November 21, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 21, Issue 12
Special Education
Cracking the Shell
Seattle writes its prescription for children with Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism that combines uncanny knowledge and awkward skills.
Federal
Proposal Would Expand AmeriCorps For Security Role
Federal lawmakers and the president are mulling plans to expand dramatically the AmeriCorps national-service program, in part to use more recruits in homeland-security roles.
Education
Federal File
Still Seeking Victory
Victor M. Morales and his trusty Nissan pickup truck have hit the Texas campaign trail again—and this time, the high school geography teacher hopes he'll have enough gas to get to Washington. Mr. Morales, a Democrat and political novice who waged a competitive Senate campaign against Republican Sen. Phil Gramm in 1996, announced last week he will try again in 2002.
Education
News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
- Court Declines Illinois Spec. Ed. Case
- Education Panelist Roukema to Retire From Congress
Education
State Journal
Information Sharing
Forgetting about a law is usually not an acceptable excuse. But it appears to be the reason why a Georgia state agency and a school advocacy group may have violated a new state law when the agency provided home addresses for the state's 90,000 teachers.
Teaching
Center to Prepare 'Executive Leadership Corps' for Schools
A leading Democratic donor and philanthropist and the Republican governor of Michigan teamed up last week to announce the opening of a national center to prepare urban superintendents.
Education
Report Roundup
- Graduation-Rate Data Called Too Optimistic
- Technology Standards
- Early-Childhood Issues
- Technology Solutions
- After-School Programs
- Race and Education
- Language-Minority Students
- New American Schools
- Urban Parents' Opinions
Education
Retrospective
The NEA targets 13 Congress members for ouster in the 1982 elections; state school chiefs perceive an animus towards public education in the Reagan Administration; a survey finds that most Americans want both the theory of evolution and creationism; and the Texas board of ed. finds too much George Carlin in the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary.
The NEA targets 13 Congress members for ouster in the 1982 elections; state school chiefs perceive an animus towards public education in the Reagan Administration; a survey finds that most Americans want both the theory of evolution and creationism; and the Texas board of ed. finds too much George Carlin in the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary.
Education
Correction
A map accompanying an article about Ontario's education tax credit in the Nov. 14, 2001, issue of Education Week [print edition] labeled Wisconsin as Minnesota.
Education Funding
S.F. Schools Accused of Wasting Bond Money
Officials in California reacted with anger last week to reported misspending by the San Francisco school district of as much as $100 million in the past 13 years that was meant for school improvements.
School Climate & Safety
Some Drivers Told to Remove Flags From School Buses
School bus drivers around the country have mounted miniature American flags on their rigs in recent weeks, riding the wave of patriotism that has swept much of the nation since Sept. 11. But just as quickly as they went up, some drivers were ordered to remove Old Glory because its display violates safety regulations in some places.
Equity & Diversity
Hispanic Group Quietly Initiates Big Charter Push
From Houston to St. Paul to Philadelphia, community-based groups that serve Hispanics are convinced they can do a better job at education than regular public schools do.
School Climate & Safety
Downturn Threatens Ed. Business More Than Terrorism
The education industry has emerged from the past two months largely unaffected by the terrors of Sept. 11 and anthrax-tainted mail. Whether it can endure the economic downturn is another question.
School & District Management
Scholars Turn to Evaluating Charter Schools From the Inside
A second generation of studies on charter aims to look more closely at what happens inside the increasingly prominent schools.
Education
Frustrated by Politics and Bureaucracy
Superintendents and principals were asked: If you had to pick one of the following, which comes closest to your own view? Talented superintendents and principals who leave the field are most likely to do so because they are frustrated by:
Teaching
School Leaders Feel Overworked, Survey Finds
Large majorities of school leaders feel overworked, according to a survey released last week, and want more power to clear their desks of paperwork, cut red tape, and fire bad teachers. Includes a chart, "Frustrated by Politics and Bureaucracy."
Education
People in the News
The National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., announced last week that Sharon L. Buddin has been selected as the 2002 National High School Principal of the Year.
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- NAACP Launches Drive to Close
Achievement Gap - Mich. Teenager Kills Himself
After Standoff at School - Grape-Juice Prank Earns Girl
Nine-Day Suspension - Council for Basic Education
Chooses New President - Teacher Fired for Burning Flag
In Front of 6th Grade Class - U. of Ga. Will Not Appeal
Affirmative Action Ruling - U.S. Appeals Court Orders Trial
For Fired Ky. Teacher - Oklahoma City Voters Approve Passage
of Two Bond Issues
School Climate & Safety
Schools Near High-Risk Sites Update Safety Plans
In some school districts near potential targets for terrorism such as nuclear power plants and chemical-weapons depots, upgrades to school safety and evacuation plans have jumped to the top of administrators' to-do lists.
School Climate & Safety
Repair Funds Jettisoned From Stimulus Package
The wheels came off a plan to bulk up the Department of Education's budget last week when Senate Democrats opted to downsize the spending side of their stimulus proposal, including excising about $1 billion that was to have gone for school repair.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Texas Board Rejects Text; Cites Errors, Political Bias
- Arizona School Aid Off-Limits
- Fla. Mother Sues for Documents
- Ala. OKs Evolution Label
Education
State Chiefs' Group Readies For New Direction
Long considered one of the nation's most influential education groups, the Council of Chief State School Officers wants to carve out a new path for itself.
Education Funding
Scholarship Programs Spared The Budget Ax—for Now
State merit-scholarship programs nationwide have been growing at fast rates, as more students become eligible for them. But even though the programs are growing more expensive, the scholarships so far are being spared the budget ax.
School & District Management
Troubled West Virginia District Invites State to Take Over
It may come as no surprise that the state of West Virginia has seized control of the troubled McDowell County school district. But in an unusual twist, the takeover came at the request of the district's own leaders, who acknowledged that they could no longer handle the job.
Education
Bay State's Exam Has Left Its Mark
Recent improvements on the MCAS are major news in Massachusetts, which has lived up to its history of protest in the battle over the controversial assessment. And educators and policymakers in other states are watching closely.
Education
English Learners & Immigrants
Opponents of bilingual education say they've collected enough signatures from voters to put an anti-bilingual-education measure on the Massachusetts ballot in November 2002.
Debate Heats Up
Opponents of bilingual education say they've collected enough signatures from voters to put an anti-bilingual-education measure on the Massachusetts ballot in November 2002.
Assessment
Court to Judge If Law Forbids Peer Grading
Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case whose impact truly will be felt in the classroom. From desk to desk, in fact. At issue is whether teachers may require students to swap their quizzes, papers, or other work with classmates for grading.