Education Program
This Week in Education
July 17- July 23, 2008
Highlighted Bills of the Week
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California- (SB 1709)-Enrolled
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Authorizes school districts to provide nonmonetary incentives to pupils in grades 7 to 11, inclusive, for achievement or improvement based upon the individual results of each pupil test in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, including a designation of achievement on their diplomas. Encourages school districts to solicit ideas from pupils for local incentives for achievement or improvement on the test. |
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Colorado -(HB 1162)- Enacted |
Creates a military spouse interim authorization that allows a school district to employ a military spouse who is certified or licensed teacher, special services provider, principal, or administrator in another state but who has not yet completed the licensure process in this state. |
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This Week in Education
July 17 - July 23, 2008
K-12
Jump in on dropouts
Dropping out of high school isn't just a teenager's personal problem. It's a loss for the Massachusetts economy, which needs educated workers. Recognizing that schools can't single-handedly solve this problem, a promising bill in the state House would bring in powerful partners to help.
The Next Kind of Integration
The Supreme Court ruling that schools in Jefferson County, Ky., could no longer assign students solely by race has inspired a new approach to integration.
Students at L.A. alternative school tell success stories in their own words
The new state system of tracking individual students to determine a more accurate dropout rate is also a step toward helping those who have left school and preventing others from leaving, officials say.
Four-day school weeks reviewed
As the expenses for school districts continue to rise, the Hadley-Luzerne Central School District superintendent is exploring a new method of saving money. Superintendent Irwin Sussman wants the district to switch to a four-day school week, an idea he will study over the upcoming school year.
1 in 4 California high school students drop out, state says
Deploying a long-promised tool to track high school dropouts, the state released numbers Wednesday estimating that 1 in 4 California students -- and 1 in 3 in Los Angeles -- quit school. The rates are considerably higher than previously acknowledged but lower than some independent estimates. The figures are based on a new statewide tracking system that relies on identification numbers that were issued to California public school students beginning in fall 2006.
K-12 Governance
State education board unveils vision
If Ohio wants to improve its economy, it must graduate more students ready to compete in a global marketplace. The Ohio Board of Education outlined its vision for ensuring students are prepared for success yesterday at its monthly meeting in Columbus.
Education Finance
Showdown over school funds
State education officials and legislative Democrats say California is at risk of simply throwing away $47 million for students in the state’s most troubled public schools, and are pressuring the governor to sign a state law that would make the federal dollars available. Narrowly defeated in the state senate this month, SB 606 — which allocates money for student intervention efforts at 97 of California’s most vulnerable school districts — heads for its last stand in the legislature in August.
Leadership
Principals-in-training hit books
The focus on school leadership is needed, in part, because Houston-area districts face about 160 principal vacancies a year. That number is expected to increase as suburban districts continue to grow and as Baby Boomers retire at faster rates. They must also figure out how to find candidates who can juggle the rigor of today's high-stakes testing climate.
Principals must be better leaders, educators state
Three of Arkansas’ past and present education chiefs said Wednesday that the role of a school principal must evolve from building manager to instructional leader if student achievement is to continue to climb.
School Choice
A School Where One Size Doesn't Fit All
Alan Shusterman, 43, has assembled a board of advisers, found 15,000 square feet of commercial space a mile southeast of the White Flint Metro station and begun to recruit students for the private School for Tomorrow, scheduled to open in September 2009. "The model is inspired by the success of home-schoolers," he said. Students will set their class schedules, enabling them to learn at their pace and in their styles. Teachers will act as advisers, not taskmasters.
STEM
Report: U.S. behind in doubling science grads
A high-profile push by business groups to double the number of U.S. bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States in science, math, and engineering by 2015 is falling way behind target, a new report says.
Governor, coalition push science-education center
Gov. Janet Napolitano on Tuesday took another step to boost the number of math and science teachers in Arizona, which political and business leaders see as a critical step toward diversifying the state's housing-based economy. Napolitano told education leaders gathered at a Capitol news conference that she is teaming with a coalition of private and public partners to create the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Center.
A New Frontier for Title IX: Science
The members of Congress and women’s groups who have pushed for science to be “Title Nined” say there is evidence that women face discrimination in certain sciences, but the quality of that evidence is disputed. Critics say there is far better research showing that on average, women’s interest in some fields isn’t the same as men’s.
Schools urged to hike online learning
Local school districts should take more advantage of online programs to expand instruction in math, science, foreign languages and other areas, the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury said in a new report.
TEACHERS
Choice and Teacher Quality Top McCain’s Education Agenda
Sen. John McCain of Arizona pledged today to expand school choice programs and direct federal resources to alternative teacher-certification programs. As president, he said he would favor school-level funding for teacher merit pay, and make it easier for parents of students in struggling schools to gain access to tutoring services.
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