November 15, 2000
Education Week, Vol. 20, Issue 11
School & District Management
Mich. Charter Schools Scoring Lower
Students in Michigan's regular public schools are generally outperforming their charter school peers on state achievement tests of basic academic subjects, according to a study released this month.
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- Ga. Teacher Groups Fight Over Records
- Report Faults N.Y. Urban Teachers
- General Tapped as Schools Chief
- 14 Hurt in Utah Lab Mishap
- Boy Convicted of Killing Teacher
- L.A. Mayor Eyes School Job
- Ky. Hackers Face Expulsion
Education Funding
State Voters OK More Spending For Education
Voters in several states elected to put money in schools rather than taxpayers' pockets, analysts say. See the accompanying table, "State Ballot Measures: Results."
English-Language Learners
Arizona Curtails Bilingual Education
Arizona last week became the second state to approve a ballot initiative curtailing bilingual education in the public schools.
Education
State Ballot Measures
Here are the results of measures on the Nov. 7 state ballots that related directly to precollegiate education. The list includes questions placed on ballots through a citizen-initiative process as well as measures that legislatures put before voters in statewide referendums.Proposition 202: Would require cities and counties to adopt growth-management plans setting boundaries for new development, and require developers to pay full costs of schools and other infrastructure needed to serve new subdivisions. FAILED
English-Language Learners
LEP Testing Controversy Plays Out In Calif. Court
Four California school districts are expected to argue in a state court next week that a controversial 1997 law requiring them to include all limited-English-proficient children in a standardized test be overturned.
Federal
Elections Yield Delicate New Balance On Hill
Congressional Democrats reaped modest gains in last week's hard-fought elections, which some observers say could step up pressure for a more centrist, bipartisan approach to federal education policy. Includes: "2001 Budget Awaits Lame-Duck Congress," and the table, "How Education Committee Members Fared."
School Choice & Charters
Voucher Initiatives Defeated In Calif., Mich.
Voucher initiatives in California and Michigan were overwhelmingly defeated last week but voucher advocates responded that the latest ballot losses would not be a long-term setback for their movement. Includes: "Prospects for Wash. Charter School Initiative Look Dim."
School & District Management
Leadership
In Touch Online
School boards in five districts may soon get to know their communities a little better—and they'll do it electronically.
Education
It All Adds Up
Students who took algebra generally showed greater gains in mathematics achievement on the National Educational Longitudinal Study between 1988 and 1990 than those who did not take the course.
Education
Correction
An item in the People in the News column in the Nov. 8, 2000, issue of Education Week ("People in the News") gave an incorrect location for the headquarters of the Academy for Educational Development. It is based in Washington.
School & District Management
First Elected President Chosen For D.C. Board
Voters in the District of Columbia swept all but two school board incumbents out of office on Election Day, clearing the way for a transformation of school leadership in the nation's capital.
School & District Management
Louisville School Ratings at Odds With Kentucky Goals
Kentucky's largest and most urban district is at odds again with backers of the state's high-profile school accountability system, who worry that expectations are being lowered for needy students.
Education
Nation Ponders Unsettled Presidential Vote
Whoever the next president is, he will enter the White House without a sure direction from the voters and with a Congress nearly split in two along partisan lines.
Equity & Diversity
Ore. Rejects Proposal To Restrict What Schools Teach About Gays
Oregon voters rejected a proposal on their statewide ballot last week that would have prevented teachers in public schools from offering lessons construed as condoning homosexual behavior.
Teaching Profession
NEA, AFT Leave Mark on Congress, Ballot Measures
The teachers's unions saw some gains from their costly investment in election and ballot initiative campaigns.
School Choice & Charters
Prospects for Wash. Charter School Initiative Look Dim
A ballot measure that would legalize charter schools in Washington state appeared to be headed for defeat at press time last week.
States
States Tap 4 Incumbents and 2 Newcomers In Chiefs' Races
None of the state school chiefs' races begot the kind of unusual plot twists that marked the presidential contest. Instead, candidates who won tended to follow more predictable scripts. Includes the chart: "State School Chiefs Results."</
Education Funding
Shoah Foundation Offers Holocaust Lessons
As more states conclude that students must learn about the Holocaust, teachers wrestling with how best to convey such complex and emotionally explosive material are finding help in an unlikely place: Hollywood.
Education
Principals' Workshops Overhauled
The National Association of Secondary School Principals is offering two variations on its traditional assessment tools, which have been widely used across the country since the 1970s.
Budget & Finance
District Mulls 'Naming' Rights For Businesses
Public schools in Charlotte, N.C., could go the way of modern-day sports stadiums under a proposal that would allow district officials to name rooms and other school facilities for corporate donors.
Education
A Boot Camp for Leaders
The U.S. Army War College has been training top military personnel for a century. Does it know something about leadership that educators don't?
The U.S. Army War College has been training top military personnel for a century. Does it know something about leadership that educators don't?
School & District Management
Student Jobs Hurt Math, Science Scores
A new study suggests that even when students' socioeconomic status and previous educational achievement were taken into account, jobs still had a "significant negative effect" on coursework and achievement in math and science.