This Week in Education

Prospects Fade for NCLB Bill in 2007 EdWeek
Efforts to revise the law are mired in backroom negotiations in both the House and the Senate and show no signs of gaining the momentum necessary to ensure completion of the reauthorization in 2008.

Knives, Not Guns, Have Been Weapon of Choice, Study Finds WPost
More than 3 percent of 17 million crimes reported from 2000 through 2004 occurred at schools, colleges and universities, with knives being the most commonly used weapon, according to an FBI study released yesterday.

Teachers unions battle school choice for parents and students Detroit News
In today's political taxonomy, "progressives" are rebranded liberals dodging the damage they did to their old label. Perhaps their most injurious idea -- injurious to themselves and public schools

Kids join parents at teacher conferences AP
It’s that time of year when moms and dads across the country are squeezing into uncomfortable kid-sized chairs to discuss with teachers whether their children are off to a good start at school. In some places, the conference comes with a wrinkle: The children sit in. PLUS: US kids get new trend: more active parents Christian Science Monitor.

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Bush administration turnover plays like Survivor: Texas Houston Chronicle
With Karen Hughes' resignation announcement Wednesday, nearly every prominent Texan who came to Washington with President Bush has left the administration.

Wis. teacher protests NCLB law by sitting out testing; discipline threatened AP
A middle school teacher is protesting the federal No Child Left Behind law by refusing to administer a standardized test to his eighth-grade students.

Md. keeps tests as graduation requirement but allows alternative AP
High school students who fail one or more of Maryland's exit exams will have the option to earn their diplomas by completing projects in the subjects where they fall short.

Top U.S. Language Official Resigns EdWeek
Kathleen Leos, director of the office of English-language acquisition in the U.S. Department of Education, resigned last week.

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Standardized high school exit exams put states to the test USA Today
Twenty-two states have some type of exit exams; four are phasing them in. But the tests are proving controversial. Maryland has delayed exams by two years. The state Board of Education meets today and Wednesday to decide whether to move the date again.

School Issues Vary on States’ Ballots EdWeek
Voters will decide some notable education- and child-related questions when they go to the polls next month.

Elementary Absenteeism AP
Absenteeism among children in the early-elementary grades is highest in kindergarten and has a positive correlation with poverty, says a study.

Libraries luring students with coffee AP
Coffeehouses are springing up in high school libraries around the country, marking a departure from the days when librarians prohibited food, drinks and talking. School officials say these shops are promoting reading by attracting teenagers who might not otherwise hang out in a library.

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South's schools swell with poor kids News & Observer
For the first time in more than 40 years, the majority of children in public schools in the South are poor, according to a report released today. In 11 states, over half of students live in poverty.

A juggling act on No Child Left Behind Los Angeles Times
As Miller pushes to renew the landmark education law known as No Child Left Behind, he faces so many fights that the fate of the bill is increasingly in doubt.

Bush greets teen who told Pa. authorities of school attack plan AP
Bush greets teen who told Pa. authorities of school attack plan.

One-Tenth of High Schools Are 'Dropout Factories' AP
There are about 1,700 regular or vocational high schools nationwide that fit that description, according to an analysis of Education Department data conducted by Johns Hopkins for The Associated Press. That's 12 percent of all such schools, no more than a decade ago but no less, either.

Disabilities Fight Grows as Taxes Pay for TuitionThe New York Times
Without Justice Kennedy, the court split 4 to 4 in a New York City case on whether Tom Freston, the former chief executive of Viacom, should have put his learning-disabled son in a public school before sending him to a private school and seeking tuition reimbursement.

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A Whole School Left Behind Washington Post
But in Como and other poor, rural districts around the country, the law's regimen of testing and sanctions has had little, if any, effect.

Minnesota Plan Gives Scholarships for Child Care NPR
A new initiative in St. Paul, Minn., aims to make high-quality early childhood education more accessible to low-income residents by providing scholarships. The program is the brainchild of an economist who says it will save the state money.

Lead exposure, crime seem to correlate USA Today
For decades, researchers have known that lead poisoning lowers children's IQs and puts them at risk for severe learning disabilities and more impulsive, sometimes violent behavior. New research increasingly suggests that lead also affects long-term juvenile and adult crime rates.

A Principal Who Cracks Down on Stress NYT
Some administrators are pushing back against an ethos of super-achievement at affluent suburban high schools.

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Student's death likely caused by staph infection CNN
A middle school student from Brooklyn died Thursday, probably from the staph infection MRSA, according to the New York City Health Department.

Video shows student shooting 2 victims at Cleveland school AP
His face concealed by a white hooded sweat shirt, the determined student gunman climbed the enclosed staircase with his cache of weapons in a backpack, heading toward a shooting rampage against classmates and teachers.

Pitching for preschool, with eye on future Washington Post
For Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), improving access to preschool is a signature issue. In 2005, he ran for the office on a platform that pledged to provide universal access to preschool for the state's 100,000 4-year-olds.

Education Plays Diverse Role in 2007 State-Level Elections EdWeek
Control of one or more houses of the legislature in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia will be decided next month.

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Senate Reverses Bush's Cuts to Education, Health as Veto Battle Looms Edweek
Senate gave bipartisan approval to a spending bill that totals over $600 billion and reverses a raft of cuts sought by Bush to special education, health research.

Ideals meet politics in public schools debate Tribune (opinion)
Kozol would require states to authorize and finance a student's right to transfer from a failing district into a successful school in a suburban district.

Science courses nearly extinct in elementary grades, study finds San Francisco Chronicle
The third-graders looked puzzled when asked what they liked best about science. No answer. Via EdNews.org

A year of decision for six high school seniors CSM
The Monitor follows the months-long college-application process for six diverse students. Part 1 of two.

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Ed. Dept. Requires Changes in Race, Ethnicity Reporting EdWeek
Schools must update as needed their method of student-data reporting to the Education Department no later than the 2010-11 school year—one year later than was announced when the guidelines were proposed last year.

A Chance to Dream NYT (opinion)
The Senate has a chance today to pluck a small gem from the ashes of the immigration debate by voting for the passage of the Dream Act.

Expulsions show racial disparity Post and Courier (South Carolina)
National and state statistics, as well as data from other local school districts, show that black students were suspended or expelled at a much higher rate.Via EdNews.org.

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Band Teacher’s Abuse Scars Family, Splits Community EdWeek
Immediately after news of one teachers arrest hit in January 2005, people began questioning the girls' motives: Why didn't they come forward sooner? Were they really telling the truth?

Noose Sent to Black Principal at Brooklyn School NYT
The hate crimes unit of the Police Department is investigating the delivery of a noose along with a racially charged letter to the principal of Canarsie High School.

Schools Put Tastes to the Test in Bid to Provide Healthier Lunches PBS
Many U.S. schools are pouring new resources into efforts to provide lunches for students that are both tasty and health conscious. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the strategies being employed in St. Paul, Minn., schools.

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Sex Abuse a Shadow Over U.S. Schools AP
An investigation by the Associated Press has found more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished for actions that ranged from bizarre to sadistic.

Oprah's school in scandal News24 South Africa
Henley-On-Klip - A matron at Oprah Winfrey's posh school for girls near Vereeniging apparently "fondled" one of the pupils, and assaulted another.

Bush, Democrats Face Education Spending Showdown EdWeek
President Bush and Democratic leaders in Congress are facing off over spending on federal education programs, and the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act could get caught up in the clash.

Even Families Are Split Over Oral Contraceptives at a Maine Middle School NYT
A school committee’s vote to provide prescription contraceptives at its clinic is drawing fervent support and ardent opposition in Portland.

The advocate of teaching over testing Boston Globe
Jonathan Kozol, who has worked with teachers and children in inner-city schools for more than 40 years, is the author of such books as "The Shame of the Nation," "Savage Inequalities," and "Amazing Grace."

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Maine Middle School to Issue Birth Control Pills NPR
School officials in Portland, Maine make birth control pills available to students at one of the city's middle schools. The move follows a spate of pregnancies among middle school girls.

Calif. Approves Teacher Test Teacher Magazine
California’s rigorous performance test for new teachers has the potential to set national standards, officials say.

FCC cites commentator Williams for payola Reuters
After investigating for more than 2-1/2 years, the Federal Communications Commission concluded that Williams and his firm violated agency rules by promoting President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy on television without disclosing they had been paid to do so.

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Romney likes NCLB MSNBC
“I like the fact that in No Child Left Behind we test our kids,” Romney said. “We can see which schools are succeeding and which are failing. That alone is a huge advance…I like No Child Left Behind.”

Easy test leaves Maryland behind Baltimore Sun
"We think our cut scores are reasonable for what people are being asked to do by 2014, especially given that it's for all subgroups - students who don't speak English or students with special needs."

Teachers Agree to Bonus Pay Tied to Scores NYT
Bonuses for New York City teachers would be based largely on the overall test scores of students at schools that have high concentrations of poor children.

A Normal Lesson in Vocabulary, Until a Deer Bursts Through a School Window NYT
New Jersey, a 200-pound buck raced through a class of fifth graders and wandered the halls like a typical gaggle of errant students before being shepherded out a back door.

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Miami ‘Zone’ Gives Schools Intensive Help EdWeek
Some of the lowest-performing schools in the Miami-Dade County, Fla., district could soon be weaned from three years of strategic support.

PLUS: L.A. Chief Weighs New District for Lowest-Performing Schools

High schools using breathalyzers to fight teen drinking USA Today
High schools are rushing to test students for alcohol at extracurricular events like dances and football games.

Richardson: U.S. education 'broken' Des Moines Register
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said today the nation's education system is "broken from top to bottom. "

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Failing Schools Strain to Meet U.S. Standard NYT
"They’re so busy fighting No Child Left Behind,” said Mary Johnson, president of Parent U-Turn, a civic group. “If they would use some of that energy to implement the law, we would go farther.”

The ABC's of Betrayal Columbus Dispatch
The newspaper’s 10-month investigation found that a state and local discipline system allows educators in the classroom despite misconduct that includes theft, assault and abuse of children. Teachers' rights are often put first, districts don't always communicate with the state, and the Department of Education shields records of wrongdoing.

School Integration Efforts Face Renewed Opposition WSJ
Some districts are sidestepping the ruling by replacing measurements of race with household income. But many others, such as Milton, are adjusting their programs in the face of opposition that's been emboldened by the Supreme Court decision.

Disguised Silence NYT (Opinon)
Will Okun on legislation that requires all Illinois public schools to provide students with a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day.

Girl run over, killed by homecoming parade float AP
Girl run over, killed by homecoming parade float.

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Why 'No Child' Was Needed Washington Post
Long before No Child Left Behind, far too many classrooms were boring, dull places where children were forced to do endless worksheets, discouraged from independent thinking and subjected to teachers providing confusing and sometimes demonstrably false information.

Bush, Others Want Law to Go Beyond Basics EdWeek
Mr. Bush and other policymakers are considering a variety of changes to the NCLB law to encourage schools to go beyond the teaching of basic skills.

Core readers for cities: 4-year-olds USA Today
Mayors who want to be on the same page as their constituents — even ones way too young to vote — are launching citywide book-of-the-month clubs to promote reading and literacy.

Making Cash a Prize for High Scores NYT
New York City is expanding the use of cash rewards for students who take standardized tests with a $1 million effort financed by a group of private philanthropists.

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Clinton, Richardson, Edwards offer plans AP
Clinton, Richardson, Edwards offer plans to make college more affordable, help rural schools.

Student charged on 17 counts in school bomb threat AP
Student charged on 17 counts in school bomb threat.

Brewer has yet to make his imprint LA Times
Several months into his job as superintendent of the Los Angeles school system, David L. Brewer held court before students at Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks.

Small schools under microscope Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Do you need a license to teach the specific subjects you are teaching to be a quality teacher? How about if you have good rapport with your students, fit in well with the teaching team and throw yourself into helping kids learn.

Get that teacher an apple Chicago Sun Times
With a perfect verbal score on the SAT and an Ivy League education, Daphne Whitington could have done anything she wanted.

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Student opens fire at Cleveland school, shoots 4, kills self AP
Student opens fire at Cleveland school, shoots 4, kills self.

Report Recounts Horrors of Youth Boot Camps NYT
Reports of abuse of troubled young people in privately run boot camps and other residential treatment centers are ...

Special Ed Tuition Case Ends in Tie Decision Title I Monitor
An equally divided U.S. Supreme Court left standing on Oct. 10 an appeals court decision requiring New York City public schools to reimburse for private school tuition the parents of a child with...

Noose on Door at Columbia Prompts Campus Protest NYT
A day after a noose was found hanging on a black professor’s office door at Columbia University’s Teachers College, the police said that their hate crimes unit had mounted a full investigation.

California Seeks School Sites Far from FreewayNPR
Lawmakers and scientists agree that building schools close to freeways is a bad idea. The concern is air pollution and the impact it can have on young lungs. But in Los Angeles, where more than 100 new public schools are being built, it's hard to find a site that's not near a freeway.

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Provision on Tutoring Raises Renewal Issues EdWeek
Lawmakers are proposing that only those schools failing to make AYP in several subgroups for three consecutive years would be required to offer tutoring.

For Schools, Lottery Payoffs Fall Short of Promises NYT
Most of the billions of dollars raised by state lotteries is used simply to sustain the games, an examination by The Times has found.

Teacher sues over gun ban MSNBC
Oregon high school English teacher Shirley Katz is challenging her school's gun ban as unlawful, since Oregon is among states that allow people with a permit to carry concealed weapons into public buildings.

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening NYT
While many school systems are banning iPods, some are also trying to co-opt the devices to help students learn subjects from French to chemistry.

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The Washington Post features the new Fordham Foundation study showing low expectations and disparities among 26 states standards especially at the younger ages (Varying Standards May Hurt 'No Child' ). Ditto for AP, albeit with a slightly different focus (State Reading Tests Deemed Easier). USA Today goes with the Sputnik anniversary (Sputnik heralded space race, focus on learning). Over on PBS, the NewsHour focuses on New Orleans' new superintendent, Paul Vallas (New Orleans School Chief Tackles Rebuilding Shattered System). Last but not least, MSNBC goes with the Ohio lawmaker whose lesson on the legislative process inadvertently included a slide showing a naked woman (Nude woman shown during lecture).

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Get Congress Out of the Classroom NYT (Diane Ravitch)
Unless we set realistic goals for our schools and adopt realistic means of achieving them, we run the risk of seriously damaging public education.

Schools Embrace Ways to Help Environment AP
Jacob Chapman hopes to plant a rooftop garden at Olathe South High School, encourages classmates to recycle plastic bottles and paper, and wants them to reduce their use of disposables in the school cafeteria.

Superintendents Content in Jobs, But Stressed, Too EdWeek
Today’s school district leaders overwhelmingly have positive relationships with their school boards, tend to be satisfied in their jobs, and think of themselves as effective, according to a survey.

Do Charter Schools Improve Behavior? Washington Post (Jay Mathews)
Charters are hot commodities, the public school equivalent of hybrid cars or left-handed relief pitchers. But many people are puzzled why that is so.

School investigates Jena 6 event where kindergartner wore noose Chicago Sun Times
Grambling State University President Horace Judson said the school is probing a Sept. 20 incident at Grambling's elementary school in which a noose was placed around a kindergartner's neck.

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National companies cash in with charters where the kids learn at home Las Vegas Sun
Gathered by the pool at a Las Vegas community center, the parents and students swapped horror stories. Via EdNews.

Rethinking e-monitoring after progress report LA Times
A looming C on a midsemester assessment makes one mother take another look at computerized school programs that allow parents to track what's going on in the classroom. PLUS: Computer Glitch Affects L.A. Teacher Pay NPR.

Girls Are Often Neglected Victims of Concussions NYT
Girls playing high school sports are more susceptible to concussions than boys in the same sports, studies show.

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School struggles under rising federal standards San Deigo Union Tribune
Two years ago, NCLB forced Principal Sylvia Gonzalez to replace 70 percent of her teachers at Balboa Elementary School in southern San Diego.

Missouri Cited for Accountability Breakdown Title I Monitor
The state of Missouri was forced to put more than 150 school districts in improvement — with dozens of schools undergoing further sanctions — after a U.S. Department of Education...

LAUSD mulls fees for youth groups LA Times
The money would help ease the budget, officials say. Parents -- who might have to pay extra -- could choose not to let their children continue extracurricular activities, critics say.

Detroit Students Miss Two Weeks after School Shuts Detroit News
About 750 students whose school was padlocked by fire marshals Sept. 16 have had no classes for nearly two weeks, and many spent Thursday hanging out on a church parking lot.

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Teen Gets Perfect Scores on SAT, ACT USA Today
During the 2006-07 school year, more than 2.2 million ACT tests were administered. Only 177 came back with a 36. And of the nearly 2.6 million SAT exams taken, only 335 came back with a 2400.

Bill Clinton's bid to save the world LA Times
The former president's Clinton Global Initiative draws an array of leaders and activists, and plenty of money for their causes.

Prospective Principals Groomed Through TFA-District Partnerships EdWeek
TFA aims to have more than 800 alumni leading their own schools or districts by 2010, as part of a school leadership initiative launched last year.

Texting, Facebook used to alert students MSNBC.com
As the school year starts, colleges around the country are applying the lessons of Virginia Tech and using high technology to get the word out fast in a crisis.

Book Asks How Bad Schools Happen to Good Suburbs NY Sun
To write their book, "Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice," Ms. Murray and two other researchers at the San Franciscobased Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy studied California public schools.

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College Dwellers Outnumber the Imprisoned New York Times
In a reversal from 2000, more Americans over all now live in college dormitories than in prisons.

School crimes under wraps Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Some serious crimes reported in the Seattle's public schools last school year -- including cases of assaults and strong-arm robberies -- weren't reported to police, the P-I has found.

Few Students Switching Schools Under 'No Child' Law Washington Post
This fall, about 170 Northern Virginia children left elementary schools that fell short of academic goals for schools with better math and reading test scores. Most of their classmates stayed put.

For Shanker, education was a labor union of love USA Today
Albert Shanker organized his first labor strike in 1945 at age 17, when he rallied his fellow New York City bike messengers for a $1-a-week raise.

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MacArthur Foundation awards 24 grants Associated Press
A woman who helps students go to college with their "posse," a psychiatrist who treats combat veterans and a museum director on Alaska's Kodiak Island are among the 24 winners of this year's MacArthur Foundation "genius grants."

Schools still rise close to freeways LA Times
L.A. Unified continues to build near roads that spew pollution despite a state law and evidence of health hazards.

Buy a Laptop for a Child, Get Another Laptop Free NYT
One Laptop Per Child, an ambitious project to bring computing to the developing world’s children, is reaching out to the public through an interesting marketing campaign. PLUS: Still Waiting for That $100 Laptop?

In growing cities, a loss of students Christian Science Monitor
Public school officials in several districts in Arizona, California, and Texas – particularly those with a high share of Hispanic students – are seeing a drop in enrollment this school year over last, and many are at a loss to explain it.

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Education and Schools Are a Focus for Edwards NYT
John Edwards laid out a proposal to overhaul the education system on Friday, saying that poor children attend schools that are “separate and unequal.”

New York Just Says No to Abstinence Funding NYT
The decision puts New York in line with at least 10 other states that have decided to forgo the federal money in recent years.

School options urged for parents Washington Times
Top federal education officials have released a new handbook urging state and local administrators to explain more effectively to parents that they can transfer their children among schools or access free tutoring services if their child's school is consistently subpar.

Fresh Faces Tackle Woes in New Orleans Schools NYT
A new superintendent is vowing to transform the battered public school system in New Orleans.

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Thousands Protest in Support of Jena Six PBS
Thousands marched in Jena, La. Thursday to protest charges against six black students accused of beating a white classmate. PLUS: Segregation Growing in American Schools NPR.

Reading, writing, and rebellion Boston Globe
Jonathan Kozol appeared shrunken in his chair at Harvard's Memorial Church, his blazer tossed aside, the sleeves of his pinstriped shirt rolled up to the elbows to expose bony arms. His thin ankles, swathed in black socks, disappeared into his signature navy blue Keds.

U.S. Set to Offer Math Grants Modeled on Reading First Ed Week
Like Reading First, the math program requires the federal Department of Education to make competitive grants available to states, which can then make awards to school districts.

Judge OKs 'Hitler Youth' Buttons Washington Post
Two students in northern New Jersey can wear buttons featuring a picture of Hitler youth to protest a school uniform policy, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

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Schools, colleges underreport crime Stateline.com
Schools and colleges across the country do not report crime and violent incidents on campus consistently or accurately. Via EdNews.org.

Parents seek ban for 7th grade book Chicago Tribune
Several dozen parents at a Southwest Side Chicago public school are calling for school officials to ban a controversial book they say is filled with references to sex and violence.

Alumna Gives $128 Million to High School NYT
Events originating in Warren E. Buffett’s rejection from Harvard Business School have led to a gift to a Quaker private school that dwarfs some college endowments.

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Two schools of thought on ‘No Child' Politico
“We’re trying to ratchet up support and get other state associations to mobilize their constituents in the field. We are in attack mode.”

Learning from Long Beach schools Los Angeles Times
The city's school district is again recognized as among the nation's best. L.A. should take note.

Florida Teachers Slap 'F' on Bonus Pay Plan TheLedger.com
The Florida Legislature's new and improved teacher merit pay plan may have passed with grudging union support, but teachers still don't like it and some school districts have declined to participate, turning down millions of dollars in state bonus money.

Student arrested, Tasered at Kerry event AP
Video of police Tasering a persistent questioner of Sen. John Kerry became an Internet and TV sensation Tuesday, generating fierce debate about free speech and the motives of the college student involved -- a known prankster who often posts practical jokes online.

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Kozol holds fast to 'No Child' protest USA Today
The former teacher and author of books such as Savage Inequalities says he has lost 29 pounds on a mostly liquid diet.

As Duties Grow, Principals Face Mounting Pressures NPR
Faced with a principal shortage, many districts are creating mentoring programs to train their own talent, but the programs are showing mixed results.

Reading, Writing and Internet Safety NPR
Virginia is the first state to require public schools to teach Internet safety.

Hooked on mnemonics Christian Science Monitor
How I "learned" Spanish in a weekend by free association.

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Alabama Plan Brings Out Cry of Resegregation NYT
fter white parents in this racially mixed city complained about school overcrowding, school authorities set out to draw up a sweeping rezoning plan. The results: all but a handful of the hundreds of students required to move this fall were black — and many were sent to virtually all-black, low-performing schools.

Rookie Chicago Principal Faces Early Challenges NPR
Like Chicago, many other school systems across the country are facing the same turnover, as baby boomer principals near retirement age. And for the rookie principals, challenges come early and often.

Raising the Scores: For a School, Hope and a Fresh Start NYT
With the support of the teachers union, Newton replaced 6 of its 44 teachers — some against their will — with teachers who demonstrated a higher commitment to change or who had expertise needed in a particular subject.

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No Gifted Child Left Behind? Time
Nearly half of lower-income students in the top tier in reading fall out of it by fifth grade.

Thompson: Leave No Child Left Behind behind Baltimore Sun
Today, Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee and television and film star who has entered the campaign for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2008, suggested that it's time to leave No Child Left Behind behind.

Early-Education Advocates Face Tougher Sell EdWeek
Early education conference provided an opportunity for advocates to push preschool as an economic investment.

Austin moves forward with teacher performance pay plan Austin American-Statesman
Nine schools selected to be in pilot group this year. Via EdNews.org.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On education, Giuliani has a troubling record LA Times
When he campaigned for mayor, he vowed to fix the schools, cut crime and boost the economy. Today, the city is safer and has more jobs. But New York City schools remain troubled.

Utah May Swap Standardized Tests for Online Exams Salt Lake Tribune
In place of the old tests, she and the K-16 Alliance would like to see students in grades two through 12 take adaptive, online tests at least three times a year. She said the tests could possibly become part of the U-PASS system the state uses to gauge schools' academic progress.

Girls here, boys there Cincinnati Enquirer
A year after new federal rules made it easier for schools to segregate classrooms by gender, the trend is exploding nationwide, but schools now realize that it's a tough change to sustain. Via EdNews.org.

Md. Exit Exams Will Be Multiple Choice Only Washington Post
State plans to eliminate written-response questions from its high school exit exams to address long-standing complaints about how slowly test results are processed.

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Teachers and Rights Groups Oppose Education Measure NYT
A draft House bill to renew the federal No Child Left Behind law came under sharp attack from civil rights groups and the nation’s largest teacher unions.

PLUS: NCLB Reauthorization now a "war" DFER

States Move Toward Closer Scrutiny of Preschools EdWeek
States move forward on efforts to certify early-childhood programs according to how well graduates perform in kindergarten.

Male teacher ranks at 40-year low Newsweek
Stereotyping, low pay, lack of role models. Why the number of men teaching in schools is at a 40-year low.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Save School Standards Washington Post (editorial)
Does this country want to make schools better -- or just make schools look better?

Schools Under Scrutiny Over Cheating NYT
At a time when the pressure to do well on standardized tests in public schools creates incentives to cheat, states are just beginning to look for the patterns that betray it.

Love for city schools New York Daily News
A survey of nearly 600,000 parents, teachers and students in city schools yielded some surprising results - about 90% of parents are happy with their kid's teacher, and only 1% want less test prep.

Rewriting History Textbooks Post-Sept. 11 NPR
Think back to those days in middle school: European and American history held sway, while the Middle East got no more than a mention. But the events of Sept. 11 changed all that.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

See other posts for NCLB reauthorization coverage.

States investing more in Pre-K education Boston Globe
In just the past few months, governors and lawmakers from more than a dozen states have sealed deals to spend far more public money on childhood education.

Blacks in suburbs failing Md. exams Baltimore Sun
Minority students, especially African-Americans, are struggling to pass the exams.

The School Cafeteria, on a Diet NYT
School districts across the country have been taking steps to make food in schools healthier, but some parents say they are taking it too far.

Kids have real-life problems too Los Angeles Times
Grades and learning often pale in comparison to the hard-luck realities students face outside the classroom. Via EdNews.org.

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With Start of a New School Year, Excitement and Jitters NYT
Ask kids what they feel about the first day of school, and they’ll tell it from the heart.

Humble Origins, Influential Posts Shape Views of New Gates Chief EdWeek
Vicki L. Phillips is often described as a decisive leader with a deep understanding of education and the political savvy to advance an agenda.

Charter School Network Founder Indicted Washington Post
The founder of one of California's largest charter school networks was indicted Tuesday on 113 felony counts and accused of siphoning millions in public school funds, prosecutors said.

Ivy League school welcomes 15-year-old MSNBC
Brittney Exline is too young to vote, drive a car or go to an R-rated movie, but at the age of just 15 she is beginning her Ivy League career Wednesday when classes start at the University of Pennsylvania.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Iraq veteran sues over school job Sacramento Bee
A soldier who served a tour of duty in Iraq and Kuwait claims that the Sacramento City Unified School District failed to give him his job back when he came home in July 2006, according to a federal complaint. Via EdNews.org.

Democrats Try to Soften Bush’s Education Law NYT
Leading Democrats are struggling for the formula that can attract bipartisan support to extend the life of President Bush’s education law, No Child Left Behind.

No-Excuses Leadership for the Schools Washington Post (commentary)
We seem to have entered a season of let's-make-excuses for public education. So it's striking when an educator on the front lines, the superintendent of schools in Prince George's County, says, no, thanks -- don't give me that option.

All-Day Kindergarten Expands In N.Va., but So Does the Cost Wash Post
Marcus Stotts recently checked out the cheery classroom where he'll be spending more than six hours in kindergarten each day.

Author takes us inside the 'Teachers' Lounge' USA Today
In his new book, Tales From the Teachers' Lounge, Wilder, a longtime English teacher, reflects in similar fashion on his 18 years of teaching — most of them at Santa Fe Preparatory School, a private day school in New Mexico's capital.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teachers Grapple with Attaining Education Law's Goals PBS NewsHour
John Merrow's series looks at how some of the country's best teachers are dealing with the No Child Left Behind law.

Reading Curricula Don'™t Make Cut for Federal Review EdWeek
None of the most popular commercial reading programs on the market had sufficiently rigorous studies to be included in the review by the clearinghouse. [Reading Recovery did.]

ACT participation hits record USA Today
Most striking, perhaps, is the sharp increase in the number of minority students who take the ACT: 17.6 percent more black students and 23.4 percent more Hispanics than in 2003.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Forced to Pick a Major in High School NYT
A high school in New Jersey is requiring students to declare a major as freshmen.

School Districts Find Loopholes in No Child Left Behind Law PBS
School districts are getting around certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind law by setting the bar measuring student progress low in the beginning. PLUS: Failing San Diego Schools Work to Meet Standards PBS

Grants Given for Nonexistent Students Washington Post
The D.C. school system received almost $4 million in federal funds for educating migrant children when it did not have any, city and federal officials said yesterday.

Colleges rant, rail against magazine rankings MSNBC
Colleges are having a hard time quitting the magazine’s annual beauty contest.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As States Tackle Poverty, Preschool Gets High Marks WSJ
It took a well-orchestrated campaign to put pre-K on the top of political agendas -- and new tactics that didn't rely on do-gooder rhetoric.

Dodd Outlines K-12 Education Plan EdWeek
Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd planned to unveil his ideas Thursday morning at the National Education Association of New Hampshire meeting in Bartlett, N.H.

Same-Gender Cleveland Schools Slow to Get Applicants Cleveland.com
The highly touted single-gender academies opening later this month in Cleveland haven't made much of a splash yet with parents.

District's Ex-Charter Schools Chief Admits Fraud Washington Post
Brenda Belton had some gall, by her own admission.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

12th Graders Show Better Grasp of Market Forces Than Expected NYT
The nation’s high school seniors performed significantly better on the first nationwide economics test than they did on other recent national exams in history and science.

State Colleges Prepare To Measure Their Own Performance WSJ
Participating schools will use one of three tests to gauge the performance of students with similar entering SAT scores at tasks that any college grad ought to be able to handle.

NCSL Declares Opposition to National Standards Ed Week
The NCSL today took a hard-line against any form of national academic standards, declaring that any attempt to unite school curricula across states would be unacceptable until perceived flaws in the federal No Child Left Behind Act are fixed.

Dade Schools Chief Crew on Guard after Threats Miami Herald
Threatening phone calls and voice-mail messages are prompting Miami-Dade schools Superintendent Rudy Crew to take extra precautions with his safety as police investigate the intimidation, officials said Tuesday.

Principal Tried ‘Magic' To Cure School NY Sun
A principal who took an unusual approach to improve her TriBeCa high school — allegedly hiring a "black magic" practitioner to cleanse evil spirits through a ceremony involving sprinkled chicken blood — is being forced out a month before the school year starts.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quotes From the Democratic Debate Forbes
On NCLB: "It was an unfunded mandate. And part of it is that the Department of Education under President Bush did not absolutely enforce it..."

Schools losing Texas teacher bonuses Dallas Morning News
More than half of the 1,150 Texas schools rewarded in the first year of the landmark teacher pay-for-performance plan have fallen out of the program this year. Via EdNews.org.

Shuttle Endeavor to Carry Teacher into Space PBS
Teacher Barbara Morgan joins the Endeavor crew for a planned Wednesday launch. She was selected as the backup candidate to Christa McAuliffe in the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. Idaho Public Television reports on her story.

Sparse Foreign Language Instruction Cincinnati.com
Despite the increasing demand, foreign language instruction before seventh or eighth grade remains sparse, available in less than one-third of U.S. elementary schools, according to the Center for Applied Linguistics. Via DA Daily.

High school reading lists get a modern makeover Christian Science Monitor
Find out what recent bestsellers are taking their place next to classics at schools across the U.S.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bridge Hero Gets Offer: Paid Tuition NYT
A full scholarship has been offered to Jeremy Hernandez, a struggling former student who kicked open the back door of a tipping school bus with 50 children.

NCSL Panel Fails to Reach Consensus on National Standards EdWeek
The committee had been poised today to endorse a policy taking a firm stand against any national standards.

Numbers Not Adding up for Prospective Teachers in New Jersey AP
The state Board of Education is considering raising the minimum passing score on tests for new teachers, despite knowing it might cause even more to fail, The Press of Atlantic City reported in Thursday's newspapers.

Your Own Personal Blackboard Jungle Village Voice
Fresh from the frontlines, New York Teaching Fellows tell all. Via EdNews.org.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anti-Bureaucrat Charter Schools Get Centralized NY Sun
A funny thing is happening with some anti-bureaucrats: They are bureaucratizing, building central offices that function like miniature school districts overseeing between four and 40 schools.

Judge: No New Assignment Plan Needed For Ky. Schools EdWeek
A federal judge told the Louisville school district it can use whatever method it likes to assign students to schools—as long as race isn't considered.

Ironing out policies on school uniforms USA Today
As the new school year approaches, more schools are requiring students to wear uniforms or otherwise restricting what they may wear — and parents are objecting. Lawsuits! Via EdNews.org.

Wisconsin: Sentence in Shooting of Principal AP
A 16-year-old was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the shooting death of his high school principal.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For Schools, What Does Progress Mean? Las Vegas Sun via DA Daily
None [of the 8 growth model states] is going as far as Nevada is proposing: to add points for schools where already-proficient students improve.

Tennessee Steps in at 17 Memphis Schools Commercial Appeal
The Tennessee Department of Education is playing a stronger role in the operation of 17 Memphis schools that have not met state performance standards for the past six years. PLUS: Stricter Standards Cause Drops in Hundreds of Texas' School Ratings Houston Chronicle.

In Alaska, school equality elusive Christian Science Monitor
The state must improve education in rural areas before requiring students to pass the state exit exam, a judge recently ruled. Via EdNews.org.

Mayor spent millions on school board races LA Times
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spent $3.5 million on behalf of three candidates who recently won seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, breaking the record set eight years ago by then-Mayor Richard Riordan, another politician who installed a board majority, according to reports filed Tuesday.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Study Finds Some States Lagging on Graduation Rates NYT
Dozens of states accept any improvement in high school graduation rates as adequate progress, and several set a goal of graduating fewer than 60 percent of their students, according to a study released yesterday by the Education Trust in Washington.

Doubts Cast on Math, Science Teaching Lures EdWeek
Those who have studied financial incentives say evidence is scant that they are attracting substantial numbers of college students and career-changers to math and science teaching, despite years of investments in those programs. PLUS: Teachers Tell Researchers They Like Their Jobs.

Gates Foundation's Education Chief Controls Billions NPR
With more than $3 billion in grant money to give away, [incoming education chief] Phillips arguably has one of the most powerful K-12 jobs in the country.

Textbook Watchdog Norma Gabler Dies NPR
Norma Gabler, who, along with her husband Mel, exerted huge influence over the U.S. textbook industry as a watchdog for material they considered anti-family, has died.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Acceleration Under Review Ed Week
As more high school students enroll in programs that award college credit, policymakers are asking questions about quality.

UC's online-only charter high school closes after 1 year San Diego Union-Tribune
Heather Brooks, 17, an incoming senior at Mar Vista High School, and Erik Chavez, 17, who just graduated, practiced handling cargo on the Navy tanker Henry J. Kaiser as part of the students' paid summer internship.

Wis. teen told police he 'freaked out' AP
A boy on trial in the shooting death of his principal told investigators that he "just freaked out" and pulled the trigger three times, but that he didn't mean to kill the man.

A school musical in their own words USA Today
Grovelin' for grades each day...Buildin' our GPA...Tryin' to stuff more stuff in our resumé.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm using the term loosely here.

Pupils too passive, education chief says Denver Post
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings on Monday confronted a challenge on many Americans' minds: how relatively comfortable U.S. students can compete against the family-driven zeal children bring to school in countries such as China and India.

Clouds Gather Over D.C. Schools Washington Post
One month before school starts, District officials said yesterday that half of D.C. public schools do not have all their required textbooks and half of the school buildings will not have any air conditioning on the first day of school -- conditions as traditional in the city as back-to-school...

Liked raw carrots, hated green beans Seattle Times
The menu at William V. Wright Elementary School is getting a makeover after Constantine Christopulos' class went on a poignantly polite letter-writing campaign aiming to see less of that particular vegetable in the cafeteria.

Test scores? Check. Application? Check. And now, the slideshow AP
The University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business will begin requiring prospective students to submit PowerPoint-like slides with their applications this fall.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Such as they are...

Stemming the Summer Slide Washington Post
Summer can be the enemy of the schoolteacher: Students forget their math. They stop reading. And in the case of those with limited English skills, they lose their newly acquired words.

Simple Safety Solution: Classroom Locks MSNBC
Safety experts say that while school officials across the nation re-evaluate campus safety in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, many are overlooking a simple solution: putting locks on the inside of classroom doors. PLUS: Witnesses: Teen Said Principal Would Die Washington Post

‘Play It Smart’ High School Program Is Putting Some Players on Track NYT
Rutgers running back Ray Rice is one player who has benefited from Play It Smart, a nonprofit program to help football players in inner-city schools with their studies.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Child law runs into GOP revolt Gannett News
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, is set to outline his changes to the law Monday and is expected to propose legislation in September.

Studying math improves science scores MSNBC
Students who had more math courses in high school did better in all types of science once they got to college, researchers say.

U.S. Poised to Sit Out TIMSS Test EdWeek
The U.S. Department of Education has said budget and staffing constraints will prevent one of its agencies from taking part in the upcoming 2008.

*Free Daily E-Mail Updates Now Available -- See The Yellow Box To The Right.*

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Major Study of City Schools Shows Charters in Lead NY Sun
Researchers took advantage of New York City charter schools' popularity -- applications outnumber available seats, on average, 3 to 1 -- comparing students who applied and were accepted through a random lottery to students who were rejected.

In science, rural kids strongest AP
Rural students perform better in science than their urban counterparts, and rural teachers generally are happy with their schools, a federal study finds.

Bloomberg's New Slogan: A Harry Potter in Every Pot Washington Post
Bloomberg laid out an agenda that includes several items opposed by teachers' unions, a major backer of Democrats, including making it easier to fire ineffective teachers, offering bonus pay for teachers and principals whose students perform well on tests and even denying tenure to teachers whose students don't do well.

Vallas Puts Team to Work NOLA.com
When the Recovery School District opened its Poland Avenue offices last year, there were so few people in the building, there seemed to be an echo. Almost a year later, the office bustled with sound, while employees squeezed by each other through narrow halls, past doors with names printed on white paper.

*Free Daily E-Mail Updates Now Available -- See The Yellow Box To The Right.*

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Besides the curriculum narrowing story, of course....

2 New Jersey School Districts Regain Some Local Control NYT
The state will continue, however, to oversee academic instruction in the Newark and Jersey City public schools. Via EdNews.org.

How Schools Get It RightBaltimore Sun
Tucked amid a block of rowhouses around the corner from Camden Yards is an elementary school with a statistical profile that often spells academic trouble: 76 percent of the students are poor, and 95 percent are minorities. Via DA Daily.

Groups Lay Out Compensation €Essentials€ EdWeek
Performance-pay systems for teachers that are set up wrong might be worse than no performance pay at all, a coalition of groups promoting teacher quality warned here yesterday.

Immigrant Parents Struggle to Keep Their Children Bilingual Boston Globe
After a lunch of hot dogs and rice, Jordy Berges blasted a ball off the wall of the lunchroom at his mother's office, his stomping grounds for the summer."No juegues aqui," Yovanna Berges scolded her 7-year-old son, telling him in Spanish to stop. "Sorry," he answered her, in English. Via DA Daily.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First Lady Makes Rare Foray Into Lobbying for ‘No Child Left CQ
Complicating the lack of movement are significant policy debates that have emerged between Republicans and Democrats, particularly over the weight standardized testing should be given in determining adequate yearly progress — the centerpiece of the law once expected to be President Bush’s domestic legacy.

Maverick Leads Charge for Charter Schools NYT
In seven years, Steve Barr’s Green Dot Public Schools organization has founded 10 charter high schools and has won approval to open 10 more.

An Imbalance Grows in Cambridge, Mass., Schools Boston Globe
Five years after Cambridge began using family income instead of race to assign students to schools, the system has become more racially segregated, a Globe review of data shows.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Students Want Presidential Hopefuls to Make Education a Priority AP via EdWeek
A group of S.C. honors students videotaped a question to candidates for the upcoming debates.

Test mess entangles school St. Pete Times
Some 28 severely disabled children are at the center of a controversy that has pushed West Hernando Middle School to the brink of federal sanctions, according to school officials.

School Recruiters Turn To 'Innovative Places' Washington Post
Ireneo Abadejos and Julieta Perez are among what they call the "lucky 30" Filipino teachers hired by the Prince George's County school system in October 2004 as part of an experiment to help fill a big teacher shortage.

Mo. Begins Online Test Experiment AP Via EdWeek
Missouri education officials on Thursday told the state Board of Education about a pilot project creating an online exam to complete a newly required personal finance class.

How Can You Distinguish a Budding Pedophile From a Kid With Real Boundary Problems? New York Times Magazine
It can be difficult, but research is showing that when it comes to sex crimes, youths are not just little adults. So why does the law tend to treat them that way?

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Edwards touts diverse schools plan in Rust Belt cities AP
The plan calls for beefing up inner-city magnet schools to attract suburban kids, and providing extra money for schools in middle-class areas as a reward for enrolling more low-income students.

Ten schools join state plan to lengthen school days Associated Press
Ten more schools will lengthen their days next year, more than doubling the number of Massachusetts schools that are adding class time in a bid to improve academics.

At this Irvine school, that sound you hear is Chinese LA Times
Slater Stanley is only 14 but already has big plans. He intends to have mastered Chinese by the time he finishes high school, then wants to head to Beijing for college.

Kids addicted to caffeine? Biz Of Knowledge
How much caffeine is there in the drinks your kids slurp?

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Edwards Pushes Better Education for Poor EdWeek
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has called for measures to strengthen education for poor children and make schools more economically diverse in order to fight poverty.

DC Conference Centering On Vouchers NY Sun
Giving private school vouchers to Washington, D.C., schoolchildren has increased the funds available to the city's public system at large, but it has not triggered a competitive pushback of improvement in the public schools, researchers will argue at a conference in Washington today.

Abstinence Education Faces an Uncertain Future NYT
Opponents of abstinence education cite a study that found no sign that it delayed a teenager’s sexual debut.

School fined after kids taped undressing MSNBC
A jury has awarded $40,000 each to 32 students who were taped by security cameras in a Tennessee middle school’s locker rooms.

Christian Fantasy Genre Builds Niche Without Hogwarts, Muggles or Spells WPost
Could the next Harry Potter be a devout Christian?

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NCLB Seen as Curbing Low, High Achievers' Gains EdWeek
"This is the irony of the `soft bigotry of low expectations,`” he added, quoting a line from President Bush. “Having lower standards is actually beneficial to low-advantage children."

College Board Tries to Police Use of ‘Advanced Placement’ Label NYT
To help protect its brand, the College Board is creating a list of classes that high schools are authorized to call AP and reviewing the syllabuses for classes.

Head Start Renewal AP via EdWeek
The bill is virtually unchanged from the version approved in February by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No Child's authors work on a revision Boston Globe
"Everything's up for review," said Miller , Democrat of California and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

Limelight Has Eluded Fired D.C. Schools Chief Washington Post
It's been a tough month for former D.C. school superintendent Clifford B. Janey since his abrupt dismissal by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in a late-night telephone call. Via DA Daily.

Nipping Bias in the Bud LA Times
As soon as Violet Feldman laid eyes on her cousin's short haircut, she wanted one too. The 5-year-old begged her parents to trim her dark-brown locks just like his and once at the salon, she wanted to go shorter and shorter.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Law makes state oversee failing schools New Haven Register
It is far more specific than the federal No Child Left Behind law, which introduced nationwide testing goals and accountability measures.

NCLB-Renewal Ideas Circulate on Capitol Hill EdWeek
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. has signaled to freshmen in Congress that he’ll propose some major changes to the 5½-year-old NCLB Act when he releases his reauthorization bill, possibly in the coming weeks.

School Diversity Based on Income Segregates Some NYT
Recent experiments show how hard it can be to balance academic success and socioeconomic and racial diversity.

Intel, in Shift, Joins Project on Education
Intel said it would join the board of the One Laptop Per Child Foundation, which seeks to build inexpensive computers for the developing world.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Positive Trends Recorded in U.S. Data on Teenagers AP
Fewer high school students were having sex and more were using condoms in 2005, according to the latest government report on the well-being of the nation’s children. Via EdWeek.org.

Government Eyes Seat Belts for School Buses AP
The government is looking again at whether children are safer in seat belts when they ride the bus to school, months after a deadly crash in Alabama. Via District Administration.

U.S. education official touts charter schools Albany Press & Sun Bulletin
With a successful charter school's graduation ceremony as a backdrop Wednesday, President Bush's deputy education secretary said the administration is pushing to expand the number the publicly funded private institutions when a 5-year-old education accountability program is reauthorized this year.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

House moves to lower interest on student loans AP
Legislation to lower interest rates on student loans and increase aid to poor people who want to go to college won House approval yesterday.

Potter Has Limited Effect on Reading Habits NYT
The truth about Harry Potter and reading is not quite a straightforward success story.

Teacher-Turned-Astronaut to Deliver Educational Payload EdWeek
Barbara R. Morgan and the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour will conduct a variety of educational activities on an 11 day mission.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Texas to End High-School Exit Exams NPR
The Texas legislature has voted to end one of the most controversial aspects of its school accountability system: exit-level exams that students must pass to get their high-school diplomas.

Locke High's weary teachers face a hard multiple-choice test LA Times
They're divided over whether to become a charter school.

School settles after student's mouth taped MSNBC.com
A school district agreed to pay $33,250 to settle a lawsuit by a former student who accused an elementary school teacher of wrapping tape around his head for talking too much.

Pittsburgh schools drop 'public' from name to boost image Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Public Schools will drop "public" from its name and adopt a new, standardized way of referring to its schools as part of a campaign to brighten and strengthen the district's image. Via EdNews.org.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Public Schools Feed Multitudes in the Summer NYT
The New York City school system has become one of the nation’s largest summer soup kitchens.

Pilot Schools Setting More Hurdles Boston Globe
Most of Boston's experimental pilot high schools, held up as a national model and acclaimed for outperforming traditional public schools, have quietly created admissions hurdles that call into question whether they are stacking the deck with the most successful students.

More than half of teens forgo summer jobs USA Today
Perhaps the biggest reason teens are bypassing work is to spend more time studying, even during the summer: 37.6% of teens ages 16 to 19 were enrolled in school in July 2006, up from 36.5% a year earlier and more than three times the share enrolled two decades ago, according to the Labor Department.

High Schoolers Who Confronted Bush Tell Their Story Independent Media Institute
If the Libby commutation and the ongoing war in Iraq and well everything being perpetrated by our president and his goons has you in a bummer of a mood on this Fourth of July, than the video to your right should cure what ails you. Via EdNews.org.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not really that new or big, but more to come with Congress back in session...

Advocates for Students With Disabilities Balk at Proposed NCLB Changes EdWeek
Some fear high standards for such students could be sacrificed as states seek more flexibility in the law.

Nutrition education ineffective USA Today
The federal government will spend more than $1 billion this year on nutrition education but an Associated Press review of scientific studies examining 57 such programs found mostly failure.

Schools turn to private donors Detroit Free Press
Once limited to colleges and private schools, reliance on private donations has become a $31.5 billion part of the public K-12 experience, complete with gala fund-raisers and old-fashioned merchandise peddling.

School backers revisit role Seattle Times
The influential Seattle group Alliance for Education is reshaping itself and examining questions about control of the money it raises for schools.

School Graffiti Nets 4-Month Suspension AP
Writing "I love Alex" on a school gymnasium wall brought a 12-year-old the same punishment as if she had made terrorist threats.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charismatic pol gets ovation, but GOPer Huckabee a hit, too Philadelphia Daily News
The rock star of Democratic presidential candidates, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, made his appearance yesterday before 9,000 delegates at the National Education Association convention, as did a long-winded local favorite, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

Vying to be teachers' pet Philadelphia Inquirer
Eight presidential candidates came to Phila. to court the National Education Association. They said largely what teachers wanted to hear.

Schools Move Toward Following Students’ Yearly Progress on Tests NYT
Schools are looking to use an increasingly popular way to analyzing test scores, which tracks the progress of students as they move from grade to grade.

NASA's First 'Educator Astronaut' Scheduled to Fly NPR
After two decades of waiting for her chance to go into space, schoolteacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan is scheduled to fly on the next shuttle mission.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many teachers dubious of merit pay Boston Globe
Merit pay tied to student test scores seems all the rage in some educational [and journalistic] circles, but many teachers think it's an idea whose time hasn't come.

In School Takeover, Newark Union Tries to Prove It’s Part of the Solution NYT
The powerful Newark Teachers Union is telling as many as a dozen teachers at the troubled Newton Street School that they have to leave because they do not fit in with a plan to improve the school.

U.S. OKs Pilot ‘Growth Models’ for Last 2 States EdWeek
Arizona and Alaska will participate in the pilot project to measure student progress.

Ruling empowers parents of special-ed students Houston Chronicle
A recent Supreme Court ruling strengthens the rights of parents with special-needs children, saying they can fight their own cases — without high-priced lawyers or fear of getting into trouble for practicing law without a license.

Advanced Displacement Daily Harold (Chicago Reader)
What an AP saw at an AP test.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charter contract believed to be the first tying salaries to performance. Philadelphia Inquirer
Three years after organizing, teachers at Camden's first charter school have settled their first contract: a three-year pact with performance incentives.

Democrats: No Child Law Needs Overhaul AP
They all voted for it, but that was then. Democratic presidential candidates came out swinging Monday, not at each other but at the No Child Left Behind law. They spoke at the annual convention of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union. [Word is that HRC has the endorsement locked up.]

PLUS: 'T' is for teachers - and 'terrorists' Philadelphia Daily News via EdNews.org

The 'new' NEA: Reading gets bigger CNN.com
An all-night reading at a local Krispy Kreme of American author John Steinbeck's 1939 classic "The Grapes of Wrath" -- literature amid chocolate iced glazed crullers -- may not rival an afternoon at your local library for quiet. [The 'other' NEA]

From Court, Houston Judge Presides over Class NPR
Judge William Yeoman is seeing a younger crop of defendants in his courtroom: students who act out in class.

School official sues Fox over report parody story in Maine Boston Globe
Lewiston School Superintendent Leon Levesque is seeking $75,000 in federal court in Portland to deter what his attorney Bernard J. Kubetz characterized as irresponsible reporting by Fox News Channel. Via EdNews.org.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'No Child' in the Crosshairs Washington Post (editorial)
Act. The federal law is not perfect, but its architecture of But that's the approach being advocated by those who find fault with the No Child Left Behind...

Newer Presidents See Role of Unions Changing, Study Finds EdWeek
The changes are attributed to “new realities” in public education that threaten the future of both teachers’ unions and public schools.

Study: Black Students Lag in Success on AP Tests Boston Globe
Participation in the Advanced Placement program has more than doubled in 10 years, but this surge in college-preparatory testing has not reached most black students, according to an analysis of 2006 exam results in 30 school systems with 5,000 or more black high school students.

Fewer schools bear hero names Salt Lake Tribune
In Florida, five schools are named after George Washington although 11 honor manatees, also known as sea cows.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teachers Target Bush's No-Child Law for Change Under Democrats
``The American public and educators agree -- Congress needs to change No Child Left Behind,'' said association President Reg Weaver, a former middle school teacher.

Charter schools booming in the suburbs Philadelphia Inquirer
Once found almost exclusively in urban centers with dismal academic options, charters such as Renaissance - located in a bucolic corner of the solid-performing Phoenixville Area School District - have become increasingly common in the suburbs.

Phila. to Keep Outside School Managers One More Year EdWeek
Experts who have been closely monitoring Philadelphia’s experiment with outside management were divided on exactly what lessons it is yielding for educators.

12 Ways to Childproof Your Kids' Summer and Avoid Trips to the ER US News
As children burst into the long, lazy days of summer-on wakeboards, roller coasters, and all-terrain vehicles-parents may want to bone up on precautionary measures.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spellings favors wiggle room for schools USA Today
The U.S. Education Secretary has proposed a way of evaluating schools that would differentiate between schools that are close to meeting state standards and those that are underperformers.

Union to Help Charter Firm Start School in the Bronx NYT
A charter school operator from Los Angeles [Green Dot] is seeking to expand into New York with the cooperation of the teachers’ union. PLUS: Patrons’ Sway Leads to Friction in Charter School

Study: Federal Tutoring Helping Students AP
Taxpayer-funded tutoring for poor children is paying off in some city schools, a federal study says.

Two school diversity cases: Same issue, with a twist CNN
The Supreme Court is poised to issue key rulings in two major cases involving diversity in schools.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

States Urged on Teacher Qualifications AP
Even as states are erecting barriers that could prevent qualified people from teaching, they also are making it too easy for unqualified people to get in, the report says. Just three states - New Jersey, New Mexico and New York - require new teachers to pass such [licensing] tests before entering the classroom. Many states give teachers one year to pass, but 20 states let people teach for three years or more without passing, the report says. PLUS: Read the full report with all its maps here.

Editorial: Three Bad Rulings NYT (editorial)
The Supreme Court hit the trifecta yesterday: Three cases involving the First Amendment. Three dismaying decisions by Chief Justice John Roberts’s new conservative majority.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Experts Analyze Supreme Court Free Speech Rulings PBS
The Supreme Court ruled to loosen restrictions on campaign ads and tighten limits on student speech Monday. Two law professors weigh in on what the rulings mean for the nation, and what they indicate about the justices' take on First Amendment rights.

PLUS: Supreme Court Backs Discipline of Student for Drug-Related Banner Ed Week

Ex-Aides Break With Bush on 'No Child' Washington Post
President Bush urged lawmakers yesterday to renew No Child Left Behind, his landmark education initiative, but one of his biggest political liabilities in achieving that goal comes from an unlikely source: his former aides.

Prepare for the SAT Test, or Play With Your iPod? Have It Both Ways NYT
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a traditional test preparation company, is offering interactive programs for downloading to iPods with video screens.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Report Card PBS
NOW returns to Lafayette Academy, a charter school where students and teachers have struggled in the past school year with mismanagement [Mosaica] and a lack of resources. NOW also visits the fifth graders at KIPP Believe College Prep, part of a successful national charter school network called the "Knowledge Is Power Program."

Big-Name Consultants Greeted With Wariness Washington Post
Two dozen high-priced consultants have set up shop on three floors of the D.C. public schools' headquarters, wearing pinstripe suits, toting binders and BlackBerrys and using such corporate jargon as "resource mapping" and "identifying metrics."

The High School Kinship of Cristal and Queen NYT
Queen Bond and Cristal Pimentel found each other, seized opportunities and graduated from high school in the face of tremendous adversity.

School Officials Black Out Photo of a Gay Student’s Kiss NYT
Yearbooks for East Side High School in Newark were distributed with a black-marker splotch covering a photo of a student kissing his boyfriend.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Voucher Use in Washington Wins Praise of Parents NYT
Students who participated in a federally financed school voucher program did not perform significantly better academically but their parents were satisfied anyway.

ALSO: Voucher Students Show Few Gains in First Year Washington Post

Schools Await Desegregation Ruling Courier-Journal.com
With just 10 days left in its session, education and civil-rights leaders across the nation are anxiously waiting to see whether a conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court will end voluntary desegregation in America's public schools -- particularly those in Jefferson County.

ALSO: High Court Rules on School Athletics, Sentencing NPR

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2300 schools face 'No Child' overhaul AP
Nationwide, about 2,300 schools are either in restructuring or are a year away, according to a database provided to The Associated Press by the Education Department.

Ed Department: states not meeting special-ed law requirements AP
Fourth-fifths of the states are falling short of federal requirements for educating students with disabilities, the Education Department says.

Teacher Turnover Costs Systems Millions, Study Projects Washington Post
An independent report released yesterday estimates that the high rate of teacher turnover in U.S. school systems costs more than $7 billion a year, with systems including the District and Prince George's and Fairfax counties hardest hit. (Also: Schools Have No Handle on Cost of Teacher Turnover).

Small Companies That Try to Bring Innovative Technology to Teaching NYT
A growing cluster of companies in the Northwest are looking to capitalize on educational needs.

Webcams Are Officially Not Fun Anymore USNWR
Some worry that the cameras are a little too Big Brother-ish. Paper Trail is more worried about a deluge of bad test-taking videos on YouTube.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Education Week: To Know NCLB Is to Like It, ETS Poll Finds Ed Week
Once the interviewer mentioned the law’s focus on standards and accountability, requiring highly qualified teachers, and other details, 56 percent said that they viewed the law favorably. Thirty-seven percent still opposed it. Plus: ETS Report.

Recruited to Rescue Washington’s Schools NYT
Michelle A. Rhee, the newly named chancellor of schools in Washington, seems undaunted by the challenges ahead as she prepares for her mission to raise reading and math scores in the city.

Values set Baltimore school apart USA Today
It has been a tough year at Talent Development. An open-admissions public high school that enjoys a cooperative relationship with Johns Hopkins University's Center for the Social Organization of Schools, it has been in business since 2004, occupying half of a sprawling brick building in the city's Harlem Park neighborhood. USA TODAY has visited throughout the year to see what makes it unique.

Web cam exam proctors are latest cheating deterrent CNN.com
Read full story for latest details.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interview With Education Secretary Margaret Spellings Real Clear Politics
I recently had the opportunity to interview Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings about the administration's push to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act.

Mental Health Consultants for Preschools Surprise with Their Success Courant
States across the nation have experimented with placing mental health experts in preschool classrooms for about a decade. But while such programs can cost millions and look good, nobody has ever been sure they work.

California Schools Collect Student Data to Help Kids NPR
Two schools in California hope collecting data on students' progress will enable teachers to tailor an instructional program that will help students succeed on state-mandated skills tests.

Schools Plan to Pay Cash for Marks NYT
New York City students could earn as much as $500 a year for doing well on standardized tests and showing up for class in a new program to begin this fall.

High-fives violate 'no-touching' policy at school CNN
Read full story for latest details.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Long Reviled, Merit Pay Gains Among Teachers NYT
Minnesota’s $86 million teacher professionalization and merit pay initiative got a lift when teachers voted overwhelmingly to expand it in Minneapolis.

For Bush, 'No Child' a hard act to follow Baltimore Sun
But his push this year to renew the law has made little progress. The administration is redoubling its lobbying efforts - including enlisting first lady Laura Bush - against opposition from both ends of the political spectrum.

Backlash against 'zero tolerance' in schools MSNBC
Lawmakers in several states say "zero tolerance" policies in schools have resulted in many punishments that lack common sense, and are seeking to loosen the restrictions.

Parents like No Child Left Behind, just not in their children's school Poconos Record
Parents of public school students tend to believe the landmark education law No Child Left Behind is a good idea — except when it comes to their own schools.

Teachers Say NCLB Has Changed Classroom Practice Ed Week
A new study tracking the classroom impact of the No Child Left Behind Act in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania suggests that teachers are adjusting their teaching practices in response to the law—but not always in ways that educators and policymakers might want.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not really any single big story today, but..

Explosives Are Found in Lockers in New Jersey School NYT
A bomb squad defused 16 gunpowder-filled devices at Wayne Valley High School after 1,400 students were removed from the bulding.

Do longer hours equal more learning? Christian Science Monitor
Pressured to produce better students, 10 Massachusetts public schools pack more hours into their schedules.

Substitute Teacher Granted New Trial in Porn Case Washington Post
A former Connecticut middle-school teacher was granted a new trial today at her sentencing hearing, where she had faced up to 40 years in prison for exposing her students to pornographic material on a classroom computer.

A Sense of Anxiety a Shirt Won’t Cover NYT
Troubled by enlarged male breasts, boys are turning to surgery. Waiting may be wiser.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evidence thin on student gains from NCLB tutoring Ed Week
Five years after the No Child Left Behind Act became law, there's still a dearth of research evidence to show whether one of the federal measure's least-tested innovations?a provision that calls for underperforming schools to provide after-school tutoring?has an impact on student achievement.

Virginia Tech report calls for better communication USA Today
Improved communication may be the key to preventing the repeat of a Virginia Tech-like tragedy on other college campuses, a report issued today by three federal agencies concludes.

In high schools, a 'B' is new 'C' Post-Gazette
In high schools, a 'B' is new 'C'. Higher grades not matched by higher test scores.

Marketers Are Joining the Varsity NYT
Athletes, if they are talented, train hard and get a break or two, can climb the sports ladder from high school to college to the pros. Madison Avenue, sensing a lucrative opportunity, is heading the other way.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fenty's Picks Have Ties to System, And Its Reforms Washington Post
The two top people chosen to lead the D.C. public schools under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty are both from a program that has played a leading role in streamlining the school system's troubled human resources department. PLUS: More Criticism Over Fenty's Secrecy

When States Seize Schools Ed Week
Patience has its limits, even among some of the staunchest supporters of public education, when schools consistently fall short of stipulated outcomes. But this intuitively appealing approach promises far more than it can deliver.

Study: bullies prone to sleep problems USA Today
Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed urban elementary school parents and teachers and found that kids identified as bullies were more than twice as likely as others to have a condition called sleep-disordered breathing, a catch-all for sleep-time respiratory problems as mild as habitual snoring and as serious as obstructive sleep apnea, in which a person actually stops breathing temporarily.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

States Looking to Expand Charter Schooling PBS
States are increasingly requesting federal support for charter schools -- publicly funded schools that are given more autonomy than their peers. The NewsHour looks at the movement to create the schools and questions raised about their effectiveness. [Meanwhile: Texas Struggles to Shut Failing Charter Schools Ed Week.]

Higher Pay Urged to Fight Dearth of Math and Science Teachers Wash Post
Higher starting salaries, more rigorous teacher training programs and additional support for first year teachers are just a few of the incentives needed to deal with a projected shortfall of more than 280,000 math and science teachers across the country by 2015, according to a group of business leaders.

Advertising: Marketers Are Joining the Varsity NYT
Marketing and media companies are now capitalizing on consumer interest in high school sports and becoming big boosters of them.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How to Fix No Child Left Behind TIME
It's countdown time in Philadelphia's public schools. Just 21 days remain before the state reading and math tests in March, and the kids and faculty at James G. Blaine Elementary, an all-black, inner-city school that spans pre-K to eighth grade, have been drilling for much of the day.

Teachers Lacking Certification Are Told They Will Be Terminated Washington PostA D.C. public schools official has notified more than 300 teachers that they will be terminated next month if they do not have the proper credentials to remain in the classroom.

U.S. spends average $8,701 per pupil on education CNN
The United States spent an average of $8,701 per pupil to educate its children in 2005, the Census Bureau said Thursday, with some states paying more than twice as much per student as others.

Scoring error raises questions Miami Herald
Human error inflated last year's third-grade FCAT reading scores, state education officials said Wednesday -- an admission that again called into question the state's controversial high-stakes testing system.

Nebraska repeals racially charged breakup of district CNN
The governor signed a bill Thursday repealing the planned breakup of the Omaha school district into three districts, largely along racial lines.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone's got slightly different things to say about the NAEP history and civics scores released yesterday: Basic scores are up, but not proficient or advanced. NCLB is holding history back, or helping kids read better. Younger kids are doing better than last time, but not older kids. You get the idea.

Students Gain Only Marginally on Test of U.S. History NYT
More than half of high school seniors still showed poor command of basic facts like the effect of the cotton gin on the slave economy or the causes of the Korean War.

More Students Know Basics of History SF Chronicle
More students are learning the basics when it comes to history and civics, but they aren't rising to the next level, national tests show.

Fourth-Graders Improve History, Civics Scores Washington Post
The nation's fourth-graders have shown significant gains in U.S. history and civics test scores, federal researchers reported yesterday, a development that -- coupled with similar recent advances in reading, math and science -- experts attribute in large part to an intense national focus on reading.

Social Studies: Can't Get No Respect? AJC
The percentage of students scoring in the “proficient” range in U.S. history at each grade level was basically the same as the previous exam. That stagnant pattern also held true in civics. Although, on each test, some improvement was made in the percentages of students scoring at the “basic” level.

US students aren't history whizzes, but they're improving Christian Science Monitor
The latest national report card: younger students are gaining, while high-schoolers show little progress.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Education Chief Orders Ethics Check WaPo
U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has launched reviews of the department's ethics and financial disclosure policies in response to questions raised through far-ranging investigations of the student loan industry.

Bush Defends No Child Left Behind Act AP, CNN
President Bush, acknowledging public frustration over his No Child Left Behind Act, said Thursday the point of the law is not to punish schools that fall short, but to help them.

Teachers' Workday Is Difficult to Pin Down EdWeek
But the debate in Hawaii throws up a question with as many answers, it appears, as there are education interests: How many hours does the average teacher clock in?

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Usefulness of education research questioned USAT
More than five years after President Bush's No Child Left Behind law told educators to rely on "scientifically based" methods, the science produced is often inconclusive, politically charged or less than useful for classroom teachers.

Student Loan Giant Sallie Mae Settles in NY Conflict-of-Interest Probe WaPo
In a settlement with the New York state attorney general, the Reston-based lending behemoth said it would no longer pay travel and entertainment fees for university officials, send its staff to work for free in financial aid offices or operate call centers where company employees provide financial advice but identify themselves only as university advisers.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New Orleans: Looking for a few good principals USAT
A non-profit group retained to recruit 40 new principals for New Orleans Public Schools is using an unusual lure: A year-long, intensive training residency before candidates even take over schools — plus bonuses that could add up to nearly $40,000 if President Bush approves them.

9 States to Give Common Math Test WaPo
Mike Cohen, president of Achieve Inc., led a failed effort in the Clinton administration to develop national standards in a variety of subjects. But he said this is different, since it is a grass-roots effort rather than one being forced on states from Washington.

Students sue antiplagiarism website for rights to their homework CSM
The saga began last year when McLean High School in Virginia adopted a widely used antiplagiarism service called Turnitin. Under the system, students electronically submit essays to be stored and compared against millions of others in a massive database.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Education Dept. Official Under Scrutiny in Student Loan Probe WaPo
The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a senior official in its financial-aid office who owned about $100,000 worth of stock in a student loan company.

Simplified exams OK'd for more students AP
The Bush administration is letting more children with disabilities take simplified tests under the No Child Left Behind education law. The change, outlined in final regulations yesterday, could triple the number of children who can take tests that are easier than those given to most students under the 2002 law.

States abstain from federal sex-ed funds LAT
In an emerging revolt against abstinence-only sex education, states are turning down millions of dollars in federal grants, unwilling to accept White House dictates that the money be used for classes focused almost exclusively on teaching chastity.

Battle Grows Over Renewing Landmark Education Law NYT
As the president and the same Democrats push to renew the landmark law, which has reshaped the face of American education with its mandates for annual testing, discontent with it in many states is threatening to undermine the effort in both parties.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report puts pacifier on 'smart baby' debate USAT
Many efforts to build "brighter babies" are doomed to failure because they are built on misinterpretations and misapplications of brain research, a report says.

Plans for Revamped G.R.E. Are Abandoned NYT
After spending four years and $12 million on research, the Educational Testing Service has abandoned plans to introduce a revamped Graduate Record Exam this fall.

Settlement reached in New York student loan probe CNN.com
A settlement with three dozen schools and a major lender announced Monday will make the student loan process more fair to students and their families, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taking the Trick Out of Tapping Into Federal Aid WaPo
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is filled out by 14 million students each year who apply for federal financial aid. But the questionnaire is so mind-bogglingly complicated that many others just give up and miss out on government grants.

For Girls, It's Be Yourself, and Be Perfect , Too NYT
“Amazing girls” translation: Girls by the dozen who are high achieving, ambitious and confident (if not immune to the usual adolescent insecurities and meltdowns). Girls who do everything: Varsity sports. Student government. Theater. Community service. Girls who have grown up learning they can do anything a boy can do, which is anything they want to do.

Assessment Coach Is Always Being Tested WaPo
The proliferation of testing coordinators, once an unheard-of position, is part of the response to the boom in standardized testing.

Growth Models for NCLB Accountability Are Weighed EdWeek
Not all states have the data capabilities to operate so-called growth models, and many others would need to revise their testing programs to take full advantage of them.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Best Of The Week
The Month in Review (Audio)
How Reading First Is Like Gonzales-Gate

NCLB News
Make That 13 States With Computerized Testing
Illinois Goes For Broke On AYP Avoidance Strategies
Another Set Of Experts, Another Set Of Predictions
Son of NCLB

Teaching & Learning
The $8.5 Billion Master's Degree
Rifts In Universal Pre-K
Accountability Isn't Just For Schools And Students
Extended Learning Reality Check / Roundup
Cloning Charters, And Letting Parents Pick Principals

Foundations & Think Tanks
More Obama-CAP Connections
Reform-Minded Union Leader Named To Broad Board
Education's "Ethanol"
Why Research Goes Unused

Media Watch
Valid And Reliable Education Coverage?
Internet Predator Tactic Works Better For Journalists
"Citizen Journalism" At Work On The Education Beat
WSJ Reporter John Hechinger: New Face, Familiar Name

The Business of Education
Business-Minded Blog Joins The Fray
Milken Education Empire Getting Bigger

School Life
The Choking Game
The Craze That Overtook The 5th and 6th Grade
Seven Years For Shoving A Hall Monitor
Teen Tanning Is The Latest Thing States Are Banning

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Study gives teachers barely passing grade in classroom USAT
The findings, published today in the weekly magazine Science, take teachers to task for spending too much time on basic reading and math skills and not enough on problem-solving, reasoning, science and social studies. They also suggest that U.S. education focuses too much on teacher qualifications and not enough on teachers being engaging and supportive.

Many Illinois schools dodge federal warning list CNN.com
Almost 300,000 reading and math tests taken by Illinois students in 2006 weren't counted because the state relaxed a rule under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, allowing some schools to dodge a warning they were failing.

Child Wants Cellphone; Reception Is Mixed NYT
Should you get your 8-year-old his or her own cellphone? The trend is growing, but not without a lot of anguish among parents.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Out-of-Favor Reading Plan Rated Highly EdWeek
Reading Recovery, a popular one-to-one tutoring program that Bush administration officials sought to shut out of a high-profile federal reading program, has gotten a rare thumbs-up from the federal What Works Clearinghouse.

No Child law faces medley of changes Stateline.org
States are among the chief stakeholders clamoring to leave their stamp on a new version of the education law, which has riled some state lawmakers and educators to the point of rebellion over its costs, penalties and unprecedented federal oversight of school policy.

2007 All-USA Teacher Team USAT
USA TODAY seeks 20 teachers, both individuals and instructional teams, to honor as representatives of all outstanding teachers. Members of the 10th annual All-USA Teacher Team will be announced in October 2007 and will be featured in USA TODAY. Each teacher receives a trophy and a $2,500 cash award — $500 for the teachers and the remainder to the school for use as designated by the teachers.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

States Again Weighing Proper Enrollment Age for Kindergartners EdWeek
Lawmakers in at least three states are debating whether to move the cutoff deadline for kindergarten eligibility to an earlier date so children will be at least 5 years old when they start school.

Rural schools prepare for proposed cuts AP
An emergency spending measure would provide $400 million nationwide for one year, but it’s tied into a contentious Iraq war funding bill that requires President Bush to bring combat troops home next year. The Democratic-led House approved the bill Friday, 218-212, despite a veto threat from Bush.

Trying to Disarm the Dangerous World That Students Live In NYT
Jeffrey Johnson took the standardized tests that Florida requires for promotion and graduation. He scored in the 93rd percentile in reading and the 95th in math. That same semester, he earned straight A’s. Days before commencement, at the age of 17, he was shot to death at a party during an argument about his car.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

School strives to provide safe haven USAT
A troubled kid who straightened out after less than a year at the school, Vic was on track to graduate and study accounting. Last fall, in USA TODAY's first story on Talent Development, he cited the school's "positive peer pressure" as helping him finally get focused on school.

Tennessee Lawmakers Push to Restore Civics Education to School Curriculums WaPo
Since the federal No Child Left Behind law was passed in 2002, schools have focused on reading and math, and that has squeezed out other subjects like arts, music and civics, educators say. So lawmakers in Tennessee and other states have proposed bills this year to save civics.

Many teachers see failure in students' future USAT
In all, 23.6% of public school teachers at all levels say success in college would elude most students in their school. An additional 18% say they aren't sure.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Experts: Testing companies "buckling" under weight of NCLB CNN.com
A handful of companies create, print and score most of the tests in the U.S. and they're struggling with a workload that has exploded since President Bush signed the education reform package in 2002.

Failing Schools See a Solution in Longer Day NYT
States and school districts nationwide are moving to lengthen the day at struggling schools, spurred by grim test results suggesting that more than 10,000 schools are likely to be declared failing under federal law next year.

To Be AP, Courses Must Pass Muster WaPo
The College Board, publisher of college-preparatory exams, is auditing every Advanced Placement course in the nation, asking teachers of an estimated 130,000 AP courses to furnish written proof by June 1 that the courses they teach are worthy of the brand.

Poor Behavior Is Linked to Time in Day Care NYT
A much-anticipated report from the largest and longest-running study of American child care has found that keeping a preschooler in a day care center for a year or more increased the likelihood that the child would become disruptive in class — and that the effect persisted through the sixth grade.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

State Takes Control of Troubled Public Schools in St. Louis NYT
A spokesman for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jim Morris, said the three-member panel was expected to run the district for the next six years, although the State Board of Education could elect to extend the panel’s term indefinitely.

NY battles student loan kickbacks CNN.com
Last week, Cuomo announced that an investigation into student lending practices, spanning hundreds of colleges and at least six lenders, found that lenders routinely paid kickbacks to colleges and their employees for steering business their way. These are among several practices that may violate state law, Cuomo said.

More States Raise Dropout Age to 18 NPR
A growing number of states are raising the high-school dropout age to 18. Supporters say the new laws will reduce the dropout rate. But some educators fear the measures will be ineffective, while costing the schools more money.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bill Would Protect Against Cuts WaPo
Virginia Sens. John W. Warner and James Webb introduced legislation yesterday to protect the state's schools from Bush administration threats to withhold millions of dollars in aid in a clash over federal testing rules.

Utah heats up over long-simmering school voucher debate CSM
For one thing, the law has hurdles to clear: Opponents have launched a petition drive to postpone it and let voters decide the issue in 2008; legal challenges are also likely.

Gates Foundation to Give D.C. Students Push to College WaPo
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will announce today a $122 million investment to create a new crop of high school and college scholars among some of the city's poorest and lowest-achieving students. It is the foundation's largest investment to date in D.C. education and one of the largest grants it has made for education.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'No Child Left Behind' losing steam CSM
Conservative Republicans in the House and Senate introduced bills last week that allow states to opt out of most of the law's requirements, while keeping federal funding. Backers of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) say that move would gut the law.

Fighting Over When Public Should Pay Private Tuition for Disabled NYT
Almost seven million students nationwide receive special-education services, with 71,000 educated in private schools at public expense, according to the United States Department of Education. Usually school districts agree to pay for these services after conceding they cannot provide suitable ones.

Latest data security risk: Copiers eSchool News
As schools take steps to protect the security and integrity of data on their computer networks, experts warn they also should consider securing copiers and scanners that could be used to copy sensitive information.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Charter School Effort Gets $65 Million Lift WaPo
The donation will create 42 schools in Houston, TX and will make KIPP the largest charter school organization in the country.

Project Launches 10-Year Initiative to Link Early Education, Economy EdWeek
The $3.1 million project is the latest signal of corporate America’s increasing interest and involvement in young children’s education.

Lawsuit Says Education Dept. Overcharged on Student Loans WaPo
A computer glitch apparently caused more than 3 million student loan borrowers to be billed hundreds of millions of dollars more than they owed, said lawyers who brought the class-action suit. It's unclear how much individuals were overcharged.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Preschoolers' Test May Be Suspended WaPo
Congress is moving to end a standardized test backed by the Bush administration and given to hundreds of thousands of preschool children in Head Start programs each year, amid complaints from early childhood experts that the exam is developmentally inappropriate and poorly designed.

Utah Sets Rigorous Rules for School Clubs, and Gay Ones May Be Target NYT
Next month, a 17-page law will take effect governing just about every nuance of public school extracurricular clubs, from kindergarten jump rope to high school drama. How groups can form, what they can discuss in their meetings, who can join, and what a principal must do if rules are violated are addressed.

Right of students to free speech is put to Supreme Court Boston Globe
Students don't leave their right to free speech at the school door, but neither can students be disruptive or lewd or interfere with a school's basic educational mission

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Education Dept. Is Urged to Explain Loan Subsidy NYT
Lawmakers from both parties are pressuring the Education Department to explain why it let a student loan company keep $278 million in subsidies that an audit found improper.

Bill Gates calls for ed-data center eSchool News
America needs a Center for State Education Data to aggregate student information and identify what works and what doesn't in our schools, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told Congress on March 7.

"Hire" education: A vocational model succeeds CNN.com
Central Educational Center in Coweta County, Georgia must meet state standards and its students are required to take all state standardized tests. However, as a charter school, CEC has the flexibility to tailor its curriculum to meet the changing needs of the business community.

Low-income families get college aid help CSM
More than 1,700 potential college students and parents who earn less than $45,000 annually and have their taxes done at select H&R Block offices will get free help completing the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Suicide Shootings at Schools in Michigan and Texas NYT
A 17-year-old shot his ex-girlfriend four times Wednesday in the parking lot of her Michigan high school before shooting himself fatally in the head. Earlier a 16-year-old boy shot himself at his high school in Texas.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Intel Competition Is Where Science Rules and Research Is the Key NYT
More high schools around the country are teaching students how to do cutting-edge research, not just imparting textbook science, in some cases because they were inspired by the two old-timers.

Companies match students with internships CNN.com
A slew of businesses have popped up to help match students with internships, charging hundreds to thousands of dollars to help them write resumes, identify potential employers and find summer housing.

Rural Schools Affected By Battle over Bush Plan NPR
Rural schools in California are facing a crisis because of a fight over President Bush's plan to sell $800 million worth of national forest.

Kids produce video for TV shows eSchool News
Inspired by the YouTube model of user-created content, a growing number of television networks are soliciting video contributed by viewers--and many of these efforts involve children and teens.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Homeschoolers Find University Doors Open Topix.net
Under UC Riverside's new policy, homeschoolers can apply by submitting a lengthy portfolio detailing their studies and other educational experiences.

Teens work late, long and in danger, study finds CNN.com
U.S. youngsters aged 14 to 18 who work at retail and service jobs during the school year put in an average of 16 hours a week, often at jobs that are dangerous and unsupervised, a study said Monday.

Council Assails Mayor’s Plan to Give Principals More Autonomy NYT
City lawmakers yesterday harshly criticized the Bloomberg administration’s plans to give many more public school principals wider autonomy in September, telling a top city schools official that there was not enough evidence of success among 322 principals who received additional authority this academic year to justify expanding the program.

Why a South Carolina teen has to work his way through high school WSJ
At 16 years old, Rontrell Matthews has a better idea than most of his peers what an education is worth. Spurring him along was a determination to buy his own way out of one of the state's many failing public schools.

Posted by Margaret Paynich at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A call for separation of school and state Boston Globe
Entitled to teach anything. That means, the judge ruled, that parents have no authority to veto elements of a public-school curriculum they dislike. They have no right to be notified before those elements are presented in class.

U.S. Prosperity Will Demand Radical Action, 2 Groups Say WaPo
The business group and the think tank, which had been at loggerheads on a number of other issues, said they came together because U.S. schools are failing children and putting the nation's competitiveness in the global economy at risk.

Critics denounce Pizza Hut reading program CNN.com
The program is now under attack by child-development experts who say it promotes bad eating habits and turns teachers into corporate promoters.

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Bush To Visit Indiana To Tout "No Child Left Behind" Indychannel.com
President George W. Bush will make a stop in southern Indiana in support of reauthorizing "No Child Left Behind." Bush will visit an elementary school in New Albany on Friday afternoon. 6News will have a crew at the event.

Seeing red lowers test scores, study says Democrat & Chronicle
University of Rochester psychology research, done in collaboration with Germany's University of Munich, has found that the color notably affects how people perform on some standardized tests. It all started with the idea that the red ink used by teachers in grading could have a lasting effect and be associated with failure, said Andrew J. Elliot, lead author of the study and a UR psychology professor.

Tornado Gave Alabama School Officials Hard Choice NPR WaPo
Tornadoes took at least 17 lives across the South Thursday, including five at a high school in Enterprise, Ala. Officials decided not to send students home by bus. Then the school took a direct hit and the roof collapsed.

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State poised to OK school for Chinese immersion Boston Globe
Children would spend the bulk of their school days speaking and learning core subjects in Mandarin Chinese in a proposed charter school founded by parents and educators who say children need to master Chinese to succeed in the future workplace.

Justices Hear Arguments on Autism-Case Dispute NYT
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard an appeal that will clarify the situation for the parents of millions of children with disabilities and for the public school districts that are obliged to serve them under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

$3M grant to aid online teacher education eSchool News
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a $3M grant to Western Governors University to develop a new model for web-based teacher education that can be implemented on a national scale.

Student Arrested in bus tagging LAT
A 15-year-old sophomore at the Santee Education Complex in South L.A. was arrested late Tuesday on suspicion of being the student who scrawled his nickname on the outside window of a city bus carrying Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Schools Supt. David L. Brewer, among others.

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Little Rock school case ends, 50 years after desegregation crisis LAT
A judge in one of the nation's longest-running school desegregation cases released the Little Rock district from federal supervision Friday, nearly 50 years after President Eisenhower sent in troops to escort nine black students into all-white Central High.

Demand for English Lessons Outstrips Supply NYT
A survey last year by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials found that in 12 states, 60 percent of the free English programs had waiting lists, ranging from a few months in Colorado and Nevada to as long as two years in New Mexico and Massachusetts, where the statewide list has about 16,000 names.

Massachusetts leading national effort for longer school days AP
The school, which serves mostly poor, minority students, is one of 10 in the state experimenting with a longer day as part of a $6.5 million program.

Open access to public TV content sought eSchool News
The Association of Public Television Stations has called for the creation of an "American Archive" that aims to preserve public TV programming so that students and teachers can tap into the programs for educational purposes.

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Grades Rise, but Reading Skills Do Not NYT, WaPo, LAT, Wash. Times, CNN.com
High school students nationwide are taking seemingly tougher courses and earning better grades, but their reading skills are not improving through the effort, according to two federal reports released here Thursday that cite grade inflation as a possible explanation.

PTA's Go Way Beyond Cookies NYT
The transformation of Livingston’s pizza lunch reflects how parent groups across the country, especially in affluent suburbs, are undergoing a kind of corporate makeover, combining members’ business savvy, technological prowess and negotiating skills to professionalize operations.

More 'reliable' Wikipedia soon to launch eSchool News
Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger is getting ready to launch a new collaborative web site. Called Citizendium, the new site will require posters to register their names and has tapped subject-matter experts to serve as content editors.

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New Jersey Schools Told to Protect Gay Students NYT
Students who are bullied by other students because of their sexual orientation are protected by New Jersey’s antidiscrimination law, and school districts must take reasonable steps to stop such harassment, the state’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday.

Tempting Teachers To County Classrooms WaPo
At a recent job fair at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, more than 200 teacher recruiters -- some from as far as Atlanta and Denver -- competed for the attention of about 330 graduates clutching freshly printed r?sum?s.

States standup to cyberbullies CNN.com
States from Oregon to Rhode Island are considering crackdowns to curb or outlaw the behavior in which kids taunt or insult peers on social Web sites like MySpace or via instant messages. Still, there is some disagreement over how effective crackdowns will be and how to do it.

Educators REact to No Child Left Behind NPR
Joel Packer, director of education policy and practice with the National Education Association, offers reaction from educators to recent proposed changes to No Child Left Behind.

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The Forum on Educational Accountability is unveiling its alternative to NCLB today: "Leaders of national education, civil rights, religious, civic and disability groups will hold a news briefing Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 9:30 am to release the Forum on Educational Accountability's Redefining Accountability: Improving Student Learning by Building Capacity, a new report with recommendations for replacing the test-based sanctions of the “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) law with means to hold states and localities accountable for making systematic changes that improve student achievement. You can see it here.

Posted by Alexander Russo at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A History Department Bans Citing Wikipedia as a Research Source NYT
With the move, Middlebury, in Vermont, jumped into a growing debate within journalism, the law and academia over what respect, if any, to give Wikipedia articles, written by hundreds of volunteers and subject to mistakes and sometimes deliberate falsehoods.

Jobs, Dell appraise technology, schools eSchool News
In a rare joint appearance, Jobs and Dell, whose namesake company, Dell Inc., is the world's No. 2 computer manufacturer after HP, sat down with a small group of educators and policymakers in Texas to discuss attitudes on education and talk about ways schools can better embrace technology to improve learning.

Budget Would Trim Funds for "Even Start" NPR
President Bush's budget proposes deep cuts in Even Start, a popular program that helps teach parents to read and speak English. Parents who can read can help their children with schoolwork and promote reading.

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In Vermont, Prisoners Go To High School Behind Bars WaPo
Vermont's largest high school is run by the Department of Corrections. The school -- operating in each of the state's jails and prisons, with walk-in schools at Probation and Parole offices -- has about 3,500 registered students, though only about 350 attend classes every day.

With One Word, Children's Book Sets Off Uproar NYT
The inclusion of the word (scrotum) has shocked some school librarians, who have pledged to ban the book from elementary schools, and reopened the debate over what constitutes acceptable content in children’s books.

More students across US logging on to online classrooms Boston Globe
Enrollment, counted as the total number of seats in all online classes, not the number of students, has grown twentyfold in seven years, and the group expects the numbers to continue to jump 30 percent annually.

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A School District With Low Taxes and No Schools NYT
A loophole in Arizona law allowed for Patrick Flynn to create a school district with no schools to avoid paying higher property taxes on million dollars homes.

Flu outbreak closes three schools in North Carolina CNN.com
Three schools closed until Monday because of an outbreak of flu-like symptoms after attendance dropped 20 percent. The closings were recommended to give the students a break to get to the doctor and stop spreading the germs.

Rhode Island launches first statewide curriculum Boston Globe
These step-by-step lesson plans, available to the public on a newly opened Web site, are designed to help teachers in schools that can face sanctions or even lose funding if students don't make adequate progress on annual tests.

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Schools strive for 'no parent left behind' CSM
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) actually requires schools that need improvement to inform and involve parents in their strategies, but federal and state monitors haven't been paying much attention to that part of the law.

No Child Left Behind? These Kids Just Want to Come in From Cold WaPo
Students share their thoughts with reporters about how they felt when their schools were unable to et them attend because of damages due to weather.

The "Other" Gap EdWeek
Why aren’t educators and policymakers talking about low-achieving Asian-American students, who they are, and what should be done to help them catch up?

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Effective teachers brace for change USA Today
Even at a glance, Zakia Sims seems like a good teacher....But in a few years, her credentials might not help her keep her job. It might come down to this: How well do her 6- and 7-year-olds do on standardized tests?

On Education: On Different Pages With Bilingual Education NYT
Recent decisions on school closures have fueled the debate over bilingual education.

Kansas: Anti-Evolution Guidelines Are Repealed AP
The State Board of Education repealed science guidelines questioning evolution, putting into effect new ones that reflect mainstream scientific views.

Mikulski Seeks Federal Aid for Schools Before Student Influx Washington Post
U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said yesterday that she would push an amendment allowing any school district affected by the realignment of military bases to receive federal aid before the arrival of students whose parents relocate for the job shifts. accountable for raising test scores in science by 2014.

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Phone Ban Sought for School Bus Drivers AP
The American School Bus Council plans to issue guidelines Tuesday calling for a ban on drivers using cell phones when the bus is moving or when students are getting on or off.

Md. 'Gum Game' Used for 9 Years WaPo
Rockville Pregnancy Center, a faith-based organization that offers counseling and support to pregnant women as an alternative to abortion, was expelled from the schools in January after a parent alerted school officials that a speaker had asked students to take turns chewing a piece of gum.

Time for Daylight Savings patches eSchool News
Schools, businesses, and other organizations aren't properly prepared for the new start of Daylight Savings Time, says a new report from technology research firm Gartner Inc.

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In a historic first, Harvard chooses woman president CSM
The Ivy League has reached a milestone in gender equality: Half of the eight schools are now run by women. Drew Gilpin Faust emerged from the weekend as Harvard University's first female president. A current Harvard dean, she will not only sit at the pinnacle of higher education, but will oversee a budget on a par with top corporations.

Broad Voucher Plan Is Approved in Utah NYT
The Utah State Legislature approved one of the broadest school voucher programs in the nation on Friday, allotting up to $3,000 for any public school student to put toward private school tuition.

No Tests, No Homework WaPo
Free schools, popular decades ago, operate on the belief that kids are naturally curious and learn best when they want to, not when forced. That old idea is getting a new look from parents tired of the required tests, homework and rigid schedules in public schools.

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A little bit of Enron in all of us? JS Online
Lynn Brewer, the former Enron Corp. executive who blew the whistle on corrupt practices at the energy giant, delivered a chilling message about wrongdoing in corporate America to the 800 students, faculty and members of the public who came to hear her speech Thursday at Marquette University.

Schools Picked to Pilot Sex-Ed Lessons WaPo
Should the pilot program go forward, it would mark the first time sexual orientation has been addressed directly in eighth- and 10th-grade county health classes.

Gender Gap in GPAs Seen as Linked to Self-Discipline EdWeek
What may have gotten lost in the conversation, suggests Angela Lee Duckworth, a research associate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, are gender differences in an area that has attracted little research attention over the years: the old-fashioned attribute of self-discipline.

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Rural Colleges Seek New Edge and Urbanize NYT
At the same time, officials have realized that a more urbanized version of the ideal campus could attract a population well past its college years — working people and retiring baby boomers — if there is housing to suit them.

Overachieving Students Hear a New Message: Lighten Up WaPo
In a region where the high school experience has evolved into an advanced placement-fueled academic arms race, parents and school officials are starting to do the unthinkable: They're saying no to adolescents who want to load up on AP courses, schedule eight-period days and join the school newspaper, track team and high school band at the same time.

ISTE releases draft of new tech standards eSchool News
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has just completed a draft of its National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students--a groundbreaking paradigm for what young people should know about technology and what they should be able to do with it before graduating.

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Advanced Placement Tests Are Leaving Some Behind NYT
More high schools across the nation are offering Advanced Placement courses to help students get into college and get ready for its academic rigors. In the process, however, many minority students who often need help most urgently are missing out.

A positive (top) spin on education CSM
Ranging from third grade to eighth, about 30 students at Confluence Academy's Old North St. Louis campus have recently formed a new sports team, with the help of a volunteer who played competitively in China. One of her first lessons: Please don't call it ping-pong.

Publishers cater to growing use of MP3's for schoolwork CNN.com
Students are using MP3 players more to listen to downloaded books, textbook study guides and language labs on-the-go. A typical 300-page novel might take up 12 CDs, but only a tiny portion of an MP3 player's memory, and prices for audiobook downloads are mostly comparable to audio CDs.

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Supervisors Step Up In 'No Child' Fight WaPo
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors sided with school officials yesterday in a showdown with the Bush administration over the federal No Child Left Behind law, accusing the U.S. Department of Education of having a "tin ear" in its policy toward testing immigrant students.

Coming US challenge: a less literate workforce CSM
The reason: Most baby boomers will be retiring and a large wave of less-educated immigrants will be moving into the workforce. This downward shift in reading and math skills suggests a huge challenge for educators and policymakers in the future, according to a new report from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

States try mentoring to hang on to teachers Boston Globe
States from Oregon to Connecticut are considering pouring millions of dollars into mentoring programs for new teachers, aiming to stop many educators from spending just a few years in the classroom before leaving for greener, less taxing pastures.

President's Budget Seeks Help for High Schools, But Again Targets Cuts in Many AreasEdWeek
The Bush administration released a fiscal year 2008 budget request today that includes new money to help struggling schools and a renewed push to retool high schools, but would provide less money overall for the U.S. Department of Education than a fiscal year 2007 spending bill approved by the House last week.

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Nanotechnology inches its way into classrooms WaPo
Recognizing that changing curricula can be next to impossible, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network is developing and distributing programs aimed at engaging schools in nanoscale science and engineering education, said Carol Lynn Alpert, director of strategic projects at the Museum of Science, Boston, and a co-principal investigator of the network.

California School Under Fire Over Volunteer's Sex Record NYT
He confessed to touching the woman but denied molesting the child. He was convicted of two felony sexual batteries — one for the woman and one for the child — and his sentence of probation was overseen by the authorities in California.

Senate committee debates bill exempting AZ from No Child Left Behind Act Tucson Citizen
The Senate Committee on Education endorsed a bill Wednesday that would allow schools districts and charter schools to opt out of the federal No Child Left Behind Act if they don't receive money from the program.

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Bush's 2008 Budget Calls For Boost to Pell Grants WaPo
The president's 2008 budget, which will be unveiled next week, would increase the annual Pell grant next year by $550, to a maximum of $4,600.

Michigan: Affirmative Action Suit Settled NYT
The university will pay $10,000 each to the lead plaintiffs, Jennifer Gratz and Patrick Hamacher, to cover miscellaneous costs, both sides said. In exchange, the two agreed to drop all claims under a nearly 40,000-member class-action lawsuit against the university over its former affirmative action admissions policies.

Texas bill proposes fine for missing teacher meetings CNN.com
Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record.A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for playing hooky from a scheduled parent-teacher conference.

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Cafeteria Inspections Lag, Study Finds WaPo
High school cafeterias in the District, Virginia and Montgomery County routinely fail to meet federal food safety standards that require them to be inspected twice a year, according to a study released yesterday.

Reading, writing, and a roof overhead CSM
Officially, it's known as Joe's Place. But one of its first residents has dubbed the cheerful yellow house "Big Bird." It opened recently with enough space for four homeless boys who attend high school in the Maplewood Richmond Heights (MRH) district, near St. Louis.

West Virginia kids win weight-loss game USAT
Researchers plan to announce the results of a year-long study Friday that suggests playing Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) improves the health of overweight kids.

Accord on Increasing Pell Grants NYT
The increase, announced by the chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, would raise the maximum grants, under the Pell program, to $4,310 a year from $4,050.

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States tackle global competitiveness eSchool News
From increasing the rigor of the high school curriculum, to focusing more attention on math, science, and technology instruction, many U.S. governors this year have proposed new education programs that aim to raise high school graduation rates and better prepare students for success in the 21st century.

Public schools group jeers privatization Washington Times
Today, NSBA members will walk the halls of Congress, lobbying for more funding and flexibility to help teachers meet the law's tough standards for testing students and making progress.

Staff Is Reeling After Bold Move WaPo
Every staff member -- from custodians to the principal -- must reapply to stay in his or her job, an action called "zero-basing."

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Pushing Back at Bullying NYT
This past November, the Greenwich High School principal, Alan J. Capasso, greeted an early morning assembly of more than 800 freshmen about to begin a mandatory anti-bias, anti-bullying program called “Names Can Really Hurt Us.”

High Schools eyed in No Child Left Behind Washington Times
Educators, lawmakers and the White House are indicating that high school reform should be included in this year's renewal of the No Child Left Behind law, and the discussion about what it will include is already under way.

Bus driver background checks cause school closings CNN.com
Columbus schools canceled classes for their 56,000 students Thursday after a contractor responsible for some school bus routes discovered it had not done complete criminal background checks on drivers.

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Colleges Regroup After Voters Ban Race Preferences NYT
Others are using many different approaches, like working with mostly minority high schools, using minority students as recruiters, and offering summer prep programs for promising students from struggling high schools.

Learning Improvements Among Head Start Children Tracked EdWeek
Children participating in Head Start during the 2003-04 school year showed significant learning gains in vocabulary, early math skills, and early writing skills, according to the latest results of an ongoing survey.

Fairfax Resists 'No Child' Provision WaPo
The Fairfax County School Board last night defied the U.S. Department of Education -- and challenged the No Child Left Behind Act -- by declining to force thousands of immigrant students to take a federally mandated test because local educators think it is unfair.

Same-sex classes a growing trend in public schools CNN.com
Supporters say splitting students by sex minimizes distractions, helps them learn better and allows boys and girls to explore subjects they may not otherwise take.

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Bush Proposes Broadening the No Child Left Behind Act NYT
The proposals would give local school officials new powers to override both teachers’ contracts and state limits on charter schools in the case of persistently failing schools.

New education reforms get mixed reviews AP
Democrats and teachers‘ unions are criticizing the Bush administration for proposing to let school officials override collective bargaining agreements and state laws in an effort to reshape the No Child Left Behind law.

Teacher has ways to light a fire under his pupils USAT
In a new book, Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire, he offers practical advice for teachers and parents.

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Bush Revives Some Past Proposals NYT
Mr. Bush also returned to the signature bipartisan accomplishment of his first term, the No Child Left Behind legislation that requires schools to demonstrate yearly progress in students’ achievements. He urged Congress to renew the law.

Bush to Push School Voucher Proposal AP
President Bush is making another run at giving poor students private school vouchers, but the Democratic-controlled Congress appears ready to block that move.

After the Last Lap, It's Time for SAT Prep NYT
The course, paid for with a $100,000 federal grant, is intended to help poor and immigrant runners in the Armory’s program decipher the often complex college admissions process.

Love of Learning: Which Children Have It Most NYT
A study uses Census data to look at children who are most interested in their schoolwork.

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Acquisition Ban Lifter at Career Education NYT
Career Education is battling back from government investigations, private lawsuits and accreditation problems, many stemming from accusations that the company cheated on admissions practices, financial aid and job placement.

Teachers Tackle Their Own Extra Credit WaPo
Although some wonder how much the program raises student achievement, there is a growing movement toward national certification. The number of board-certified teachers has tripled in the past five years to more than 55,000 nationwide.

Pete Seeger among children's book winners CNN.com
A book by Pete Seeger about a young musician who loses his hearing and a wordless story about an underwater camera were among the winners of children's book prizes announced Monday by the American Library Association.

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Oregon latest state to raise graduation requirements Boston Globe
Oregon is the latest state to take action in a nationwide movement to raise graduation requirements after a speech Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates gave to the nation's governors in 2005.

Taking Middle Schoolers Out of the Middle NYT
The two schools, in disparate corners of the nation’s largest school system, are part of a national effort to rethink middle school, driven by increasingly well-documented slumps in learning among early adolescents as well as middle school crime rates and stubborn high school dropout rates.

Education Department says lender was overpaid AP
Under the deal, the Education Department said any future payments the Lincoln, Nebraska-based company, Nelnet, has pending from the agency for subsidies on student loans will go through a review process to determine what the proper amounts should be.

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