Vol. 27, Issue 16
FRONT PAGE
A forthcoming research review analyzes school-based programs designed to foster children’s social and emotional skills.
Despite ideological differences, three gubernatorial veterans in the 2008 presidential race share some experiences in dealing with education.
A new study concludes that teachers entering the profession today have higher academic qualifications than their counterparts a decade ago.
The gap in teacher preparation, coupled with curricular differences, could help explain achievement disparities between American students and their peers in other industrialized nations, researchers say.
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News in Brief
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Report Roundup
News in Brief
Report Roundup
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Applicants use new Web tools to sell themselves, as some colleges scan students’ social networks.
As states explore how to get, keep, and improve the practice of teachers, one popular change has been to do away with lifetime licenses.
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The results of a recent online poll are raising questions about the extent of academic dishonesty among the nation’s teenagers.
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A software group recently highlighted fledgling educational technology “innovations” at a New York City gathering designed to help their developers connect with potential backers.
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Only half the teachers in high-needs schools trained via alternative routes said they were prepared for the first year of teaching, according to survey findings.
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The system has been struggling in the past few years with low student achievement, declining enrollment, money shortages, and frequent leadership changes.
Sports
The $17 million program is described as a “Rhodes scholarship” for teaching.
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The report by the National Research Council says that NASA lacks a coherent overall plan—or adequate budget—for evaluating its elementary and secondary projects.
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State officials have rejected one of the most widely used elementary textbooks in the country in that subject.
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A tight budget situation could prevent Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. from getting all his plans enacted.
The state is requiring that school leaders complete an education specialist’s degree within five years of becoming an administrator.
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If Rhode Island town leaders have their way, they’ll ditch public education’s current bureaucracy and start over with a clean slate.
State Journal
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Some observers blame President Bush and the NEA for the lack of progress on reauthorization this year.
The president criticized the measure for terminating a system of tests for children in the federal preschool program.
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Federal File
Federal lawmakers and the Bush administration were still working late last week on final details of a package of bills that would fund programs in the Department of Education.
PAGE 22-25 - In Perspective
As the U.S. Department
of Education opens the
alternative measuring stick to
all states, some educators call
for the models to take center
stage under a renewed
No Child Left Behind Act.
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Growth models don’t appear to be making a big difference in the proportion of schools meeting annual goals under the No Child Left Behind Act, a new analysis concludes.
PAGE 26 - Commentary
Norm Fruchter asks: Can school improvement result from audit efforts?
Judith L. Pace examines how the "social studies squeeze" disproportionately affects students in the lowest-performing schools.
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The highs and lows of teaching, religion in secondary schools, summer opportunities for teens, and more.
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Letters
PAGE 36 - Commentary
It's not too late for the clearinghouse to fulfill its promise, Robert E. Slavin argues.