August 1, 1990
Education Week, Vol. 09, Issue 40
Education
Opinion
'Backlash' Threatens Special Education
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty . . . .
Families & the Community
Indianapolis Project Keeps Parents 'In Touch' With Children's Schools
When teachers at the Edgar Evans Elementary School here spot Resly Moses in the hallways, they often beg for her help.
Families & the Community
Tough State and Local Measures Seeking To Force Parental Control
New "get tough" policies in a number of states and localities are imposing stiff penalties on parents for failing to control their children's behavior in school and in the community.
Families & the Community
English-Literacy Classes Help Avert Family Rifts
Gail Weinstein-Shr, a professor of education at Temple University, was working with Southeast Asian refugees in the Philadelphia area when she made a discovery: Educators were creating a rift between parents and their children by teaching the youngsters English-literacy skills the parents did not possess.
Education
As Advertising Aimed at Youths Increases, Firm Plans 'Video Kiosks' in High Schools
An Atlanta company has developed a new way to target advertising to students: television commercials at high-school pay telephones.
Education
School-Funding Guarantee Protected In Agreement on California's Budget
California legislators last week neared an agreement to end an unprecedented fourth week of impasse over the overdue state budget.
Education
Lack of Exits Blamed for Deaths in Texas Bus Crash
A lack of sufficient emergency exits led to the deaths of 21 students in a Sept. 21, 1989, school-bus crash in Alton, Tex., the National Transportation Safety Board concluded last month.
Education
Cavazos Acts on Long-Dormant Civil-Rights Cases
Sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly indeed.
Education
News in Brief
Districts in Idaho and Rhode Island have filed school-finance lawsuits in state courts.
Education
Senate Bill Would Ease Job-Discrimination Lawsuits
Washington--Despite a bitter partisan clash and a veto threat, the Senate July 18 approved a civil-rights bill that would strengthen the hand of employees--including those in schools--who charge their employers with job discrimination.
Education
Drug-Free-Schools Panel Curbs Stress on Alcohol, Tobacco
Washington--Members of the National Commission on Drug-Free Schools made several key compromises at their final meeting last month to avoid a confrontation with Bush Administration officials and others over the stress their report would place on tobacco and alcohol.
Education
Review of Biology Texts Reveals Coverage of Evolution Improved
The coverage of evolution in high-school biology texts has been enhanced dramatically in the past five years, according to a review by two groups advocating instruction in that topic.
Education
State News Roundup
A federal judge has upheld as constitutional a Minnesota law that allows public high-school students to enroll in college courses in public or private institutions, including those with religious affiliations.
Education
Superintendents Dismissed in Los Angeles, Atlanta
Following a rapid sequence of moves last month, the nation's second-largest school district has a new superintendent.
Education
Texas Board Votes To Forbid Retention Before the 1st Grade
In a move characterized by experts as the strongest step taken by a state to stop schools from holding children back an extra year to ensure their "readiness" for 1st grade, the Texas Board of Education has voted unanimously to bar districts from retaining pupils in prekindergarten and kindergarten.
Education
Conferees, Approving Voc.-Ed. Bill, Adopt New Formula for Targeting Aid
House and Senate conferees last week approved a compromise vocational-education reauthorization bill that would target larger federal grants to regional and district programs with an emphasis on academics and technology.
Education
News Updates
Taking New York City school officials to task for their "stubborn failure" to provide appropriate education for handicapped children, a federal judge has denied a request by the city's schools chancellor to delay action in a long-running court case over the school district's special-education services.
Education
48 States Have Alternate Route for Teachers, Survey Finds
Nearly every state has created an "alternate route" for college graduates who want to become teachers without undergoing a traditional teacher-training program, a new study by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education indicates.
Education
History Curricula Stir Controversy in Largest States
In a textbook-adoption process that experts predict could "herald a new generation of social-studies texts" nationwide, a California curriculum-review commission has rejected the history and social-studies texts of nearly all the publishers who submitted books for review.
Education
Mass. Middle School To Focus on Hispanic Youths
The Holyoke (Mass.) Public Schools and the private Mount Holyoke College in nearby South Hadley plan this fall to open a magnet middle school dedicated to addressing the problems of Hispanic children and urban youths.
Education
Capital Digest
Federal aid for school construction in communities whose tax bases are diminished by the presence of federal property or workers is allocated on the basis of grossly outdated priorities and cost estimates, the General Accounting Office concludes in a new report.
Education
New Proposal on Job-Training Sets House Committee at Odds
The House Education and Labor Committee, which is working on legislation to extend the Job Training Partnership Act, scheduled a third markup session this week to address contentious issues raised in a new substitute proposal.
Education
National Board Urged To Reach Out to New Groups
The question of whether accomplished teaching can be measured--and if so, how--dominated two days of spirited conversation at the second national forum sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Education
Text of Statement by 'Scholars in Defense of History'
Following is the statement of the Committee of Scholars in Defense of History, written by the historians Diane Ravitch and Arthur Schlesinger Jr. It first appeared in Newsday.
Education
N.Y. To Ease Transition From Special Ed.
The New York State Board of Regents has approved a wide-ranging set of policies to help disabled students bridge the gap between school and work or further study.
Education
State Journal: Raucous reception; Suit side switch
One morning during the annual meeting of the Education Commission of the States in Seattle last month, workshops were interrupted by the raucous strains of an organ playing such tunes as "Louie, Louie" and ''The Old Grey Mare."
Education
Researchers Cast Skeptical Eye on Efficacy of 'Writing to Read'
While governors in three states have moved recently to mandate or encourage the use of the computer-based "Writing to Read" literacy program in schools, some education researchers caution that the growing popularity of the software may be due less to its educational effectiveness than to creative marketing by the International Business Machines Corporation.
Education
Legislative Update
The The following are summaries of final action by legislatures on education-related matters.
Education
Federal Judge Halts Learnfare for Milwaukee Pupils
A federal judge has at least temporarily halted sanctions against Milwaukee welfare recipients whose children do not attend school regularly, citing problems in the way school-attendance records are kept.