September 2, 2009
Education Week, Vol. 29, Issue 02
Education
Report Roundup
The New School Year, By the Numbers
As the 2009-10 School year opens, the U.S. Census Bureau offers statistical snapshots of the nation's school population.
School Choice & Charters
News in Brief
First New School Building Opens in New Orleans Since Hurricane
The first new public school building to go up in the city since Hurricane Katrina struck four years ago was dedicated last week.
School Climate & Safety
News in Brief
Calif. Student in Court on Charges of Detonating Two Pipe Bombs
A 17-year-old boy accused of detonating two pipe bombs at a high school in California, while armed with a chainsaw and other weapons, is charged with trying to murder two faculty members.
Education
News in Brief
Test-Prep Founder Dies
Stanley H. Kaplan, the founder of the nation’s first test-preparation company, died Aug. 23.
Ed-Tech Policy
News in Brief
Group Faults Oklahoma Districts for Lack of Web Site Information
A nonprofit group that performed a study of Oklahoma school district Web sites this summer says most didn’t meet basic criteria for transparency for taxpayers.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Alabama Legislature, State Board Divided Over Teacher-Ethics Plan
A legislative committee rejected a plan by the state board of education to put a code of ethics in the state administrative code.
Curriculum
News in Brief
Illinois Students Required to Learn About Forced Mexican Migration
A state law that will become effective next year requires Illinois students to learn in U.S. history courses about the forced migration of millions to Mexico during the Great Depression.
Education
News in Brief
N.Y.C. Schools to Allow Aides Financed by Parent Groups
New York City school officials and the teachers’ union have reached an agreement allowing principals to hire school aides with money raised by parents’ groups.
Federal
News in Brief
Union Leader Kicks Off Back-to-School Tour
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, kicked off a national back-to-school tour, joining forces with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
School & District Management
News in Brief
L.A. to Open Up Management of Schools
The Los Angeles board of education has agreed to open up as many as 250 schools to outside managers in a move meant to jump-start the pace of academic improvement in the nation’s second-largest school district.
Classroom Technology
State Laptop Program Progresses in Maine Amid Tight Budgets
But budget cutbacks are forcing some schools to look for cheaper alternatives.
Federal
Community College a Research Puzzle
The Obama administration wants to graduate more students, but few studies can guide the way in a sector with high remediation rates.
School & District Management
Kennedy Put Imprint on K-12, Social Issues With Fierce Advocacy
The Massachusetts Democrat, who died Tuesday, put an indelible stamp on education policy, from Head Start to NCLB, earning respect across the political aisle.
Education Funding
News in Brief
Administrators Detail Spending From Stimulus
Using federal economic-stimulus money for innovative school reform while also trying avoid to layoffs seems more pipe dream than reality, according to a study released last week.
Education
News in Brief
Arkansas Attorney General Pushing To End State Desegregation Funding
Arkansas’ attorney general said that he’ll keep pushing to end the roughly $60 million a year the state gives in desegregation funding to three districts that say they’ve been successfully desegregated.
Federal
Science Panel Seeks Ways to Fan Student Innovation
The National Science Board is working on recommendations on how schools can produce more elite innovators in the 'STEM' fields.
Teaching Profession
Leader in Phila. Seeks Changes in Teacher Rules
Arlene C. Ackerman is pushing a teacher-effectiveness agenda in a city known for a traditional union contract.
School & District Management
Critics Raise Heat on Louisiana Chief
Louisiana schools chief Paul G. Pastorek is no stranger to controversy, but things seemed to reach the boiling point this summer for two prominent education groups.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Learning About Evolution
State science standards tend to cover evolution more extensively and better than they did nearly a decade ago.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Immigrant Demographics
Children of immigrants account for about one-quarter of children in the nation under age 5, according to a report on student demographics.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
Elementary School Math
Odyssey Math, a Web-based math curriculum and assessment tool, has been found to have potentially positive effects on mathematics achievement.
School & District Management
Report Roundup
School Policing
School resource officers need the tools to strike a balance between their job of keeping schools safe and the privacy rights of students, says an ACLU white paper.
Federal
Report Roundup
Standards Studied in 10 Countries
Having a national system of academic-content standards and tests doesn’t mean that local educators lose their say in how schools are run, according to a report.
School & District Management
California Actions on 'Race to Top' Scrutinized
A special legislative session will weigh significant state policy changes in response to proposed requirements for the federal grants.
Science
Opinion
Learning Science vs. Doing Science
"The capability to analyze and evaluate scientific explanations is one of the primary skills required of the scientist, not the high school student of science," writes Jonathan Osborne.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Filtering Fixes
Some school systems are bucking the trend by expanding access to online resources, including social-networking sites.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
One From the Heart
"We don't see words like emotion or imagination or, for that matter, identity in our education policy," writes Mike Rose.
Teaching Profession
Letter to the Editor
Protecting Good Teachers From Arbitrary Guidelines
To the Editor:
As a veteran California teacher, I salute the state for its database “fire wall” that protects dedicated teachers from the arbitrary nature of federal Race to the Top eligibility guidelines ("California 'Fire Wall' Becomes Hot Issue," Aug. 12, 2009). Did President Barack Obama or U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ever teach in an urban public school?
As a veteran California teacher, I salute the state for its database “fire wall” that protects dedicated teachers from the arbitrary nature of federal Race to the Top eligibility guidelines ("California 'Fire Wall' Becomes Hot Issue," Aug. 12, 2009). Did President Barack Obama or U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan ever teach in an urban public school?