August 26, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 01
Education
News in Brief
TV Star to Film at Phila. School
Beginning this fall, former talk show host and sitcom star Tony Danza will be facing an audience of Philadelphia 10th graders for a yet-to-be-titled reality show on teaching. School commissioners approved the filming of the series last week. The vote allows at least 13 episodes to be shot and broadcast on the cable channel A&E. Mr. Danza will be co-teaching an English class at Northeast High School. Critics say putting cameras in the classroom will disrupt students’ education. But the project is supported by some district officials and Mayor Michael Nutter, who say it will put a much-needed spotlight on urban education.
School & District Management
News in Brief
New Leader for Houston Schools Picked
The superintendent of the San Diego school district is the lone finalist to be the next chief of the Houston Independent School District. The school board announced the choice of Terry Grier on Aug. 20. Mr. Grier, 59, has led the San Diego Unified School District since March 2008.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Office Charged With Monitoring Phila. School Safety Closed
Pennsylvania has pulled the plug on the Philadelphia school district’s safety watchdog.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Calif. Governor Calls Session on 'Firewall'
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling a special session that would seek to scrap the state’s data “firewall” law in order to help make sure the state can get a slice of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund grant money.
Education
News in Brief
California Announces Gains on Test Scores
Students improved in English and mathematics, but gaps between racial groups persist, state officials say.
Student Well-Being
Administrators Willing to See Schools as Site for Flu Inoculations
Most school leaders say they are ready to offer their facilities as a location of swine-flu vaccination clinics if requested, recent surveys show.
School & District Management
Opinion
Innovative Reforms Require Innovative Scorekeeping
"No single, circumscribed program can turn things around in an entire community or for a whole population," writes Lisbeth B. Schorr.
Education
News in Brief
St. Louis System Removes Paint With Lead From Elementary Schools
The St. Louis school district has resolved some lead-paint problems at 25 elementary schools, but not all the work had been done as classes began last week.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Fla. District to Deploy Administrators As Substitutes in Cost-Saving Move
A South Florida school district that ranks among the country’s largest hopes to save money by sending top administrators into classrooms to substitute-teach.
Federal
Report Roundup
NCLB Impacts
In a study of California schools, David P. Sims, an economics professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, examined the effect that having enough students to constitute a “subgroup” under the federal No Child Left Behind Act had on a school’s ability to make adequate yearly progress and the resulting impact on teacher turnover.
Curriculum
Opinion
Media Literacy and the Fog of War
"Now, more than ever, we must teach students to read between the lines—to become media critics who understand who controls and shapes the information and images we see," write Margaret Crocco and William Gaudelli.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
High School Improvement
A suite of five new studies examines the Chicago school district’s work to improve its high schools. It finds “a few hopeful signs,” but “no dramatic improvements.”
Education Funding
News in Brief
Detroit Board Sues Manager Over Plans to Overhaul District
The Detroit school board has sued the district’s state-appointed financial manager, trying to force him to consult with it on the implementation of his plans to overhaul the struggling district.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Private Schools
Spending at private schools is far more varied than among public schools, with variation across the nonpublic sector most closely associated with the schools’ affiliation, a new report concludes.
Teaching Profession
Report Roundup
Teacher Training
Prospective teachers are more likely to get training about students with disabilities than about English-language learners as part of their teacher-preparation programs, a Government Accountability Office study says. That’s the case even though the ell population is one of the fastest-growing student populations in U.S. schools.
Teaching Profession
News in Brief
Finalists to Vie For Grants On Teaching
Four school districts and a coalition of charter schools move a step closer to winning a share of $500 million for teacher effectiveness.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
U.S. Running With Pack on International Tests
Despite some above-average math, science and reading scores, U.S. students were bested by other nations, a new IES analysis shows.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
What Children Write to Authors
Catherine Gourley writes, "I am impressed by the depth of meaning children get from the stories they read. We need not dumb down our literature."
Student Well-Being
Education Groups Put Muscle Behind Health-Care Overhaul
Teachers' unions are running ads backing the effort—and seeking to shore up under-the-gun Democrats.
Federal
Recession Woes Cast Pall as Schools Open
School districts continue to cope with the classroom-level impact of budget cuts, and more could be on the horizon.
Federal
Opinion
The President's Laugh Line
Daniel Wolff asks, "If the president wants a more educated population, and also wants to create jobs, why not institute a program that transforms our public schools into community centers?"
School & District Management
History Heartburn Expected in Texas
Texas educators have drafted new K-12 social studies standards, and they—and the state education board members who will vote on them—expect that the U.S. history strand could be contentious.
Education
Best of the Blogs
Best of the Blogs
Below are excerpts from our blogs. To see edweek.org's entire roster of blogs, go here.
Law & Courts
Accountability Measure in N.H. Ends 18-Year-Old Financing Suit
The new law was a highlight of this year's legislative session, which was otherwise dominated by budget issues.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Reducing Segregation: Answers Lie in Socioeconomics, Not Charters
To the Editor:
Susan Eaton and Gina Chirichigno’s recent online Commentary "Create Charter Schools That Reduce Segregation" (Aug. 6, 2009) serves as an important reminder of the part education has played in furthering racial integration in the United States. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, and a host of policy wonks and school chiefs tell us that “education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century.” But we should remember that it was also the civil rights issue of the civil rights era.
Susan Eaton and Gina Chirichigno’s recent online Commentary "Create Charter Schools That Reduce Segregation" (Aug. 6, 2009) serves as an important reminder of the part education has played in furthering racial integration in the United States. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, and a host of policy wonks and school chiefs tell us that “education is the civil rights issue of the 21st century.” But we should remember that it was also the civil rights issue of the civil rights era.
Curriculum
Letter to the Editor
Can Holding Back the Gifted Be a True 'Race to the Top'?
To the Editor:
Wouldn’t a mandate for states to have an acceleration policy for gifted students be a perfect add-on to the U.S. Department of Education’s draft criteria for awarding Race to the Top funds (“Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines,” Aug. 12, 2009)? The 2004 report “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students” compiles all the research needed to support such an action.
Wouldn’t a mandate for states to have an acceleration policy for gifted students be a perfect add-on to the U.S. Department of Education’s draft criteria for awarding Race to the Top funds (“Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines,” Aug. 12, 2009)? The 2004 report “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students” compiles all the research needed to support such an action.
Special Education
Letter to the Editor
Optimistic 'Turnaround' Signs, Despite a Lean Research Base
To the Editor:
As the authors of the 2007 report “The Turnaround Challenge,” we were pleased to see it discussed in your recent article on the emerging field of school turnaround ("Research Doesn't Offer Much Guidance on Turnarounds," Aug. 12, 2009).
As the authors of the 2007 report “The Turnaround Challenge,” we were pleased to see it discussed in your recent article on the emerging field of school turnaround ("Research Doesn't Offer Much Guidance on Turnarounds," Aug. 12, 2009).
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Master's Degrees? Some Are Worth More Than Others
To the Editor:
The title of your article "Halt Urged to Paying Teachers for Earning Master's Degrees" (Aug. 12, 2009) is misleading. A more accurate title would be “Halt Urged to Paying Teachers for Earning Master’s Degrees in Education.”
The title of your article "Halt Urged to Paying Teachers for Earning Master's Degrees" (Aug. 12, 2009) is misleading. A more accurate title would be “Halt Urged to Paying Teachers for Earning Master’s Degrees in Education.”
College & Workforce Readiness
Attitude Adjustment
The Stockton, Calif., district gets serious about lowering—and verifying—its dropout rate.