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I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing vacation. Our updates will continue to given by the NEA as soon as we receive them. Please also stay informed by visting this website daily.
More Schools Nationwide Sharing Space.
The New York Times (12/20, A1, Gootman) reported on its front page that in New York City, 42 percent “of 1,577 traditional public and charter schools, with more than a quarter of the city’s 1 million-plus students, now cohabit with at least one other school, and as many as five. And throughout the country, as large failing high schools are replaced with small ones and independently run charters, the days when a school was defined by its building, with its principal as mayor, are starting to go the way of the slide rule and card catalog.” The Times noted that in Chicago, “under the leadership of Arne Duncan — President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee to be secretary of education — sharing space has gone from a rare phenomenon to now include 12 percent of schools, including charters. In Los Angeles, officials plan to break up many campuses with more than 1,000 students starting in 2010 — a task that will be eased by the fact that many consist of multiple buildings.”
In the Classroom
Schools Throughout Tampa Bay Signing Freshmen Up For AP Courses.
The St. Petersburg Times (12/21, Stein) reported, “Just when it seemed college resume building couldn’t get more intense, high schools across the Tampa Bay area are signing up freshmen for an Advanced Placement (AP) course designed to give seniors an early taste of college.” Yet, “many in the college admissions process are starting to question whether expectations once reserved for child prodigies are appropriate for the masses.” According to the St. Petersburg Times, “Sixty percent of the ninth-graders taking AP human geography, the most popular AP course among high school freshmen, failed a final exam given nationally last year. Locally, the numbers are even worse. Only one in four Hillsborough and Pinellas students passed the test.” Still, “ambitious students feel they must rise to the challenge” because “in today’s college admissions game, an AP course label is the gold standard of student transcripts. It shows colleges that students took the most challenging courses available.”
Majority Of High School Graduates In Florida District Do Not See Senior Projects As Meaningful. The St. Petersburg Times (12/21, Solocheck) reported that in Florida’s Pasco County School District, “A recent survey of high school graduates showed that just 35.5 percent of respondents deemed their senior project ‘meaningful,’ down from 71.6 percent the year before.” But “Even before seeing the results, the district began taking steps to shore up the 12-year-old senior project program, which…has over time become a requirement for most of the county’s seniors.” For instance, “in January, the district curriculum department started aligning the project’s core components — including research, writing, technology use and oral presentation — with the high school curriculum standards.” According to the St. Petersburg Times, “The district is going through this effort because educators consider the underlying tenet of the senior project to be worthwhile. The ability to gather information, synthesize it and share it with others both in writing and orally has value, whether the teens go to college or to work.”
Arizona Businessman Introduces Program That Shows Students Skills Taught In School Apply To Workforce.
The Yuma (AZ) Sun (12/19, Roller) reported on the Middle School Sponsorship Program, a pilot project developed by Dennis Franklin, owner of Franklin Tire and Suspension. The project is meant to “provide educators [with] the insight of the ever-changing employment world and show students why they are in school.” For the program, teachers will “meet with a business owner so they can visualize what is necessary to prepare students for the work force, while business people will pledge to meet with students two hours per semester.” Franklin said he plans to incorporate math and communication skills into his lesson plans. “For example, he will show students how to fill out disciplinary reports so in that way they can assume the role of a manager for a day. Franklin will demonstrate why an offending employee is being disciplined in a clear and concise way and in the process, students can improve their reading comprehension and writing skills.” And, “for a math drill, Franklin has an exercise in which students will calculate ’speedometer air.’”
Former Teacher Creates Financial Literacy Software For Young Children.
The Sacramento Bee (12/21, 2D, Buck) reported on Kidnexions, a company founded by former fourth-grade teacher Karyn Hodgens, “whose mission is to turn children into savvy savers and investors.” Kidnexions first project, KidSave, is “an online learning tool for kids ages six and up aimed at putting some fun into saving and investing money.” The KidSave software “has earned mention in the Wall Street Journal and Kiplinger’s personal finance magazine. With kid-cool colors, it lets parents and kids set up allowance schedules and savings goals. Parents can choose an interest rate – say, 2 percent – and pay “rewards” to their kids for saving.” California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell supported the idea of teaching young children about personal finance. “The earlier children become financially literate, the better off they will be as adults. … Young people need to understand from a young age that money is hard to come by and often isn’t a question of what you want but what you need,” he said.
On the Job
Hawaii Teachers Union Disputes Terms Of Random Drug Testing Agreement.
The Washington Post /AP (12/22, A11, Niesse) reports, “Hawaii public school teachers signed off on first-in-the-nation statewide random drug testing in exchange for pay raises, but now the state claims the educators are trying to take the money and run.” After approving “the pact nearly two years ago,” the Hawaii State Teachers Association has “accepted [an] 11 percent boost in pay while fighting the random tests as an illegal violation of their privacy rights.” So far, no teacher has been tested.” According to the union, they “didn’t consent to truly random drug testing in the contract, which says the parties ‘agree to negotiate reasonable suspicion and random drug and alcohol testing procedures.’ The union’s definition of ‘random’ is limited to a pool of teachers who go on field trips, work with disabled children, are frequently absent, or have criminal records.” According to the AP, “The issue is awaiting a ruling from the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.”
“Old School” Teacher Writes Book Warning Teachers Excuses They May Hear From Students.
The Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader (12/21, Davis) reported on Michele Luck, described as an “old school” teacher who “takes no excuses, accepts no labels, and sets high standards” for her students. “Because of that, and because she realizes there’s a lot that new teachers need to know and older teachers need to be reminded of, Luck wrote a book: A Lesson Plan for Teachers, New and Old: A Guide for Student Teachers, New Teachers, and the Experienced Ones!” Luck’s book contains information about “classroom organization, planning…grades, supporting other teachers, and the variety of students and their excuses a teacher will run into.” The Herald-Leader noted that “throughout the book, Luck emphasizes the need for a natural love of teaching that can’t be taught, and a strong focus on expecting excellence from the students.”
Law & Policy
California Judge Blocks State Eighth Grade Algebra Testing Mandate.
The Los Angeles Times (12/20, Blume) reported, “A Sacramento Superior Court judge Friday blocked a controversial state plan requiring that all California eighth-graders be tested in algebra.” According to Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang, “the state Board of Education (BOE) may have overstepped its authority in adopting the plan.” The BOE “approved the high-reaching goal in July as a way to push school districts into having all students enroll in algebra by the end of the eighth grade.” But “critics characterized that target as unrealistic, even counterproductive.” State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said, “We cannot just tell students and teachers the end goal and simply expect them to get there on their own. Without additional funding, we’re simply setting our students and our system up for failure.” The Times added, “O’Connell, along with the California Teachers Assn. and organizations representing school district leaders, had sued the state Board of Education” over the requirement.
According to the New York Times /AP (12/22, A28), “In her ruling, Judge Shelleyanne Chang said she issued a preliminary injunction because the board acted outside its jurisdiction and without public input. She added that the plaintiffs would likely win if the lawsuit went to trial.”
Texas Officials Ordered To Immediately Improve Bilingual Education.
The Houston Chronicle (12/19, Elliott) reported, “Federal Judge William Wayne Justice has ordered Texas officials to take immediate steps to improve bilingual education programs — even as the state fights to postpone what they call costly measures.” In July, Judge Justice ruled “that the state is failing to provide an equal education to middle and high school students struggling with English. He ordered improvements by the 2009-10 school year.” The state appealed the decision, in order to “put off program revisions because it has not received enough money and authority from the Legislature. But Justice, in an order released Friday, said requests for additional resources, if needed, could be presented to the Legislature when it convenes in January.” The AP (12/22) and Texas’s Pegasus News (12/22) also cover the story.
Special Needs
Specialized Classes For Students With Disabilities Seen By Some Educators As Best Option.
The Pittsburg Tribune-Review (12/20, Crawford) reported that in 2004, the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was revised, requiring that “students with disabilities…spend as much time as possible with their non-disabled peers.” But “four years later, many schools” in Pennsylvania “still are scrambling to get it right, often simply ‘dumping’ all of their special education students in mainstream classes,” according to Bernard Miller, director for exceptional programs at the Pennsylvania State Education Association. “Critics, including some advocates for the disabled, say mainstreaming can be taken too far, when students with serious learning problems are left to fend for themselves in regular classrooms.” Miller said that “ideally…general education teachers would be trained and prepared to have special-needs students in their classrooms, and those students who need extra help would still have access to a special education teacher.” He added that “for many students…pulling them out of the regular classroom is still the best option.”
Safety & Security
Connecticut District Suspends Drug Sweeps At Middle, High Schools After Parents Complain.
The New York Times (12/21, CT6, Stuart) reported that “after a handful of parents and the American Civil Liberties Union complained that the drug sweeps” in Canton, CT, schools “were disruptive and heavy-handed, the school board temporarily suspended the policy until it could be reviewed.” Now, the board is “reviewing possible changes to the policy, and a vote is expected in the next few weeks.” The contention between parents and the school district’s policy began after a drug sweep that took place in “the hallways and parking lots at the middle school and the high school with drug-sniffing dogs last June.” Fifteen “high school students were pulled out of class to watch as officers searched their lockers or cars.” Parents complained that the students were scared by some of the police officers’ behaviors during the sweep.
Parents In Oregon Seek To Keep ‘Super Seniors’ Off Regular High School Campuses.
The Albany (OR) Democrat Herald (12/22, Moody) reports, “Parents of a South Albany freshman who was the victim of third-degree rape” are working with state Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany) “to keep fifth- or sixth-year seniors,” also known as “super seniors,” away from “regular high school campuses.” Olson “said he is discussing the matter with officials at the Oregon Department of Education and is considering sponsoring legislation to clarify current policies.” Current “Oregon law allows students who turn 19 during the school year to continue attending school for the remainder of that year. Students can stay at school until they turn 21 if they are special needs or ‘are shown to be in need of additional education in order to receive a diploma.’” Furthermore, “the law leaves the decision of where to educate older students up to individual districts.”
One Of Six Schools Within Half-Mile Of Industrial Plant, Study Finds.
USA Today (12/22, Morrison, Heath, Jervis) reports that according to a USA Today investigation examining the impact of industrial pollution on schoolchildren “found that 20,000 schools — about one in every six — are within a half-mile of a major industrial plant. … Based on the levels and potential health hazards of the chemicals likely to be outside,” the USA Today research model ranked Wyandotte Early Childhood Center in Baton Rouge, LA “among the worst 1percent of schools in the nation — and the worst in Louisiana. It also indicated that” a ExxonMobil refinery in Baton Rouge, “which emits sulfuric acid, naphthalene, ammonia and benzene, among two dozen chemicals — was primarily responsible for its ranking.”
Also in the News
Opinions Mixed About Teachers Befriending Students On Facebook.
The Houston Chronicle (12/20, Mellon) reported that the social networking website Facebook, “popularity has grown from the college crowd down to teens and up to boomers, poses a prickly question for teachers who want to connect with their tech-savvy students yet maintain professional boundaries.” According to the Houston Chronicle, “opinions are mixed” about whether “teachers [should] become virtual ‘friends’ with their students.” Some “fear innocent educators will be branded sexual predators for chatting with students online, while proponents caution against overreacting to a powerful communication tool.”
Elementary Schools In Hawaii Integrate Art, Core Subjects.
The Honolulu Advertiser (12/23, Moreno) reports that due, in part, to “growing expectations of No Child Left Behind and the increased emphasis of standardized test scores,” most “educators readily admit that art education often takes a back seat to other ‘testable’ subjects such as math, reading, and science.” As such, the majority of elementary schools in Hawaii “rely on their regular classroom teachers to deliver art lessons, and usually it’s integrated with another subject.” The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts’ Artists in the Schools program, meanwhile, “matches professional teaching artists with classroom teachers to deliver art lessons that adhere to the state’s curriculum standards. Artists provide 10 sessions of classroom instruction and classroom teachers then continue those lessons by integrating them into other courses.” Another option for schools in Hawaii is the Honolulu Academy of Arts’ Art to Go program, which circulates “a handful of art teachers who visit about 40 public schools across the state.”
In the Classroom
Minneapolis High School Implements Changes Aimed At Increasing Student Achievement.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune (12/22, Relerford) reported on the Zeros Aren’t Permissible (ZAP) program that began this fall at Edison High School in Minnesota. “The ZAP program is one innovative way that Edison, one of two Minneapolis high schools to undergo a controversial ‘fresh start’ this year, is working to dig itself out of years of decline.” The school is one of two that are “headed for the highest level of penalties under the federal No Child Left Behind law.” Under ZAP, students who do not turn in class assignments are “zapped,” which means “a trip to their academic dean, a call home to their parents and a day to make up the assignment. If that fails, students must stay after school and finish it.” The Star Tribune pointed out that ZAP is one of several initiatives implemented at Edison aimed at increasing student achievement. Edison is also “developing a rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) program.” Moreover, “the school puts a strong emphasis on professional development for teachers and on mentor programs for students with volunteers from Target and Macy’s.”
High School Students In Utah District Will Not Be Required To Take Four Years Of Math.
The Salt Lake Tribune /AP (12/23) reports, “The Ogden School District has approved a change that means high school students graduating in 2011 won’t have to take a fourth year of math to get their diploma.” Although the district “had instituted the requirement for the class of 2011 a few years ago to keep students’ math skills sharp,” school officials now say that “the extra year restricts students more than it helps them.”
On the Job
States With Highest Teacher Salaries Have Most Male Teachers, Data Show.
The Cincinnati Inquirer (12/23) reports, “The number of male teachers in the United States is at a 40-year low. Out of 3 million teachers, only 25 percent are men, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.” According to Brian Nelson, founder of MenTeach, “a Minneapolis-based organization that seeks to encourage more men to become teachers,” there are three main reasons for the decline in male teachers: “Stereotypes that men aren’t nurturing and can’t take care of little kids…,” and the low pay that teachers receive. “Data from the National Education Association showed that states with the highest teacher salaries have the most male teachers, while the lowest paying states had the fewest, according to Nelson.”
Utah Must Prepare Teachers For 21st Century, Governor Says.
The Salt Lake Tribune (12/23) reports, “If Utah wants to prepare workers for the 21st century, the state must improve its workforce training and education systems, according to a report released by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) on Monday.” Huntsman’s report also “points out that the state lacks a coordinated process for training and measuring the success of school leaders,” and “recommends Utah establish a system.” In addition, “the report…recommends Utah develop a process for recruiting, retaining and paying the best teachers; identify and address the causes of school dropouts; and establish a system of support for early childhood education, among other things.”
Shortage of School Nurses Seen As Common Problem Throughout South Dakota.
South Dakota’s Argus Leader (12/23, Walker) reports, “A shortage of school nurses is a matter of routine across South Dakota,” but school “officials don’t see it as a problem they can correct.” In some districts, “nurses from health agencies visit small schools periodically under contract to help with student needs, and principals call 911 in emergencies.” Meanwhile, “larger districts, notably Sioux Falls and Rapid City, are well-staffed compared to state norms though below a level that professionals recommend.” Moreover, officials say “more students are carrying prescriptions, and complexity of needs is outpacing ability to provide care by medical professionals.”
Dad’s Club Donates Time, Talents To Georgia Elementary School.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (12/23, Stevens) reports on the Dad’s Club at Russell Elementary School in Smyrna, GA. “Now in their second year, dads at the Cobb County school have built an outdoor classroom, hosted a bike safety rally, and created elaborate sets in the media center. Last week, more than 30 dads read stories in classrooms.” And “recently, the men got together and cut dozens of three-foot-tall snowmen out of cardboard for students in the after-school program to decorate. The snowmen lined a path in the media center leading to a theatrical set, designed by Charles Swift, father of a fifth-grader at the school.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that “at least 60 fathers are involved in the club, including some who are divorced and looking for ways to stay connected with children.”
Law & Policy
New Jersey Lawmakers, Educators Want Congress To Increase Funding To States To Comply With NCLB.
New Jersey’s Daily Record (12/22, Chebium) reported, “New Jersey politicians and educators have differing suggestions for President-elect Barack Obama, Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan, and the incoming Congress about how the federal government could help improve the state’s K-12 school system.” However, they all agree that Congress should “adequately fund No Child Left Behind so states can meet the law’s myriad mandates.” Lucille Davy, New Jersey’s education commissioner, said, that “formulating, administering, and scoring [standardized] tests is a huge drain on states, and Congress should begin by increasing funding for assessments.” To that end, Gov. Jon Corzine (D) “is lobbying Congress to increase special education funding and boost school construction spending as part of a broader economic stimulus package Obama wants to enact soon after he’s inaugurated Jan. 20.”
Special Needs
Audit Shows Massachusetts District Has Highest Percentage Of Special Needs Students In State.
The Worcester (MA) Telegram (12/22, Hamby) reported, “A higher percentage of Putnam students are identified as special education students than in comparable districts and in the state as a whole, according to a consultant” hired over the summer “to review the district’s special education system.” The consultant, George Dowaliby of the Capitol Region Education Council, found that “in the 2007-08 school year, Putnam had identified more than 17 percent of its students as receiving special education, compared with just over 11 percent in both comparable school districts and the state.” As such, Dowaliby “recommended that all staff be educated in the identification of special needs, especially in the categories of speech and language impairment and learning disabilities.” In addition, Dowaliby pointed out that “while federal and state law requires that students identified as needing special education spend a significant amount of time with ‘nondisabled peers,’ Putnam’s special education students only spent seven percent of their classroom time in the regular classroom in the 2007-08 school year.”
Arkansas’ Sheltered Workshops Help High School Students With Autism Gain Work Experience.
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (12/22, Blad) reported that in recent years, “a boom of children diagnosed with autism led some school districts to create autism-only classrooms and many others to expand special education services.” According to educators, “waves of autistic students” are “creating the need for flexibility and growth in programs geared at easing their transition from school to work- place.” To help ease the transition, Springdale High School In the Springdale School District offers a school-to-work program. The Elizabeth Richardson Center in Springdale “is one of 97 sheltered workshops in the state” that students with autism can attend. “The Springdale center works with eight Northwest Arkansas school districts. In the program, students earn paychecks working two-hour shifts three days a week and complete classroom work related to living independently as an adult.”
Facilities
DC Solicits Development Proposals For 11 Former School Sites.
On the front-page of its Metro section, the Washington Post (12/23, B1, Schwartzman, Turque) reports the administration of D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said Monday that it “is seeking to redevelop 11 now-shuttered public schools, inviting developers to submit proposals that can include retail space, offices and high-priced and affordable housing.” But the plan “has drawn criticism from some schools advocates, who say it squanders valuable public buildings that could be used for charter schools or other educational purposes.” According to the Post, the “future of the schools has been under discussion since the end of the 2007-08 academic year, when Fenty (D) and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee shut down 23 buildings.” They said that “declining enrollment had left the schools underused and that the money needed to keep them open could be better spent elsewhere.”
Los Angeles High School Aims To Be Model For Arts Education.
The Los Angeles Times (12/22, Landsberg) reports, “With just nine months left before it opens, a new arts high school in downtown Los Angeles still lacks a principal, a staff, a curriculum, a permanent name and a clearly articulated plan for how students will be selected — critical details for a school that aims to be one of the foremost arts education institutions in the United States.” The Central High School No. 9 campus is “believed to be the second most expensive public high school ever built in the United States, a fact that “fueled a debate over the district’s plan to operate it primarily as a neighborhood school.” According to local superintendent Richard Alonzo, “the new school will steer a middle course, with students required to get a recommendation from a teacher and to demonstrate their interest in attending. They will not, however, be required to demonstrate artistic ability, since many students in the neighborhood never had the opportunity to study an art form.”
School Finance
Some California Districts Brainstorming Solutions For Saving Money.
The Bakersfield Californian (12/23, Nachtigal) reports, “Making budget cuts is complicated, so while legislators dither,” California school “districts are thinking creatively about how to save dollars now, before the budget cutback storm hits.” For instance, the Rosedale Union School District “dropped class-size reduction standards for kindergarten in its seven elementary schools” this fall. The Rosedale district “also considered dropping standards for third grade. But the district took over running after-school day care from the recreation district and recouped $250,000, allowing it to keep third-grade classes to about 20 kids.” Meanwhile, “The Bakersfield City School District is saving carryover funding from previous years’ programs to help ward off cuts in other areas if the state allows more spending flexibility at the local level.” And Trustees for the Kern High School District have “suggested a range of measures including implementing online courses…and using a lecture hall format for some courses such as history.”
Also in the News
After-School Club At North Carolina Elementary Teaches Students About Energy Conservation.
WRAL-TV Raleigh, NC (12/22) reported on the Energy Savers club at Fox Road Elementary School. “After school hours, [participating] students do activities that teach them about conserving energy and resources.” According to teacher Amy Constant, the club sponsor, “The best lessons that club members learn are values that will take them far in life — such as one college sophomore who volunteers at her old elementary school club, Constant said. ‘With this leadership and responsibility and respect, all the character traits that are brought in, it’s just amazing how these children grow,’ the teacher said.”
NEA in the News
Florida Ranks 29th Among States For Average Teacher Salary, NEA Study Shows.
The Tampa Tribune (12/23) reports, “Florida lost ground in a ranking of teacher pay compiled by the nation’s largest teachers union.” Data from the National Education Association show that “in one year, the Sunshine State fell one spot to No. 29 with an average teacher salary of $46,930.” The state “falls behind Louisiana ($46,964) and Kentucky ($47,207). In the 2007-08 school year, the average salary among teachers nationwide was $52,308.”
KWCH-TV Wichita, KS (12/23) reports, “A new study from the National Education Association says that teacher pay in Kansas ranks in middle of all states. The study says the average teacher salary is $43, 358 in Kansas.” Meanwhile, “the average in the United States is $50,758.” KWCH also points out that the NEA “study also shows that Kansas has the highest percent of public school teachers who are men, at 33.6 percent.
Obama Proposes School Technology Upgrades.
Education Week (12/23, Ash) reported, “President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to launch ‘the most sweeping effort… this country has ever seen’ to modernize school buildings and equip classrooms with computers as part of his economic-stimulus plan, prompting optimism among ed-tech advocates despite pervasive budget constraints.” And even though “the details have yet to be revealed, Obama has indicated that the economic-stimulus plan…includes money to put more computers in schools and provide both homes and schools with widespread broadband access.” Obama aims to provide “schools with the technological infrastructure to teach students 21st-century skills” and “bolster professional development for teachers.” According to Kimberly A. Rice, chief information officer for the 55,800-student Boston school district, in order to “provide schools with the tools and resources they need to make American students competitive internationally” in math and science, technology “needs to first be identified as ‘a minimum requirement for schools,’ rather than ‘an add-on or nice-to-have.’”
In the Classroom
Iowa Teacher Takes Students Out Of Classroom To See Science In Action.
The Cresco (IA) Times Plain Dealer (12/23, Daehn) reported, “Students taking Steve Anderson’s physics course” at Crestwood High school “are spending less time in the classroom and more time visiting area businesses this year where they are seeing science in action.” They “are learning that physics exists outside of textbooks and classroom lectures, and that the principles of physics are at work in everything from manufacturing medical products to the treads on a car’s tires.” Anderson “implemented the new hands-on, activity-based physics curriculum, ‘Physics That Works,’ this fall. The yearlong course teaches students physics principles, such as velocity, acceleration, electricity, energy and magnetism, by showing how they are at work in the ‘real’ world.” For instance, “eleventh and twelfth graders in the class spoke with an engineering manager at Donaldson Company, Inc. as part of their kinematics unit, and visited Hanson Tire Company during a unit on forces and motion.”
GenYES Program Trains Middle School Students To Teach Educators About Technology.
The Walla Walla (WA) Union-Bulletin (12/24, Chicken) reports on the GenYES program at Preston Hall Middle School in Waitsburg. “GenYES is a research-based model for K-12 schools” developed by sixth-grade teacher Russ Knopp “that addresses staff development and technology integration. As students develop skills and knowledge, they are able to help teachers, administrators, and other school staff use technology.” One part of the “program is training students to train others to use the computers.” The students come to school early “to learn how to repair and operate” old computers. Knopp said that through GenYES, “about 20 computers had been distributed to students and adults in the community.”
On the Job
Illinois District Adopts IRS Retirement Changes Early.
Illinois’s Journal-Pilot (12/24, Vance) reports that on Jan. 1, 2010, the Internal Revenue Service “will change retirement investing for teachers in Illinois.” Under the new plan, school districts will not hold retirement funds, but they “must track the funds.” In anticipation of the change, the Warsaw School Board “adopted the IRS 403 (b) plan Wednesday.” Now, “school district employees can invest retirement funds and the district also contributes.” However, “the district will not accept transfer funds into the plan for an employee joining the district with a retirement plan from another employer.”
Physical Education Teachers In Connecticut District Learn “Art Of Strength.”
Connecticut’s The Stamford Times (12/23, O’Connor) reported, that last week, “physical education teachers from Stamford Public Schools gathered at Dolan Middle School to participate in an interactive fitness workshop given by Punch Gym employees.” The goal of the workshop “was to teach the gym teachers functional training techniques that will keep kids fit for life.” According to Punch Gym co-owner Stephanie Tropea, “the gym bases every workout it does on the Art of Strength, a circuit training style which uses specific equipment, such as kettlebells, ropes, dumbbells, stability balls, and more.” She said that “one great aspect of the Art of Strength training techniques is that anyone at any level of fitness can do it.” During the workshop, Anthony DiLuglio, founder and owner of Punch Gym, “gave demonstrations on the different ways the kids could use kettlebells and the other equipment.”
Famed New York Arts High School May Postpone Annual Musical.
The New York Times (12/24, A23, Medina) reports that “amid serious budget cuts from the city and the state, the bright lights have dimmed at Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. For the first time in recent memory, the school…of ‘Fame’ fame postponed its annual musical this fall and is now considering canceling it.” The budget for the school’s annual musical “typically runs $45,000 to $70,000 for three or four performances, depending on how spectacular the stagecraft.” And “a large part of the musical budget goes to pay teachers who work extra hours — sometimes more than 20 a week — for rehearsals.” Sydnie Grosberg Ronga, president of the La Guardia High Parents Association, said that this year “budget pressures led school officials to postpone the musical.” However, an Education Department spokeswoman said that La Guardia is “still considering having a musical in the spring if students and parents [can] raise enough money.”
Law & Policy
New Hampshire Pilot Program Would Allow High School Students To Skip Junior, Senior Years.
In US News & World Reports’ (12/23) On Education blog, Eddy Ramirez wrote, “Starting college as early as age 16 could soon be an option for students in New Hampshire. According to several recent news reports, the state is moving forward with a plan that would let students skip their junior and senior years of high school if they pass a test in the 10th grade.” Proponents “of the plan think students who graduate with a high school diploma and an associate’s degree will be more attractive to selective four-year universities. But critics, including parents, are worried that cutting two years from high school will harm the social development of students.”
Florida High Schools Must Administer Placement Tests To Some Juniors.
The Orlando Sentinel (12/23, Postal) reported, “High-school graduates unable to tackle college-level work, particularly in math, are not a new problem. For at least a decade, Florida educators and lawmakers have been bemoaning the scope and cost of remediation.” Last spring, the Florida Legislature passed a law that “aims to bring remediation to 12th-graders, filling in their knowledge gaps before they leave high school. The two-pronged effort requires community colleges and high schools to give eligible 11th-graders the state’s College Placement Test. Students who do well on the math, reading, and writing tests will know they can start community college in a degree-earning program.” Meanwhile, “those who score poorly will know they need help and will get a chance to boost their skills in high school.” The Orlando Sentinel adds, “The placement test will be offered to teenagers who are not planning to attend a four-year college right after high school and have not taken either the SAT or the ACT.”
Facilities
Modulars Replace Old Classrooms At High School In California.
California’s Orland Press-Register (12/24) reports, “Orland High School Principal Jeff Scheele is pleased with the improvements being made at his school these days. Construction around four new modular buildings continued Friday with crews preparing forms for sidewalks.” The modulars “will replace several 30-year-old portable classrooms.” They “have pitched metal roofs and are finished with faux stucco siding, so they look more like stick built wings. They also sit on ground-level foundations.” Meanwhile, “The tennis courts have been resurfaced behind the modulars and will have space for six courts instead of four. … But the biggest change so far is the new all-weather track and football field,” which “is surfaced in a blue rubber material that cushions runners’ feet and will not get muddy.” This spring, “a new stadium with plenty of seating will be installed…along with light poles and lights for night activities and games.”
School Finance
Additional Funding Often Fails To Reach Ohio’s Low-Income Students, Report Says.
Ohio’s Western Star (12/23, Hilty) reported, “According to The Education Trust’s recently released report, No Accounting for Fairness, funds allocated to economically disadvantaged students are not being spent as intended.” In the report, released on Tuesday, the Education Trust claims “that additional funding for Ohio’s low-income students often fails to reach the highest poverty schools. Essentially, teachers with more experience and higher salaries in most districts are choosing to teach at schools with fewer low-income students, it reports.” However, “three of the largest districts, Dublin, Lakota and Parma, have higher average teacher salaries in their highest poverty schools than in their more affluent schools, according to the data.” The Western Star explained that for the study, “numbers were gathered from school-level expenditure data on teacher salaries, which typically accounts for 80 to 90 percent of elementary school budgets.”
“The report postulates that teachers with more experience, and higher salaries, have more freedom to choose which school they teach in and tend to pick schools with fewer low-income kids and, presumably, fewer challenges,” adds the Columbus Dispatch (12/23, Sebastian). And “despite efforts to steer more staff members or other resources to poor children, the report says, there is little evidence that high-poverty schools end up with significantly smaller classes or more spending per student.” The report “concludes that state and federal funding that districts receive for low-income students is not being funneled to those children.” Ohio’s Telegraph-Forum (12/23) also covered the story.
Also in the News
Dallas Mayor Donates Entire Salary To Education.
The Dallas Morning News (12/24, Bush) reports that Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert “announced today that he will donate $10,000 of his $60,000 mayoral salary to an education program designed to boost graduation rates for high school students and lead them on to college.” Leppert, “who campaigned on a promise to make improving public education in Dallas a priority” previously “committed the other $50,000 of his salary to a scholarship fund backed by Chesapeake Energy and aimed at students at Adamson, Madison and North Dallas high schools.” The Morning News notes, “Mr. Leppert’s donation comes at a time when the Dallas Independent School District is struggling with a record deficit and with fallout over how its administration and board has handled the district’s finances.”
Minneapolis, Seattle Named Most Literate US Cities.
USA Today (12/24, Healy) reports, “Minneapolis and Seattle are the USA’s most literate cities, according to an annual study examining the ‘culture and resources for reading’ in the nation’s largest metro areas.” The study analyzes “six key indicators of literacy (newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and Internet resources) against population rates for cities with populations of 250,000 or more.” It “does not does not look at reading test scores or how often people read, but what kinds of literary resources are available and used.” The analysis also shows that “cities that ranked higher for having more bookstores also have a higher proportion of people buying books online…and cities with newspapers that have high per-capita circulation rates also have more people reading newspapers online. Likewise, cities that ranked higher for having well-used libraries also have more booksellers.”
NEA in the News
States Seek Portion Of Federal Economic Stimulus Package For Education Funding.
Education Week (12/23, Klein) reported, “As President-elect Barack Obama and Congress begin laying the groundwork for a massive economic stimulus package, education groups are hoping for a major infusion of cash — beyond just construction projects — to help put financially struggling school districts on firmer fiscal footing.” Obama recently announced that “his administration would seek to direct a portion of a federal spending bill aimed at getting the economy back on track to school construction and to expanding broadband access in schools.” Still, “some school and state officials are lobbying lawmakers and the Obama transition team to include money for programs such as special education, teacher training, and grants to help districts educate disadvantaged students.” Furthermore, “education lobbyists are also hoping for money for career and technical programs…pre-kindergarten programs, and state data systems.” Randall Moody, the chief lobbyist for the National Education Association, said, “We will hold their feet to the fire to make sure they keep full funding.”
Schools Nationwide Facing Major Shortages In Math, Science Teachers.
The Christian Science Monitor (12/29, Khadaroo) reports, “It’s no easy task to recruit people with proclivities for science into schools – and to keep them long enough to nurture a talent for teaching. But over the next decade, schools will need 200,000 or more new teachers in science and math, according to estimates by such groups as the Business-Higher Education Forum in Washington.” According to the Monitor, school districts across the nation “face shortages: In at least 10 states, fewer than 6 out of 10 middle-school science teachers were certified when the Council of Chief School Officers compiled a report last year.” The Monitor notes that President-elect Barack Obama “wants 40,000 scholarships to draw undergraduates and career-changers into high-needs schools. He would put special emphasis on science and math teaching. And he’s praised teacher-preparation programs that offer a high degree of mentoring.”
In the Classroom
Changes To FCAT Weighting In Florida May Put More Schools In “Needs Improvement.”
Tampa Tribune (12/29) reports changes to the weighting of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test “may end up putting more schools in the ‘needs improvement’ category,” even though the changes were intended to “ease the pressure the FCAT applied on public high schools.” When other factors, such as graduation rate and college placement tests, are considered, a simulation shows that 129 of 400 high schools examined would drop a letter grade and be forced to “develop a costly improvement plan.” This could be problematic, since many school districts have been forced to cut their budgets.
Arizona District Considers K-8 Schools Over Middle Schools.
The Arizona Republic (12/29, Bloom) reports a parent group “petitioned the” Scottsdale Unified School District “to let the school grow from providing pre-K through fifth grade into providing pre-K through eighth grade (K-8).” Opting for K-8 schools versus an elementary-middle school structure has “become the norm in the Valley in recent years, although research remains inconclusive on which school structure is better for students.” Still, Paul Vallas, superintendent of the New Orleans Recovery School District, says the “problem with middle schools…was that [they] were too big, and students were going unnoticed,” whereas in K-8 schools, “teachers and administrators can keep students involved.” However, critics say students from K-8 schools do not know how to behave once they enter a high school setting.
Oklahoma School Receives Perfect Score On Standardized Testing.
The Oklahoman (12/29, Griswold) reports Cleveland Elementary School in Norman, OK “scored a perfect 1500 on standardized testing for the first time and is only the second school in the Norman School District to reach that mark.” Principal Ty Bell indicated that the high score resulted from a focus on previously lacking areas, such as school attendance and reading and math skills. The school partnered with the University of Oklahoma to bring in volunteer tutors for students. District Superintend Joe Siano says schools now need to set their goals higher. “He wants to see more students scoring at the advanced level on subjects and skills instead of just satisfactory.”
Teachers Criticize Excessive Testing Requirements.
In an opinion piece for the Boston Globe (12/25) titled “Too Much Testing Cuts Into Learning,” John Croes and Miriam Morgenstern, teachers at Lowell High School, argue that the 28 days of testing required by the Department of Education “adversely affect almost every student and teacher. Not only do the many testing days disrupt continuity in the classroom, but the repeated interruptions throughout the school year interfere with learning and teaching.” Students required to retest for an English and math test, the MCAS, often “take semester-long courses to prepare them solely for MCAS,” and so “students who need the most instructional time – those who are weakest in the subjects being tested – are the ones who miss the most classes.” The authors urge the Massachusetts governor to “consider the consequences to students when an unwieldy testing schedule trumps valuable learning in the classroom.”
Editorial Argues For Equal Distribution Of Experienced Teachers.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (12/29) editorializes that “rules that allow experienced teachers to move to affluent schools mean that positions in the poorest schools tend to be filled by novice teachers,” to the detriment of those poorer schools since “studies show that it takes about three years for new teachers to learn their craft.” As a solution to the “achievement gap” in Ohio, “spreading veteran and novice teachers as equally as possible throughout a district makes sense.”
On the Job
Tennessee District Encourages Professional Collaboration Among Teachers.
The Knoxville News Sentinel (TN) (12/29, Alapo) reports schools in Knox County, TN are encouraging a “collaboration” among teachers that in which one teacher observes another and later relays “his observations to a group of other teachers, encouraging them to try the instructor’s methods to sharpen their craft.” Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre says “when we improve adult learning, that has a positive impact on student learning in our schools.” With the help of “Roanoke, Va.-based educational consultants Rick and Becky DuFour,” McIntyre hopes that eventually “gone will be the days where teachers come to school, shut their classroom doors, ‘do their own thing for six hours.’”
Studies Examine What Makes A Good Teacher.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (12/29) reports, the question of “what makes a great educator” is a “hard nut to crack,” according to Adam Gamoran of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education. While “Master’s and other advanced degrees don’t appear to improve teachers’ effectiveness,” research shows traits like “sense of responsibility and the ability to motivate count for a lot.” On another note, the article suggests good teachers are also those who focus on student achievement, and not those who “waste their precious time complaining about the Ohio achievement and graduation tests.” Eric Gordon, chief academic officer for the Cleveland Public Schools, criticizes some teachers’ “toxic nostalgia that suggests in past generations every child was able to read, write and compute well, when in fact large numbers of students dropped out after eighth grade”
Law & Policy
Anti-Bullying Law May Pass In Wisconsin.
The AP (12/29, Bauer) reports the Wisconsin state legislature is considering again an “anti-bullying proposal that failed twice,” but which has a better chance of passing after the “the fatal shooting of Weston Schools Principal John Klang in Cazenovia in 2006 and the arrest that year of three Green Bay teens accused of plotting an attack at East High School with guns and bombs.” While some feel the bill is “overreaching,” it comes as a response to “a 2007 survey done by DPI, 20 percent of public high school students said they had been harassed, picked on or bullied so much that they felt unsafe or were unable to do their best at school over the previous 12 months.” State Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine) said he doesn’t “see any reason to believe that this won’t go to both houses and be fully supported by the Legislature and the governor.”
Act 82 In Wisconsin Said To Penalize Poorer Districts.
The Barre Montpelier (VT) Times Argus (12/29) reports “school officials worry” that Act 82, a law that “requires schools that spend more than 1 percent above the rate of inflation to present their budgets as two separate ballot items” may “give voters cause to reject their budgets,” assuming the second budget item is “frivolous when in fact it represents an amount above the inflation-based threshold and could include key educational programs.” Although the law has so far had the positive effect of “driving school costs down overall,” it is “putting a squeeze on districts with falling student enrollments.” John Bacon, superintendent of Barre Supervisory Union says his district is “in pretty good shape, in terms of Act 82,” since it contains “economies of size and scale. Unfortunately, a lot of small schools in Vermont are over the barrel with this act.”
New Policy Would Not Recognize Teachers’ Groups.
The Columbia (MO) Tribune (12/29, Heavin) reports a policy to not formally recognize either of the two teachers’ groups in Columbia, MO would “essentially weaken power now held solely by the Columbia Public Schools Employee Organization.” Columbia School Board President Michelle Gadbois says she is “disappointed” with the policy that has resulted from a proposal by the CPSEO and the Columbia Missouri National Education Association to be equally recognized by the board. She says the policy reflects “more of the same: fear of employees, fear that something bad will happen if we loosen the reins of power at the top,” and says she will not support the policy in this form.
Special Needs
Louisiana To Audit Special Education Services At New Orleans Public Schools.
The AP (12/29) reports, “State officials are set to audit special education services at randomly selected public schools in New Orleans, including charter and non-charter schools.” The audit follows findings that at some schools only “one in 100″ students “has a disability and receives special education services.” The number is far below some other schools where that number is closer to one in six.
Safety & Security
Popular Girls Increasingly Targeted By Bullies, Study Finds.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (12/29, Hunn) reports, “Boys are still tormenting boys, just as always. But now researchers have found boys are also pestering girls. And not just any girls – popular ones.” According to the Post-Dispatch, a study conducted by Philip Rodkin, a professor of child development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, found that “the girls harassed were often more popular than their male harassers. Early research, Rodkin said, showed bullies holding physical or psychological power over their victims, who were mostly same-sex peers.” However, more recent studies have “begun to draw lines between boys and girls, popular and unpopular. But the lines have been hazy, with researchers studying groups of bullies, groups of victims, and rarely showing a direct connection between bully and bullied, Rodkin said.”
Wisconsin Legislators Working On Package Of Bills To Enhance School Safety.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (12/26, Borsuk) reported, “Regular school safety drills, programs to fight bullying, more cooperation between school officials and law enforcement authorities and some additional freedom to spend money on safety – each of those things will come to pass across Wisconsin if the recommendations of a special committee of legislators and school officials become law.” According to the Journal Sentinel, the special committee’s “work is being turned into two bills that will be introduced in the upcoming legislative session, with prospects for seeing them enacted looking good, said Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine), chairman of the committee. While many schools in the state already have safety plans and anti-bullying programs, the proposals would put fresh effort into such work and add the force of state law in some areas.”
Facilities
Hawaii DOE Planning To Spend $317 Million On School Building Projects.
The Honolulu Advertiser (12/26, Moreno) reported that while Hawaii “is planning cuts to the Department of Education’s operating budget, it also plans to push ahead with millions of dollars in construction projects on public school campuses. The DOE is set to spend some $317 million in repairs, building maintenance and new construction over the next two years.” According to the Advertiser, the funds are “part of a $1.8 billion effort by the state to stimulate the economy through public works projects.”
New Schools Make News In Ohio County.
Ohio’s Record Herald (12/29, Morgan) reports, “A host of new schools were, or are in the process of being built in Fayette County, making for one of the top stories of 2008. The new, localized, $25 million Miami Trace Elementary building made headlines early in the summer, consolidating the district’s five elementary schools.” The Record Herald notes that the “new elementary, located on State Route 41 NW, boasts a variety of technologically-advanced features such as SMART Boards, computerized white boards that allow for interactive learning and an increased security system complete with swipe card entry. It also has several ‘green’ features, such as geothermal heating, lights that adjust according to natural light, a recycling program, a cost-effective pitched roof and natural building materials free of Volatile Organic Compounds.”
School Finance
Schools Feeling Impact Of Global Financial Crisis.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (12/25, Wills) reported, “Public schools are feeling the squeeze from the financial chaos and instability that have clouded the future of everyone from the Big Three automakers to people nearing retirement. Schools’ revenue from earned income taxes has dropped in some cases, while real estate transfer tax revenue already is down 27 percent this year in Pennsylvania.” Also, “Some school districts have reported abrupt jumps in tax delinquencies. To make matters worse, returns on the handful of fixed-income investments that school districts are allowed have dropped from about 5 percent one year ago to less than 1 percent in many cases.”
Virginia Districts Facing State Funding Cuts.
The Lynchburg (VA) News & Advance (12/28) reported, “News of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s state budget cuts arrived at school administration offices in the area with the impact of the Grinch that stole Christmas. Lynchburg will be hit particularly hard because it is the largest school system with a higher budget than surrounding counties.” According to the News & Advance, “While officials are still sorting through the details, cuts in state money to the city could be as much as $6 million. This year’s city school budget is $84 million.” The cuts “will mean cutting programs, shelving projects and looking for ways to share resources with the city. Because of the economic slowdown that has reduced state revenues, Kaine announced cuts of some $2.9 billion in the week before Christmas.” However, “State spending on education – both elementary, secondary and higher education – had been spared in earlier budget cuts, but not this time around.”
Also in the News
New York City Parents Face Smorgasbord Of Middle School Choices.
The New York Times (12/26, Gootman) reported on its front page that as the administration of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg “has created hundreds of new schools, centralized the admissions process and publicized the options, there is a wave of panic among many parents of fifth graders facing the next step. And throughout the country, middle school is increasingly seen as a kind of educational black hole where raging hormones, changes in how youngsters learn and a dearth of great teachers can collide to send test scores plummeting.” The Times adds, “For the vast majority of parents who send their children to neighborhood elementary schools, fifth grade is when they face a smorgasbord of school choice; 10 of the city’s 32 districts require applications. … Over the past two years, the city has taken steps to standardize middle-school admissions, organizing fairs in each district, printing directories to clarify options and creating a uniform timeline.” However, “these changes have also highlighted how wildly admissions policies vary between schools and districts.”