June 24, 1998
Education Week, Vol. 17, Issue 41
Teacher Preparation
N.Y. Regents' Panel Proposes Stringent Teaching Standards
Teachers, districts, and schools of education in New York state would all face stricter accountability measures under a plan proposed last week by the Regents Task Force on Teaching.
Law & Courts
Religious Schools Welcome Back On-Site Title I Services
The crucifix came down from the wall in Room No. 6 at Sacred Heart Primary School last fall, but educators at the Roman Catholic school were more than happy to see it go.
School Climate & Safety
Ariz. High Court Again Rules Finance Plan Unconstitutional
For the fourth time in as many years, the Arizona Supreme Court last week ruled unconstitutional the state's plan to create a more equitable finance system for school construction.
Special Education
New York City Board Moves To Revamp Special Education
The New York City school board took the first step last week toward overhauling special education in the nation's largest school system.
Education Funding
Tobacco Bill's Defeat Leaves K-12 Plans Uncertain
Last week's failure of a massive tobacco-settlement bill in the Senate added new urgency to efforts by the Clinton administration and education lobbyists to find money to pay for class-size reductions and other programs with funding contingent on new cigarette taxes.
Equity & Diversity
For Better or Worse, Girls Catching Up to Boys
Nearly two decades after educators and other experts began noting that girls lagged behind boys on science and math tests, a report shows that girls have virtually caught up to boys in those subjects.
Education
Table: Safe and Drug-Free Schools Dollars
Funding for the Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools program has climbed significantly since the late 1980s.
Education
Legislative Update
The following are summaries of final 1999 budgets for schools and highlights of education-related action during legislative sessions. Budget totals for K-12 education include money for state education administration, but do not include federal, flow-through dollars.
The following are summaries of final 1999 budgets for schools and highlights of education-related action during legislative sessions. Budget totals for K-12 education include money for state education administration, but do not include federal, flow-through dollars.
Ed-Tech Policy
Technology Group Releases National Standards
Technology education is about to join the academic-standards movement.
Special Education
Mich. Districts Chart Course After Spec. Ed. Rulings
These are bittersweet days for the 84 Michigan districts that sued the state 18 years ago for failing to adequately fund its special education mandates.
Education
Vocational Education
Only one in 14, or 7 percent, of Ohio high school seniors is prepared for most entry-level jobs, according to a study commissioned by the Ohio Business Roundtable and the state education department.
Education
Safe Schools Office Finds Itself at Storm's Eye
Even William Modzeleski, who seems to thrive on a schedule that speeds him from meeting to meeting at a dizzying pace, admits things have been pretty hectic lately.
Education
Black Parents at Heart of Tug of War
As a single parent who works as a hairstylist at a Long Island J.C. Penney store, Georgette Collazo has to struggle to give her daughter, Perrisha, a private school education. Ms. Collazo scrimps and saves to pay the roughly $3,500 tuition bill at the pre-K-8 Allen Christian School here.
Education
Federal File
With the recent school slayings in their state still on their minds, Oregon's two senators have introduced a bill designed to keep a closer watch on students who bring guns to school.
To make schools safer
With the recent school slayings in their state still on their minds, Oregon's two senators have introduced a bill designed to keep a closer watch on students who bring guns to school.
Teaching Profession
AFL-CIO Label Is Most Ticklish of Issues For NEA Members Deciding Union's Future
To the millions of employees whose unions are its members, the AFL-CIO is the pre-eminent crusader for the American worker. But to many teachers, the group represents a blue-collar--and sometimes corrupt--style of labor organization that is incompatible with the aims of professionals.
School Climate & Safety
Famed New Trier Opts for Freshman-Only Campus
An issue that has divided neighbors in the well-to-do suburban Chicago villages that make up the New Trier High School District has been settled--at least for now.
Ed-Tech Policy
'Highlights of FCC's June 12 Decision
The FCC's changes will further delay decisions on funding projects for the current year, said Mickey Revenaugh, the vice president for outreach and education of the Schools and Libraries Corp., which administers the E-rate program.
Teaching Profession
Who Is the AFL-CIO?
The labor federation is made up of 72 unions, representing about 13 million employees. Its members include service employees and blue-collar workers, but professionals are the fastest-growing segment. The following labor organizations are among the AFL-CIO's members:
Teaching Profession
NEA's Chase Travels Nation To Lobby for a Single Union
Bob Chase first ruffled feathers with his "new unionism" speech urging teachers and administrators to bury the hatchet and work together for school improvement. Then he broke with his association's longstanding opposition to peer review by supporting plans allowing teachers to mentor and evaluate each other.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
Court Upholds Engler's Orders On Schools Chief's Authority
A Michigan appeals court has upheld Michigan Gov. John Engler's executive orders to transfer vast authority over school policy from the state board of education to the state schools superintendent.
Education
Correction
A story on reinventing government in the June 3, 1998, issue of Education Week misidentified David Kysilko as a spokesman for the National School Boards Association.
A story on reinventing government in the June 3, 1998, issue of Education Week misidentified David Kysilko as a spokesman for the National School Boards Association.
Education
Linking Proposed National Tests To NAEP Bedevils Researchers
It seems President Clinton's proposed voluntary national tests face hurdles beyond those posed by politics and Capitol Hill lawmakers.
Ed-Tech Policy
'E-Rate' Cuts Force Schools To Alter Plans
Educators across the country expressed disappointment last week at the Federal Communications Commission's decision to cut funding for the federal "E-rate" discounts on telecommunications services and equipment.
School Choice & Charters
Teachers College President Endorses Vouchers for Pupils Needing 'Rescue'
The Wall Street Journal's editorial pages carried an argument for vouchers last week from an unexpected source: Arthur Levine, the president of Teachers College, Columbia University.
Education
Report Finds No Easy Solutions for Disparities in School Funding
For anyone waiting for the policy elixir that will level the fiscal playing field between rich and poor school districts--forget it. That's the word from federal researchers who just issued a report on state school finance.
Assessment
Mo., Ore. 8th Graders Have Strong Showing on International Exam
Two American states have learned that their 8th graders can academically hold their own against their peers around the world.