February 16, 2005

Education Week, Vol. 24, Issue 23
English Learners A State Capitals Roundup Court Backs Arizona Rules On Teachers of English
A federal judge has decided that Arizona’s rules for training teachers how to work with English-language learners do not fall short of an agreement the state made with the court to address the education of such students.
Mary Ann Zehr, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Education Biting Back
Students are teaching one another in a grassroots campaign in Florida called “Kidz Bite Back”—an effort to combat the growing numbers of overweight children.
February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Education A National Roundup Back to School
The superintendent of the Minneapolis public schools has to complete a course in school finance in order to be certified to hold her job in the state.
Ann Bradley, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Students read a story to their class.
Bonham Elementary School in San Anthonio runs a two-way language-immersion program in English and Spanish that begins in kindergarten. Left to right, 3rd graders Eduardo Zapata, Elizabeth Trevino Narezo, and Anna Naim read a story in English to their class.
Wendi Poole for Education Week
Federal Two-Way Language Immersion Grows in Popularity
Promising results from research on two-way language-immersion programs have pumped up the popularity of such programs in recent years.
Mary Ann Zehr, February 15, 2005
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6 min read
Federal Halt of Migrant Survey Viewed as Loss of Data About Working Youths
The Department of Labor has temporarily halted the collection of data for a national survey of migrant and seasonal farmworkers that’s yielded information for the Education Department about working youths who do not attend U.S. schools.
Mary Ann Zehr, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
School & District Management R.I. State Commissioner Imposes Plan of Action on Providence School
In an unusually hands-on approach to state intervention, Rhode Island’s top education official has ordered big changes at a high school in the state’s largest district, including the re-evaluation of all teachers and administrators there to decide who should be transferred from the building.
Jeff Archer, February 15, 2005
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4 min read
Dennis Szymkowiak is an English teacher at Mundelein High School.
Dennis Szymkowiak, an English teacher at Mundelein High School, and his brother, a math teacher there, say student literacy skills are vital for all subjects.
Photo by John Zich
School & District Management Dynamic Duo
While researchers generally agree that literacy skills should be taught directly to adolescents, the practice is often overlooked. At this Illinois high school, two brothers are leading the charge.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 15, 2005
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9 min read
Education Grants

GRANTS AWARDED


Last month, the S. Mark Taper Foundation awarded a $75,000 grant to the Los Angeles Unified School District's Crisis Counseling and Intervention Services Unit. The grant will help the district provide training for school mental health professionals on the latest school interventions.
February 15, 2005
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5 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education People in the News Kevin P. Chavous
Kevin P. Chavous was named last week as a Distinguished Fellow with the Center for Education Reform.
Jessica L. Tonn, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Special Education Suit Says NCLB’s Demands Conflict With Those of IDEA
Two Illinois school districts have sued the U.S. Department of Education, claiming that some of the accountability measures of the No Child Left Behind Act should be invalidated because they are in direct conflict with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Christina A. Samuels, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
School Choice & Charters Report Takes Aim at First Year of D.C. Voucher Program
Only 6 percent of the students participating in the first year of the federally financed private-school-voucher program for the District of Columbia came from public schools designated as being in need of improvement, according to a report released last week by the People for the American Way Foundation.
Christina A. Samuels, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
Curriculum Radio Host, NEA Set Up Fund to Train Minority Teachers
The National Education Association has teamed up with radio host and philanthropist Tom Joyner to encourage more minority teachers to work in the nation’s hard-to-staff schools.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
School Climate & Safety Architects Learn From School Tours
Seeking inspiration for better school designs, members of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on Architecture for Education toured three Washington-area schools last week.
Joetta L. Sack, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Education Report Roundup District Competition
A new study argues that findings of potential links between school district competition and improved student academic performance, as cited in a previous study, are overstated and need to be studied more carefully.
Sean Cavanagh, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels chats with Rep. Ralph Ayres following a speech on Jan. 19.
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels chats with Rep. Ralph Ayres following a speech on Jan. 19. Gov. Daniels, a former White House budget chief who is in his first year as the state's leader, is living up to his reputation for being frugal.
Michael Conroy/AP
School & District Management New Ind. Governor Takes Hard Fiscal Line
A decision by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to withhold millions of dollars in funding from school districts in an effort to balance the state budget has some district leaders and lawmakers accusing his recently inaugurated administration of bucking long-standing tradition.
John Gehring, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States Nebraska
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Robert C. Johnston, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States Illinois
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Sean Cavanagh, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Okla. Gov. Brad Henry gives a thumbs-up during his State of the State Address.
During his State of the State Address on Feb. 7, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry gives a thumbs-up to a group of college students and educators who gave him a standing ovation after his comments about affordable college funding.
Andy Carpenean/AP
Education State of the States Oklahoma
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Jessica L. Tonn, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States Michigan
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States Ohio
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Christina A. Samuels, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States Pennsylvania
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Catherine Gewertz, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education State of the States West Virginia
State of the States: Education highlights from latest governor's address before the legislature.
Christina A. Samuels, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Education Funding Long-Awaited Report on Ohio School Aid Calls for Tax Reform
After 18 months of deliberation, a panel of Ohio educators, lawmakers, and community leaders has released a series of recommendations designed to unravel the state’s tangled school financing laws and make them more equitable.
Christina A. Samuels, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
Law & Courts Voicing Complaints
The fight to improve conditions in some of California’s neediest schools is far from over.
Joetta L. Sack, February 15, 2005
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2 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup N.C. High Court Upends Chief’s Race
The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that some 11,000 provisional ballots cast in the wrong precincts in November’s election should not be counted in the state schools superintendent’s race. It sent the case back to a lower court in Wake County to decide the winner of the contested race.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
School Choice & Charters A State Capitals Roundup Wis. Senate Advances Bill to Lift Cap on Vouchers
With the threat of a gubernatorial veto looming, the Wisconsin Senate gave final passage last week to a bill that would lift the cap on the number of students who can enroll in the state’s school voucher program in Milwaukee.
Caroline Hendrie, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Education A State Capitals Roundup Kansas Senate Panel Offers School Aid Plan
The Kansas Senate education committee released a draft proposal last week to raise state aid for K-12 education by $415 million over the next three years, an increase of nearly 18 percent over current spending.
Jessica L. Tonn, February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Special Education A State Capitals Roundup Ariz. Special Education Pupils Can Graduate Without Exam
Special education students in Arizona, about 10 percent of the state’s student population, will be able to graduate without passing the state’s high school exit exam—provided they pass their classes—state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced last week.
February 15, 2005
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1 min read
Veronica Davey of the Eli Broad Foundation announces her organization's financial support of the teacher-pay plan in Denver.
With schools chief Jerry Wartgow, left, Mayor John Hickenlooper, and union President Becky Wissink looking on, Veronica Davey of the Eli Broad Foundation announces her organization's financial support of the teacher-pay plan in Denver. The Rose Community Foundation and the Daniels Fund, along with Broad, committed $2.1 million to the initiative.
Courtesy of Peter Droege/Daniels Fund
Education Funding Teacher-Pay Plan in Denver Gets Foundation Boost
Three foundations announced last week that they are granting the Denver school district more than $2 million to support the setup of a new teacher-compensation system that rewards teachers not for how long they’ve been on the job, but for their skills and accomplishments in the classroom.
Linda Jacobson, February 15, 2005
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3 min read
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