February 3, 1999
A $23 million contract announced by the Department of Education in fall 1997 created an unusual partnership of researchers and education organizations devoted to the improvement of teaching.
Partisan no more?
Georgia's next superintendent of schools might not be a Democrat or a Republican if state legislators agree with a recommendation made by the current chief, Linda C. Schrenko.
In a surprise victory this past November, Reform Party nominee Jesse Ventura, 47, beat out two seasoned, major-party candidates to become the governor of Minnesota. The radio talk show host, one-time mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minn., and former professional wrestler--known as "The Body"--chose teacher and former administrator Mae Schunk as his running mate. Staff Writer Jessica L. Sandham recently sat down with Gov. Ventura to discuss his selection of Ms. Schunk for lieutenant governor and his priorities for education.
One morning last November, Mae Schunk called Phalen Lake Elementary School to say she would be reporting to school a half-hour late. It apparently was a first for her in 36 years as an educator, but it couldn't be helped. She had gotten only two hours' sleep the night before.
Gold Medal Awards in Child Care
The Child-Care Professional Gold Medal Awards, sponsored by Scholastic Inc. and Child Care Aware, a nonprofit organization that raises the awareness of the importance of child-care professionals, have been given to five caregivers to recognize their vital role as child-care professionals. Awardees were selected by a panel of nationally recognized early-childhood experts. Each gold medalist will receive more than $3,000 in professional-development products and classroom materials, a computer, and subscriptions to Scholastic, Parent & Child, and Early Childhood Today.
A group led by governors and corporate executives is ready to create a new 8th grade mathematics test and is waiting for the go-ahead from states.
Justice Dept. Evaluating Mascot Complaint
The Department of Justice's civil rights division is evaluating whether the Buncombe County, N.C., school district has discriminated against Native American students after parents filed a complaint over one school's Indian mascots. About 1 percent of the district's 24,000 students are Native American.
House and Senate lawmakers announced plans to give states more flexibility over how they spend federal school aid last week, as the House began the process of renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
What works?
In his State of the Union Address last month, President Clinton said he wanted the federal government to spend its education dollars "to support what works and stop supporting what doesn't."
