Georgia district loses accreditation.
NBC Nightly News (8/28, story 8, 0:25, Williams) reported, “In a rare move, a big school district south of Atlanta has lost its accreditation partly because of what’s been called a dysfunctional school board.”
The New York Times (8/29, A12, Brown) reports that Georgia’s Clayton County school system is “the nation’s first in nearly 40 years to lose its accreditation, and the governor removed four of its school board members for ethics violations.” The county’s school system “was ruled unfit for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), one of the nation’s six major private accrediting agencies, after school board members failed to meet the group’s standards for leading a school system.” During a prior investigation, “the agency found that county officials had not made sufficient progress toward establishing an effective school board, removing the influence of outside individuals on board decisions, enforcing an ethics policy or meeting other requirements for accreditation.” Following the agency’s announcement, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) “removed four Clayton school board members…for violations of the state’s open meetings act and ethics code.”
The AP (8/29) notes that SACS has given “the district until Sept. 1 to overhaul the system.” Unlike the Times article, the AP reports that Clayton County is the third district “in 40 years to lose its accreditation,” not the first.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (8/29, Matteucci, Diamond) adds, “The loss of accreditation means students could have trouble getting into some colleges and universities, or receiving scholarship money.” However, the state’s “public colleges have promised to accept Clayton students,” and “students who graduate before 2010 will still receive their HOPE scholarships, thanks to new legislation signed by Perdue this year.”
In the Classroom
Many middle schools in Wichita, Kansas have recess.
Kansas’s Wichita Eagle (8/28, Tobias) reported that, in many schools across the country, recess “is being reduced or eliminated…as schools deal with increased academic standards.” According to a “recent survey by the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play,” an estimated “40 percent of elementary schools have eliminated or cut back on recess over the past decade.” In middle schools, “free play is even more rare.” However, in Wichita, Kan., middle school “recess appears to be making a comeback…driven primarily by principals who see the benefit of fresh air and free time for young adolescents.” Results of “a telephone survey of Wichita’s middle and K-8 schools showed that most have some form of regular outdoor free time.” At Wichita’s Truesdell Middle School, for instance, students spend “20 minutes outdoors” each school day. They “can socialize during recess, but are required to keep moving — either walking laps or participating in organized games such as soccer.”
Maryland district offers several arts-education options.
Maryland’s Frederick News-Post (8/29, Neal) reports, “The arts are alive and well in Frederick County Public Schools and the offerings are abundant for students of all ages. Students in “kindergarten through fifth grade have two full periods a week of both visual arts and music,” while “fourth- and fifth-graders have the option of one period a week of instrumental music, and can choose orchestra or band.” In addition, “a program called smARTS,” which is funded, in part, by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Bank of America Foundation, “connects the storyline of theatrical productions directly to curriculum content,” said Curriculum Specialist Gwen Drescher. smARTS “will offer seven shows,” and each student pays “only $5 or $6 to attend a production.” According to Drescher, students who are unable to pay to attend the shows will not be left out, as “scholarships are available to cover the cost of tickets.”
Schools selected for D.C. cash incentive program.
In continuing coverage from previous editions of The Opening Bell, the Washington Post (8/29, B1, Turque) reports on the front of its Metro section, “D.C. officials yesterday identified 14 schools where about 2,700 middle schoolers will be eligible for up to $100 a month in cash awards for good test scores and behavior.” According to an economist and researcher from Harvard University, which partnered with D.C. schools for the program, said that “the selections were made without regard to geographic balance.” The researchers “built an algorithm that included the 28 District schools serving middle school students and generated about 30,000 possible combinations that gave him two blocs of 14: one to receive the cash incentives, and a control group that would not.” The combination selected “were the most evenly balanced based on several criteria, including size and level of academic achievement,” researchers said. The Post notes that “some details remain unresolved,” such as the particulars of the “academic benchmarks.”
New Jersey students participate in underwater robotics program.
New Jersey’s Sentinel (8/28, Amato) reported that Linwood Middle School “eighth-grade teacher Danita Guarino and two of her former students…participated in the 2008 Build It Summer Institute last week, using Lego building blocks to create ships that could move robotically underwater.” The Sentinel explained that “the students built the models and programmed them using the Lego Mindstorms NXT software program to have them go in a straight line across a pool, complete a figure eight around two obstacles, move in the motion of a figure eight mid-way underwater, and pick up weighted balls to put in end goals.” The Sentinel noted that the “challenges stressed knowledge of gears, gear ratios, structural support, buoyancy, and the forces of motion.” The students said that they learned “about group dynamics and how to work with people,” and how to “understand engineering and the concepts that are used.” In the future, Guarino said that “she will set up…an 8,000-gallon pool in her classroom and alternate projects so that as many of her students can participate as possible.”
Some districts seeking to match curriculum to 21st century workforce needs.
The Washington Post (8/28, PW3, Buske) reported, “Reading, writing and arithmetic are still the fundamental building blocks of education, but these days, they have some competition as educators reevaluate curriculum and prepare students for life in the 21st century.” Students “need life skills that will make them competitive in a global economy,” according to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), which “links educators and businesses to make sure students are learning what employers want.” A P21 official explained that, today, education is “about being able to integrate other skills like critical thinking, communication and technology skills. … We need a new model in education to match those changes.” To that end, some school systems are seeking to help students become “self-directed learners,” providing opportunities to participate in projects that emphasize science, math, engineering and technology, and emphasizing “problem-solving and complex communication” skills.
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Three Ohio middle schools to implement PLTW feeder program this year.
Ohio’s Springfield News-Sun (8/28, Gildow) reported that “three Springfield middle schools will begin to offer a Gateway to Technology program this year, a feeder to the high school’s Project Lead the Way” (PLTW) program. The News-Sun explained that PLTW “uses hands-on activities to show eighth-graders how engineering can be used in every day problem solving and help students pursue interests in science, math, engineering and technology.” Paul Schneider state and federal projects manager, said that PLTW “is funded through an Ohio Department of Education grant,” and “it will be implemented as part of science classes this year.” One of the schools’ science teachers said, “It’s hands-on, it helps with problem solving skills, creative thinking, and integrates math and science.”
On the Job
Arizona district transitioning librarians back to classroom.
The Arizona Republic (8/29, Parker) reports that schools in Mesa, Arizona are transitioning “certified librarians back into the classroom” over the next three years, “saving the district about $3 million.” The school system is “not required to have a certified media specialist operate their libraries, and as a result of financial problems, have cut the positions” and replaced them with resource center specialists. “A certified librarian’s pay is comparable to a teacher’s, while…resource center specialists are paid from $11.91 per hour to $16.12 per hour.” The district’s librarians had “fought to keep their jobs, protesting at school board meetings and proposing alterative plans last year.” Advocates argued that “school libraries are different in today’s Internet age, and that aides don’t have the training or degrees of certified librarians.” District officials pointed out that, while “the certified librarians and the new media positions will be nearly identical,” there will be changes “to the lessons taught in libraries.”
Academy teaches educators how to develop, present science lessons.
Education Week (8/28, Cavanagh) reported on the Academy for Leadership in Science Instruction, a program “designed to improve science instruction, not only by promoting effective teaching, but also by developing principals who know more about the subject.” The program, “sponsored by the Merck Institute for Science Education,” brings “together teams from 22 elementary, middle, and high schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as separate teams of district supervisors.” The teams take “part in the academy for three straight summers,” and attend “training and outreach sessions during the school year.” During the training, “principals and teachers” are “encouraged to think of science, and present it to students, in ‘strands,’ or skills that combine content knowledge with the ability to reason as a scientist would.” Another session focuses “on how principals and teachers can work together in developing science lessons and curricula.”
Law & Policy
Texas AG affirms statewide GPA calculation standard.
The Dallas Morning News (8/28) reported that Texas Attorney General (AG) Greg Abbott “has decided that all high school graduates in Texas will have their grade point averages calculated the same way beginning with the Class of 2009.” The decision affirms “a law passed by the Legislature last year.” The Morning News added, “The new GPA will be used to determine the top 10 percent of students at each school — a factor in admission to the state’s flagship universities.”
Safety & Security
Twenty Philadelphia schools deemed “persistently dangerous.”
The UPI (8/28) reported, “Twenty Philadelphia schools, including six middle schools, were named as persistently dangerous this year, up from 12 last year.” While “two high schools that were listed last year did not rate as dangerous this year,” half of the 10 schools newly “added to the list were middle schools.” The UPI noted, “Under the No Child Left Behind act, students can transfer out of persistently dangerous schools. The schools…get additional money for safety.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer (8/28, Graham) added that “district officials and the state-appointed safe-schools advocate say that Philadelphia’s schools aren’t necessarily more dangerous than they were.” Instead, they say, “principals and staff are just doing a better job of reporting incidents.” One “independent safe-schools advocate” said, “Parents shouldn’t be too shocked by these numbers, because they’re just a better reflection of the truth.” The Inquirer noted that, “of the 20 schools on the list, nine saw a drop in violence, just not enough to shed the label.”
The Philadelphia Daily News (8/28, Dean) explained, “The state identifies persistently dangerous schools as any public elementary, secondary or charter school that, in the most recent school year and in one of the two years prior to that, has: an enrollment of 250 or less and has at least 5 dangerous incidents; an enrollment of 251 to 1,000 and dangerous incidents that represent at least 2 percent of the school’s enrollment; or has an enrollment of more than 1,000 and 20 or more dangerous incidents.”
Also in the News
NASA to encourage students to pursue science studies.
The UPI (8/29) reports that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) “and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education say they will work together to encourage students to focus on science studies.” According to NASA, a “cooperative Space Act Agreement” was signed by both organizations “to encourage students to focus on” these subjects. The UPI explains that the “Challenger Center, founded in 1986, trains more than 25,000 teachers annually to engage students in critical thinking, decision-making, communication and teamwork.” Since that time, “more than eight million students have participated in Challenger Center programs, officials said.” June Scobee Rodgers, the Challenger Center’s founding chairwoman, said, “We are overjoyed with the signing of this agreement with NASA.”
Advertisement
Suburban Illinois districts prepare for Chicago school boycott.
The Chicago Tribune (8/28, Malone, Black) reported on the plans suburban Illinois city and school officials are making in preparation for “what could be an unprecedented influx of” students next Tuesday, as Chicago students “boycott their own schools” to protest unequal education funding. “With an eye toward everything from traffic to toilets, school administrators in Winnetka and Northfield said they want to plan for ‘every contingency,’ and use the occasion as a lesson for their students.” As school administrators discuss “crowd control and how to ensure classes continue as planned,” police “are working to prevent traffic jams around…three affected campuses.” Though “some parents may fret about disruptions to the school day, at least one community group hopes to welcome visitors.” Peter Fischer, president of the Sunset Ridge School District 29 Board, “said visitors to that school, which serves Grades 4 through 8, will be ushered into the gym,” where they will be greeted with “water and cookies. I don’t want the kids to be uncomfortable,” Fischer said.”
D.C.-area math curricula profiled.
The Washington Post (9/1, B2) reported on “math programs in Maryland…Virginia,” and Washington, D.C., which “run the gamut from more structured, textbook-driven lessons that stress computation to relatively open-ended, exploratory curricula that urge students to solve problems in their own way.” Many educators involved “consider computation skills the end, not the beginning, of the lesson,” and use examples from everyday life. The Post noted, “Students often go further in math today than their parents did, although some mathematicians say” that current math curricula are overly-broad and lack depth. However, “the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics tried to set things right in 2006 with Curriculum Focal Points, which spells out three concepts for each grade and a few key subjects, such as the base-10 number system, fractions and algebra, at the core of lessons in math-savvy nations.” The Post article also includes a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of introducing students to algebra at an earlier age, as well as “a sampling” of the textbooks used by area schools.
In the Classroom
More schools using comic books for education.
The Oregonian (9/1, Zuckerman) reported that “educators are bringing comics to class, and they’re using them to teach kids to get along, appreciate literature and learn more effectively.” Dark Horse Comics “teamed with Columbia University in New York seven years ago to create the Comic Book Project,” and “the curriculum has spread from one after-school class in Queens to 850 schools across the United States.” Michael Bitz of Columbia’s Comic Book Project pointed out that “surveys and interviews with students and teachers showed comic books taught children to write, listen and speak better.” Further, Bitz said, “students — especially hard-to-reach students — find comic books less intimidating than textbooks, and they can frequently express themselves in comic books better than they can in traditional writing classes.” However, “some educators are skeptical, worrying Superman will replace Shakespeare and that comics dumb down lessons.” The Oregonian noted the “Comic-book-based curricula include such topics as environmentalism, anti-bullying, teamwork, child abuse, vocabulary, grammar and understanding epilepsy.”
Tennessee school implements new integrated curriculum.
Tennessee’s Leaf Chronicle (9/2, Wallace) reports on the new integrated curriculum at Moore Magnet Elementary School in Clarksville, which emphasizes conducting lab experiments in the classroom. Each week, educators provide “a homework menu” that contains several “main courses.” These may “include reading an assigned story, writing a brief summary, writing sentences or questions using spelling words and completing any in-classroom math problems not already completed in class.” The Leaf Chronicle continues, “Students then can choose one side dish from three choices ranging from writing a short story, completing a suggested science project to other skills required through the state standards as the year progresses.” Additionally, “students can opt for dessert for extra points — writing 10-word multiplication problems and solving them, for example.” The Chronicle notes, “Central to the integrated curriculum concept is that learning is a seamless adventure for the student” that also combines the disciplines of science, math, reading and social studies.
New Jersey charter elementary school shows mixed results.
On the front page of its New Jersey section, the New York Times (8/30, NJ1, Hu) reported on the Learning Community in Jersey City, one of the area’s first charter elementary schools. The school uses “no grades, no textbooks, and hands-on learning through art projects, field trips and community involvement.” While the school has become increasingly popular, “little has been known about how Learning Community students performed academically once they moved on to high school, and whether their early experience at a charter school made a difference.” School officials researched a group of 23 students “who finished eighth grade in 2004 and were expected to graduate from high school last spring.” They found that “twenty of the students” graduated on time, and “the college-bound students reported earning a wide range of SAT scores, from 1,800 for a girl on a full scholarship to Drew to 780 for a boy with a learning disability.” The Times noted that the school’s “efforts to assess its impact comes as charter schools are expanding rapidly across the nation,” but assessments of such schools “have been mixed.”
Educators discuss policies for student text messaging.
Minnesota’s Star Tribune (9/1, Gonzales) reported on the “warnings and suggestions” of educators in regards to student text messaging. In particular, educators say, students should “have a firm grasp on when text-messaging nicknames and abbreviations are acceptable” and when they are not, such as in academic writing. Additionally, students should be made aware of the consequences of text messaging at inappropriate times. “Students don’t often test the rules after a cell-phone confiscation demonstrates that a teacher means business,” educators said. And although “many teachers will allow students to receive emergency messages or stay in touch with parents during family crises,” they noted that it was important for students to get permission beforehand. Further, “as teachers and administrators realize that texting isn’t going away, some are suggesting that the medium be embraced as a classroom tool.” For instance, students might create “a 10-text message version of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’”
On the Job
Chicago schools revamp staffing, curriculum.
The Chicago Tribune (9/2, Sadovi) reports, “When Chicago Public Schools students head back to class Tuesday, thousands will walk into a record number of revamped schools while many others will see dozens of newly hired faces after the district replaced teachers and principals at eight struggling schools.” There are also “new educational options at 34 schools this year,” as well as “curriculum changes stressing science, technology and writing.” Further, some schools will “offer expanded after-school activities and hold a monthly four-hour Saturday workshop so parents, teachers and students can work to enhance classroom learning.” The Tribune notes, “The aim was to ‘turn around’ the struggling high schools and their feeders, and experts have applauded the school systems’ efforts.” While some parents expressed appreciation for the changes, others said they are uncertain what impact the changes will have on the students.
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Law & Policy
D.C. mayor seeks funding for unpaid school bills, special education.
On the front of its Metro section, the Washington Post (9/1, B1, Turque) reported that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty’s (D) “administration wants to divert $15.2 million from several District agencies to cover a series of extra expenses in D.C. schools, including unpaid bills dating back to 2005 for textbooks and custodial supplies, and nearly $9 million in private school tuition for special education students whose needs can’t be met by the city.” A memo sent in July from “the District’s chief of budget execution” to the D.C. Council suggests that the money will be diverted “from two sources. … One source will be agencies that have saved money in salaries due to unfilled positions, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of the Environment. The other is extra cash from a series of accounts devoted to paying off bond debt, leasing equipment and paying interest on short-term borrowing.”
Colorado state representative outlines new education policy.
In an opinion piece for the Coloradoan (9/1), Colorado State Rep. John Kefalas (D) pointed out some changes in school operations under the state’s “new ‘Strengthen Our Schools’ laws.” Kefalas noted that “nearly 90 percent of the school districts in Colorado reported a health or safety problem in at least one of their facilities.” As such, the Build Excellent Schools Today Act will steer “millions of dollars toward school repairs — the single largest investment in school construction in state history.” Lawmakers “also created school safety resource centers.” He also noted that the laws provide “more training for teachers,” and that the Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids was created to “prepare all students for postsecondary work, either college or technical training.” In conclusion, Rep. Kefalas wrote, “I am proud to have supported these laws.”
Special Needs
In-school coffee shop serves as classroom for students.
The Arizona Daily Star (9/2, Brodesky) reports on JavaXpress, a coffee shop “at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind” that also serves as a classroom for students, all of whom “have multiple disabilities. Not only are they deaf or blind, but some are autistic, others are mentally challenged, and many have attention-deficit disorder.” The coffee shop, “which is not open to the general public, began more than five years ago, serving doughnuts and coffee.” Since that time, the menu has “expanded to include smoothies, frozen drinks and an assortment of snacks,” and eventually “the shop became self-sufficient.” The Daily Star notes, “For the students…every experience is an opportunity for embedded learning.” Those who “struggle with the concept of money and exchange,” for example, “handle the sales.” Educator Judy Knox, who oversees the operation, said, “It’s all hands on. It makes sense to them. … Everything they do has relevance and meaning to their lives.”
Safety & Security
Michigan districts continue to modify security measures.
Michigan’s Citizen-Patriot (8/31, Cummings, Jackson) reported, “Nearly a decade after the mass murder at Columbine High School in Colorado, school leaders…continue to modify security measures.” In Michigan, some schools have installed security “cameras in hallways and telephones in all classrooms,” while others “require all students and staff to wear identification badges at all times so that any visitor, welcome or unwelcome, can be easily spotted.” Furthermore, several “police agencies now have floor plans of all school buildings, and train frequently inside their hallways.” Also, according to school administrators and law enforcement officials, “written plans for how faculty should respond to different scenarios are much more detailed than in the past.” The Citizen-Patriot noted that in addition to security measures implemented by individual districts and schools, Michigan law requires that all schools “perform at least two lockdown-type drills each year where they practice taking cover, usually from a hypothetical gunman.”
School Finance
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Some Maine schools to provide financial assistance to families.
Maine’s Portland Press Herald (8/31) reported, “As students head back to school, many” schools in Maine “are preparing for the likelihood that more families will be struggling to make ends meet in a down economy.” Although “most school districts are operating with bare-bones budgets that face the same economic challenges” that families face, “school officials and others say they will be keeping an eye out for kids whose families may need help buying food, clothing and other necessities, as well as paying for extras such as field trips, class photos, and extracurricular activities.” For instance, Biddeford Superintendent Sarah-Jane Poli plans to “post information in each school about Keeping Neighbors Warm, a new group that’s raising money to provide heating assistance to households in need.” In addition, Poli “plans to set aside $2,500 donated by a new Big Lots store in Biddeford so parents can apply for assistance to buy school clothes or pay for field trips.”
Also in the News
Chicago boycott organizers are prepared to leave their children out of school for a week.
In continuing coverage from previous editions of The Opening Bell, the Washington Post (9/2, A2) reports that Illinois state Sen. James Meeks (D) “and 85 pastors are organizing a boycott of Chicago public schools today to protest disparities in how the state funds public schools.”
According to the AP (9/1, Song), “more than a hundred church buses” will “take thousands of [Chicago] students to Winnetka, where they’ll attempt to register at the affluent New Trier High School and Sunset Ridge Elementary School.” After the protest, “boycott organizers…plan to set up impromptu classrooms led by retired teachers in the lobbies of area businesses.” The AP noted that “boycott organizers said they’re prepared keep their children out of school for at least a week.” Meanwhile, “Meeks and reformers are lobbying Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and legislative leaders to support a $120 million pilot program designed to show how an infusion of cash could improve ailing schools.” Under the program, “auditors would establish standards in literacy, math, and technology. Cluster schools would be required to submit weekly progress reports, yearly test results, and staff performance reviews.” The Chicago Tribune (9/2, Black), the Chicago Sun-Times (9/1, Thomas) and the UPI (9/1) also reported the story.
Former H&R Block CEO advocates higher pay for teachers.
In the Chicago Tribune’s (8/1) Work Space column, Diane Stafford wrote about Thomas M. Bloch, who in 1995, “stepped down as CEO of H&R Block” to become a “middle school math teacher.” Stafford observed that “while Bloch has more than enough money to teach without drawing a paycheck, he is greatly concerned about the relatively paltry paychecks of fellow teachers.” In his book, Stand for the Best, Bloch revealed that as a teacher, he “faced apathetic students and combative parents…had his temper strained by surly and unruly middle-schoolers,” and was “shocked at the lack of respect and caring granted fellow educators.” Consequently, he believes that “increasing teachers’ pay, as well as funding for public education in general, is crucial.” According to Bloch, the best teachers should earn $100,000 per year. To achieve this, Bloch said that taxes should be raised, “progressively higher for the wealthier.” In addition, Bloch called for “more accountability for teachers,” but said that “the evaluation formula” for No child Left Behind “is not right.”