March 12, 2008

Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 27
Teaching Profession News in Brief Survey Finds Principals’ Pay Gains Outpacing Consumer Price Index
Principals of high schools and middle schools got “a little financial breathing room” this school year, according to a new survey.
Ann Bradley, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Budget & Finance Wash. State Schools Reap Ballot Success in Tax-Levy Voting
A constitutional amendment in Washington state aimed at making it easier to approve school levies already appears to be having the effect supporters intended.
Andrew Trotter, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Book Review New in Print
Brain research, autism, Cristo Rey schools, and more.
Anne E. Das, March 11, 2008
4 min read
Equity & Diversity Report Roundup Gay and Lesbian Parents
About 50 percent of students whose parents are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender reported hearing school staff members make homophobic remarks, a survey finds.
Mary C. Breaden, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup Teachers Found to Face ‘Penalty’ in Salaries
Public school teachers in 2006 earned, on average, 15 percent less than workers in other professions that require similar education and skills, a report finds.
Vaishali Honawar, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Student Well-Being Report Roundup Marijuana Use
Deviant behavior among adolescents tends to increase with use of marijuana, a new report finds.
Mary C. Breaden, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Essay Overlooks the Limits of ‘Positivistic’ Research
Despite Frederick M. Hess and Jeffrey R. Henig's assertion to the contrary, what goes on in the classroom is rarely precise or in “controlled circumstances.”
March 11, 2008
2 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Using ‘Outmoded Practice’ to Report AP Pass Rates?
Education Week seems to be alone in its insistence on using the outmoded practice in its reporting.
March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Yes to Recess and Classes ‘With the Sky for a Ceiling’
As a strong advocate for incorporating a change of pace and place into the school day, I was delighted to read Vicky Schippers’ Commentary, “Say Yes to Recess.”
March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Letter to the Editor ‘New Physical Education’ Is Really Not That New
There are many, many high-quality physical education programs in practice presently, most of which deliberately incorporate academic content and skills.
March 11, 2008
1 min read
School Choice & Charters $20 Million to Back Training of Leaders for Private Schools
Two longtime supporters of Teachers College, Columbia University, have pledged $20 million to help prepare educators for leadership in independent schools.
Andrew Trotter, March 11, 2008
1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Report Roundup Postsecondary Technical Programs
Schools should offer career guidance and information about technical postsecondary programs to students who are ready to enter the workforce, a report concludes.
Mary C. Breaden, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Law & Courts Obituary Activist Backed Court Case on Student Bible Club
Robert K. Skolrood, a lawyer who was involved in several prominent church-state cases involving education, died Feb. 20 at age 79, reportedly of kidney cancer.
Mark Walsh, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Obituary Veteran U.S. Education Official Served as Last Commissioner
William L. Smith, who served as the last U.S. commissioner of education, from 1979 to 1980, died of complications after a biopsy. He was 79.
Alyson Klein, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Reading & Literacy Report Roundup Analysis Defends 'Reading First'
The controversy surrounding the implementation of Reading First was more the result of political games and unsubstantiated complaints than any wrongdoing, a paper concludes.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Education Correction Correction
An article in the March 5, 2008, issue of Education Week gave an incorrect name for the organization that runs the Teacher Advancement Program and the incorrect year for the program’s launch. TAP was launched in 1999 and is operated by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching.
March 11, 2008
1 min read
Law & Courts News in Brief Bible Course in Texas District to Continue Under Settlement
Both sides in a lawsuit challenging a Texas school district’s Bible course claimed victory after they agreed to allow the course to continue, but with curriculum developed by a superintendent-appointed committee of local educators.
The Associated Press, March 11, 2008
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Cost of Ohio Teacher License Rises Because of Background Checks
Some Ohio teachers are complaining about the rising cost of a teaching license—now up to $200—but the state department of education says it needs the extra money to cover the costs of more thorough background checks required by a new law.
The Associated Press, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Teaching Profession News in Brief Md. District to Create Program for Teacher, Principal Bonuses
Teachers could earn up to $10,000 in bonuses each year, while principals could earn up to $12,500.
Vaishali Honawar, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Budget & Finance News in Brief Boston Schools Eye ‘Pilot’ Status
Changing status would free the 20 schools from some district mandates and union work rules.
Ann Bradley, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Federal Federal File Panel: Don’t Expect Education to Rise as Campaign Issue
Education won’t be any more prominent in the general-election campaign than it has been during the presidential primaries, said two of the three panelists at a symposium last week.
Mark Walsh, March 11, 2008
1 min read
Reading & Literacy Opinion Our Nation Still at Risk
School director Bruce Shaw writes that too little has changed since "A Nation at Risk" was first published 25 years ago.
Bruce Shaw, March 11, 2008
3 min read
Law & Courts Opinion Copyright Confusion Is Shortchanging Our Students
Media expert and educator Renee Hobbs writes about the culture of fear and misinformation that she claims is stifling teachers' use of the Internet in the classroom.
Renee Hobbs, March 11, 2008
4 min read
School Climate & Safety Nutrition Directors Fault USDA’s Notice on Recall of Meat
School nutrition directors said last week they struggled to keep up to date with the frequently changing information released by the USDA as it handled the nation’s largest beef recall.
Christina A. Samuels, March 11, 2008
4 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Illustration by Bryan Toy
School & District Management Opinion Beyond System Reform
Ted Kolderie expounds the need for greater innovation in school and schooling.
Ted Kolderie, March 11, 2008
7 min read
School & District Management Calif. District Makes Instructional Leadership a Priority
Policymakers nationwide increasingly see the shift as crucial for academic achievement, but relatively few districts have taken concrete steps to help principals make it.
Catherine Gewertz, March 11, 2008
7 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opening AP to All
The Duval County, Fla., district sees the courses as part of a shift to teaching more students college-level skills.
Catherine Gewertz, March 10, 2008
9 min read
Education Letter to the Editor Education in Finland: Adding a Few Facts
Patrick F. Bassett’s Commentary was a wonderful piece about education in Finland. I would like to point out a few additional facts.
March 10, 2008
1 min read
Accountability Kentucky Lawmakers Take Aim at State Tests
GOP lawmakers are pushing a bill to replace the state's testing system with nationally standardized tests.
Linda Jacobson, March 10, 2008
7 min read