August 13, 2008
Education Week, Vol. 27, Issue 45
Teaching Profession
State-Chief Turnovers Squeezing Talent Pool
A high turnover among top state school officers nationwide is posing a challenge for recruiters seeking people with the right mix of educational acumen and political savvy to fill the vacant or soon-to-be-vacant spots.
School & District Management
Ohio Governor Listens on K-12—But Action Awaits
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is pressing ahead with a project to collect school improvement ideas from citizens statewide, with an eye toward eventual legislation.
School & District Management
Women Step Into Leadership Roles at Teachers' Unions
For the first time in recent history, all of the American Federation of Teachers’ top elected leaders are women. At the National Education Association, women occupy two of the three highest posts.
Teaching Profession
NBPTS Expands Credentialing in High-Need Districts
Under an expanded initiative, the national board will provide financial and professional help to teachers as they begin the certification process and through their growth as teacher leaders.
Reading & Literacy
‘Reading First’ Event Draws 6,000, Despite Woes
With the likely loss of funding, educators try to figure out how to keep the federal reading program alive in their districts.
Assessment
Mississippi Students Face Higher Hurdle
In a move many see as overdue, the state is setting a tougher standard for students to qualify as “proficient” — and many more are likely to fall short.
School & District Management
Opinion
Learning From the Mavericks: Lessons for Districts From Small Urban High Schools
Case studies of resource use in nine leading-edge small urban high schools can offer lessons for districts that are not satisfied with just a few examples of outstanding schools, but want to create entire systems of them, say Regis Shields & Karen Hawley Miles.
Federal
Schott Foundation to Step Up Advocacy for Black Males
The Schott Foundation pledges to step up advocacy efforts to close the gap.
Special Education
Ed. Dept. Awards Grants to Improve Spec. Ed. Training
Universities are to revamp teacher-preparation programs, with an eye to increasing the numbers of teachers deemed highly qualified in special education.
States
Achieve Finds Common Core of Standards in States
An analysis found that 12 states have similar standards in English/language arts, and 16 do in math, and most of them incorporate the broad range of high-level college-readiness skills identified by Achieve.
School & District Management
States' Graduation-Rate Effort Inches Forward
Three years after the National Governors Association announced that all 50 members had agreed to standardize their states graduation rate formulas, only 16 have since adopted the standard.