February 27, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 25
School & District Management
Opinion
Good Principals by Fiat?
A national standard of ‘highly qualified’ undermines recruitment, retention, and instructional leadership, Sheryl Boris-Schacter claims.
School & District Management
Opinion
Lessons Learned
Chester E. Finn Jr., a self-styled ‘troublemaker,’ shares wisdom gleaned from 57 years in education.
Assessment
Opinion
A ‘21st-Century Education’: What Does It Mean?
Marion Brady examines the four schools of thought about what should be the main thrust of a general education in the 21st century.
Federal
Federal File
A Flaw in NCLB Is Acknowledged by Spellings
The requirement that states identify “persistently dangerous schools” hasn’t worked well, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in a roundtable discussion.
Reading & Literacy
Essay Producer Warns of Plagiarism by Athletes
A British-based company suggests some high school sports coaches are turning to Web-based auction sites to purchase essays to help top athletes improve their chances of winning sports scholarships.
Reading & Literacy
Report Roundup
Reading Skills
Educators place too much emphasis on teaching specific reading-comprehension skills at the expense of helping students build a strong knowledge base in academic subjects they are expected to read about, understand, and analyze, argues a policy paper.
College & Workforce Readiness
Report Roundup
Education and Earning
The increasing prevalence of unequal access to higher education for poor and minority students is contributing to a decrease in their economic and social mobility, concludes a study.
Education
Correction
Correction
A story in the Feb. 13, 2008, issue of Education Week about motivating students with cash incentives misspelled the name of a student at Western High School in Baltimore. She is Benia C. Richardson.
School & District Management
News in Brief
N.D. Schools Chief to Run for 7th Term
Wayne G. Sanstead, 72, has been the superintendent of North Dakota's public schools for 23 years and is the nation’s most senior state superintendent.
Curriculum
Report Roundup
States Move Forward on College Readiness
More than one-third of states have adopted standards and graduation requirements designed to better prepare young people for college and careers, concludes a report.
Federal
Opinion
Gaining a Voice After School
Claudia Weisburd extols the benefits of after-school programs for English-language learners.
Law & Courts
Sauce for Gander: Districts Sue Court in Finance Dispute
Some 15 districts in Idaho are suing the members of their state’s supreme court in federal court.
School & District Management
Standards for School Leaders Get New Thumbs Up
The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards have been used or adapted by more than 40 states.
Federal
HEA Proposal on College Costs Riles States
A House provision would cut some federal scholarship aid to states if they reduced postsecondary funding.
School Choice & Charters
Pressure to Lighten Tuition Burden Factors Into College-Aid Equation
A war of words has erupted over elite colleges’ brimming endowments and how much more institutions should help students pay for their education.
College & Workforce Readiness
Student Loans Are Feeling the Impact as Credit Crunch Roils Bond Markets
The timultuous market threatens to drive up the cost of college borrowing and limit access to private student loans.
School Climate & Safety
FEMA Site Shows Recovery Money
The Web site is intended to offer a clearer picture of how much the government is spending to rebuild public schools in the city.
School Choice & Charters
No Easy Road to Choice
Ensuring that families have their pick of an array of attractive public schools has been tricky in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Federal
Democrats’ K-12 Views Differ, Subtly
Throughout the presidential campaign, the leading Democrats have been speaking from a similar script on education—until this month.
Education
State of the States
Illinois
Gov. Blagojevich asked for lawmakers’ support in making brick-and-mortar improvements to schools, proposing a $25 billion capital-spending bill for fiscal 2009, which includes $3.8 billion for school construction in a state that has a total budget of about $58 billion. The capitalspending money would be generated by leasing 20 percent of the Illinois state lottery, while retaining 80 percent ownership, a spokeswoman for the governor said. The governor, who has had rocky relations with legislative leaders recently, also said he would support a $300- per-child tax credit for families and tax cuts for businesses. He will ask for a 3 percent cut across the board in state spending—but excluded education, health care, and public safety from the cuts.
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) • Feb. 20
Gov. Blagojevich asked for lawmakers’ support in making brick-and-mortar improvements to schools, proposing a $25 billion capital-spending bill for fiscal 2009, which includes $3.8 billion for school construction in a state that has a total budget of about $58 billion. The capitalspending money would be generated by leasing 20 percent of the Illinois state lottery, while retaining 80 percent ownership, a spokeswoman for the governor said. The governor, who has had rocky relations with legislative leaders recently, also said he would support a $300- per-child tax credit for families and tax cuts for businesses. He will ask for a 3 percent cut across the board in state spending—but excluded education, health care, and public safety from the cuts.
Assessment
Researchers Propose NAEP Look Beyond Academic Measures
The program should be broadened to gauge how American youths are faring on a range of academic, social, health, and cultural indicators, a study says.
Ed-Tech Policy
Market for K-12 Course-Management Systems Expands
A growing number of K-12 educators are using the technology to share assignments, homework, classroom assessments, and other information with students and their parents.
Teacher Preparation
Panel Studying Concept of Solo Teacher Ed. Accreditor
Some educators claim the existence of multiple accreditors sends the message that the profession cannot agree on a single set of standards.
Student Well-Being
Meat Recall Raises Food-Safety Questions
Some school nutrition directors worry that the nation’s largest beef recall threatens to undo the work they’ve done promoting lunch room innovations.
Education Funding
States Struggle to Find Secure Pre-K Funding
State policymakers are still scrounging for more money for the programs despite a pre-K spending growth of $1 billion over the past two years.
School & District Management
Class-Size Reductions Seen of Limited Help on Achievement Gap
Smaller classes may help some students, but not all, research shows.
Law & Courts
Justices Decline District’s Appeal in Speech Case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of a California school district in a controversy over a high school student’s newspaper commentary on immigration.
Science
Coming Soon: Movie Backs ‘Intelligent Design’
High school students are among the film's intended audience.