March 2, 2005
Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 25
Law & Courts
A Washington Roundup
High Court Declines Case Involving Columbine Parents
The parents of a student killed in the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado lost their bid last week to have the U.S. Supreme Court review a lower-court decision that blocked them from backing out of a legal settlement with the parents of the two student gunmen.
Federal
A State Capitals Roundup
Utah Teachers OK’d as ‘Highly Qualified’
A dispute between Utah and the U.S. Department of Education over the qualifications of the state’s veteran elementary and early-childhood teachers has been settled.
Student Well-Being
A State Capitals Roundup
Illinois Governor Signs School Breakfast Bill
Illinois schools in which at least 40 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches will also have to provide breakfast to low-income students, under a new state law.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Former Clinton Adviser Joins Virginia State School Board
Andrew J. Rotherham, a national education policy expert and former White House adviser, has been appointed to the Virginia state board of education by Gov. Mark Warner, a Democrat.
Student Well-Being
A State Capitals Roundup
Weight Bill Unveiled
A bipartisan group of Georgia state lawmakers has introduced a bill in the House that would require each school district to weigh students twice a year, calculate their body-mass index, and put the information on student report cards.
Education
State of the States
North Carolina
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Federal
Federal File
Open Letter
It’s been more than a month since controversy erupted over the “Postcards from Buster” TV show’s episode featuring two Vermont families headed by lesbian couples. But Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who objected to the “lifestyles” that children would be exposed to in the episode, continues to hear from Buster’s supporters.
Education
Report Roundup
U.S. Dropout Rate
The report says that the situation has gotten worse over the past decade, and that not much has been done at the federal level to improve it. For instance, federal aid for second-chance programs that help dropouts return to education and training fell from $15 billion in current dollars in the late 1970s to $3 billion today, it says.
Education
A Washington Roundup
GAO Chief: PR Efforts Must Be Labeled So
The Government Accountability Office has cautioned federal agencies that using prepackaged video news releases could violate federal laws against government propaganda.
Education Funding
Financial Solutions
Like their colleagues in many other states, Minnesota legislators are debating how much state money to spend on schools.
States
Reporter's Notebook
State Budgets Feel Pressure on Many Fronts
While increases in revenues have helped most states recover from recent budget deficits, the costs for education and health care are paving the way to more severe, long-term shortages in the future.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Companies in Minnesota Win State Test Contracts
The Minnesota Department of Education has awarded five-year contracts totaling $100 million to some homegrown companies—with out-of-state partners—to develop, administer, and score its statewide achievement tests.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Ban on Finance Cases Sought
Missouri state Sen. Matt Bartle, a Republican, has introduced a bill that would put before state voters a constitutional amendment to give the legislature full control of school funding and bar the courts from intervening.
Education
Short Takes
Baltimore’s Patterson High School, along with a social-service agency, is using a video to explain the workings of American schools to Latino parents.
Education
Report Roundup
Boys’ and Girls’ Status Seen as Almost Equal
American boys and girls today are faring almost equally well across key indicators of education, health, safety, and risky behavior, concludes a Duke University study.
Education
A National Roundup
Missouri ‘Boot Camp’ Is Sued Over Death of Calif. Teenager
A Missouri “boot camp” for troubled teenagers and three of its employees are facing a lawsuit after a 15-year-old California boy died in the camp’s care.
Education
Report Roundup
College Preparation
The report was released last month by ACT Inc., the Iowa City, Iowa-based testing service best known for its college-entrance exam, and the Education Trust, a Washington-based organization that focuses on improving achievement among disadvantaged students.
Education
A National Roundup
Houston District to Fire Teachers As Cheating Probe Continues
Two elementary teachers in Houston will be fired after an investigation that concluded they helped students cheat on the state mathematics test, Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra has announced.
Education
A National Roundup
California Chief Warns Schools About Anti-Drug Program
The superintendent of California’s schools is advising districts across the state to closely evaluate the merits of an anti-drug initiative with links to the Scientology religion.
Education
A National Roundup
Minnesota School District Votes to Extend IB Program to All Grades
School board members in South St. Paul, Minn., have voted to expand the district’s rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Program to the primary and middle school levels.
Education
A National Roundup
CDC Campaign Focuses on Autism Awareness
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a group of autism- and disability-awareness organizations have launched a nationwide campaign to teach parents the important social and emotional milestones in the first few years of a child’s life.
Law & Courts
High Court to Decide Who Must Prove Case in Special Ed. Disputes
At issue before the high court in Schaffer v. Weast is which side bears the legal burden of proof when parents and school districts disagree over the services or placement that children with disabilities require. Judges in federal and state courts repeatedly have come down on opposite sides.
School & District Management
Dips in Enrollment Posing Challenges for Urban Districts
Population shifts, steep housing costs, open-enrollment policies, and competition from charter schools are reshaping city school districts.
Curriculum
Long Commutes Seen Influencing Teacher Job Choices
A new report highlights a big reason teachers may be leaving urban schools: They want to work closer to home.
Teacher Preparation
Book Spells Out ‘Core Curriculum’ for Teacher Training
Teacher education programs need to prepare their students to understand and support child development, include a study of language acquisition, and give prospective teachers depth in a particular content area as well as a broad liberal arts foundation, according to a new book released at the annual conference of the American Association of Colleges for Teachers Education.
Education
A National Roundup
Chicago Archdiocese Announces Closure of 24 Schools for Next Year
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, which has the largest parochial school system in the country, plans to close 23 schools by next school year. It will also consolidate four additional schools into two.
Education
A National Roundup
Poll on N.Y.C. Schools
More than two-thirds of the registered New York City voters polled by The New York Times are unsatisfied with the quality of the public schools, the newspaper reported Feb. 16.
Education
People in the News
AASA Recognizes Top Schools Chief
Monte C. Moses, the superintendent of the Cherry Creek school district in Colorado, is the 2005 National Superintendent of the Year.
Education
A National Roundup
Obituary: Judge Who Ordered Va. Schools Desegregated Dies
Robert R. Merhige Jr., who as a federal district court judge ordered the desegregation of many Virginia school districts, died on Feb. 18 in Richmond, Va. He was 86 and had recently had heart surgery.