April 18, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 20, Issue 31
Federal
Education Offices Empty As Nominations Drag
Researchers and former nominees say waiting is a typical part of a cumbersome and problem-filled process for appointing high-ranking officials to federal agencies, including the Education Department. Includes "Room at the Top."
Researchers and former nominees say waiting is a typical part of a cumbersome and problem-filled process for appointing high-ranking officials to federal agencies, including the Education Department. Includes "Room at the Top."
Education
Events
Jump to: April 2001 | May 2001 | June 2001 ** marks events that have not appeared in a previous issue of Education Week.
School & District Management
Lack of Leadership Programs In Bush Budget Bemoaned
School leadership may be one of the top issues of the day in education, but it's nowhere to be found in President Bush's budget plan.
Education
Federal File
Call Your Mom
Character education in public schools may be an important federal education priority for President Bush. But character education begins at home.
Education Funding
Districts File Lawsuit Against Texas' School Finance System
Four Texas school districts that were forced by state law to share their tax revenue with poorer districts have challenged the education finance system in state court.
Education
Room at the Top
President Bush so far has named Secretary Rod Paige and five other officials to the Department of Education. But Mr. Bush has yet to fill 10 of the 16 top jobs in the department. All 16 positions require Senate confirmation.
Education
New Mexico's Gov. Johnson Vetoes Omnibus Education Package
Gov. Gary E. Johnson of New Mexico has vetoed a wide-ranging bill that would have revamped his state's teacher-licensure system and put more decisionmaking power in the hands of local schools.
Education
State Journal
Retiring Mascots?
New York state's education commissioner, Richard P. Mills, has asked all school districts to stop using American Indian mascots "as soon as practical."
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- Compton Board Barred from
Academic Powers - Hispanic Fund Gets Boost
- Race Upheld in Admissions
- What Elementary Principals Earn
- Media Said To Hype Violence
- Mother Paid To Remove Son
- Sweatshirt Prompts Lawsuit
Ed-Tech Policy
FCC Issues Rules for Filtering Access to Internet Sites
Schools must take steps toward filtering the Internet access they provide to children and adults, or they will be denied federal E-rate support for Internet access and classroom wiring starting July 1, the Federal Communications Commission has announced.
Education
Business Leaders Views' on Education
Asked how important the following aspects of education are to long-term success in business, both top and second-tier executives downplayed the value of standardized-test scores, according to a poll of business leaders conducted for the National Urban League. Percentages shown are of those who thought attribute was "extremely important."
School & District Management
Poll: Public Lacks Time for Schools
Americans rank education as their highest public-policy priority, but many say they lack the time and expertise to become directly involved in the public schools, a poll that was set for release this week shows. Includes profiles of promising public-engagement efforts.
Education Funding
Bush's Growing Education Budget Has Winners, Losers
President Bush's proposed $2.5 billion increase for the Department of Education reflects the new president's education agenda. Includes "Education Gets Increases in Other Agencies," and a table "Inside Bush's Education Budget."
Education Funding
Education Gets Increases In Other Agencies
President Bush's massive budget proposal includes increases not just for Department of Education programs, but also for related services for children and families overseen by other federal agencies.
Teacher Preparation
High Noon
The clock is ticking for a small college in southwest Texas Unless student test scores improve by summer, the state will shut down its teacher-preparation program.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Maryland Legislators OK Gun-Safety Education
- Texas Reinstates Three-Year LEP Testing Exemption
- NGA Launches 'Extra Learning' Database
- Swift Sworn In as Massachusetts Governor
Teaching Profession
Statewide Teachers', Professors' Strike Continues in Hawaii
Nearly all of Hawaii's 256 public schools and 10 college campuses remained closed late last week, eight days after the state's 16,000 teachers and professors began a statewide strike deemed to be the nation's most far-reaching in public education to date.
School & District Management
Involving Public a Way of Life For Ohio District
Superintendent Charles M. Irish makes involving the public in the Medina, Ohio, schools' business his—and his district's—mission.
English-Language Learners
Immigration Spawns Bills Similar to Proposition 227
Taking their cue in part from California and Arizona voters, lawmakers in three states have proposed overhauling their bilingual education programs.
Families & the Community
Charlotte Foundation Gives Voters A Primer on School Board Races
In Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., the local education foundation takes nothing for granted.
Accountability
Advocate for Poor Communities Urges Detailed Data on Report Cards
State report cards connoting school success are often based solely on student test scores, giving parents an incomplete snapshot of a school's quality, argues a report from a group that advocates political action in low-income communities.
Equity & Diversity
Calif. Panel Urges Safer Climate For Gay Students, Staff
California schools need to educate students and employees about the new rights and responsibilities stemming from a recent state law that prohibits discrimination and harassment against students and staff members based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, says a task force convened to recommend ways of putting the law into practice.
School & District Management
Candidates for Los Angeles Mayor Talk Up Better Schools
The mayor of Los Angeles has no formal power to make policy for the city's public schools. But don't tell that to the two candidates who will square off in a June 5 runoff election to lead the city—or to the voters who will cast the deciding ballots.
Teacher Preparation
Harvard University To Ground Teacher Education in Urban Experience
Harvard University's graduate school of education is cutting back enrollment in its teacher-preparation program for one year, while faculty members attempt to ground it better in the practicalities of working in urban schools.
Education Funding
Leadership
Thoughts on High: In a ranch-style retreat high above the beaches of Malibu, Calif., Los Angeles' top school leaders met recently to rethink how principals should do their jobs. Their main conclusion: Principals should spend a lot more time in the classroom.
Education
Correction
A story in the March 21, 2001, issue of Education Week ("Colleges Seeking Teacher- Educators") about the inadequate supply of teacher-educators gave an incorrect number of teacher education institutions that the Teacher Education Accreditation Council has accredited. It has reviewed and approved three.
School & District Management
'Failing' Detroit Faces Job Cuts, Privatization
Detroit schools chief Kenneth S. Burnley has unveiled a plan restructuring the troubled district. In part, the plan calls for closing five schools, cutting up to 470 jobs, and studying the privatization of some operations involving another 3,000 positions.