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Reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of race-conscious school-assignment plans has been swift and emotional, with the decision even becoming a focal point of Democratic presidential debates last night.

In Seattle, the mother who led the lawsuit against the school district’s “racial-tiebreaker” admissions policy broke down and wept in relief. Kathleen’s Brose’s daughter had failed to get into the high school of her choice—the one that was also nearest to their home—because she is white. “I don’t want any parent to go through what we went through,” said Brose. “It shouldn’t matter what color any kid is. Everyone should have access to great schools.”

Defenders of the district’s policy took solace in the fact that the Court’s decision—particularly as modulated by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s opinion—didn’t completely rule out efforts to create greater diversity in schools. But there were also expressions of regret and concern about increasing school segregation. “It makes me sad that families who don’t have the income may not have the opportunity to go better-endowed schools,” said one long-time Seattle PTA member. “On the other side, it’s too bad that kids who go to one-cultured schools may not get the opportunity to learn about other cultures and people.”

Posted by Anthony Rebora, teachermagazine.org at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Reports of assaults against teachers seem to growing, particularly in big city schools. Sometimes they are verbal. Sometimes they are violent physical attacks. NPR’s Fresh Air host Terry Gross speaks with two veteran teachers, Ed Klein and Frank Burd, who were physically assaulted last year in their Philadelphia classrooms. Both Burd and Klein are white and taught at predominantly African American schools; however, neither perceived the incidents to be entirely racially motivated.

Music teacher Klein was relocated to a school one month into the school year when his former school dropped their music program. Entering a new school, with a class that was busy testing the limits and a staff that was overwhelmed, Klein struggled to get control of his classroom. Klein called parents frequently and, for the most part, they were responsive. He even saw changes in student behavior in a few cases. One day, however, a student told him he’d better stop calling home or he’d be sorry. Following that exchange, Klein was sprayed with a fire extinguisher on two consecutive days. On the third day, four students forced him to the floor where he suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.

For his part, after he approached a student to turn down his iPod during class, veteran math teacher Burd remembers little of his attack. Five broken bones and a brain injury later, Burd says, “I don’t feel betrayed by the students, I feel betrayed by the kid who did it.’

Will either teacher return to the classroom? Klein admits to good days and bad days, but is not sure if he will ever teach again. “I’m in a difficult position,” he told Gross. Said Burd, “I need to work. I like to work and I like teaching. I don’t know right now about the classroom. ...”

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)

Most parents agree that cutting teacher jobs isn’t beneficial for their kids, but Boston-area parent Scott Jones was so frustrated that he started a campaign, aptly named Save the Teachers. With schools in Georgetown, Mass., facing a budget shortfall due to the failure of a proposed property tax increase, the father of four decided to raise the money from private donors. I can’t sit back and watch the schools decay another year, watch the kids suffer, and do nothing,” Jones says. He and a handful of volunteers have raised more than $18,000 in the past month by passing out fliers, making phone calls, and sending out e-mails, with distribution help from local schools. In order to bring back the equivalent of the 7.8 full-time jobs that have been cut, more than $200,000 still needs to be raised by next month—though the district may be able to supplement Jones' funds by drawing on a new budget allotment. While some local officials question whether parents should be involved in collecting revenue for teacher salaries, the district's superintendent, Larry Borin, understands Jones' motivation: "I think the fact that Scott has put together an initiative to try to secure funds in order to restore some of the positions that are lost is terrific because ultimately that will impact what takes place in the classroom for students day in and day out."

Posted by Amanda Jones at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In an effort to reverse the dropout rate, New Hampshire’s State Department of Education is suggesting statewide changes in its curriculum. The state released a document this week, which upends traditional classroom instruction with a more flexible approach to learning.

The proposed suggestions include tallying learning hours rather than school days and replacing the standard curriculum with a more tailored one unique to each student’s interests. Teachers would mentor, rather than coach, and students would earn credits by mastering a subject instead of following a prescribed course. Each student would be accountable for maintaining high academic and personal standards. The plan, which was three years in the making, is tied to the state’s minimum standards, which were eased in 2005. Acknowledging the state's interest in encouraging flexibility, State board member Daphne Kenyon said, “My fundamental hope is that it will inspire high schools across the state to take advantage of the increased flexibility.”

Said Fred Bramante, state Board of Education member, “If we do this right, why would any kid drop out of high school?” The plan is already in place in certain New Hampshire high schools with a mandate for others to follow by the 2008-09 school year. The state expects to fine-tune the program once there is measurable data.

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A combination of strong forces, including baby boomer retirements and increased career options for women, is creating growing teacher shortages around the nation, says a Washington Post story. Some three quarters of the country's public school teachers are women, but research indicates that the number of women who pursue teaching after college, as well as their class rankings, has declined sharply since the 1960’s. “It’s not that you don’t have some terrifically talented people going into teaching," says Richard J. Murname, a Harvard economist who has studied the teaching profession. "The issue is you don’t have enough. And many are the most likely to leave teaching, because they have lots of other opportunities.” Compounding school recruiters' difficulties is the NCLB's highly qualified teacher mandate, which has tightened requirements for entering the profession.

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While many school districts are cutting back on cultural programming, North Carolina’s Appalachian country is expanding its music curriculum. North Carolina’s Junior Appalachian Music program or “JAM” teaches 3rd through 8th graders traditional bluegrass and Celtic music. The program is now in nine schools with three more schools scheduled to include it this fall.

Seven years ago, Sparta Elementary School counselor Helen White observed a classroom of third-grade students studying flash cards of traditional Appalachian musical instruments. White was shocked to discover the students could identify the instruments, but didn’t know what they sounded like. A musician with an interest in Appalachian culture, White designed the JAM program to help students learn more about their musical heritage.

Area teachers have noticed an increase in the confidence level of the participating students. Said fifth-grade language arts teacher, Roxanne Edwards, "This region’s culture and accent has a stigma attached to it of not being educated, but students connect this music to the region’s culture, and they see how difficult it is to play and it boosts their self-image.” For at risk students, the program is particularly important, said band instructor Tammy Sawyer. “JAM really gives them the opportunity to get the positive attention they need.”

JAM is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, and local contributors.

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A school that is an intregal part of American history may soon be gone. The city of Topeka, Kan., has given preliminary approval to demolish Sumner Elementary School, which was at the center of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case. Citing cost concerns, City Manager Norton Bonaparte said, “We do not take this lightly. It is a historic structure.” Two groups have submitted proposals to preserve the building as a charter school or for housing, but their finances have fallen short. They have five months to turn their plans around.

The Sumner School became famous when Oliver Brown, a black minister, could not enroll his daughter there in 1950. Brown sued the Topeka school district in a case that lead to the Supreme Court 1954 desegregation ruling.

Update 6/22:
The Kansas State Historical Society spares Sumner Elementary School.

Posted by Elizabeth Rich at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Online classes, a luxury once available only to university students, are now being used to educate gifted high school students who don’t fit in at traditional schools. Online High School, a year-old program at Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth, is giving its 30 international students—be they in California or Korea—the opportunity to receive differentiated instruction at home. Janet Keating, head of Online High, told the LA Times, "We feel that all kids need to learn at their own rate. I finally understand that we can do this." The school, which teaches 40 virtual courses in math and science, but does not offer art, language, or physical education classes, has a student government, a student newspaper, a yearbook, and a variety of clubs. This fall, officials at Stanford hope to expand the $12,000-a-year online school to include 100 students.

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Despite continuing concerns about school safety, some state lawmakers are questioning zero-tolerance policies on weapons, alcohol, and drugs in schools, saying they can unfairly punish students who have harmless intentions. “A machete is not the same as a butter knife. A water gun is not the same as a gun loaded with bullets,” says former school board member and Rhode Island Sen. Daniel Issa, who is sponsoring a bill that would allow school districts in his state to decide punishments for student violations on a case-by-case basis. Stories of the no-tolerance laws gone too far are widespread. For example, according to the Associated Press, a Rhode Island kindergartener was suspended after bringing a plastic knife to school to cut cookies. Ditto for a Utah student who gave his cousin some cold medicine. Utah recently changed its drug policy so that asthmatic students were allowed to carry inhalers. The American Bar Association, the American Psychological Association, and some parents have spoken out against zero-tolerance policy. “You’re dealing with individuals,” said Christine Duckworth, a mother of a recently graduated high school student in Rhode Island. “How can you possibly apply one law to every single person and their circumstances?”

Posted by Amanda Jones at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The appointment of Michelle Rhee, 37, as chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools is being seen as sign of the growing influence of Teach For America veterans on the education world. Referring to a "Teach for America insurgency," Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews notes that TFA alumni are acquiring a growing reputation as innovators in education leadership and policy. Among other similarities, Mathews says, organizations led by TFA veterans tend to share a skepticism of the traditional, ed-school based method of recruiting and training teachers. Nor are they particularly bashful about their objectives and accomplishments. "There is a core group of education reformers who are driving a disproportionate amount of great things going on right now," says Rhee, who taught with TFA in the early 90s and was president of the New Teachers Project. Adds one Washington policy wonk about his TFA-vet friends: "Sometimes I kid them about their apparent plans for world domination."

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does Tim Russett belong in an AP History class? If a new $10 million project sponsored by NBC News takes off, he and other prominent broadcast journalists just might become part of the curriculum.

The news network is working on an online project that would enable teachers to use NBC's extensive archival footage as a supplement to AP courses in history, government, and English. While intended to be educational, the program—called iCue—is also seen as a way for NBC to build a rapport with a new generation of viewers that tend not to get their news from television news networks. “Selfishly we’re looking to create a long-lasting relationship with these students,” Adam Jones, chief financial officer for NBC News, told The New York Times. “Philosophically, though, we realize these are the voters and decision makers and employers of tomorrow.” While initially free, iCue would eventually require a school subscription. According to NBC, advertising on the site would appear "strictly outside school hours"—which could mean that they would show up primarily when teachers are working on lesson plans.

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a new take on performance pay: New York City is toying with the idea of paying students cash for scoring well on standardized tests. Harvard economist Roland Fryer has concocted a program that would reward fourth-grade students on a pay scale of $5 to $25 based on their standardized test scores; seventh-grade students would stand to gain anywhere from $5 to $50. The reward plan, which would be funded by private donors, is receiving support from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and several local principals. “If we aren’t looking at everything, shame on us,” said Mayor Bloomberg, who has supported cash incentive programs for low-income parents in the past. Not everyone is on board, however. “We are troubled by additional pressure being placed on children to achieve perfection,” said Ernest Logan, president of the principals’ union. “What really matters in education is continued student progress, not perfect test scores.” Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, countered by saying that the reward would provide needed incentive to some students: “Good students get [their] motivation from somewhere—from peers, their parents, how they’re raised—but the kids who are unmotivated have a very hard time understanding that what they do today pays off decades from now.” Education Department spokeswoman Debra Wexler said that the program is “still at a preliminary stage.”

Posted by Amanda Jones at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Two former teachers from Austin, Texas, have taken the concept of a fictional documentary, recently used to depict the idiosyncrasies of white-collar work in “The Office,” and adapted it for the classroom. “Chalk,” a mockumentary about discouraged educators, follows new teachers as they deal with classroom etiquette, cultural issues, and stereotypes, and delves into the reason why 50 percent of new teachers reportedly quit within their first few years.

The movie has garnered some independent film awards, including Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast at the Los Angeles Film Festival, and received mostly positive reviews—along with some harsh criticism. The Los Angeles Times says the film is “very funny” and “shows empathy for its subjects,” while the San Diego Union Tribune says it is “demeaningly patronizing to educators, cheaply dismissive of students.”

In an interview with the Austin Film Society, the film's creators, Mike Akel and Chris Mass, said they wanted to capture the day-to-day lives of teachers. “Traveling with the film for a year and talking with teachers, people feel they’re babysitting more than teaching,” said Akel. “And I think that right there is the deflator.” As solutions, he suggests that administrators give teachers a more workable discipline systems and try implementing team teaching.

"Chalk" Trailer

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The movement for longer school days is getting vocal support from a prominent big-city mayor. At a meeting last week at the Executives' Club of Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago appealed to the Chicago Teachers Union to lengthen the school day and the school year. Daley said 10-week summers were outdated and that the current daily schedule was unacceptable. He argued that students in Chicago spend 40 fewer days in the classroom than New York City students, whose school day was extended this year, and questioned how Chicago's students could remain competitive.

Some audience members reportedly gasped as he said, “Between 2, 2:30 and 5 [p.m.], more children are injured or killed in America than any other time. Do we have to have another child killed, another child injured and another headline? Getting out of school at 2:00 or 2:30 is ridiculous. [It makes you] think whether or not the system is working for children or whether the system is working for employees.”

A spokesperson for the Chicago Teachers Union said the organization could not respond to the mayor's proposal without contractual details, noting that "teachers are professionals—not volunteers." She added that, with respect to juvenile violence, the mayor's office should considering increasing the number of social workers and psychologist in schools.

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In another example of new thinking on homework, the school board in Middletown, Ohio, has proposed a new homework policy that would make grading homework a thing of the past. Under the policy, which board members say comes in response to unequal parent contributions to homework, grades would be replaced by descriptive feedback and student critiques, with in-class projects and quizzes used to evaluate student understanding. "The removal of the grade is to make sure that we're grading the student for their work, not the work of the parents or failures of the parents," said board member Marcia Andrews. Advocates also say that low grades on homework can be discouraging for some students. The proposal, however, has sparked criticism from some parents, who say it reflects lowered expectations for students and would reduce incentives for completing homework. In a satirical letter to the Middletown Journal, one resident questioned (among other things) why schools should give grades to students at all.

MiddletownUSA.com has posted a video of the school board meeting where the homework policy was proposed. The policy will be decided on in late June.

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Many educators worry that the arts are being marginalized in today's schools, but officials in the Florida's Miami-Dade district of working to avoid that. With help from a grant from the South Florida Children's Foundation, Santa Clara Elementary School has launched a Violins Against Violence program, joining 60 other schools in the district that offer students free lessons in stringed instruments. Several studies show that music lessons can improve academic performance, but they are often unavailable to low-income children like those at Santa Clara, where 97 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch. Officials hope the program will also help expose students to new opportunities and capabilities. "It's not just about today," Santa Clara principal Marie Caceres told the Miami Herald. "Down the line, when they have to make choices, they'll already be involved in something. This is something that can keep them off the streets."

Posted by Stacey Hollenbeck at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)