September 14, 2005
Education Week, Vol. 25, Issue 03
School Climate & Safety
Forced Out by Storm, Teachers Seek News of Job Openings, Pay
When Komal Bhasin heard that her New Orleans school was shutting down in preparation for a hurricane, she anticipated having an extra, leisurely day for lesson planning. Instead, the teacher fled to Huntsville, Ala., to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.
Federal
Federal File
NCLB And Me
Michael Moore he’s not, Lerone Wilson insists.
the 23-year-old documentarian says his film about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has elicited passions from many who have viewed the trailer on his Web site, boondogglefilms.net.
School & District Management
Inspector General Says Ed. Dept.’s Contracts for PR Work Are Legal
A federal review of the Department of Education’s public relations activities has found that while numerous education groups that received federal funding failed to disclose their government connections in promotional efforts, their efforts did not constitute illegal propaganda under federal law.
Education
Guiding Hand: Chart Series
"Guiding Hand"'s accompanying charts.
In a poll, superintendents report more active roles in teaching and learning.
School & District Management
Guiding Hand
With expectations for student achievement at an all-time high, school district leaders say they are playing a more assertive role in shaping instruction, according to a national survey of superintendents commissioned by Education Week.
School & District Management
Opinion
Don’t Count Them Out
Kati Haycock says that over the past decade, Louisiana's students and educators have made great strides. With help from education leaders, the state can and will recover from Hurricane Katrina.
Teaching
Opinion
Conjuring Willa Cather
Modeling is one of the keystone precepts in education. The only thing worse than faulty modeling is a teacher who does not credit the power of modeling, says teacher and writer Patricia R. Pickard.
Standards
Opinion
Standards and Variation
The definition of standards is one of the dilemmas of our education system today. It is in the variations of a standard—not its standardization—that real-world learning takes place and the benefits to all learners, and to society, are to be found, argue authors Elliot Washor and Charles Mojkowski.
College & Workforce Readiness
Maine Schools Chief Eyes SAT as Graduation Test
Instead of passing a state-developed test in order to graduate, high school students in Maine might soon have to take the newly revamped SAT.
Education Funding
State Lotteries for Education
List of states that have designated lottery money solely for education and detail of proceeds.
Education Funding
N.C. Backs Lottery to Fund School Projects
After repeated failed attempts over more than two decades, North Carolina legislators came back from recess and narrowly passed a lottery bill, becoming the last state on the East Coast to endorse such a gaming measure.
Education
Leading for Learning: About This Report
This special pullout section is the second of three Education Week annual reports examining leadership in education, a topic of critical concern at a time of ever-increasing expectations for schools. Each report includes a mix of explanatory articles and research findings analyzed by the Education Week Research Center.
School & District Management
In Sharp Focus
When the Clarksville, Tenn., schools raised expectations for learning, the central office played a leading role in standardizing practice and monitoring data.
School & District Management
Forward Motion
The California district is not alone in seeking the right balance between site-based management and centralized decisionmaking, a key issue as superintendents concern themselves more with matters of instruction. Gilroy’s experience, in fact, shows how that balance can change over time.
School & District Management
Theory of Action
Not long ago, a popular theory about school improvement went something like this: Put in strong principals and dedicated staff members, and then get out of their way. When it came to improving teaching and learning, the thinking went, the central office had little to add.
School & District Management
Looming Race Fuels Sniping Over Baltimore Schools
When Mayor Martin O’Malley of Baltimore showed up to give a pep talk to several hundred new teachers preparing to start their jobs last month, he brought up the “P” word along with the three R’s.
Education
Letter to the Editor
We Can’t Legislate Teacher Quality
Comment on Michael J. Petrilli's “Improving Teacher Quality: Better Luck Next Time,” a commentar published on Aug. 31, 2005.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Friedman Rebuts Claims Made in Voucher Letter
Brief comment on the letter to the editor from Edd Doerr regarding article, "Friedman ‘Willfully Ignores’ Voucher Damage" published in the July 27, 2005 issue.
Education
A State Capitals Roundup
Missouri Governor Wants Seat Belts in School Buses
Gov. Matt Blunt of Missouri has pledged to work for state legislation that would require lap-shoulder seat belts in all newly purchased school buses.
Curriculum
A State Capitals Roundup
Georgia State Chief Puts Focus on the Teaching Profession
Clear expectations for teachers and their ongoing training will be spelled out in a soon-to-be-released document, Georgia state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox announced recently in her first State of Education Address, which she gave to the state board of education, state education officials, and state education department staff members.
Curriculum
A State Capitals Roundup
Utah State Board Endorses Evolution
The Utah state board of education has agreed to support the continued exclusive teaching of evolution in state classrooms.
Law & Courts
High Court Intervention Prompts Funding Hike
The final $2.6 billion budget, passed during a special session in June, provided an increase of 12 percent over fiscal 2005 education spending. The Kansas Supreme Court gave its long-awaited approval in a July 8 ruling.
Education Funding
Governor Vetoes Plan for English-Learners
Overall, lawmakers increased K-12 spending from $3.9 billion in fiscal 2005 to $4.3 billion in fiscal 2006, or a jump of 10 percent.
Curriculum
Missing Information
A bill that would make it tougher for people with criminal records to work in Michigan schools may force thousands of teachers to get fingerprinted—again.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
Core Knowledge
A strong, detailed curriculum, coupled with the teacher training and other resources to make it work, can play a key role in improving student achievement, particularly among students from low-income and minority backgrounds, says a report that was set for release this week.
Education
Report Roundup
Minority Students
More than 70 percent of African-American and Latino students in Southern states attend predominantly minority schools, concludes a study released last week by the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University.
Education
Report Roundup
Abstinence Program Shows Mixed Results
A study of more than 2,000 Ohio middle school students suggests that an abstinence-only program had a limited effect in preventing sexual activity: It didn’t keep adolescents from having first-time sex, but it may have helped reduce the number of sexual partners that sexually active students have later on.
Assessment
Opinion
Beyond the Herd Mentality
Education writer and advocate Howard Gardner is convinced that the goal of topping the international comparisons is a foolish one, and the rush to raise one’s rank a fool’s errand.
School Climate & Safety
Education Groups Hustle to Find Alternate Conference Sites
The devastation of New Orleans has left the National Association of Secondary School Principals rushing to find an alternative city to host its annual conference. Scheduled years in advance, its meeting next March was set for the Big Easy until Hurricane Katrina washed those plans away.