February 28, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 20, Issue 24
Reading & Literacy
Penmanship Problems Hurt Quality Of Student Writing, Study Suggests
A recent study suggests that a little handwriting instruction can go a long way in staving off writing problems.
Education
Publishing
Help With Grieving: The Dougy Center for Grieving Children, part of the nonprofit National Center for Grieving Children & Families in Portland, Ore., has produced a pamphlet listing ideas gathered from its work with more than 12,000 children, teenagers, and their families since its founding in 1982. "How To Help a Grieving Child" is available at no cost for single copies and at a minimal charge for bulk orders.
Education
Events
March 2001 | April 2001
A symbol (**) marks events that have not appeared in a previous issue of Education Week.
Education
Doll Project Causes a Stir
Weeks after banning a 3rd grader's science fair exhibit, a Boulder, Colo., school will now use the experiment with black and white Barbie dolls to discuss racial issues.
School & District Management
Research: Sizing Up Small Classes
In recent years, reducing class sizes in the early grades has risen to the top of the nation's school improvement agenda. But research on the impact of smaller classes has not necessarily kept pace.
College & Workforce Readiness
Paige Unveils Proposal To Enhance, Increase Pell Grants
Secretary of Education Rod Paige told higher education leaders last week that the Bush administration would seek to increase the maximum Pell Grant for college undergraduates to $5,100 per year and to fully fund the grant program for first-year students.
Education
Democrats Dispute Bush's Budget Figures
President Bush will propose raising the Department of Education's budget for the next fiscal year by more than 11 percent, the White House announced last week. But Democrats say the actual percentage increase under that proposal could be much less.
President Bush will propose raising the Department of Education's budget for the next fiscal year by more than 11 percent, the White House announced last week. But Democrats say the actual percentage increase under that proposal could be much less.
Law & Courts
Justices Affirm States' Immunity From Some Job-Related Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that states are immune from lawsuits for damages under the main employment provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Curriculum
Ark. Bill Would Require Spanish Courses
The Arkansas Senate passed a bill last week that would require all high schools in the state to offer Spanish among their foreign-language offerings.
Federal
Judge Orders Alabama To Spare Schools From Cutbacks
An Alabama circuit court judge last week blocked Gov. Donald Siegelman from cutting aid to K-12 classrooms by 6.2 percent and gave the legislature until early this week to devise another plan for plugging the state's deep midyear revenue hole.
Assessment
Calif. Legislature Considers Postponing Graduation Exam
Concerned that California students have not been adequately prepared to take and pass the state's high school exit exam, which is scheduled to become a requirement for graduation in three years, state lawmakers played tug of war last week over the timing of the test.
Federal
State Journal
Lessons in Patriotism
The Virginia legislature took action last week on two bills that their sponsors said were aimed at enhancing students' patriotism.
Education
Boston Group: Council Should Run Schools
A group of parent activists in Boston wants to turn over the leadership of the city's public schools to the 13-member City Council, rather than the current seven-member panel that is picked by the mayor.
Reading & Literacy
Early Years
School Readiness: Children who took part in Michigan's School Readiness Program, which helps low-income preschoolers prepare for school, scored significantly higher on several measures of school readiness than children from similar backgrounds who did not participate, according to a study by the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
Standards
Business Group Urges Sticking With Standards
States should stay the course in the standards and accountability movement, a leading business group recommends, because the effort is starting to show results after more than a decade of work.
Mathematics
States Seek More NSF Financing For Math and Science
States have made significant improvements in their mathematics and science instruction during the past decade, but they still want federal help in targeted areas to aid their progress, a report suggests.
Education
Testing
TV Test Prep: Because of the success district officials in Cleveland had with math and science test-prep classes given to some 1,200 students on Saturday mornings, they wanted to expand that effort. They decided the best way to reach more children would be through a television program.
School & District Management
Urban Districts Turn to Their Peers For Hard-Hitting Tips
Through its "Cities Building Cities" program, the Council of the Great City Schools marshals its top educators and administrators to review urban districts and craft recommendations to put them on the path to improvement.
Law & Courts
District's Anti-Harassment Policy Too Broad, Court Rules
A federal appeals court in Pennsylvania has ruled that a school district's anti-harassment policy was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment right of freedom of speech.
School & District Management
UC President Pitches Plan To End Use of SAT in Admissions
Richard C. Atkinson, president of the University of California system, has proposed eliminating SAT scores as a requirement for admission to the 170,000-student system.
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- U.S. Judge Dismisses Suit Over N.J. Survey
- Teacher-Test Pass Rate Goes Up
- Pa. Teachers End Strike
- Student Charged in Bomb Case
- Embezzlement Suit Filed in N.J.
- Ex-Student Wins Damages
- Superintendent Dies in Crash
- Doll Project Causes a Stir
School Climate & Safety
Lawyers' Group Pans 'Zero Tolerance' Rules
Citing what it sees as a troubling lack of common sense that schools sometimes use when applying "zero tolerance" discipline policies, the American Bar Association approved a resolution last week opposing such policies.
Education
Chicago To Add Thousands More To Summer Rosters
Chicago school officials announced last week that the district's policy on summer school, which is already one of the nation's toughest, is about to get tougher.
Professional Development
People in the News
U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has been named the 2001 National Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Paige, 67, served as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District for seven years before being tapped for President Bush's Cabinet. The annual award is co-sponsored by the American Association of School Administrators and ServiceMaster Co. Mr. Paige's selection was announced Feb. 16 at the aasa's convention in Orlando, Fla.
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