June 12, 2002
Education Week, Vol. 21, Issue 40
Education
Honors & Awards
BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
The U.S. Department of Education recently named 172 middle and high schools National Schools of Excellence under the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Public and private schools are nominated by state education agencies, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the Council for American Private Education, and are chosen through an evaluation of the nomination reports and site visits by experienced principals and administrators.
The U.S. Department of Education recently named 172 middle and high schools National Schools of Excellence under the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Public and private schools are nominated by state education agencies, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the Council for American Private Education, and are chosen through an evaluation of the nomination reports and site visits by experienced principals and administrators.
School & District Management
Student Enrollment Surges In Minn. Alternative Schools
Enrollment in Minnesota's public-school-choice programs grew enormously during the 1990s, particularly among students who moved from traditional public schools to alternative schools, according to a new study.
School & District Management
Research: Holding Up a Mirror
Teacher-researchers use their own classrooms to investigate questions in education—and they are producing knowledge that other teachers pay attention to. Includes a resource list, "The Movement for Teacher Research."
Education
Leadership Groups Hope to Launch Advanced Certification
A new push is under way to jump-start stalled efforts to create a system of advanced certification for principals and superintendents, akin to the national certification process for teachers.
Law & Courts
Nev. School District To Get Access To Athletes' Court Records
In what could be a first-of-its-kind policy, school officials in Washoe County, Nev., will have access to court and police records for all of their high school student athletes this coming fall.
Ed-Tech Policy
Tracking Technology Trends
A survey of technology leaders from 811 school districts revealed some interesting trends. One especially noteworthy one involved the use of students to provide technical support for district computers.
Education
Urban Challenge Sites
A centerpiece of the $500 million Annenberg Challenge was a series of matching grants made between January 1995 and January 1997 to improve schools in nine large urban areas. Each grant had to be matched two-for-one by money raised from other sources, except for the Los Angeles project, which required only a dollar-for-dollar match. A summary of project goals follows.
Education
Retrospective
Lay teachers become the majority in Catholic schools; athletes face stricter academic-eligibility requirements; the Dade County, Fla., school system expects to keep more than half its schools open and operating over the summer; and more.
Lay teachers become the majority in Catholic schools; athletes face stricter academic-eligibility requirements; the Dade County, Fla., school system expects to keep more than half its schools open and operating over the summer; and more.
Infrastructure
Schools Still Required to Install Internet Filters
Most schools must still comply with a federal law requiring them to install filtering software to prevent children from viewing Internet pornography on school computers, despite a ruling that struck down the law as it applied to public libraries.
Education
People in the News
Burdette W. Andrews, who is likely the nation's oldest still-serving superintendent, plans to retire from the 1,200- student Vandercook Lake public schools in Michigan at the end of this month. Mr. Andrews, 94, has been on the job since 1946. ("Mich. Superintendent Still on the Job at 92 and Counting," Feb. 9, 2000.)
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Education
News in Brief: A National Roundup
- Edison Gets Financing for Phila. Expansion
- Massachusetts Teen Avoids Trial for Alleged School Attack Plot
- Ohio Aids Rural School District After Bank's Loss of Funds
- Newly Named Board in Maryland Votes to Retain District Chief
- Ariz. District Seeks to Recoup Insurance Costs for Ex-Workers
- L.A. Asks Fewer Teachers to Sign Commitments
- Deaths: John A. Moore; C. William Brubaker
Education
Corrections
A story about computer scoring of essays ("States Testing Computer-Scored Essays,") in the May 29, 2002, issue of Education Week gave an incorrect first name for the spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She is Beth Gaydos.
Education Funding
Budget Cuts Target Schools' Summer Courses
In the face of steep declines in tax revenues, many school districts are scrapping or scaling back their summer school programs, despite pressure on students to meet higher standards.
Equity & Diversity
Advocates Call for Breakdown Of Gender Barriers in Voc. Ed.
In a study released last week, the Washington-based National Women's Law Center argues that vocational education steers too many girls into courses that lead to low-paying occupations, rather than into trade and technology tracks, which remain male-dominated and pay better. Includes the chart "Choosing a Path."
Education
Choosing a Path
High school students receive little guidance about careers and postsecondary education, particularly when it comes to options other than attending four-year colleges and universities, researchers at Michigan's Ferris State University have found. They concluded that teenagers' career goals were defined overwhelmingly by parents, rather than guidance counselors and others. The researchers interviewed 809 high school juniors and seniors around the country.
School & District Management
Mass. Group Shares Models Of School Success
As is common across the nation, some schools in Massachusetts are succeeding while other, often similar schools in the state are struggling.
Education Funding
Philanthropy Update
- Group to Grade Pittsburgh School Chief, Board
- Enhancing Accountability
- Teaching Difficult Students
- Pay for Performance
Recruitment & Retention
State Probes La. District On Overtime
A report by the Louisiana state auditor has raised questions about how a New Orleans school janitor could possibly have earned $85,144 in overtime in 2½ years. The janitor, Alphonse Davis, is the father of the superintendent of the New Orleans public school system.
Student Well-Being
Anti-Drug Ad Campaign Falls Flat, Study Says
A new study suggests that the government's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, aimed at persuading young people not to use drugs, has not been effective in influencing youths.
Education
News in Brief: A State Capitals Roundup
- Florida Ballot Questions Seek Changes to New K-20 System
- Legislature to Curb N.Y.C. Board's Power
- Calif. Lawmakers Take Up Backpacks
- Study: Kansas Students Need More Money
- La. Teachers Get a Hand Buying Homes
- Mo. Law Aligns Requirements for Disabled
Teaching Profession
Qualifications of Teachers Falling Short
More than half the nation's middle school students and a quarter of its high school students are learning core academic subjects from teachers who lack certification in those subjects and did not major in them in college, a new federal survey shows. Includes the chart "Students' Exposure to Out-of-Field Teachers."
Education
The Movement for Teacher Research
These publications and World Wide Web sites offer some additional information on the teacher-research movement:
Education
Early Years
An effort to improve early-childhood services for needy children in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County has succeeded in opening several new, high-quality programs. But the initiative, which was financed by foundations and private donors, has not met its original goals, and costs have climbed far higher than planned, a recent study by the RAND Corp. found.
Great Expectations
An effort to improve early-childhood services for needy children in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County has succeeded in opening several new, high-quality programs. But the initiative, which was financed by foundations and private donors, has not met its original goals, and costs have climbed far higher than planned, a recent study by the RAND Corp. found.
Education Funding
Annenberg Challenge Yields Lessons for Those Hoping to Change Schools
Annenberg Challenge leaders from around the country will convene in Washington this week for the release of a report that paints a generally upbeat portrait of the initiative's contributions. Includes the chart "Urban Challenge Sites."
Education
Federal File