October 7, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 06
Education
Correction
Correction
An article on a meeting about the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in the Sept. 30, 2009, issue of Education Week gave an incorrect title for Reginald Felton. He is the director of federal relations for the National School Boards Association, based in Alexandria, Va.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Detroit Board Member Not Guilty of Charges After Scuffle at Meeting
The Wayne County, Mich., prosecutor's office says a Detroit school board member has been found not guilty of misdemeanor charges following a scuffle with a heckler.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Oklahoma Governor Appoints Strategist in Bid for Federal Grants
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will return to Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry's administration to prepare the state for federal education grants that reward innovation in the classroom.
Law & Courts
News in Brief
Louisiana School Board Reaches Settlement in 'Jena Six' Case
The victim of a beating that stirred civil rights demonstrations in Jena, La., has reached a settlement in a civil case against the LaSalle Parish school board.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Home-Schooler in S.C. to Run Again for Post as Chief Education Officer
A small-business owner who home-schools her children said last week she's running to be South Carolina's education superintendent.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Denver Teachers Approve Revised Contract With Lower Pay Raises
The contract includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise and 1.65 percent stipend if the economy improves.
Special Education
News in Brief
Washington Parents Vow to Fight Plan to Move Spec. Ed. Students
Parents are pledging to fight a plan to pull 170 children out of a program at a private school, and some lawyers are questioning whether the city's move is legal.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Senator Calls for Oversight of D.C. Voucher Program
A U.S. senator's questions about where hundreds of District of Columbia voucher students went to school last year have been resolved.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Federal Officials to Visit Chicago in Wake of Student's Fatal Beating
The U.S. Secretary of Education will meet with community members, officials and students from a high school attended by a 16-year-old honors student who was brutally beaten to death last month.
School & District Management
News in Brief
KIPP Benefactor Dies
Donald G. Fisher, the co-founder of the Gap clothing chain and a major benefactor of the Knowledge Is Power Program network of schools, died at his home in San Francisco.
Federal
News in Brief
States Using Stimulus as Patch, Critique Says
The U.S. Department of Education's inspector general says Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and other states are using stimulus money to plug budget holes, not boost school aid.
Federal
News in Brief
Jennings Backed in Comments Flap
The head of the U.S. Department of Education office of safe and drug-free schools got the backing of top officials last week after criticism over advice he gave to a student.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
La. Union Takes Aim at Recruiter
A teacher-recruiting company extorted thousands of dollars from 200 Filipino teachers, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers alleged.
Federal
Facilities Bonds Prove Hot Item Under Stimulus
School districts left out of the loop for direct funding are lining up for some of at least $24 billion in construction bonds backed by the program.
Federal
EPA Urges Schools to Check for Caulk Containing PCBs
Schools are encouraged to test old caulk for potentially cancer-causing chemical and remove any with high levels.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Study Finds Mixed Success for 'Enhanced' After-School Lessons
Researchers found that students taught an 'enhanced' math program had a month's edge over peers in other after-school programs.
School & District Management
Colo. Charter Dispute Stirs Oversight Issues
The dispute over a noted network of schools in Colorado focuses attention on the crucial role of charter school authorizers.
Special Education
Report Roundup
Early Childhood Education
A new approach for promoting language and literacy skills in preschool children helped teachers improve instruction for all their pupils and identify those who needed additional academic support, according to a recent study.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
School Bullying
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in middle school experience frequent verbal harassment and sometimes physical assault from their classmates, says a new research brief.
Education Funding
Report Roundup
Segregation and Student Achievement
Where a child lives can have a significant effect on his or her educational opportunities and academic achievement, according to a recent study.
Education
Report Roundup
Early Child Care
With good child care, the study shows, poor children nearly catch up to their peers.
Federal
For Migrant Children, Out of Fields and Into Head Start
But federally funded care is seen as reaching only a fraction of those eligible.
Federal
New Tack on Math Promoted
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is urging an instructional approach that focuses on reasoning and sense-making skills.
School & District Management
Bennet Takes Slot on Education Panel
Seen as an Obama administration ally on education, the freshman Democrat fills a spot left vacant by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's death.
Education
Letter to the Editor
A Science Question on Matter and Energy
To the Editor:
In "Learning Science vs. Doing Science" (Commentary, Sept. 2, 2009), Jonathan Osborne writes, “No school student is going to be able to seriously critique … the conservation of matter.” He perhaps meant to say “the conservation of matter and energy.” By itself, matter is not conserved, and neither is energy. Only together are they conserved; think E=mc2.
In "Learning Science vs. Doing Science" (Commentary, Sept. 2, 2009), Jonathan Osborne writes, “No school student is going to be able to seriously critique … the conservation of matter.” He perhaps meant to say “the conservation of matter and energy.” By itself, matter is not conserved, and neither is energy. Only together are they conserved; think E=mc2.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Clarifying NGA Position on Graduation Rates
To the Editor:
In his online Commentary "Why Not Count Them All?" (Sept. 3, 2009), Jim Hull misrepresented the National Governors Association’s position on high school graduation rates when he suggested that a concern expressed in an earlier Education Week article, "Rules Allowing Extended Time on Graduation" (April 1, 2009), indicated a lack of support by the NGA for extended-year graduation rates.
In his online Commentary "Why Not Count Them All?" (Sept. 3, 2009), Jim Hull misrepresented the National Governors Association’s position on high school graduation rates when he suggested that a concern expressed in an earlier Education Week article, "Rules Allowing Extended Time on Graduation" (April 1, 2009), indicated a lack of support by the NGA for extended-year graduation rates.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Assistant Superintendents: No Need for Own Group
To the Editor:
As assistant superintendents, we were surprised to read in David Leach’s online Commentary "The Assistant Superintendent's Dilemma" (Sept. 23, 2009) his suggestion that an association devoted solely to assistant superintendents be created.
As assistant superintendents, we were surprised to read in David Leach’s online Commentary "The Assistant Superintendent's Dilemma" (Sept. 23, 2009) his suggestion that an association devoted solely to assistant superintendents be created.
School & District Management
Tight Focus on Instruction Wins Texas District Prize
Educators in Aldine district have been working for more than a decade to refine their "managed instruction" system.