June 10, 1998
Education Week, Vol. 17, Issue 39
Education
State Journal
Nannie Abbey Marie Sanchez, who may have been the first person with Down syndrome to seek an elected state office, lost her bid for a seat on the 15-member New Mexico school board last week. ("State Board Candidate Sets Out To Defy Expectations," May 20, 1998.)
Nannie Sanchez update
Nannie Abbey Marie Sanchez, who may have been the first person with Down syndrome to seek an elected state office, lost her bid for a seat on the 15-member New Mexico school board last week. ("State Board Candidate Sets Out To Defy Expectations," May 20, 1998.)
Federal
Federal Class-Size Reports Do an About-Face
Just last month, the Department of Education released a report stating that the "consensus of research indicates that class-size reduction in the early grades leads to higher student achievement."
Education
Californians Reject District-Spending Measure
Fortune smiled on California school district administrators last week as voters approved millions of dollars worth of local bond measures while rejecting a proposed statewide restriction on districts' administrative spending.
School & District Management
New Magnet School Policies Sidestep an Old Issue: Race
As the days of desegregation by decree draw to a close, many schools and communities again find themselves asking how to preserve the perceived gains made under court-ordered plans--or to undo the perceived harm they inflicted. Past policies seem no longer to fit in a climate that looks with suspicion on drawing distinctions on the basis of race or ethnicity.
School & District Management
Phila. Budget Passes, Easing Takeover Threat
With the threat of a state takeover looming, Philadelphia district leaders have adopted a $1.5 billion 1998-99 budget that ensures--despite earlier forecasts--that city schools will remain open the entire school year.
Education
Private Schools
Roman Catholic education leaders are trying not to let news of their continuing success blind them to major challenges they say still lie ahead.
School & District Management
Houston Reaches for Diversity Without Quotas
Ask people what they think of this city's new policy on divvying up slots in public magnet programs, and just about everyone has a story--or at least an opinion.
School & District Management
Buffalo Seeks a Smooth Transition After Release From Court Oversight
In a classroom of the Frederick Law Olmsted School one recent afternoon, a team of educators pored over a stack of applications for six-dozen coveted spots in the school's incoming kindergarten class.
Education
Proms, Graduations Spur Schools To Redouble Anti-Drinking Efforts
Newville, Pa.
Big Spring High School's first annual anti-drinking-and-driving fair was almost over. Students had picked up brochures, watched a video about drunken-driving accidents, undergone mock sobriety tests administered by police officers, and sampled nonalcoholic mixers from a "mocktails" stand.
Big Spring High School's first annual anti-drinking-and-driving fair was almost over. Students had picked up brochures, watched a video about drunken-driving accidents, undergone mock sobriety tests administered by police officers, and sampled nonalcoholic mixers from a "mocktails" stand.
Teaching Profession
Merger Camps Making Push in Home Stretch
Washington
As next month's historic merger vote nears, the leaders of the National Education Association are making an all-out effort to persuade their members to vote in favor of uniting with the American Federation of Teachers--at the same time that NEA members who oppose a merger are coordinating efforts to defeat it.
As next month's historic merger vote nears, the leaders of the National Education Association are making an all-out effort to persuade their members to vote in favor of uniting with the American Federation of Teachers--at the same time that NEA members who oppose a merger are coordinating efforts to defeat it.
Equity & Diversity
Phila. Panel on Teachers Finds No Widespread Discrimination
A special panel formed to investigate disciplinary proceedings against black teachers in the Philadelphia schools has found no evidence of widespread discrimination.
A special panel formed to investigate disciplinary proceedings against black teachers in the Philadelphia schools has found no evidence of widespread discrimination.
Federal
The Money Flowed, But Only Some Campaigns Cashed In
Last week's California elections dispensed a golden rule for school activists and politicians: Money matters, but not always.
Education
Schools Chief Race Not Over
Last week's California primary set up a potentially dramatic face-off in November for the state's top education job.
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Education
Religious Freedom Amendment Fails in House Vote
In the first floor vote on a school prayer measure in more than a generation, the House last week fell well short of the majority needed to pass the proposed Religious Freedom Amendment.
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Reading & Literacy
Drilling in Texas
The children sit in neat rows on the floor, their legs crisscrossed, hands
in their laps. In unison, they sound out the letters, their voices loud
and clear, as part of the morning reading drill.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
OCR Clears N.C. Schools Program; Colo. Links Goals, Accreditation
Education
Research Notes
A disorderly 1st grade classroom may well be a training ground for boys who become troublemakers in middle school, a group of Johns Hopkins University researchers has concluded.
1ST GRADE FALLOUT
A disorderly 1st grade classroom may well be a training ground for boys who become troublemakers in middle school, a group of Johns Hopkins University researchers has concluded.
Education
News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
House Panel OKs Bilingual Education Bill
The House Education and the Workforce Committee last Thursday passed a measure that would turn federal funding for bilingual education into block grants and give states more flexibility in the programs they offer.
School Choice & Charters
Effort is largest single private investment.
Two high-profile millionaires-turned-philanthropists plan to launch a national privately financed voucher program that would offer scholarships to as many as 50,000 poor students over the next four years.
Education
A Half Dozen Principles
Under the Houston district's "balanced'' reading policy, teachers must
incorporate the following components into their reading instructio
Law & Courts
Appeals Court Rejects Employee-Drug-Test Policies
A federal appeals court has struck down two Louisiana districts' policies on testing teachers and other school workers for drugs following workplace accidents.
Education
Legislative Update
The following summarize final 1999 budgets for schools and highlights of education-related action in legislatures. Totals for K-12 education include money for state education administration, but not federal, flow-through dollars.
English-Language Learners
Uncertainty Follows Vote on Prop. 227
California's educators and its 1.4 million limited-English-proficient students are in limbo.
School & District Management
Work vs. Homework
At 17, Stacy Kessler has built quite a long resume: movie theater usher,
video store clerk, salesperson in a candy store. Like many teenagers, she
has held a string of after-school jobs since she was 14, and enjoys the
chance to gain business savvy while earning extra money.