November 24, 2004
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 13
Education
Reality TV Show to Choose ‘Scholar’
First, there was “Survivor.” Next was “The Bachelor.” Soon, another reality-television show will join the long list of such fare—except this one will be of special interest to educators and students.
Education
NAEYC Approval Surges for Pre-K
The number of nationally accredited preschools, child-care centers, and other early-childhood-education programs has grown by almost 15 percent over the past year and has more than tripled since 1993.
Education
Report Roundup
Online Education
About 2.6 million U.S. college students are taking courses online this fall, and enrollments in such courses are rising at rates faster than overall college enrollment, according to a survey of academic leaders at more than 1,100 colleges and universities.
Education
Report Roundup
Texas Dropouts
More than one of every three students entering the freshman class in Texas public high schools in 2003-04 left school without graduating, and the dropout rates were highest for Hispanic and African-American students, a study concludes.
Education
Report Roundup
Teenage Pregnancy
U.S. teenagers may be showing greater sexual responsibility. A report released this month by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the birthrate among the nation’s youngest teenage mothers—girls ages 10 to 14—has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s.
Education
Boston Kindergartners to Receive Report Cards
The 60,000-student Boston public schools will begin issuing detailed report cards on kindergartners next month to better document whether children are meeting academic standards.
Education
Report Roundup
Private Schools' Number on Rise
The number of private schools in the United States has increased substantially in recent years, a report by the National Center for Education Statistics estimates.
Education
A National Roundup
Houston Picks Schools Chief
Abelardo Saavedra will become the first Hispanic superintendent of the 212,000-student Houston Independent School District when he is sworn in on Dec. 9.
Education
Squad Car Bookmobiles
MeLisa Bell-Churchwell does not buy her children books, yet her youngest sons boast a library with more than 150 volumes.
School & District Management
Spellings Would Bring Acumen, Pragmatism to Secretary’s Position
In naming Ms. Spellings as his choice to succeed Rod Paige as secretary of education, President Bush described her as an “energetic reformer” and said she has a “special passion” for improving education.
Education
Table: Crowning Achievement
Compared with 2000, the proportion of 2003 Blue Ribbon public schools that performed well or in the middle tier on state tests increased, while the number of low-performing schools dropped.
Student Achievement
Latest ‘Blue Ribbons’ Bestowed on Schools With Better Records
Four years ago, a hotly disputed study concluded that schools were being recognized under the popular federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program despite unimpressive academic records.
Teacher Preparation
N.Y.C. Foundation to Underwrite Math Training
A new foundation hopes to entice top college math majors into careers as high school teachers in New York City public schools with the promise of tuition for graduate school, as well as annual stipends for four years.
Assessment
Study Finds NAEP Math Questions ‘Extraordinarily Easy’
The level of skill required to solve many of the math questions posed to 4th and 8th graders on the nation’s benchmark of academic progress is “extraordinarily easy,” asserts an analysis unveiled last week.
Curriculum
States Weigh ‘Value Added’ Models
Representatives from 34 states gathered here last week to discuss options for rating schools based, in part, on the gains that individual students make from year to year.
International
Awards Bestowed for Global Education
The States Institute on International Education in the Schools, held here last week, served as a stage for the Goldman Sachs Foundation, a New York City-based philanthropy, to announce its Prizes for Excellence in International Education.
International
Developing Countries Lag Behind School Goals
More children are attending school around the world than ever before, but most developing countries are far behind their goals for providing universal schooling and educational programs of good quality, concludes the latest monitoring report by UNESCO.
International
International Education Inching Forward in U.S. Classrooms
Having heard plenty of well-meaning but uninspiring proposals from all kinds of interest groups over the years, one longtime elected official last week offered fellow supporters of international education advice on how to make a successful pitch: Be able to explain why it’s necessary.
Education
Charts: Exploring Parents' Views
Policymakers often seek an academic focus for after-school programs, but parents cite other benefits.
Student Well-Being
After-School Programs Must Engage Interests, Parents, Students Say
While political discussion about after-school programs often focuses on how they can improve students’ academic performance, that goal is not the highest priority for most parents choosing such programs, a survey has found.
School & District Management
Governors Urge High School Reform as a Top Priority
The nation’s governors are pushing high school reform as a way to build up the workforce in their states—and to score major political points in the process.
Education
Chart: Preschool Follow-Up
Those who attended the preschool program have generally led more productive adult lives.
Accountability
Research Updates Lives of Perry Preschoolers
How are the Perry Preschool children doing now that they’ve crossed into middle age? Pretty well, apparently.
Education
People in the News
Gay B. Molnar
Gay B. Molnar is the new president-elect designate of the National Rural Education Association.
Education
People in the News
Patricia A. Kinney
Patricia A. Kinney has been chosen as the president-elect of the National Middle School Association.
School & District Management
Math Programs Seen to Lack a Research Base
Most of the off-the-shelf mathematics programs used in middle schools across the country have little or no rigorous evidence attesting to their effectiveness, concludes a federal research review released last week.
Education
A National Roundup
N.Y.C. Probing Disposal of Students’ Private Files
Authorities in New York City are investigating how thousands of confidential student files came to be dumped on a Bronx street, where they were retrieved by the Daily News.
Education
A National Roundup
Rural Texas District Cancels Plan for Pupils to Dress as Opposite Sex
A 450-student school district in rural East Texas last week canceled plans for its annual day on which girls dress as boys and vice versa, after a parent complained that the event smacked of promoting homosexuality.
Education
A National Roundup
Former Georgia Schools Chief Pleads Not Guilty to Theft Charges
Former Georgia state schools Superintendent Linda C. Schrenko pleaded not guilty last week to stealing more than $600,000 in federal education funds while she was in office. She was released on a $40,000 bond.