May 30, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 20, Issue 38
Standards & Accountability
NAACP To Publish Report Cards Evaluating Schools
Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that struck down segregated systems of public schooling, the NAACP plans to release report cards in 2004 evaluating the quality and racial equity of school systems in communities across the country.
Standards & Accountability
Achieve To Produce Math Package For the Middle Grades
A group of political and corporate leaders announced last week that they will offer a full range of services to help raise stagnant mathematics achievement in the nation's middle schools. Includes an accompanying story, "College Board Ventures Into Middle School Territory."
Standards & Accountability
College Board Ventures Into Middle School Territory
With its role in a new math program for middle schools, the College Board is extending its reach below the high school level for the first time.
Education
Research: Searching for a Safer Path
An interdisciplinary research consortium is examining a variety of programs nationwide to identify what works—and what doesn't—in preventing school violence.
School Climate & Safety
Violence-Prevention Projects
More information on the Hamilton Fish consortium or any of its seven violence- prevention projects is available from:
Federal
11 People Indicted in Education Department Fraud Probe
Four Department of Education employees and seven other individuals were indicted last week on federal charges stemming from a year-old probe into an alleged fraud and theft scheme that prosecutors say has cost taxpayers more than $1 million.
Federal
ESEA, Minus Vouchers, Easily Passes House
A surprisingly unified House overwhelmingly passed a version of President Bush's education reform plan last week that would for the first time tie federal aid to school performance on annual math and reading tests.
A surprisingly unified House overwhelmingly passed a version of President Bush's education reform plan last week that would for the first time tie federal aid to school performance on annual math and reading tests.
School Choice & Charters
Cleveland Voucher Decision Appealed To Supreme Court
Advocates of private school vouchers filed long-awaited appeals last week in the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to uphold a program that lets Cleveland schoolchildren use government aid to attend private and religious schools.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Supreme Court To Hear Challenge Of Internet-Porn Law
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed last week to review the constitutionality of a 1998 federal law aimed at protecting children from sexually explicit material on the World Wide Web.
Assessment
Testing Glitch Prompts N. Carolina To Order System Audit
North Carolina education officials last week ordered a major audit of the state's testing and accountability program to determine the soundness of the system after problems emerged over interim scoring measures for the state's end- of-grade math exam.
Education Funding
Alabama OKs Bond Sale to Dull Pain Of Education Cuts
Alabama's governor sought last week to soften the blow of midyear education spending cuts by signing a bill that lets the state borrow up to $110 million.
Education
Federal File
Homeward Bound?
Special rights for special education students? No, the House said last week, reopening a long-festering dispute about the extent to which schools can legally discipline such students.
Federal
State Journal
Promoting a Delay
A bill to delay a ban on social promotion died this month in the Texas Senate. But, oh, what an interesting life it led.
Federal
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Texas Agrees To Help Districts With Teachers' Health Plans
- Ariz. Test Is Focus of OCR Complaint
- 'Cyber' Charter Dispute Flares in Pa.
Curriculum
Bennett's Online Education System Needs Work, Critic Contends
Educators who are hoping William J. Bennett's e-learning startup will deliver cutting-edge education might be disappointed when the company launches its full courses this coming fall, one skeptic contends.
School & District Management
Tribal Colleges' K-12 Links Called Key to Reservations
A new report examines the role of tribal colleges on the reservations they serve, including their links to K-12 schools.
School Choice & Charters
Black Alliance Weighs in With Pro-Voucher Campaign
Critics of vouchers often portray their proponents as white conservatives bent on transforming public schools into open markets, exploiting them to make profits to the detriment of poor black children.
Critics of vouchers often portray their proponents as white conservatives bent on transforming public schools into open markets, exploiting them to make profits to the detriment of poor black children.
School & District Management
Study Cites Flaws in Single-Sex Public Schools
California's precedent-setting experiment to set up separate public schools for girls and boys largely ended in failure, concludes a report released last week.
Families & the Community
Children & Families
Partnerships With Parents
An effort to improve relationships between teachers and parents in the Los Angeles Unified School District is showing signs of progress, a recent evaluation shows.
Education
San Francisco School Spending Investigated
New investigations into the alleged mishandling of facilities funds by San Francisco school administrators may help clear the fog surrounding the district's troubled spending history, officials there say.
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- Chicago School Board President Resigns
- ETS Probes Leak Report
- Fla. District Signs Teachers Early
- Portland Schools Chief Resigns
- Ritalin Class Action Dismissed
- Judge OKs 'Straight' Sweatshirt
- Student Arrested Over Knife
School & District Management
Test Scores Up in Urban Districts, Report Says
Test scores in many of America's urban school districts are inching upward at rates that often outpace those of their states as a whole, according to a report released last week by a national advocacy group for city schools. Includes a chart, "Mathematics and Reading Scores,"
Federal
Senate Shifts as Spending Fight Looms
With Vermont Sen. James M. Jeffords now an ex-Republican and the Senate headed for Democratic control, the most pressing question in Washington is what the abrupt change might mean for the agenda of the White House and Congress, including the education bill still pending in the Senate.
Education
People in the News
Elmer B. McPherson will succeed Kenneth Arndt as the superintendent of the 10,600-student Decatur school district in Illinois on July 1. The Decatur board of education awarded Mr. McPherson, 51, a five-year contract at an annual salary of $116,000. He has served as an assistant superintendent in the district since 1996.
School & District Management
School Safety Lessons Learned: Urban Districts Report Progress
In the fight against school violence, urban centers are the veterans. Yet in all the continuing national talk about school violence, many people believe city schools are often overlooked.
Teaching Profession
Va. School Sees Board-Certified Teachers As Key to Turnaround
Lisa Holm is living a double life at Riverside Elementary School here in suburban Northern Virginia. In the mornings, she teaches reading and writing to a class of 16 1st graders. In the afternoons, she helps to sharpen the skills of other teachers in the building by leading group training sessions and offering one-on-one help.
Lisa Holm is living a double life at Riverside Elementary School here in suburban Northern Virginia. In the mornings, she teaches reading and writing to a class of 16 1st graders. In the afternoons, she helps to sharpen the skills of other teachers in the building by leading group training sessions and offering one-on-one help.