April 25, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 34
Federal
Clinton Criticizes Testing Required by NCLB
Former President Bill Clinton said last week that if he were still in charge, he would work to amend the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
School Climate & Safety
Baltimore District Tackles High Suspension Rates
More educators are embracing strategies that do not exclude misbehaving students from school.
Education
Correction
Correction
In the April 18, 2007, Commentary “It’s Not Just the Schools,” on the declining leisure-reading habits of young people, a reference to the television show “The Simpsons” was incorrect, due to an editing error. It should have been “The Sims,” a computer game.
Federal
Opinion
Empowering Those at the Bottom Beats Punishing Them From the Top
The No Child Left Behind law's unreasonable mandates hamper student achievement rather than facilitate progress, writes urban superintendent Carl A. Cohn.
Law & Courts
A Washington Roundup
Supreme Court Drops Review of Employment-Bias Case
The National School Boards Association said a ruling for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission could mean school boards would have to delve deeper into district supervisors’ motivations in employment decisions.
Federal
A Washington Roundup
Audit Faults Ed. Dept. Technology Contract
The Department of Education received an “unacceptable” level of service under a $20.6 million technology contract.
School & District Management
A State Capitals Roundup
Kentucky Board Picks Finalists for Job of State Schools Chief
The candidates are Mitchell D. Chester, Barbara F. Erwin, and Richard La Pointe.
School Climate & Safety
‘Copycatting’ May Produce More Threats
School leaders should brace for more of the kinds of threats that forced lockdowns and evacuations at campuses around the country last week after the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, experts warned.
Federal
Federal File
Call Waiting on NCLB
Freshmen in Congress are dialing in to local views on federal school law.
Education
Dropout Program Suffers Rocky Start
But the Alabama Guard is confident its academy will show improvement.
School & District Management
Enrollment Increase: Creature of Statistics
Rural public school enrollment data reflect the National Center for Education Statistics’ new classification system for defining rural, suburban, and urban schools.
School & District Management
A National Roundup
Seattle Board Offers Top Post to Charleston, S.C., Schools Chief
The Seattle school board has decided unanimously to offer the superintendency of the district to Maria Goodloe-Johnson.
Education
A National Roundup
Atlanta to Redesign Schools With $10.5 Million Grant
The Atlanta school district and the Institute for Student Achievement are teaming up to redesign two high schools with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Federal
A National Roundup
Va. Districts Concede in Fight With Ed. Dept. Over Reading Tests
English-language-proficiency test won't be used in place of the regular reading test for accountability purposes under NCLB.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Accountability, or Mastery?
Instituting performance-based assessments that link content to skills is a promising new approach to redesigning high schools, writes Joseph DiMartino.
Reading & Literacy
State Data Show Gains in Reading
Federal officials hailed results showing improvements in students' reading fluency and comprehension.
Reading & Literacy
'Reading First' Information Sent to Justice Dept.
The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Education has referred some of the information gathered in a lengthy audit of the program to federal law-enforcement officials for further investigation.
Education
People in the News
Andrew Campanella
Andrew Campanella has been named the director of communications for the National Council on Teacher Quality, a policy-advocacy group based in Washington.
School Climate & Safety
Virginia District Hit Hard by Graduate’s Killing Spree
When Tim Thomas took over as the principal of Westfield High School here this school year, he probably didn’t envision that fielding questions from the national media would be part of the job description.
Education
People in the News
Katherine Meads
Katherine Meads is now the executive director of the English-as-a-second-language program for the 127,000-student Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools in North Carolina.
Education
People in the News
Christopher King
Christopher King will become the superintendent of the 28,000-student Boulder Valley school system in Boulder, Colo., on July 1.
Education
Report Roundup
Students' Writing Said Low Priority
The ability to write is an increasingly important skill that needs to be given a higher priority in middle and high schools, says a policy brief by the Alliance for Excellent Education.
Education
Report Roundup
Early-Childhood Education
Governors in 29 states are making early-childhood education a top priority this legislative season, according to an annual state-by-state review of spending proposals by Pre-K Now.
Education
Report Roundup
Literacy Instruction
State efforts to boost literacy rates must be aimed at improving classroom instruction if they are to be effective, a report says.
School Climate & Safety
College Rampage Renews School Safety Concerns
The April 16 killings provoked the same questions that arose for K-12 officials after the 1999 rampage at Columbine High School and a string of other such incidents in the past decade: Could this happen at my school?
School Choice & Charters
Justices Weigh Tenn. School’s Speech Rights
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined today to uphold a state high-school-sports authority’s rules against recruiting.