid for School Water Tests
- Maryland Releases Aid to Baltimore District
Education Funding
Mich. Lawmakers Reach Deal on K-12 School Budget
A last-minute deal has assured Michigan school districts that they will receive a slight increase in funding in the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, despite the state’s $1.2 billion budget shortfall.
Education
Chart: Arkansas Weigh-In
More than one-fifth of children and adolescents in public schools in Arkansas are considered overweight.
Student Well-Being
Arkansas Pupils’ Body Weights Add Up
A groundbreaking statewide study released last week evaluating the body weights of nearly all public school students in Arkansas has found that 38 percent of them are overweight or are at risk of becoming overweight.
Reading & Literacy
L.A. Students Get Reading By the Book
Teachers and administrators throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District expressed concerns after officials announced in 1999 that most of the district’s 425 elementary schools would be required to use Open Court Reading. Includes: "Leading Commercial Series Don’t Satisfy 'Gold Standard.'"
Federal
ERIC Education Library’s New Look Debuts Online
The newly revamped version of the nation’s largest electronic education library quietly made its debut this month, with promises of more offerings to come from the federal project.
Federal
NCLB Law’s Focus Turns to Districts
More than two years after President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the far-reaching federal education law is beginning to bear down on school district performance.
School Climate & Safety
Putting Out Fires
For one typical elementary school principal, dealing with paperwork, student discipline, and routine duties consumes most of the day.
School & District Management
Tackling an Impossible Job
After years of hearing that a principal’s main job should be to raise the quality of instruction, districts and states are experimenting with ways to make that ideal a reality.
School & District Management
Charts: Instructional Leadership
To see how principals go about their work, the Education Week Research Center analyzed data from the federal 1999- 2000 Schools and Staffing Survey.