July 28, 2004
Education Week, Vol. 23, Issue 43
Teaching Profession
AFT Conducts Probe of Election In Chicago
The American Federation of Teachers was expected late last week to have completed its investigation into who is the rightful president of the Chicago Teachers Union. A panel sent by the AFT will also decide whether the local union under President Deborah Lynch was acting properly when it invalidated the results of the election that appeared to unseat her.
Teacher Preparation
Imig to Step Down From Teacher-Colleges Group
After almost 35 years at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education—with most of that time in the top job—David G. Imig has announced that he is retiring.
Education
Scoring Error Clouds Hiring Of Teachers
An incorrectly graded licensing exam for prospective teachers has stalled hiring in some places, sent school districts rummaging through employment records, and spawned at least one lawsuit so far.
Assessment
Tougher Exam for GED Spurs Ups and Downs
Participation in the GED testing program plunged by nearly 44 percent during the most recent recorded year. Includes a chart, "Taking the Plunge."
School Choice & Charters
New Group to Push For Charter Schools
Hoping to lend renewed momentum to a movement whose growth has slowed in recent years, charter school leaders are stepping up efforts to enhance their eclectic sector’s political and organizational clout. Includes the accompanying story, "Guiding Principles."
Education
Guiding Principles
After much debate, the revamped Charter School Leadership Council has settled on the following "common set of principles":
Education
Deadlines
August 1—Call for Proposals: Applications are due for proposals for the 2005 Careers Conference, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center on Education and Work. Presentations on topics such as, but not limited to, career development, career counseling, transition strategies, school-to- career programs, and career assessment, are requested. Contact: Carol Edds, CEW/UWM, 1025 W. Johnson St., 964 Education Sciences, Madison, WI 53706-1796; (800) 446-0399; fax: (608) 262-3063; e-mail: cewconf@education.wisc.edu; Web site: www.cew.wisc.edu/career.
Education
Immunization Schedule
Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. For example, the measles vaccine is not usually given until a child is at least a year old. If it is given earlier than that, it may not work as well. On the other hand, DTaP vaccine should be given over a period of time, in a series of properly spaced doses.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Vexing Vaccines
Schools play a key role in ensuring that children are being immunized against diseases, but conflicting research is making enforcement more difficult.
Education
Smoking-Prevention Spending
This chart shows the percent of money each state spent in fiscal year 2004 on smoking-prevention programs from tobacco-settlement money. Some states spent no money on such programs.
Education
High Achievers
The children of recent immigrants to the United States are among the highest achievers in mathematics and science as judged by prestigious nationwide competitions. Such students reached academic heights in three of those competitions this past school year.
Education
Scholarly Citings
When the U.S. Department of Education released its high school transcript study this spring, federal officials trumpeted the good news: More students were taking tougher academic courses in 2000 than were in 1990.
Different Perspective
When the U.S. Department of Education released its high school transcript study this spring, federal officials trumpeted the good news: More students were taking tougher academic courses in 2000 than were in 1990.
Education
Letter to the Editor
Letters
- Teach For America: Two Testimonials
- Reader Takes Issue With Hopkins Dropout Study
- Small-School Benefits Should Not Be Lost
- Education's Clearinghouse: One Researcher Tells What's Not Working
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
The New Math on Graduation Rates
Serious consequences must follow failures to improve graduation rates of minority and other disadvantaged students, writes Christopher B. Swanson.
Federal
Students Try Hands at Solving Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
During a conference this month at Phillips Academy, students from across the United States and many countries around the world attempted to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Assessment
Opinion
Down the Rabbit Hole
The No Child Left Behind law has forced educators to play a "mad game of croquet," says Sherman Minter, a principal in Shugnak, Alaska.
Equity & Diversity
Paige Blasts NAACP Leaders’ ‘Hateful’ Rhetoric on Bush
Secretary of Education Rod Paige questioned the NAACP’s commitment to improving the education of African-American children.
Federal
Federal Grant Involving Bennett’s K12 Inc. Questioned
The U.S. Department of Education’s decision to award $4.1 million to an online education company founded by William J. Bennett raises questions.
Education
People in the News
James Crawford has been named the executive director of the National Association for Bilingual Education.
Education
Correction
An item in the Teaching & Learning column in the July 14, 2004, issue of Education Week on a symposium sponsored by the Siemens Foundation ("The Science of Music") misidentified Mark Jude Tramo. He is the director of the Institute for Music and Brain Science at Harvard University.
School & District Management
Tracking the Exercise-Achievement Link
When the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School opened its doors in 1998, founder Linda Moore faced a challenge common to many schools, especially in poor urban areas: how to provide students with enough physical activity. Includes the column, "Scholarly Citings."
When the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School opened its doors in 1998, founder Linda Moore faced a challenge common to many schools, especially in poor urban areas: how to provide students with enough physical activity. Includes the column, "Scholarly Citings."