June 3, 1998
Education Week, Vol. 17, Issue 38
Education
State Journal
Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa was looking for an education capstone to his 16 years as the Hawkeye State's chief executive.
From capstone to millstone
Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa was looking for an education capstone to his 16 years as the Hawkeye State's chief executive.
Education
Baltimore Offering Teachers Housing Bonuses
To entice new teachers, the Baltimore district is offering a $5,000 home-buying grant to assist them with closing costs or down payments for homes purchased in the city. That offer is part of an aggressive strategy to recruit at least 500 new teachers by fall.
Student Well-Being
NCAA Agrees to Concessions for Disabled
In a settlement reached last week with the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed to modify its course requirements to better accommodate students with learning disabilities.
Education
'An Opportunity To Learn'
Even though he wasn't selected to be the nation's first teacher in space, Art Kimura saw his participation as a way to stand up for his state.
Education
The Space Ambassadors
NASA charged the 112 teachers who were also in the running for Christa McAuliffe's seat on the Challenger with carrying the vision of space discovery back to their home states.
Ed-Tech Policy
$80 Million Gift To Boost Technology in Idaho Schools
Every public schoolteacher in Idaho will have a new multimedia computer during the next school year, thanks to an $80 million package of technology grants from the Boise-based J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation.
School & District Management
Protesters Derail Minneapolis Board Meeting
About 100 protesters and angry parents led by local officials of the NAACP stormed the Minneapolis school board's final meeting of the year last week, prompting board members to leave the meeting with their business unfinished.
Federal
Clinton Plans For Education Hit GOP Snag
Earlier this year, President Clinton touted a new tobacco tax as the funding vehicle for his plan to put 100,000 new teachers in K-3 classrooms. But, just as debate over a tobacco deal has bogged down in Congress, the prospects for the president's 1998 education agenda have dimmed.
College & Workforce Readiness
College Costs Less Than People Think, Study Finds
Americans believe a college education is vitally important for their children, but they are poorly informed about the costs and how to finance them, a report released last week says.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
Calif. Adult Ed. Programs Reportedly Under Investigation; Court Rejects Finance Case; Mass. Reverses Award Rules
Education
'A Life-Changing Event'
For Susan Darnell Ellis, NASA's teacher-in-space program offered her a way out of rural western Kentucky, where she was born and bred, went to school and college, and started her teaching career.
Assessment
S.F. Freed From Testing LEP Pupils in English
San Francisco students with the least grasp of English do not have to take California's mandatory basic-skills test in that language, a state judge has ruled.
Equity & Diversity
U.S. Judge Upholds Race-Based Plan for Prestigious Boston High School
Last week's federal court decision upholding Boston's use of race in admitting students to its most elite public schools further muddied an already cloudy area of education law, experts say.
Education
Appeals Court Allows Student-Led Graduation Prayers
A school district that allows the top four graduating seniors to speak on any topic during commencement exercises does not violate the First Amendment, even if the students elect to recite prayers or sing religious songs, a federal appeals court ruled last week.
Budget & Finance
Despite Talk, Lawmakers Slow To Copy Tax Credits
After Minnesota lawmakers passed a controversial package of tax breaks last year for a host of K-12 education expenses, Gov. Arne Carlson went on the road to promote the idea as a means of expanding school choice.
Law & Courts
Supreme Court Ruling Is a Defeat for Unions
The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a defeat last week to organized labor, including teachers' unions, in a case involving service fees for nonunion employees.
Special Education
Administrators Wait as Feds Postpone IDEA Regulations
To Superintendent Kenneth M. Bird, it seems that the special education programs in his district have been put on hold.
School Climate & Safety
Officials Take No Chances After Killings
Educators are dealing aggressively with student threats as a school year marked by a succession of campus shootings nears its end. Even seemingly idle threats are being taken more seriously than they might have been in the past, and administrators are dispensing swift punishment to students who even suggest injuring someone at school.
Teaching Profession
Peer-Review Programs Catch Hold As Unions, Districts Work Together
Peer-review programs are catching on as a way to evaluate teacher performance.
Education
Ga. Schools Tap New Source for Construction
School officials in Georgia pay close attention to the weather forecasts these days.
Education
Federal File
House Republicans are continuing their tug of war with the Department of Education over special education dollars and prison inmates.
Tug of war
House Republicans are continuing their tug of war with the Department of Education over special education dollars and prison inmates.
School Climate & Safety
Indianapolis Uses Metal Detectors on Elementary Pupils
A police officer brandishing a metal detector is the last thing 9-year-old Gabrielle Gaither expected to see as she hopped off her school bus in Indianapolis one recent morning. But the 4th grader at Joseph J. Bingham Elementary School vowed that she wasn't nervous as the officer scanned her backpack for weapons.
Federal
Education Department Taking 'Reinvention' Seriously
When the Clinton administration vowed to "reinvent" the federal government in 1993, the Department of Education took notice.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor