March 28, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 29
Federal
Hickok to Pay $50,000 in Bank-Stock Inquiry
A former Department of Education official has agreed to pay a settlement for possible conflict-of-interest charges involving the federal student-loan program.
Federal
Growth Models for NCLB Accountability Are Weighed
Revising NCLB accountability provisions to measure a student's academic growth might not be quick or easy, a panel of experts warned.
Law & Courts
Justices Differ Sharply on Student Speech
The Supreme Court's decision could result in more control for administrators.
Assessment
Legislature Votes to Replace Merit-Pay System in Florida
The state's new plan would give school districts more say in how teachers are rewarded.
States
Prepaid-College-Tuition Plans Feeling Fiscal Pressure
Some states' prepaid-college-tuition plans are on shaky financial ground, forcing officials to close plans to new participants.
School & District Management
Savings From School Consolidation Plans Uncertain
Researchers are divided on whether streamlining results in cost-efficiency.
School & District Management
Top-to-Bottom Support
Through intensive mentoring and training for everyone from novices to leaders, a long-troubled California system is seeing teacher turnover fall and test scores rise.
Special Education
Vouchers Eyed for Students With Disabilities
As more states weigh limited choice option, critics see political ploy.
Federal
Out-of-Favor Reading Plan Rated Highly
The Reading Recovery tutoring program got a cold shoulder under Reading First, but now has a thumbs-up from the What Works Clearinghouse.
Student Well-Being
N.J. Steroid Testing Gets Attention in Other States
Testing student-athletes for drug use may be an effective deterrent, according to preliminary reviews of the program.
Federal
States Turn Down Abstinence-Only Grants
Federal officials try to counter what they say is misinformation on funds.
Early Childhood
Scholars Split on Pre-K Teachers With B.A.s
Amid a push for four-year degrees, evidence on the effectiveness of teachers with bachelor's degrees remains unclear.
Education
Events
23—English: Phonological Awareness, Spelling, and Handwriting Workshop, sponsored by the Hill Center, for teachers and administrators, at the Hill Center in Durham, N.C. Contact: Jean Neville, 3200 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705; (919) 489-7464; e-mail: jneville@hillcenter.org.
April 2007
23—English: Phonological Awareness, Spelling, and Handwriting Workshop, sponsored by the Hill Center, for teachers and administrators, at the Hill Center in Durham, N.C. Contact: Jean Neville, 3200 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705; (919) 489-7464; e-mail: jneville@hillcenter.org.
English-Language Learners
California Launches New ELL Assessment
The test will not be used for accountability purposes under the No Child Left Behind Act.
International
Opinion
Chat Wrap-Up: Preparing Students for Global Competition
Members of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce answered questions on readying students for a rapidly changing world.
Federal
Reporter's Notebook
A Balancing Act: NCLB’s Renewal, English-Learners
The law does not recognize the differences between English-language learners and their teachers, and other students, said conference attendees.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Worthy Goal Is ‘Helping Tests Help Teachers’
According to David C. Berliner and Sharon L. Nichols, asking for high performance from every child is an outlandish request. But why should differences preclude high performance?
Education
Letter to the Editor
True School Reform Is Not Against Teacher Interests
Paul J. Phillips writes in his Feb. 28, 2007, letter to the editor that reformers he calls “anti-unionists” are against the interests of teachers. He has it backwards.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Opposing U.S. Chamber’s Prescriptions for Schools
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s scorecard on leaders and laggards in public education is full of sound, and a tiny amount of fury.
Education
Letter to the Editor
NCATE Support Poses No Conflict for Teacher Group
"Teacher-College Group Presses for Single Accrediting Body" quotes one individual who questions as a conflict of interest the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s financial contributions to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
Education
Letter to the Editor
National Standards Push Is Built on a ‘Tragic Irony’
Two of the central energies in the 20th-century industrial paradigm of social organization were centralization of control and standardization of product.
Federal
A Washington Roundup
Online Tool Offered for Financial Aid
FAFSA4caster would provide students and parents with an early estimate of how much federal financial aid they are eligible for, including Pell Grants.
Federal
A Washington Roundup
Senate Budget Blueprint Would Boost Education
Senate Democrats last week promoted a budget blueprint for fiscal 2008 that would allow Congress to boost discretionary spending for the U.S. Department of Education by as much as $6.1 billion above President Bush’s request of $56 billion.
School Climate & Safety
Federal File
Warning: Don’t Panic
A safety alert on bus drivers prompts reassurances.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
A New Generation of Margaret Haleys
Kelly Cannard looks at the committed approach of educational leaders in Washington state, and how they were able to galvanize a community of teachers.
Assessment
Opinion
Grade Inflation: High Schools’ Skeleton in The Closet
Perry A. Zirkel looks at the negative effects of grade inflation, and the No Child Left Behind Act's hand in perpetuating the problem.
Teaching Profession
Teachers Gain Raises From N.M. Legislature
In a two-month session, lawmakers approved a pre-K-12 budget for fiscal 2008 of $2.5 billion, an increase of 8 percent over the previous year.
School & District Management
N.J. Educators Facing Charges
A former principal in Camden is accused of taking school's field trip money.