January 20, 1993
Education Week, Vol. 12, Issue 17
Education
District News Roundup
Disgruntled parents in Detroit have begun a recall effort to unseat four school board members who support the establishment of specialized programs at certain "empowered'' schools.
Education
Federal File: New thinking; Continuity?; Empowerment
Two outgoing Education Department officials said last week that they had opposed using public funds for private school vouchers when they joined the Bush Administration.
Education
In The Press
Chris Whittle's numbers don't add up, according to the Jan. 18, 1993, issue of The New Republic.
Education
10 University-School Partnerships Win Knight Grants
The John S. and James L. Knight
Fbundation last week announced that
10 university-school partnership
will share a $2.4 million award in a
recently redesigned grants program.
Education
Ore. Governor Seeks Reforms To Ease The Impact of Measure 5's Tax Limits
Gov Barbara Roberts last week
called for a complete overhaul of Oregon's tax system to enable the state to cope with the fiscal strains created by Measure 5, a property tax
limitation initiative approved by
voters in 1990.
Education
Assessment Alternative Seen Honing Teachers' Skills, Observations
When Mary Ann Cockman asks her kindergarten pupils to draw self-portraits at the start of the school year, their portrayals often consist of "a large head, two eyes, and a stick for a body.''
Education
Picture Still Found Mixed for Choice Program in Wis.
Although test results for students in Milwaukee's private-school-choice experiment remain mixed, enrollment in participating schools has grown and some problems encountered during the program's first two years have eased, a study has found.
Education
Panel in Philadelphia Proposes Mandatory Busing of Students
Provoking strong opposition from the Philadelphia school board and catching community groups off-guard, a court-appointed team of school-desegregation experts has recommended that the Philadelphia school district institute a mandatory-busing plan for city schools.
Education
HONORS & AWARDS
U.S. Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander recently named 228 public and private elementary schools as 1991-92 Blue Ribbon Schools for promoting excellence in educational leadership, instruction, and organization. The schools are listed below by state and city.
Education
Budget Cuts Seen Imperiling Minority Enrollment Gains
WASHINGTON--Racial and ethnic minorities continue to make modest gains in college enrollment, but those gains are "imperiled'' by state-budget cutbacks and other barriers to completing degrees, a report released last week concludes.
Education
Benchmarks for Student Learning in Science Unveiled
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has published a collection of draft benchmarks--or guidelines for what students should know about science and when--that one day could be used to shape curricula that reflect the association's vision of "scientific literacy.''
Education
State Journal: Four more years; Idaho dispute
The Kentucky state school board surprised observers this month by extending the contract of Commissioner of Education Thomas C. Boysen halfway through his four-year agreement.
Education
L.A. Opts Not To Fight Decision Barring Cut in School Year
Los Angeles school officials agreed last week not to contest a decision by the state board of education barring the district from cutting eight days from the end of the school year.
Education
Study Provides Data Showing Ill Effects of 'High Stakes' Tests
Offering statistical evidence for what some educators have long suspected, a new study suggests that some "high stakes'' student-testing programs are pressuring schools to either retain low-achieving students in grade or put them in special-education programs.
Education
Last NASDC Contract Signed
Contract negotiations between the New American Schools Development Corporation and individual design teams finally came to a close last week, when the board signed a contract with the Audrey Cohen College for Human Services.
Education
Vt. Officials Ponder 'Radical' Changes in School-Finance System
Goaded by a property-tax burden that has reached "crisis proportions,'' Vermont officials appear to be moving toward a fundamental reworking of the state's school-finance system.
Education
Outgoing Department Officials Lay Plans for New Pursuits
As the Bush Administration's appointees cleared out their offices last week, some Education Department officials said they have plans for academic, legal, corporate, or public-policy pursuits, while others have no firm idea of their future plans.
Education
People News
Four finalists have been named in the 1993 National Superintendent of the Year competition. They are: Brian L. Benzel, Edmonds School District, Lynwood, Wash.; Kenneth S. Burnley, Colorado Springs (Colo.) School District 11; Noel T. Farmer Jr., Frederick County (Md.) Public Schools; and Joe A. Lopez, Cuba (N.M.) Independent Schools.
Education
Column One: Research
A number of studies over the past decade have shown that U.S. students lag far behind their Asian peers in mathematics achievement. But a newly published study, which compared student performance in 1990 with that in 1980, shows that Americans failed to close the gap during that period.
Education
Winning NASDC Project Takes Flight in Md.
This article is the first in an occasional series that will track "Roots and Wings,'' one of the projects awarded a grant by the New American Schools Development Corporation for creating "break the mold'' schools.
Education
Deficit Reduction Tagged Key Budget Goal
WASHINGTON--Deficit reduction will be a central budgetary goal of the new Administration, President-elect Bill Clinton and his top advisers emphasized last week.
Education
Capital Digest
Bruce M. Alberts, a molecular biologist who is a strong advocate for precollegiate science education, is expected to become the next president of the National Academy of Sciences.
Education
Amid Controversy, Pa. Board Adopts 'Learner Outcomes'
After months of delays and protests, the Pennsylvania state board of education last week adopted with only minor changes a set of learner outcomes that all students will be expected to meet in order to graduate from high school.
Education
State News Roundup
The Texas state school board this month voted to adopt conditionally four U.S.-government textbooks for high schools that critics claim contain more than 250 errors.
Education
Foundation Injects $20.6 Million Into 'Pathways to Teaching'
The DeWitt Wallace-
Reader's Digest fund last week
announced a $20.6 million expansion
of its "Pathways to Teaching"
program, a national initiative designed
to improve the recruitment
and training of new teachers.
Education
News Updates
A former drama teacher at the private Phillips Exeter Academy who was convicted late last year on federal child-pornography charges was sentenced last week to five years in prison.
Education
Q & A: Harvard Official Discusses Center on Human Rights, Health
The Harvard School of Public Health, which like most institutions of its kind has focused on the health-care system, recently received a $20 million gift from the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Foundation to expand its mission. With the grant, the school has established a center to explore the linkages between illness and human-rights issues, including access to education.
School Climate & Safety
N.E.A. Seeks To Combat 'Crisis' of School Violence
The National Education Association last week announced a variety of efforts aimed at combating crime and violence in schools.