June 20, 2007
Education Week, Vol. 26, Issue 42
Education
Some Seeing Red Over ‘Green’ Bill
A school lawn-chemical ban gets mixed reviews in Connecticut.
School & District Management
A National Roundup
Schools Chiefs Named to Head S.F., Baltimore, D.C. Districts
Three urban districts last week named new leaders.
Science
School-Business Partnerships Target STEM Subjects
A pair of programs in Mesa, Ariz., blend mathematics with flight simulators, aeronautics, and even mock space-shuttle missions.
Federal
To Know NCLB Is to Like It, ETS Poll Finds
Support for the law grew substantially when questioners described its goals and emphasis on holding schools to academic standards, according to the survey.
Federal
Turnarounds Central Issue Under NCLB
How can the federal law be changed to make sure struggling schools get help?
Federal
Opinion
Federalism in the Land of Oz
Like America, Australia could do with a curricular makeover, higher standards, and universal accountability, writes Chester E. Finn Jr.
School Choice & Charters
Chinese Migrants Rely on Private Institutions to Educate Children
Public schools in cities often charge higher fees to students from rural areas.
School Choice & Charters
Free Market Spurs Diverse Offerings of Private Schools
From middle-class urbanites to migrant workers, an increasingly diverse cross section of Chinese families is turning to private schools.
Equity & Diversity
Black Boys’ Educational Plight Spurs Single-Gender Schools
Educators are creating public schools designed to serve African-American males under new federal rules on single-gender education.
School Choice & Charters
Opinion
What About Religious Charter Schools?
Charters come in many sizes and shapes, so why not also have religious charter schools?, Lawrence D. Weinberg and Bruce S. Cooper ask.
Education
People in the News
Linda J. Carstens
Linda J. Carstens has been appointed the director of the Leadership for Equity and Accountability in Districts and Schools Network.
Education
People in the News
Richard Sterling
Richard Sterling plans to step down from his position as the executive director of the Berkeley, Calif.-based National Writing Project, which works to improve writing instruction.
Education
People in the News
Howard B. Schaffer
Howard B. Schaffer, the public-outreach director for the Public Education Network and author of the PEN Weekly Newsblast e-newsletter, has left the organization for a job at another Washington-based group.
Federal
Report Finds Lack of Economics Instruction
Fewer than half the states require students to take even a basic course in economics.
Education
Report Roundup
Literacy Instruction
Middle and high school students must be able to exceed standard reading levels in order to compete successfully in a 21st century global economy, says a report by the Washington-based Alliance for Excellent Education.
Education
Report Roundup
Financing College
Eighty-six percent of high school guidance counselors are concerned about the amount of debt students take on to pay for college, says a study.
Education
Report Roundup
Research Report: Charter Schools
While student achievement in charter schools continues to lag behind that of traditional public schools, charter schools are making gains in improving performance, a study concludes.
Teaching Profession
Glitches in Los Angeles Payroll System Spark Furor
Thousands of teachers have not been paid properly for months because of errors in a corporate-style payroll system.
Teaching
Teachers Say NCLB Has Changed Classroom Practice
A new study suggests that teachers are adjusting their teaching practices in response to the law—but not always in ways that educators and policymakers might want.
Law & Courts
High Court Upholds Wash. State Law on Union Fees
But the court’s unanimous ruling will likely do little harm in the long run to the Washington Education Association or other public-employee unions.
School Climate & Safety
Panel: 'Persistently Dangerous' Tag for Schools Needs to Be Reworked
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' commission found that schools cited as dangerous need targeted assistance, not just a punitive label.
School & District Management
Proof of Positive Effect Found for Only a Few Character Programs
The U.S. Department of Education gave “positive” ratings to just two of the programs and rated seven more as “potentially positive.”
School & District Management
Job Skills of the Future in Researchers' Crystal Ball
At a research workshop hosted by the National Academies, scholars debated what students need to know for future employment.