January 10, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 20, Issue 16
Education
Principles at Work
The Milken Family Foundation's Teacher Advancement Program is based on five principles aimed at creating new opportunities for teachers and at heightening accountability.
Teaching Profession
Teacher Re-Creation
Borrowing principles froom the world of business, the Milken Family Foundation is sponsoring a pilot program that seeks to redefine the teaching profession. Includes the tables "Career Choices at Madison Camelview Elementary School" and "Principles at Work."
Curriculum
Books: New in Print
The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values, by James L. Shulman and William G. Bowen (Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540; 447 pp.; $27.95 hardback). Findings from a groundbreaking study of 90,000 students gauging the impact of college sports on the admissions process and the academic performance and values of those who play sports. The authors, both officers of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, one a former president of Princeton University, bring what is described as the first solid empirical research to bear on such questions as the educational value of playing sports, whether colleges have put financial gain from athletics programs above academic standards, how Title IX has changed the landscape of such programs, and many others. While the authors express a belief that sports can and should play an important role in bolstering community spirit on campus, educators will find some of their findings troubling, especially those that show a consistent and growing tendency for athletes to underperform academically—not just relative to other students, but to how they themselves might have been expected to perform.
Athletics
The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values, by James L. Shulman and William G. Bowen (Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540; 447 pp.; $27.95 hardback). Findings from a groundbreaking study of 90,000 students gauging the impact of college sports on the admissions process and the academic performance and values of those who play sports. The authors, both officers of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, one a former president of Princeton University, bring what is described as the first solid empirical research to bear on such questions as the educational value of playing sports, whether colleges have put financial gain from athletics programs above academic standards, how Title IX has changed the landscape of such programs, and many others. While the authors express a belief that sports can and should play an important role in bolstering community spirit on campus, educators will find some of their findings troubling, especially those that show a consistent and growing tendency for athletes to underperform academically—not just relative to other students, but to how they themselves might have been expected to perform.
College & Workforce Readiness
Colleges
Collegiate Advice: While a recent study shows that most high school students meet with guidance counselors and find their advice helpful in making decisions about college, counselors overall have little influence over students' final postsecondary education choices, it says.
Student Well-Being
Study: Social Pressures Overshadow Anti-Smoking Efforts
Teaching students to resist the social influences that encourage them to smoke is not enough to prevent tobacco use among teenagers, according to the results of a 15-year study of school-based anti-smoking programs.
Budget & Finance
Edison Makes Bid To Run Troubled Schools in N.Y.C., Pa.
In its most significant expansion efforts, the nation's largest for-profit school-management firm is targeting academically troubled schools in two districts.
States
Party Lines
Texas is not the only state to lose one governor and gain another now that the protracted presidential-election drama has been resolved. President-elect Bush, the former Texas governor, has tapped two other states' chief executives for high-level posts in his administration, opening the way for their successors.
Texas is not the only state to lose one governor and gain another now that the protracted presidential-election drama has been resolved. President-elect Bush, the former Texas governor, has tapped two other states' chief executives for high-level posts in his administration, opening the way for their successors.
Classroom Technology
Former Education Secretary Starts Online-Learning Venture
William J. Bennett is ringing a bell to draw students into an ambitious new Internet schoolhouse pairing current technology with his traditionalist view of learning.
School & District Management
Mayoral Takeover of Schools Off To Tumultuous Start in Pa. Capital
The mayor of Harrisburg, Pa., is exercising his new authority over the city's schools, after a turbulent transition marked by high-level personnel changes and the start of an investigation into allegations of missing school property and misuse of funds.
School Choice & Charters
Voucher Advocates Want Court To Rehear Case
Unwilling to bow to an appellate court panel's decision that declared the Cleveland voucher program unconstitutional, the attorney general of Ohio has requested a rehearing by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Education
People in the News
Shirley J. Holloway was set to return to her position as Alaska's commissioner of education this week. Ms. Holloway, 60, held the position from 1995 until April 1999, when she left for health reasons. She succeeds Rick Cross, who announced his resignation last month.
Federal
Paige's Nomination Applauded By Unions, Conservatives Alike
Houston schools Superintendent Rod Paige appears to have widespread support in Washington as President-elect Bush's pick for secretary of education.
Education
Next in Line
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Rod Paige will be the seventh U.S. secretary of education. Here are the six people who have held the post so far:
Education
Bush Pick for Labor Draws Praise and Provokes Worries
President-elect Bush's selection of Linda Chavez, the president of the Washington-based Center for Equal Opportunity, to head the Department of Labor drew kudos and criticism last week from those familiar with her extensive career in education and government service.
Education
Federal Study Details Major Barrier To Internet Learning
The World Wide Web can be shaped into a vibrant educational tool serving all learners if more money is devoted to research and development and if governments clear away many conflicting and obsolete rules, a federal panel has concluded after a 10-month study.
Education
News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
- Ed. Dept. Settles Suit With Black Employees
- New Food Program To Assist Students Worldwide
Teaching Profession
Oregon Teachers' Association Sues Ballot-Initiative Group
The Oregon Education Association has filed a $2.25 million racketeering lawsuit against a powerful taxpayers' group that has clashed with the union for years over a succession of state ballot initiatives.
Federal
Boehner To Lead House Education Committee
Rep. John A. Boehner, a Republican from Ohio once known for his close ties to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, has been named the new chairman of the House education committee.
Equity & Diversity
Opposing Sides Agree Conn. Integration Efforts Need More Money
Connecticut education officials and the plaintiffs in the state's long-running desegregation case are both arguing that the remedy needs a greater investment of public dollars.
Education
Reports in 3 States Urge Policies To Boost Teacher Supply, Quality
With problems of teacher quality and supply continuing to loom large around the country, policymakers in Arkansas, Illinois, and Nebraska are reviewing new reports that recommend steps for tackling those issues.
Education
Honors & Awards
The Association of School Business Officials International recently announced four recipients of the Eagle Awards, in different categories. The Eagle Awards honor school business officials who exemplify service to the community, school, and profession. Each recipient received a crystal Eagle Award and will attend a three-day seminar at the ASBO International Eagle Institute. In addition, the International Eagle Award recipient received a $5,000 scholarship to present to a student; the other recipients each received a $2,500 scholarship. The winners, their school districts, and their awards are:
Education
Children & Families
Mothers Working Late:
Children whose mothers work during the evening are less likely to do well in school than youngsters whose mothers work traditional hours, according to a recent study conducted by a researcher at Harvard University's school of public health.
Children whose mothers work during the evening are less likely to do well in school than youngsters whose mothers work traditional hours, according to a recent study conducted by a researcher at Harvard University's school of public health.
School & District Management
IBM Attracts Praise For 'Reinventing Education'
An IBM educational program has shown that technology can help bolster students' reading skills and improve teacher-parent communication and management of school information, according to an independent assessment.
School & District Management
Panel To Define Scientific Rigor In Schools Research
Looking to "make a science out of education," the National Research Council has convened a panel of experts to define what constitutes scientific quality in education research.
School & District Management
In Houston, 'Sophisticated' Paige Viewed As Hard To Replace
The beginning of the George W. Bush era in Washington signals the likely end of another—that of Rod Paige as the superintendent of schools in Houston.
The beginning of the George W. Bush era in Washington signals the likely end of another—that of Rod Paige as the superintendent of schools in Houston.