May 26, 1999
The Clinton administration is hoping this year to raise substantially the amount of federal education dollars distributed on a competitive basis. Such a move would build on a category of federal spending that, while still relatively small, has grown rapidly in the past few years.
In return, a lesson
In 1915, the Phillips Academy embarked on an unusual endeavor for a secondary school: the excavation of the abandoned Pueblo of Pecos in New Mexico to add to the collection of the school's archaeology museum.
Looking to Washington
Starting with her hometown of Anaconda, Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Nancy A. Keenan toured her state last week to announce that she will run for Congress next year.
Fighting words
Last week's release of the White House plan to revamp the main federal K-12 education law quickly renewed partisan discord between members of Congress and the Clinton administration. And two of the players who have sparred frequently during the Clinton administration already seem to be gearing up for another round.
Following are major provisions of the administration's proposal for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:
Delay Use of Technology: A report on the use of technology in urban schools has found that large size, poverty, limited resources, and old equipment hamper the schools' entry into the information age.
Senate Passes Juvenile-Justice Bill
The Senate easily passed a broad-based juvenile-justice bill by a vote of 73-25 last Thursday, but only after Democratic lawmakers succeeded in squeaking though a series of gun-control measures that Republican leaders had spurned earlier in the week.
Minn. Lawmakers Leave Standards in Place
Minnesota's controversial graduation standards will remain in place, after state lawmakers were unable to reach a compromise on how and whether to modify them. ("Minnesota Weighs Profile of Learning's Fate," May 12, 1999.)
Vice President Al Gore has mapped out an education agenda that, perhaps not surprisingly, closely resembles President Clinton's ideas on teacher quality.
A far-reaching plan unveiled by the Clinton administration last week would greatly expand the accountability demands on states and school districts that receive federal K-12 education dollars.
The entrance to Main Hall is boarded up, cordoned off by yellow construction tape and plywood fencing. Inside, signs warn: "Danger. Construction Area. Keep Out."