December 12, 2001

Education Week, Vol. 21, Issue 15
Education Capitol Recap
  • Michigan
December 12, 2001
3 min read
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.
Tom Kim, December 12, 2001
2 min read
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.
Debra Viadero, December 12, 2001
3 min read
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
December 12, 2001
3 min read
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.
Rhea R. Borja, December 12, 2001
2 min read
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.
Darcia Harris Bowman, December 12, 2001
3 min read
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.
Mark Stricherz, December 12, 2001
3 min read
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.
December 12, 2001
1 min read
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.
Linda Jacobson, December 12, 2001
5 min read
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.

Felice J. Levine

December 12, 2001
1 min read
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.
Mark Walsh, December 12, 2001
7 min read
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.
Jeff Archer, December 12, 2001
4 min read
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.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, December 12, 2001
7 min read
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.
December 12, 2001
2 min read
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.
Catherine Gewertz, December 12, 2001
2 min read
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.
Robert A. Klempen & Cynthia T. Richetti, December 12, 2001
6 min read
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.
Irving H. Buchen, December 12, 2001
6 min read
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
December 12, 2001
18 min read
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.
Arthur E. Levine, December 12, 2001
5 min read