October 24, 2007

Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 09
Reading & Literacy ‘Reading First’ Panel Awaits Program Evaluation Reports
Is Reading First working? Advocates claim it is and critics say it isn’t, while others contend there isn’t enough information to know.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, October 23, 2007
5 min read
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty waves to supporters following his party’s re-election victory earlier this month. Under his leadership, education has been a high priority for the province.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty waves to supporters following his party’s re-election victory earlier this month. Under his leadership, education has been a high priority for the province.
Christopher Pike/Reuters
School & District Management Ontario Pins Hopes on Practices, Not Testing, to Achieve
Americans who want to see school improvement that is focused less on test-scores and more on engaging teachers and principals should look to the North.
Lynn Olson, October 23, 2007
7 min read
Teaching Profession ‘Peace and Stability’ Campaign Prevails for Ontario’s Unions
The Premier’s policies include salary increases and engendered trust.
Lynn Olson, October 23, 2007
3 min read
Families & the Community When It Comes to Math and Science, Mom and Dad Count
The connection between parental influence and children’s interest in math and science has received increasing attention among researchers, as educators search for ways to urge more students to pursue the subjects.
Sean Cavanagh, October 23, 2007
6 min read
Michael Boud, a volunteer working in support of the Utah school voucher program, collects signs at the headquarters of the pro-voucher group Parents for Choice in Education, in Salt Lake City. Supporters urge a vote for the program on Citizen’s State Referendum Number 1, which is on the ballot Nov. 6. The referendum has drawn attention and resources from voucher supporters and opponents nationwide.
Michael Boud, a volunteer working in support of the Utah school voucher program, collects signs at the headquarters of the pro-voucher group Parents for Choice in Education, in Salt Lake City. Supporters urge a vote for the program on Citizen’s State Referendum Number 1, which is on the ballot Nov. 6. The referendum has drawn attention and resources from voucher supporters and opponents nationwide.
Trent Nelson for Education Week
School Choice & Charters A Choice Showdown
In a conservative state, where the public schools remain popular, an ambitious new voucher program faces a fierce ballot challenge.
Michele McNeil, October 23, 2007
10 min read
Teaching Profession Opinion Missing Dillon
Teacher Dennis Danziger remembers a remarkable student—and wonders what he could have been.
Dennis Danziger, October 23, 2007
3 min read
School & District Management Opinion The Not-So-Inevitable Failure of High School Conversions
Stephen Fink and Max Silverman offer specific strategies to increase the likelihood of small schools’ success.
Stephen Fink & Max Silverman, October 23, 2007
5 min read
Law & Courts Opinion ‘Because Race Can’t Be Ignored’
The colorblind ideal is seductive, but history tells us that it fails as a practical strategy to improve race relations, Zoë Burkholder writes.
Zoe Burkholder, October 23, 2007
6 min read
Special Education Videos Spotlight Warning Signs of Autism on Web
Toddlers with autism spectrum disorders often have symptoms that are so subtle that parents and educators lose the advantage of early, effective treatment.
Christina A. Samuels, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Correction Correction
A news brief in the Oct. 17, 2007, edition of Education Week about an executive transition at the Lumina Foundation mistakenly omitted the last name of Martha D. Lamkin, who is retiring as president and chief executive officer. She is being succeeded on Jan. 1 by Jamie P. Merisotis.
October 23, 2007
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief Atlanta Superintendent Reappointed
Beverly L. Hall, the superintendent of the Atlanta school system, has been reappointed to another three-year term, officials said last week.
Mark Bomster, October 23, 2007
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief D.C. Mayor Seeks Authority to Clean House
Adrian M. Fenty has asked local lawmakers to grant his schools chancellor more authority to fire hundreds of central-office staff members.
Catherine Gewertz, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Missing a Crucial Event in Albert Shanker’s Evolution
Your article on Richard D. Kahlenberg’s recently published biography of Albert Shanker gives short shrift to the effect that Ocean Hill-Brownsville had on Mr. Shanker and the largest local union in the AFL-CIO.
October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Performance Pay Means Bottom-Line Teaching
To pay teachers more for their students’ higher test scores is to eliminate their role as educators and make them old-time “pieceworkers.”
October 23, 2007
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Evers Wins Senate Confirmation for Education Department Post
The U.S. Senate last week confirmed Williamson M. Evers to serve as assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development in the U.S. Department of Education.
Alyson Klein, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Arizona Lawmakers Get Deadline on Plan to Pay for ELL Services
A federal judge has set a deadline of March 4 for the Arizona legislature to approve a plan to pay adequately for the education of English-language learners.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education News in Brief ETS Wins Five-Year NAEP Contract, Continuing Firm’s Work Since 1983
Nonprofit organization will design, analyze, and report information for "nation's report card."
Sean Cavanagh, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Report Roundup Small High Schools
A study of the New Century High Schools in New York City has found that their students dropped out less often and graduated on time at much higher rates than did their peers citywide.
Catherine Gewertz, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Federal Report Roundup NCLB and School Choice
A higher percentage of students participate in supplemental educational services than in school choice programs available under the No Child Left Behind Act, but very few parents are actually aware of the existence of either of these federal programs, says a policy brief.
Mary C. Breaden, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Report Roundup CDC Nutrition Study
Since 2000, public schools have cut down on the amount of junk food served in cafeterias and increased the number of physical education courses required for elementary school students, a recent report says.
Katie Ash, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Report Roundup Rural Enrollment Seen Growing
After years of steady decline, enrollment in rural schools increased 15 percent from the 2003-04 school year to 2004-05, largely because of a significant boost in minority students, says a report.
Katie Ash, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Federal Federal File Report Card Time for Research Arm of Education Dept.
The Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the Department of Education, is the latest department program to get an “effective” rating from the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Debra Viadero, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Recruitment & Retention Employees Sharing in Alaska’s Bonuses
Visitors arrive by plane and ferry to the remote, 130-student Hoonah City School District, located on an island off the Alaskan coast.
Sean Cavanagh, October 23, 2007
1 min read
Law & Courts Justices Decline to Hear 2nd IDEA Case on Tuition
The U.S. Supreme Court won’t be resolving an important question about private school placements under federal special education law in its current term.
Mark Walsh, October 23, 2007
2 min read
Curriculum Genocide Claiming a Larger Place in Middle and High School Lessons
With an array of new curriculum resources, teachers are finding ways to give their students a more comprehensive look at genocide historically and in current events.
Bess Keller & Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, October 23, 2007
8 min read
Student Well-Being Experiments Aim to Ease Effects of ‘Stereotype Threat’
Researchers are developing tools and techniques to improve the academic achievement of students who are most likely to suffer from negative stereotypes in the classroom.
Debra Viadero, October 23, 2007
8 min read
Education Funding In Consolidating Districts, States Run Tricky Course To Secure Local Support
States are dealing with complications over funding, resistance from residents, and criticism that the plans may not save as much money as promised.
Katie Ash, October 23, 2007
7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Steven Braden
Teaching Opinion Stop the Narrowing of the Curriculum by ‘Right-Sizing’ School Time
Educators need to significantly expand learning time in order to match 21st-century learning goals, S. Paul Reville contends.
Paul Reville, October 22, 2007
5 min read
Federal Reading Aid Seen to Lag in ELL Focus
Educators and experts want to refine Reading First to better cater to children acquiring English.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 22, 2007
7 min read