February 2, 2005
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 21
School & District Management
Push for Science-Based Research Is Expanded
Over the objections of dozens of researchers, the Department of Education plans to expand its push for "scientifically based" education research to all its programs.
College & Workforce Readiness
Researchers Connect Lower Achievement, High School Exit Tests
As President Bush promotes his plans for expanding high-stakes testing in the nation’s high schools, a new study has found that states that already have such exams in place have lower graduation rates and college-entrance-exam scores than states that don’t have them.
Standards
Report Roundup
Standards Reform Seen as Unfinished
More and better measures are needed to make current approaches to standards-based education reform and accountability more effective and credible, concludes a report from the Princeton, N.J.-based Educational Testing Service.
Law & Courts
Teachers Torn Over Religion, Evolution
For the past two decades, studies have consistently offered a more complicated picture of high school science teachers’ opinions of religion’s role in their classrooms—one that reflects the views of the public at large.
Federal
States Revive Efforts to Coax NCLB Changes
Even before U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was confirmed in her job on Inauguration Day, a few states began testing her pledge, made during Senate hearings, to work with them in carrying out the No Child Left Behind Act in a “sensible and workable” way.
Education
Report Roundup
Childhood Asthma
Youngsters participating in the Harlem Children’s Zone Asthma Initiative were less likely to miss school because of asthma-related illnesses.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
California Chief’s Speech Outlines Education Needs
California needs better high schools, universal preschool, and better student-nutrition and -fitness programs—and the money to pay for them—Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said last week in his annual State of Education Address.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Minn. Chief Confirmed
Alice Seagren was unanimously confirmed Jan. 20 by the Minnesota Senate as the state’s commissioner of education.
Education
State of the States
South Carolina
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
College & Workforce Readiness
Advanced Placement Participation Grows
The proportion of high school students demonstrating mastery of Advanced Placement courses has increased since 2000, as has the proportion of students taking such courses, according to a report on the college-level program released last week.
Education
Table: Getting a Jump on College
The College Board has found every state increased its proportion of students who demonstrated college-level mastery of an Advanced Placement course in high school, which is defined as a score of 3 or higher on the course’s test.
School & District Management
Senate Republicans Put Education on Their Agenda
The new chairman of the Senate education committee made clear last week that he aims to catch up on an array of overdue bills to reauthorize education laws, from Head Start to vocational education to the Higher Education Act, as well as focus new attention on issues such as reducing high school dropout rates.
Federal
A Washington Roundup
Panel Seeks Simpler Federal Aid Form
Congress should simplify federal college aid applications, and students whose families earn $25,000 or less should be automatically eligible for the maximum Pell Grant, a congressionally created panel recommended last week.
Education
A National Roundup
San Diego Board Shortens Superintendent’s Contract
The San Diego school board voted late last week to usher Superintendent Alan D. Bersin out of his job a year ahead of schedule.
Education
A National Roundup
Md. District Administrator Charged With Laundering Money for Drug Ring
A top administrator for the Prince George’s County, Md., public schools was arrested last week in connection with a federal investigation into an alleged Virginia-based drug ring.
Education
A National Roundup
City Report Raps S.F. Schools on Construction Accounting
The San Francisco city controller’s office has urged the school district to halt all its facilities bond spending and overhaul its accounting procedures.
Assessment
One Subject at a Time
At Norview High School in Norfolk, Va., teachers used their academic departments to map out higher standards for teaching and learning. The result: soaring scores.
Education
A National Roundup
Ohio Student Won’t Be Charged for Cooking Animals in Class
The local humane society does not plan to pursue animal-cruelty charges against a 16-year-old Ohio high school student who skinned and cooked two animals in class that he bought from a pet store.
Education
New Schools in Chicago
Different kinds of entities are expected to open 18 small schools in Chicago in September.
Education
A National Roundup
Minn. School Adds Security Following Trespass Incident
A Minnesota high school is taking steps to beef up security after a former student spent several weeks living in the building.
School & District Management
Chicago Board Moves to Scale Down Schools
Chicago’s high-profile bid to downsize many of its schools began to take shape last week, as district leaders approved a varied group of small schools slated to open in the fall.
Education
People in the News
Galen W. Johnson
Galen W. Johnson is the new assistant vice president for ACT Inc.’s Midwest region.
Education
Preschool Quality Inconsistent for Poor
Children from low-income families are spending their days in early-childhood settings of vastly different levels of quality, the latest findings of an ongoing study show.
Law & Courts
First Amendment Attitudes Found Troubling
A majority of high school students are apathetic toward, and ignorant of, Americans’ First Amendment rights, concludes a study being released this week that surveyed 112,000 students at 544 public and private high schools nationwide.
Ed-Tech Policy
Software Struggle
The educational software and toy company LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. is treading in rough financial waters, and industry watchers are keeping a close eye on the former dot-com darling to see whether it will sink or swim.
Education
L.A. Facilities Chief Brings Military Ethic to Massive Operation
As a captain who oversaw a major construction regiment for the U.S. Navy, Jim McConnell embraced the Seabees’ motto, “We build, we fight.” Today, as the facilities chief for the nation’s second-largest school district, his new mission statement is “We fight to build.”