May 21, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 38
Federal
Study of Small High Schools Yields Little on Achievement
High schools receiving $80 million in annual federal funding to support “smaller learning communities” appear to be establishing more intimate learning environments, a federal study finds.
Special Education
D.C. Schools Trying New Approach to Spec. Ed. Cases
The district has failed to meet the requirements of a 2006 class action to provide adequate special education services to students with disabilities.
Law & Courts
High Court Refuses Case on Parent’s Criticism of District Leader
Decision clears the way for a lawsuit by a parent who claims an Ohio school district retaliated against her when she publicly criticized its treatment of her diabetic daughter.
Law & Courts
U.S. Appeals Court Backs District’s Rules on School Uniforms
Ruling upholds Las Vegas district's policy of letting each school decide whether it will require students to wear uniforms.
Federal
Teacher-Pupil Link Crucial to Pre-K Success, Study Says
That personal connection might be more important to children’s learning than such factors as class size and teacher credentials.
Equity & Diversity
Iowa School District Left Coping With Immigration Raid's Impact
School officials are working to cope with the aftermath of the raid that left some students' parents in custody and tensions high in the local Latino community.
School & District Management
Mississippi Law Places Tight Rein on Superintendents
Under legislation signed May 12 by Gov. Haley Barbour, local superintendents would lose their jobs if their districts were labeled "underperforming" as measured by the state accountability system for two years in a row.
School & District Management
Kentucky Dean to Be Next President of Accrediting Group
James G. Cibulka, the dean of the college of education at the University of Kentucky, will become the new president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.