December 4, 2002
Education Week, Vol. 22, Issue 14
Federal
'No Child Left Behind' to Test States' Rookie Lawmakers
When state lawmakers return to their capitals next month, many will do so without colleagues who for years took the lead on complex school funding issues, state testing systems, and teacher-quality initiatives.
When state lawmakers return to their capitals next month, many will do so without colleagues who for years took the lead on complex school funding issues, state testing systems, and teacher-quality initiatives.
Education
State Journal
A Profile in Change?
Minnesota's embattled academic-standards program may face its toughest—and perhaps final—challenge next year: a governor dedicated to its demise.
School & District Management
Study to Compare Six Reading- Intervention Strategies
A major research project set to kick off next year will compare the effectiveness of remedial programs for struggling readers in the 3rd and 5th grades.
Federal
Recruiters Target High Schools to Fill Federal Jobs
Several federal agencies are trying to tap into a younger audience to cope with an anticipated shortage of government workers over the next five to 10 years.
Education Funding
Court Orders Arkansas To Fix K-12 Funding
The Arkansas supreme court has declared the state's school funding system unconstitutional, and in its strongly worded opinion late last month rebuked the state for not doing enough to provide all students with an adequate education.
Education
Retrospective
20 years ago... DEC. 15, 1982
- The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights attacks the Reagan administration for its opposition to busing for desegregation and for budget cuts for the Department of Education, saying those actions both encourage segregation. The administration, in response, reiterates its opposition to busing and says federal funding cuts amount to only 2 percent of local education budgets.
School Choice & Charters
Election Results Boost Special Ed. Vouchers
Republican leaders on both House and Senate education committees are favoring the idea of school choice programs for students with disabilities.
Education
Federal File
Senatorial Hell?
The scene shows President Bush talking about the recent midterm elections.
Education
State Consortia
The following state consortia have applied for grant money from the federal government to help devise new tests of English-language proficiency:
Education
Birds of a Feather
Public school administrators in Howard County, Md., may no longer have the country's largest teachers' union behind them, but they at least belong to a group that understands their needs.
Assessment
Governor Takes N.J. Down Testing Road Less Traveled
Driven by the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001, New Jersey has begun an overhaul of its student testing program, replacing its standardized tests with a hybrid of standardized and performance-based assessments.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Virginia Governor Pledges Immigration Review
- Kentucky Schools Pay Up or Attendance-Count Errors
- Texas Targets Charters for Overpayments by State
- Florida Senate Report: Teacher-Hiring Boom Ahead
- Michigan Supreme Court Leaves Special Ed. Formula Intact
Assessment
Delays Prompt Retests For Thousands of California Students
Against the state's wishes, thousands of California high school students are continuing to retake the state's new high school exit exams, even though they might have passed already.
Families & the Community
PEN Targets Public Concerns About Teaching
A new Internet-based campaign will strive to mobilize Americans concerned about a lack of highly qualified teachers in public schools to lobby their governors to take action.
Education
People in the News
Betty Castor, the former president and chief executive officer of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, recently became the national education director at mgt Consulting, a Tallahassee, Fla.-based management-research and -consulting firm.
|
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- NEA Salary Survey Puts Teacher Pay at $44,299
- L.A. Officials Pledge to Improve High School
- La. Governor Settles Suit Over Religious Activities
- School Board President Gets Ticket for Dumping Manure
- Congressmen Fault Group for Allowing Gay Mentors
- Wichita District to End Its Contract With Edison
- Minn. Testing Lawsuit Settled
Budget & Finance
Texas District Eyes Extra Fee For Football Tickets
Add this to the list of ways high school athletics are mimicking big-time college and professional sports: A Texas school district is considering charging $50 per season for seat licenses in its football stadium.
Recruitment & Retention
Sen. Edwards Lays Out Plan for Education
Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., has delivered what might be seen as the first education policy speech of the 2004 presidential campaign.
Curriculum
States Explore Ways to Raise Global Issues in Curricula
In the midst of International Education Week, delegations from nearly half the states gathered here to devise strategies and seek advice on incorporating global studies into their curricula.
Assessment
States Scramble to Rewrite Language-Proficiency Exams
States across the country are scrambling to craft better tests for students with limited English skills in response to stringent new timelines imposed by the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001.
States across the country are scrambling to craft better tests for students with limited English skills in response to stringent new timelines imposed by the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001.
Teacher Preparation
Teacher-Quality Rules Challenge Ed. Schools
Education schools have been caught flat-footed by new federal requirements for teacher quality, while a handful of entrepreneurs are sprinting to provide programs to bring educators up to speed.
Education Funding
Governors: State Finances Worst Since World War II
Sagging tax revenues and growing health-care costs have pummeled state economies so relentlessly that states are in their worst fiscal situation since World War II, a sobering new report from the nation's governors and state budget chiefs declares.
Recruitment & Retention
Mass. Bonus Program To Favor Ed. Schools
Massachusetts has decided to offer its $20,000 signing bonuses to teacher- candidates in education schools, and not to aspiring educators who learn to teach in a seven-week summer training course.
School & District Management
Hartford Reshuffles as Lead Actors Exit
With a new school board set to take office this week, the Hartford, Conn., district is winding up a year of dramatic leadership changes. Not only will the event mark the end of a five-year state takeover, it also comes on the heels of the resignation of Superintendent Anthony S. Amato, who is credited with putting student performance on an upward climb.
Curriculum
Too Often, Educators' Online Links Lead to Nowhere
Link rot: It's one of those annoyances about the Web that make some teachers wonder why they bother.
School & District Management
Univ. of Calif. to Spot-Check Applicant Claims
The University of California is on the verge of imposing a tough new requirement on the thousands of high school students who annually apply to its eight undergraduate campuses: the truth.