October 31, 2007

Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 10
Reading & Literacy State, Local Officials Again Find ‘Reading First’ Useful
Despite problems with the implementation of the program—which resulted in several federal investigations and congressional hearings over the past two years—it's worth preserving or expanding, a study found.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, October 31, 2007
2 min read
Federal Study Finds No ‘Educational Triage’ Driven by NCLB
Researchers observed that schools identified as having fallen short of their performance goals succeeded in raising achievement for the entire range of students at risk of failing.
Debra Viadero, October 31, 2007
4 min read
Education Book Review New in Print
English-language learners, college admissions, Golden books, and more.
October 30, 2007
3 min read
School & District Management School Issues Vary on States’ Ballots
Voters will decide some notable education- and child-related questions when they go to the polls next month.
Linda Jacobson, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Senior Darrin Smith Jr., left, English teacher Aaron Williams, center, and math coordinator Mary Thompson look for matching names on new laptops to give students at Frederick A. Douglass High School.
Senior Darrin Smith Jr., left, English teacher Aaron Williams, center, and math coordinator Mary Thompson look for matching names on new laptops to give students at Frederick A. Douglass High School.
Matthew Hinton for Education Week
Classroom Technology New Orleans Equips High School Students With Laptops
Thousands of public high school students in New Orleans received their own laptop computers this month as part of a $53 million technology initiative.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 30, 2007
5 min read
Education Clarification Clarification
An article in the Oct. 10, 2007, issue of Education Week described the University of Chicago Urban Teacher Education Program as “an alternative-certification program.” The program is nontraditional, but those who complete it receive an initial Illinois teaching certification.
October 30, 2007
1 min read
Education Correction Corrections
An article about Reading First and English-language learners in the Oct. 24, 2007, issue of Education Week should have said that Shelly Spiegel-Coleman is the executive director of Californians Together.
October 30, 2007
1 min read
School & District Management News in Brief D.C. Mayor Names Schools Ombudsman
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has named Tonya Vidal Kinlow, a former school board member, as the first-ever ombudsman for the District of Columbia’s 50,000-student school system.
Lesli A. Maxwell, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Federal Federal File FCC Joins Critics of Pundit’s Contract to Push School Law
The Federal Communications Commission has issued a citation to the commentator Armstrong Williams and his company for promoting the No Child Left Behind Act over the TV airwaves.
Alyson Klein, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Top U.S. Language Official Resigns
Kathleen Leos, director of the office of English-language acquisition in the U.S. Department of Education, resigned last week.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Equity & Diversity Spanish-Speaking Oregon Students Get Helping Hand
The Oregon Department of Education is looking beyond its borders—well beyond—to encourage Spanish-speaking students to stay in high school.
Mary C. Breaden, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Student Well-Being Friday Night Lights Via the Web
If a Wisconsin entrepreneur’s plans take hold, high school sporting events across the state will be shown on an Internet site, with viewers able to tune in to games for a $9.95 monthly fee.
Sean Cavanagh, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Classroom Technology Report Roundup Online Learning in Higher Ed.
Online learning in higher education has grown at an average annual rate of almost 22 percent over the past five years, researchers found.
Mary C. Breaden, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Education Report Roundup Commercialism in Schools
Commercialism is now pervasive in schools, a report contends.
Andrew Trotter, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Ed-Tech Policy Report Roundup Home-Based 'Digital Divide'
Young children in families have and use television sets, computers, the Internet, and cellphones more than ever before, but there are significant differences in use based on family income, says a study.
Andrew Trotter, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Teaching Profession Report Roundup Assistance for New Teachers
Intensive professional-support programs for new teachers help reduce teacher-turnover costs and enhance student learning, a policy brief says.
Mary C. Breaden, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Assessment Report Roundup How NAEP Works
A new guide attempts to unravel the complexities of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Kathleen Kennedy Manzo, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Federal Report Roundup Research Report: English-Language Learners
The lack of a national standard for how English-language learners are identified and tracked makes it difficult for anyone to know how well such students are doing academically, a study says.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Student Well-Being Report Roundup Athlete Drug Testing
The use of random drug and alcohol testing among high school athletes does not deter student-athletes from future drug use, concludes a study.
Mary C. Breaden, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Student Well-Being Report Roundup Elementary Absenteeism
Absenteeism among children in the early-elementary grades is highest in kindergarten and has a positive correlation with poverty, says a study.
Mary C. Breaden, October 30, 2007
1 min read
School & District Management Report Roundup Study Examines Leadership Needs
Participants identified young teachers or vice principals already in the school as the best source of future leaders.
Lynn Olson, October 30, 2007
1 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Wildfires in California Force School Closings
Schooling was disrupted for students throughout Southern California last week as raging wildfires forced closure of about 300 schools in seven counties and turned some schools into emergency shelters amid a mandatory evacuation of 321,000 people.
Katie Ash, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Federal News in Brief Spellings Announces Grants for Russian Ed. Partnerships
Three American universities will receive $575,000 to establish partnerships with Russian higher education institutions, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said last week in Moscow.
David J. Hoff, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Equity & Diversity News in Brief DREAM Act Falls Short in Senate Procedural Vote
Supporters of legislation that would give some undocumented students a path to legal immigration status failed last week to win the votes needed in the U.S. Senate for the bill to proceed in the legislative process.
Mary Ann Zehr, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Education Funding News in Brief Senate Approves Spending Boost for U.S. Education Department
The U.S. Senate approved a measure last week that would provide $150 billion in discretionary spending for the federal departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services in fiscal 2008.
Alyson Klein, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Science News in Brief Evolution May Get Specific Mention in Florida State Science Standards
The theory of evolution, not mentioned in the current version of Florida’s state science standards, would be listed as one of seven “big ideas” in a proposed revision of that document.
Sean Cavanagh, October 30, 2007
1 min read
Students take part in a team-building exercise called “Poly Bones” in an 8th grade physical education class at South St. Paul Junior High School.
Students take part in a team-building exercise called “Poly Bones” in an 8th grade physical education class at South St. Paul Junior High School.
Scott Cohen
College & Workforce Readiness With World Growing Smaller, IB Gets Big
Amid heightened concern about preparing students for a global economy, the academically demanding International Baccalaureate program is catching on fast in U.S. schools.
Scott J. Cech, October 30, 2007
11 min read
Student Well-Being News in Brief CDC Issues Guidelines for Schools on MRSA
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta, has provided schools and parents with a concise summary of guidelines on how to prevent the spread of drug-resistant staph infections blamed for the deaths of at least four minors in October.
Christina A. Samuels, October 30, 2007
1 min read
School & District Management Computer Simulations Hone Leadership Skills
An $11 million executive-training course for principals, modeled after best practices used in the corporate, medical, engineering, and military worlds, is starting to gain traction among states.
Lynn Olson, October 30, 2007
10 min read