June 14, 2006
Education Week, Vol. 25, Issue 40
Federal
House Panel Rejects Some Bush Budget Items
A House subcommittee voted last week to cut discretionary funding for the Department of Education slightly next fiscal year, but its plan would partially pay for some proposals in President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative.
Federal
Schools Respond to Federal ‘Wellness’ Requirement
Cupcakes brought in for special occasions, candy bars sold in vending machines, high-calorie muffins sold a la carte in the lunch line—all are now under scrutiny as school districts nationwide craft local “wellness” policies that a federal law says must go into effect by the start of the 2006-07 school year.
Federal
House Committee Backs Math-Science Bills
A House committee approved a pair of bills last week aimed at bolstering mathematics and science education, even as rifts emerged between lawmakers and the White House over the best strategy for accomplishing that widely shared goal.
Law & Courts
Kansas’ Record K-12 Spending Plan Heads to Court
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas signed a record-high K-12 education budget of nearly $2.9 billion last month, calling the $466 million increase in state aid over the next three years a “historic commitment to our children’s schools.”
School & District Management
Pressing On
Louisiana state schools Superintendent Cecil J. Picard is working to rebuild the New Orleans school system while battling Lou Gehrig's disease.
Early Childhood
Calif. Voters Reject Universal Pre-K Initiative
The defeat of the Preschool for All initiative in California last week is unlikely to slow the pace at which public preschool programs have been growing in other states, national experts said. Still, the outcome was a major disappointment for its backers in the Golden State.
Federal
White House’s Education Policy Role Ebbs and Flows
These days, most U.S. education policy decisions are made at the Education Department. That's a switch from the intensity of the White House's involvement during President Bush's first term.
Federal
School Reopened as Charter Under NCLB Winds Up Year 1
As chronically underperforming schools around the country get to the point that the No Child Left Behind Act requires dramatic action, very few have gone the charter route. But Gompers Charter Middle School is one of three such San Diego schools that were shut down and reopened as charters.
School & District Management
A Union Chief’s Defeat Stirs Debate on Leadership
When Louise Sundin, the president of the Minneapolis teachers’ union for more than 22 years, was routed in a re-election bid last month by an opponent who claimed she had gotten too close to the district management, she was the latest in a growing line of progressive, seemingly well- entrenched union leaders to face rejection.
Teaching
Older Students Play Catch-Up on Uncovered, Vital Lessons
As states ratchet up accountability requirements around student performance in reading and math, many schools and districts are paying far less attention to other subjects, particularly social studies and science, requiring teachers in later grades to play catch-up.
Standards
Most States Earn Poor Grades for World-History Standards
Only a few states expect schools to give students a grounding in world history, this at a time when more policymakers and business leaders are calling on high schools to prepare students for competing in a global economy, an analysis of state academic standards concludes.
School & District Management
Fishing Outing Ends in Firing
It started with a disgruntled former employee alleging on local radio that the Baltimore school system had paid for a fishing excursion for 10 district staff members and city officials.
Education
Opinion
Moderation: A Radical Approach to Education Policy
Michael J. Feuer offers guidance on pursuing a more rational approach to education policy.
Assessment
Opinion
UnSATisfactory
Walt Gardner writes about the evolution of the SAT, an acronym, Gardner writes, that now, literally, "stands for nothing."
Teaching Profession
Phila. Unions to Create Apprenticeships for Students
In a bid to expand options for its high school graduates, the Philadelphia school district signed an agreement last week with the local building-trades council that will create at least 250 paid apprenticeships in the construction industry.
Law & Courts
High Court to Consider Use of Race
By accepting two appeals on the voluntary use of race in assigning students to public schools, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely decide the constitutionality of widespread practices that school districts use to promote diversity. And the decision could affect schools in unforeseen ways.
Education
Opinion
Ranking America’s High Schools
High school English teacher and blogger Emmet Rosenfeld has a few quibbles on what constitutes "best."
Education
Report Roundup
Overweight Teenagers
Older adolescents who live in poverty are more likely to be overweight than their wealthier counterparts, a study says.
Education
Report Roundup
Anti-psychotic Drugs
The use of anti-psychotic drugs to treat children and adolescents increased by more than five times from 1993 to 2002, a study has found.
Education
Report Roundup
Teacher Quality Seen as Unequal for Poor
Poor and minority children are assigned, on average, to teachers with less experience, less education, and fewer skills than those who teach other children, a report says.
School Climate & Safety
Being Green Getting Easier
Designing and building energy-efficient schools may cost more upfront, but the long-term savings more than make up the difference, school construction officials were told at a recent conference.
Education
People in the News
Sarah Kelly Johns
Sarah Kelly Johns has been elected the president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians.
Education
People in the News
Anna Holmquist Davis
Anna Holmquist Davis has been appointed the executive director of government relations for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, based in Arlington, Va.
Education
People in the News
Manuel Tomás Barrera
Manuel Tomás Barrera has been appointed the dean of the college of education at Walden University, an online university owned by Baltimore-based Laureate Online Education Inc., that offers master’s and doctoral degrees.
Education
Clarification
Clarification
A story in the May 10, 2006, issue of Education Week reported that almost one-quarter of school districts nationwide and nine states have “one-to-one” laptop-computer programs.
Education
A National Roundup
D.C. Teachers Approve Contract With Flexibility for 10 Schools
Teachers in the District of Columbia have approved a contract that would allow up to 10 schools to pay teachers for gains in student test scores and to opt out of some union work rules, according to The Washington Post.
Education
A National Roundup
Teachers College Donation to Fund Scholarships for Urban Teaching
Teachers College, Columbia University, has announced that it will award 50 annual scholarships that will give its graduate students a chance to work in urban schools.
Education
A National Roundup
NCAA Bars Students at ’Diploma Mills’ From Scholarships
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has announced that graduates from 15 private schools won’t be eligible for athletic scholarships in the 2006-07 school year.
Education
Events
12—Minority education:Native Language Legislative Summit, sponsored by the National Indian Education Association, for administrators, educators, parents, and school board members, in Washington. Deadline: July 10. Contact: Lillian Sparks, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 104, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 544-7290; fax: (202) 544-7293; e-mail: niea@niea.org; Web site: www.niea.org.
July
12—Minority education:Native Language Legislative Summit, sponsored by the National Indian Education Association, for administrators, educators, parents, and school board members, in Washington. Deadline: July 10. Contact: Lillian Sparks, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 104, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 544-7290; fax: (202) 544-7293; e-mail: niea@niea.org; Web site: www.niea.org.