Issues

February 14, 2007

Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 23
Student Well-Being Under Pressure, State Opens Two Schools In New Orleans
As residents continue to return to the hurricane-battered city, officials struggle to accommodate more students.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 13, 2007
4 min read
Reading & Literacy On Writing Tests, Computers Slowly Making Mark
Handwritten NAEP tests for 8th and 12th graders might be replaced.
Sean Cavanagh, February 13, 2007
6 min read
Equity & Diversity Mich. Charter Awaits Vote on Union
Leaders of the Saulte Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians have said they would shut down the school as a charter entity rather than accept a union.
Bess Keller, February 13, 2007
4 min read
School & District Management Members of Two Minds Over Union Leader In D.C.
Washington Teachers' Union members express mixed feelings about President George Parker, who has been leading the organization since 2005.
Vaishali Honawar, February 13, 2007
2 min read
School & District Management Unrest Besets Scandal-Scarred Dade Union
President Karen Aronowitz receives mixed reviews for her leadership of the troubled United Teachers of Dade union.
Vaishali Honawar, February 13, 2007
6 min read
School & District Management Data-Wise School Systems Seen as Sharing Key Traits
More explicit and targeted goals help drive data-wise decisionmaking in schools, finds a new study.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 2007
3 min read
Education Opinion Growing Up With War
These book reviews cover child soldiers, the war diaries of young people, and patriotism in U.S. schools.
February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education Opinion New in Print
A mix of reviews covering biographies, evolution, and school safety.
February 13, 2007
2 min read
Education Opinion Also of Note
A roundup of books that tackle school fundraising, Amish and Mennonite schools, the SATs, and more.
Anne E. Das, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Corporate Philanthropy’s Role Needs More Scrutiny
Your Jan. 17, 2007, In Perspective article "Venture Fund Fueling Push for New Schools" provides readers with some sketchy data on how privately managed charters are doing compared to the neighborhood public schools with which they compete.
February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor ‘Pilot’ Schools Validate Skills Commission Report
Diane Ravitch’s strongly worded criticism of “Tough Choices or Tough Times,” the report released in December by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, doesn’t leave much room for debate.
February 13, 2007
2 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Good Schools Need Both Family Resolve, Reform
In his Commentary "Good Families Make Good Schools," Saul Cooperman argues that responsibility for student success should be shared equally by schools and families.
February 13, 2007
2 min read
Education Events

March


12—Independent Schools: Planning Strategically Today for a Profoundly Different Tomorrow, sponsored by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, for faculty and administrators. This is an audio seminar. Contact: Kathleen Straight, 1165 N. Clark St., Suite 311, Chicago, IL 60610; (312) 255-1244; fax: (312) 255-1278; e-mail: kathleen@isacs.org; Web site: www.isacs.org.
February 13, 2007
9 min read
Education Honors & Award Honors & Awards

NEA Foundation Awards:


The National Education Association Foundation
February 13, 2007
3 min read
Student Achievement Making Higher Ed. History, Headlines
The University of California made admissions history last spring when, for the first time, Asian-Americans constituted the largest single racial group to receive admission offers across the system’s undergraduate campuses.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 13, 2007
3 min read
"When kids say things or make jokes about Asian kids being smarter, it doesn't bother me. It's not some stereotype that I feel like I have to live up to. I do well because I want to do well." Matt Kishiyama, 17, senior at Annandale High School
"When kids say things or make jokes about Asian kids being smarter, it doesn't bother me. It's not some stereotype that I feel like I have to live up to. I do well because I want to do well."<br> Matt Kishiyama, 17, senior at Annandale High School
Hector Emanuel for Education Week
Equity & Diversity The ‘Other’ Gap
The performance of Asian-American students has been largely ignored in the national debate over raising student achievement. But experts say it’s high time for a closer look at a very diverse group.
Lesli A. Maxwell, February 13, 2007
9 min read
Terry Lux, the principal of Shead High School in Eastport, unfurls more than 10 feet of paper showing the organizational chart of a Florida school district to Maine lawmakers during a hearing on plans to overhaul the state's school administrative structure.
Terry Lux, the principal of Shead High School in Eastport, unfurls more than 10 feet of paper showing the organizational chart of a Florida school district to Maine lawmakers during a hearing on plans to overhaul the state's school administrative structure.
Kevin Bennett/Bangor Daily News
School & District Management Maine School Consolidation Plan Under Fire
Critics fear the proposal would sweep aside local control, cost hundreds of administrators their jobs, and force school closures.
Jessica L. Tonn, February 13, 2007
5 min read
States Michigan Governor Pushing Scholarship Expansion
Under the proposed plan, a portion of property-tax revenue would go to communities that already have committed substantial money to scholarships.
Bess Keller, February 13, 2007
3 min read
Student Well-Being Education Groups Noncommittal on Mandatory HPV Vaccinations
Some say it could be a burden for schools to enforce state mandates requiring the vaccine.
Mary Ann Zehr, February 13, 2007
4 min read
School & District Management Economists Tout Value of Reducing Dropouts
The spread of proven programs would pay dividends, concludes a recent study.
David J. Hoff, February 13, 2007
4 min read
Federal Senate Panel Begins Examination of NCLB
Witnesses offered ideas for fixing the lowest-achieving schools, including closing failing schools and restarting them from scratch.
David J. Hoff, February 13, 2007
4 min read
Federal A Washington Roundup Measure Would Repeal Government-Pension Offset
A bill introduced in Congress would repeal federal rules that reduce Social Security benefits for public school teachers and municipal workers in 13 states.
David J. Hoff, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Federal A Washington Roundup Bill in House Would Target Student Lenders’ Incentives
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced a bill last week aimed at barring private lenders from offering gifts or similar incentives to colleges that agree to promote their loans.
Alyson Klein, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Federal A Washington Roundup Ex-Iraq Aide Tapped for Education Post
President Bush last week tapped Williamson Evers to be assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development at the Department of Education. The position was left vacant when Thomas W. Luce III resigned last summer.
Alyson Klein, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Curriculum Federal File Addressing Income Inequality
Ben S. Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, weighs in on the connection between education and income inequality.
Lynn Olson, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup Florida Governor Outlines Plan for Education Funding Hike
Gov. Charlie Crist's budget proposal would boost per-pupil spending by $500, and bring the state's total education budget to $33.4 billion.
Michele McNeil, February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup Maine Students to Get Help From SAT-Preparation Course
A $4.5 million donation will provide each high school junior with a program that usually costs $300 per student and which includes an online curriculum, a diagnostic test, and practice materials.
February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup Colorado’s Commissioner Plans to Step Down in June
Commissioner of Education William J. Moloney, who is expected to leave in June, said political shifts helped prod his move, although he said he made his decision well before the November elections.
February 13, 2007
1 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup California Chief Warns of Achievement Gap
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said in his annual State of Education address that he would lead an effort to narrow disparities, meeting with educators and researchers and holding a summit on the issue.
Linda Jacobson, February 13, 2007
1 min read