Gunned Down: One-fifth of all deaths among U.S. teenagers and nearly half among black male teens in 1988 were caused by firearms, according to a federal study. For the first time, the chances that a white male ages 15 to 19 would die from a gunshot surpassed his chances of dying from natural causes.
An Appeal: Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says he wants the federal government to provide financial aid to soldiers returning from the Persian Gulf as an incentive for them to go into teaching.
Taking On The Mayor: Edward Doherty, the head of the 6,000-member Boston Teachers Union, announced in March that he plans to challenge Mayor Raymond Flynn in the fall mayoral election. The union president says Flynn should be held accountable for the “dismal’’ condition of the city’s schools.
Principals Organize: Worried that they were being left out of the decisionmaking process, principals and other school administrators in Los Angeles have organized themselves into a formal collectivebargaining unit that will negotiate contracts with the district. The move means that the administrators will no longer be part of the district’s management team. But, says Eli Brent, president of the 1,525member group, “We now have a handle on our own destiny, good or bad.’'
A Tough Test?: Roughly two out of every five prospective elementary teachers who took a new Connecticut licensing test designed to measure what a teacher needs to know in the classroom failed it. A state official claims the results indicate that Connecticut has the toughest standards in the nation.
