March 27, 2002
Education Week, Vol. 21, Issue 28
Education
Reaching Consensus
The negotiating committee considering rules for state standards and tests under the "No Child Left Behind" Act recommended a number of other changes or clarifications in the draft regulations from the Department of Education. Here are some highlights of the panel's proposals:
Teaching Profession
Unions Turn Cold Shoulder on Charters
Floated early on as an idea by the American Federation of Teachers' legendary leader Albert Shanker, charter schools seemed to offer the promise of creating a variety of public schools free from bureaucratic meddling. But as laws favoring the new-style schools passed in state after state, teachers' unions generally opposed them.
Education
About This Series
Charter schools—independently operated public schools of choice, first authorized by a 1991 Minnesota law—have been in operation only since 1992. But they are slowly changing the landscape of public education.
Equity & Diversity
Ore. School District Reaches Out to New Arrivals From Mexico
The 15 home-school consultants in Oregon's 19,000-student Hillsboro school district see it as their job to help Mexican immigrant families meet basic needs so their children are more likely to attend school.
Equity & Diversity
Distaff Dynasty
Female athletes often struggle to get equal resources—much less recognition. Not so in Fosston, Minn., where the girls' basketball team wins games and the adoration of an entire town.
Education
Urban Education
Mayoral Control
Eager to take control of the nation's largest public school system, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is promoting his view of school governance at every turn.
School Choice & Charters
Aid Plan Launched for Urban Christian Schools
A group representing Christian schools is launching a program to help such schools thrive in urban communities. Christian Schools International hopes that by developing a model to guide the creation of self-sustaining schools in urban centers, newly founded Christian schools can remain open.
Education
Correction
In the On Assignment feature about Mexican education in the March 20, 2002, issue of Education Week ("Educating Mexico,") a map showing the average educational level attained in each Mexican state included incorrect color coding for two states. The state of Michoacán should have been shown in white, meaning its residents had gone to school until the 6th or 7th grade. Chiapas should have been shown in tan, meaning people living there did not, on average, exceed the 6th grade.
Education
School Lunch Program at a Glance
- More than 27 million children in 97,700 American schools get free or reduced-cost meals each day through the National School Lunch Program.
Education
Worth Noting
"How do I teach at this difficult time? I teach carefully, desperately, deliberately, and honestly. The day after the World Trade Center was attacked, a young Arab high school student stopped me in the hallway and grasped my hand a little too tightly. She looked pleadingly into my eyes and said, 'Miss Darvin, I hope that the other kids understand that my family and community had nothing to do with this. They know that, right?' I took a deep breath and felt tears springing to my eyes. What should I say to this girl? I knew in my heart that there would be those people who wouldn't understand, who would let hate and prejudice cloud their judgment and their willingness to understand what had occurred. At the same time, I thought about my role as a teacher. I am supposed to help the students feel safe. I am supposed to tell them that everything's going to be all right. At that moment, though, honesty was the only thing that I could offer to her. 'I hope so,' I said softly. 'I really hope that they do.' The next morning, on my way to school, I stopped at McDonald's for breakfast. As I stood in line, I overheard two people talking behind me. One voice said, 'They should take all of the Muslims that live in New York and send them back to where they came from. We don't need them here.' The second voice replied, 'That's too good for them. We should just execute them all.' I thought about my student and began to cry. I left quickly, without any breakfast."
States
States Weigh Bills to Stoke Students' Patriotism
State lawmakers around the country have been crafting legislation that would have schools begin the day with the Pledge of Allegiance, post the national motto "In God We Trust" in classrooms, or require students to take classes that teach patriotism.
Standards
Tough Audit Prompts Ga. Chief To Seek Curriculum Rewrite
A recent audit that found Georgia's K-12 curriculum to be rife with gaps and lacking in rigor has prompted officials to begin a wholesale revision of the state's 5-year-old academic guidelines.
States
Blagojevich Defeats Vallas in Tight Illinois Primary Win
U.S. Rep. Rod R. Blagojevich edged out former Chicago schools chief Paul G. Vallas last week in the Democratic primary race to become the next governor of Illinois.
U.S. Rep. Rod R. Blagojevich edged out former Chicago schools chief Paul G. Vallas last week in the Democratic primary race to become the next governor of Illinois.
Curriculum
Voters Reject Referendum Urging District To Adopt Core Knowledge
Voters in an Illinois town last week defeated a referendum that would have encouraged their K-8 school district to adopt a specific curriculum.
School & District Management
Study: Minimum ADHD Incidence Is 7.5 Percent
Educators on the front lines of spotting and helping students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may lack a clear picture of the syndrome's prevalence, but a new study aims to help clarify the question.
Student Well-Being
LAUSD Orders Charter School To Scrap Its Attendance Policy
A controversy over a charter school's attendance policy has rankled teachers and sparked a heated conversation about standards, accountability, teachers' rights, and the influence of politically powerful parents.
Education Funding
'Early College' High Schools Get Funding Boost
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last week announced that it will award more than $40 million in grant money to create 70 small "early college" high schools.
Education
Retrospective
Selected stories from March 31, 1982: Shortages of math and science teachers reach crisis point, a survey says; members of the Reagan cabinet approve a proposal for private-school-tuition tax credits; Denver develops a new desegregation plan; four nuns in Hampton, N.H., sue the diocesan bishop and school superintendent to find out why they were fired; and more.
Selected stories from March 31, 1982: Shortages of math and science teachers reach crisis point, a survey says; members of the Reagan cabinet approve a proposal for private-school-tuition tax credits; Denver develops a new desegregation plan; four nuns in Hampton, N.H., sue the diocesan bishop and school superintendent to find out why they were fired; and more.
School Climate & Safety
Voters in Atlanta-Area Districts Extend Tax for Schools
Six school districts in and around Atlanta expect to have almost $2 billion in sales-tax revenue for school facilities over the next five years, thanks to voters who went to the polls last week.
Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- District Sued Over Method for Proving Residence
- Albuquerque Breakup Plan Draws N.M. Governor's Veto
- Wrestling Coach in Indiana Charged With Animal Cruelty
- Cincinnati District Seeks Help in Saving School Ornamentation
- Teacher Offers Extra Credit for Buying Flag Stickers
- Mich. Father Wins Refund of Laptop-Computer Fees
- Parents of Slain Students File Claim Against District
Accountability
Michigan on Verge of Getting New System to Grade Schools
After years of stop-and-start efforts, the Michigan state board of education has approved a school evaluation system that would give each school a grade using what is likely the nation's broadest array of grading criteria.
Education
News in Brief: A Washington Roundup
- Committee Alters, OKs Research Plan
- Study to Examine Reading Programs
- Bills Seek Loan Relief for Teachers
Education
Settling In
The chart shows the states where Mexican emigrants, ages 5-18, have taken up residence in the United States.
Special Education
Senate Democrats Hope to Pass IDEA Overhaul This Year
The Senate education committee plans to move quickly to pass its version of the main federal law on special education, which is up for reauthorization this year.
The Senate education committee plans to move quickly to pass its version of the main federal law on special education, which is up for reauthorization this year.