December 12, 2001
Education Week, Vol. 21, Issue 15
Law & Courts
FBI Ends Corruption Probe That Plagued Dallas District
The FBI has ended its 4½-year investigation of alleged fraud and corruption in the Dallas school district, a move that district leaders say lifts a cloud of suspicion as they attempt to gain voter approval for a hefty bond proposal.
Federal
Ed. Dept. Advised to Bolster 'Seal of Approval'
A new report calls for fixing—but not abandoning—the Department of Education's process for designating "exemplary" and "promising" educational programs.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Arizona Reports Scoring Errors
On State Exams - New Georgia Report Card
Goes Online With More Data - Illinois Construction Fund
Shrinks; Crisis Looms - Hawaii Spec. Ed. System
Avoids Federal Takeover
Education
New Baldrige Award in Education Honors Alaska, New York Districts
Two school districts and a university were named last week as the first education winners in the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award competition.
School Climate & Safety
Federal Study Stresses Warning Signs of School Violence
A federal study of violent deaths in American schools found that there were warning signs—such as verbal threats, notes, or suicidal behavior—prior to many of the incidents.
Education Funding
Leadership Grants Find Plenty of New Takers
Until this fall, the Denver-based Public Education and Business Coalition had never before trained school principals. But that changed when the organization won a $42,000 grant from the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds.
Education
International
Relative Peace
Roman Catholic girls who attend the Holy Cross Girls Primary School in Belfast, Northern Ireland, are walking to school in relative peace, now that nearby demonstrations have been called off.
School & District Management
Schooled in Politics, Calif. Parents Regroup
After a bitter defeat at the polls on Nov. 6 taught them some lessons about the political strength of teachers' unions, the backers of a new Carson Unified School District are starting over from scratch— a process that could take several years.
Education
People in the News
The American Educational Research Association announced last week that it has appointed Felice J. Levine to be its executive director.
School & District Management
RAND Study Balances the Debate On School Choice
A major review of scholarly research on private school vouchers and charter schools released last week concludes that there are no clear answers yet about whether they are an effective alternative to the traditional public school system.
Teaching Profession
End of Strike Opens Jail Cells For N.J. Teachers
Teachers and secretaries on strike in a New Jersey district were summoned to court and given a choice of returning to work or going to jail. In all, 228 had been put behind bars by the end of last week.
Reading & Literacy
Schools Stress Writing for the Test
Throughout California, and around the country, teachers are responding to the pressure of high-stakes testing by spending more time teaching writing and building written exercises. But many teachers, critics say, are simply adapting or reducing their writing instruction to a formula for success on state exams.
Education
ESEA Highlights
Here are some key provisions of the bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now being put in final form by members of Congress. These highlights are based on a summary provided by the staff of the Republican majority on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. As of last week, Democratic and Republican leaders said the core of the bill was largely complete, with the exception of special education funding. Some of the agreements, however, had not been ratified by the full House-Senate conference committee working on the bill.
School & District Management
Report Finds Progress In Baltimore-State Partnership
Baltimore schools have improved significantly under a partnership with the state of Maryland, an independent consultant's report has found, but the system still has much work to do before its students are performing on par with their peers throughout the state.
School & District Management
Opinion
Greening the Next Generation Of Principals
Experience will take principals only so far. What's needed is a systematic problem-solving and decision-making process, say authors Robert A. Klempen and Cynthia T. Richetti.
School & District Management
Opinion
Change Overload
New solutions can be too much of a good thing, says Irving H. Buchen. It's time to declare a moratorium on educational innovations and let teachers breathe.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letters
- 'Clusters' Improve Odds for Charters
- Reading 'Immersion' Works in Florida
- Historical Questions for Voucher Backers
- Specialized Schools Are Science Models
- Push for Social, Not Just School, Reform
- Reading Teachers Need Skills and Help
- Small-Schools Data, Cause and Effect
- To Urban League, Advice on Reading
- Test-Takers' Plight: We're All to Blame
- Learning Styles: Intuitively Appealing Nonsense
- 'Multiple Measures:' And the Ironies of Centralized Power
School & District Management
Opinion
An Endgame for School Reform
Americans suffer from a crisis mentality. As the nation gears up to face its next crisis, education is unlikely to remain a high priority much longer. Time to move into the endgame, says Arthur Levine.