January 26, 2005
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 20
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Michigan Governor Seeks Chief’s Ouster
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm of Michigan set aside any doubt last week about where she stands on the state’s superintendent of schools, Thomas D. Watkins.
Student Well-Being
Concern Escalates Over Wisconsin’s Rising Health Costs
Wisconsin teachers have a choice, according to Republicans in the state legislature: Scale back your health benefits in exchange for salary increases, or give up any hope of raises.
Federal
Education a Priority for Some Freshmen in Congress
As the new crop of members of the House and Senate begin to find their footing in the 109th Congress, those with an interest in education say they want to do everything from push for tax credits for private school tuition to tinker with the No Child Left Behind Act.
School & District Management
Revised IDEA Shifts Control of Special Education Research
A shift in responsibility for special education research within the Department of Education has some advocates concerned that the needs of children with disabilities may get lost in the shuffle.
Federal
PR Contract Remains Under Scrutiny
The fallout from the Department of Education’s public relations arrangement with the commentator Armstrong Williams briefly threatened last week to derail the confirmation of Margaret Spellings as secretary of education.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Faults Colleges on Completion Rates
Fewer than six out of 10 students finish college within six years, and higher education institutions could do much more to improve such completion rates, according to a report released last week.
Education
A National Roundup
Appeal on Stickers
The Cobb County, Ga., school board, which was rebuffed by a federal judge for its placement of stickers labeling evolution a “theory, not a fact” on science textbooks, voted last week to appeal the ruling.
Education
A National Roundup
Complaint Dropped
Brad E. Mathewson, 16, the Missouri high school student who sued his school district after he was disciplined for wearing gay-pride T-shirts, has withdrawn his lawsuit.
Education
Correction
Correction
An article in the Jan. 12, 2005, issue of Education Week named the wrong employer for Janet Aikele when she was the head of school for the Idaho Virtual Academy.
Student Achievement
Fla. Board Seeks Social-Promotion Ban in All Grades
Florida could become the first state to require students to pass a reading test to advance at every grade level, under a plan approved by the state school board last week.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Ark. Bill Would Require Texts to Define Marriage
An Arkansas lawmaker wants public school textbooks to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Education
A Washington Roundup
Bush Plans to Seek Pell Grant Increase
President Bush has announced he will seek to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $100 per year for the next five years.
Special Education
Baltimore Spec. Ed. Efforts Questioned
The federally mandated education teams that are supposed to ensure special education students get individualized instruction are failing those students in Baltimore, a recent study involving the city’s school district concludes.
Education
People in the News
Richard A. Ungerer
Richard A. Ungerer is the new executive director of the American Montessori Society.
School & District Management
Nev. Superintendent Lands on List of Suspect Travelers
Carlos Garcia, the superintendent of the Clark County, Nev., public schools, wants everyone to know he is not a terrorist.
School & District Management
Panel to View Detroit Schools as ‘Blank Canvas’
Michigan’s governor has named a panel of 120 citizens to help the Detroit school district improve its governance, but some skeptics worry that the group’s size and broad mission might hamper its effectiveness.
Education
A National Roundup
St. Louis Teachers OK Contract; Pact Wards Off Threatened Strike
Teachers in the St. Louis public schools last week ratified a contract agreement, averting a strike that had been set for Jan. 19.
Education
A National Roundup
California Charter Teacher Denies Sexual Relationships With Students
A California teacher has pleaded not guilty to charges that she had sexual relationships with two of her middle school students.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Undecided in N.C.
The North Carolina Supreme Court heard arguments Jan. 18 that could decide the winner in the race for state superintendent of public instruction.
Education
A National Roundup
Okla. Court Refuses to Hear Appeal in Curriculum Case
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a school district that had fired, and then was forced to reinstate, a teacher after she refused to use a commercial science program.
Education
A National Roundup
Seattle District Scrambles to Save Foundation Funds
Seattle school district officials say they are working to resolve concerns raised by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which recently halted the payment of grant money to the 45,000-student system.
Education
A National Roundup
Former N.Y. School Administrator Charged With Stealing From District
A former school administrator was charged with grand larceny last week for allegedly stealing $688,000 from a school district on Long Island, N.Y.
Education
A National Roundup
Minn. District Ordered to Pay for Changing Teachers’ Benefits
The West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district in Minnesota has been ordered by a Dakota County judge to pay the West St. Paul Federation of Teachers roughly $300,000 in damages for illegally reducing teachers’ health-insurance benefits.
Education
A National Roundup
Chicago Coach Wins Damages From Parent
A Chicago parent accused of defaming a high school baseball coach who cut his son from a team has been ordered to pay nearly $800,000 in damages.
Education Funding
Digging Deep
A Web site launched this month aims to assist America’s youngest citizens in helping some of the world’s neediest people.
Education
Site-Based Management in Edmonton: An Evolving Idea
1974:
Michael A. Strembitsky, Edmonton’s superintendent from 1972 to 1994, introduces an "open boundary" policy that lets families choose any school in the district, space permitting. He also begins to let schools create their own alternative educational programs.
Michael A. Strembitsky, Edmonton’s superintendent from 1972 to 1994, introduces an "open boundary" policy that lets families choose any school in the district, space permitting. He also begins to let schools create their own alternative educational programs.
School & District Management
An Edmonton Journey
Educators from the United States flock to the Edmonton, Alberta, district in Canada to learn about its experience with site-based management, an idea that is gaining new traction here.