Study Shows New And Veteran Teachers Use Technology Equally.
eSchool News (6/30) reports that a study conducted by Walden University’s Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership found “newer teachers aren’t any more likely to use technology in their lessons than veteran teachers, and a lack of access to technology does not appear to be the main reason why teachers do not use it.”
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In the Classroom
Federal Grant Provides Chicago Teaches With Cultural Awareness Training.
The Chicago Tribune (6/30, Pevtzow) reports that a cultural awareness program funded by a federal grant allowed 24 Chicago Public Schools teacher to “take a whirlwind tour of multicultural Chicago, listening intently as members of different ethnic groups talked of their history, language and culture through the lens of their own experience.”
On the Job
Virginia Making Strides In Reducing Racial Achievement Gap.
The Fredericksburg (VA) Free Lance-Star (6/30, Sampson) reports the Southern Regional Education Board released a study showing “Virginia’s public school students are making some progress in closing wide racial gaps in academic performance, and the state compares well to southern states on other measures, including high school and college graduation rates.” However, the same study found “the achievement gap for students with disabilities has increased in recent years and the state’s academic standards for eighth-graders appear low and potentially could leave students unprepared for the next grade level.” Also, the report found “Virginia’s public four-year colleges and universities reported that two-thirds of students who entered as first-time, full-time freshmen in 2002 graduated within six years from the institution they first attended” compared to 53% regionally.
Washington, DC Council Approves Teacher Contract.
The Washington Post (6/30, Turque) reports that the DC. Council approved a contract with the Washington Teachers’ Union “that promises significantly higher pay for educators who demonstrate results in the classroom.” Councilman Kwame Brown hailed the contract, calling it “historic.” He added, “We’re going to pay our teachers more. They’re going to be able to serve our classrooms better.” In addition to a 21.6% pay increase, “the contract also calls for a voluntary pay-for-performance system that officials say could add $20,000 to $30,000 to the salaries of teachers who show better-than-expected growth in student test scores and who hit other targets.” A new evaluation and tenure system was also included in the deal.
Hawaii’s Teachers Will Not Be Furloughed This Year, Special Ed Cuts Loom.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (6/30, Vorsino) reports that Hawaii’s teachers will not face furloughs after the state’s Board of Education approved an operating budget Tuesday. However, the Board moved to eliminate 400 “mostly vacant positions.” Nearly 230 of these positions are for special education specialists. Last year, Hawaii’s teachers faced 17 furlough days because of “the dire budget situation.” The furloughs “left Hawaii public school students with the shortest school year in the nation and spurred widespread criticism, including from US Education Secretary Arne Duncan.”
Budget Situation In Detroit Leads To Larger Class Sizes.
The Detroit Free Press (6/30, Dawsey) reports that Detroit Public School will see an average of nearly 40 students per class in some grades because of next year’s budget. “Robert Bobb, the state-appointed emergency financial manager, will detail the 2010-11 spending plan at a public meeting Wednesday.” The district’s deficit has grown by $144 million over the past year. “Next year, students and teachers in grades 4 to 12 will see the average class sizes increase by three students.” Unions plan to fight the increase.
Law & Policy
Study Finds Charter School Students Don’t Outperform Those At Public Schools.
The Washington Times (6/30, Wetzstein, 77K) reports a study commissioned by the Institution of Education Science’s showed “middle school students in charter schools in 15 states …generally performed no better in math and reading than other public school students.” Students “in charter schools in urban areas were exceptions – they did better in math than their public school peers – and charter school students were generally more satisfied with their schools, said the study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. and released Wednesday.” John Easton, director of the Institution of Education Services at ED, said, “The study adds to a growing body of evidence on thie important policy issue.” But “the outcome…is sure to disappoint education officials who are seeking new ways to improve student achievement.” The Washington Post (6/30, Strauss) also runs the story.
Charter Schools Sometimes Face Same Problems As Public Schools. The Indianapolis Star (6/30, Gammill) reports on the problems faced by parents looking for the best education possible sometimes find charter schools “have abysmal student performance. In short, charter schools are neither inherently better nor worse — and they are susceptible to the same factors that determine the quality of a traditional public school.” University of Indianapolis Researcher David Dresslar said, “There are all kinds of issues that, just like a traditional public school, cause them [Charter Schools] to lag in performance.” Furthermore, Dresslar claims charters with strong leadership and teaching prevail.
Voucher Students Score Lower On Standardized Tests In New Orleans.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune (6/30, Chang) reports, “Charter school advocate Leslie Jacobs published a report Monday highlighting the low test scores of students in the state voucher program and calling for a system to evaluate the participating schools.” Louisiana State Superintendent Paul Postorek questioned the LEAP test used by Jacobs used, given it’s in its first year of use in voucher schools and varies by school. “Nearly half of the Recovery School District’s third-graders scored basic or above on the iLEAP’s English portion, but only 35 percent of third-graders in the voucher program did. The figures for fourth grade English were 48 percent for RSD students and 29 percent for voucher students.”
Georgia District Revising Policies To Ensure Accreditation Remains.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (6/30, Pickel, Matteucci) reports the DeKalb County, GA School Board met Tuesday to revise “a handful of key board policies in an effort to save the system’s accreditation.” Specifically, the board will revisit its policies on purchasing, employee conflict of interest, and whistle-blowing. The region’s accrediting association, the SACS, began “asking questions of” DeKalb County Schools after an investigation revealed a former superintendent, former operating officer, and two others ran “a criminal enterprise” in within the school system.
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Special Needs
ED and DOJ Warn Schools On Accessibility Of E-Readers.
The AP (6/30, Turner) reports that ED and DOJ “sent a letter to college and university presidents Tuesday instructing them to find alternatives” to Kindles and other electronic book readers for blind students if the are used in classrooms. Asst. Sec. for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali said in the letter, “It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students.” When asked by the AP, Asst. Sec. Ali added, “The key here is fully accessible, not in-part accessible. Blind users cannot navigate the menu. They couldn’t fast forward or even know which book they were reading.” Four universities have shelved e-readers until they are fully accessible. Only one school district in Clearwater, FL has expressed interest in using e-readers in the classroom. Ali said ED “is monitoring that district to be sure they meet federal requirements,” because the policy also applies to K-12 school, too. USA Today (6/30, Marklein) and T.H.E. Journal (6/30, Schaffhauser) also run the story.
Safety & Security
Grants Provide Pennsylvania School With Wireless Cameras Linked To Police.
Government Technology (6/30, Pittman) reports that Pennsylvania police departments “can increase situational awareness” in schools “by directly linking to Pennsylvania schools’ live video camera feeds” during emergencies. The Murrysville, PA Police Department received “a $100,000 grant from the Community Oriented Policing Services technology program, of which about $45,000 will fund the purchase of OnSite Information Systems Inc.’s Responder Knowledge software” for wireless cameras. Additionally, the cities fire departments and its EMS service will have access to the cameras, too. Tom Seefeld, Police Chief for Murrsville, said that “strict policies will ensure that the software is only used for its intended purpose: emergency response.”
School Finance
Wisconsin School Receives Recovery Funds.
The Lakeland (WI) Times (6/30, Gernetzke) reports that Wisconsin’s Minocqua, Hazelhurst, and Lake Tomahawk School District was awarded $890,000 worth of bonding from the Qualified School Construction Bonds tax credit program that’s part of the Recovery Act. MHLT Finance Manager Jeff Hoegger said, “To get the full amount was a pleasant surprise,’ Jeff Hoegger, MHLT finance manager, said. ‘It’s very good news for the district.” The district will use the funds to construct a new track and field area. Hoegger added, “Another good thing about it is that these programs help stimulate the local economy” and estimated 70% of the work will be done by local contractors.
Officials Concerned About Federal Classroom Technology Funding.
The Denver Post (6/30, Meyer) reports the annual meeting of the International Society For Technology in Education is being held a the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. “An estimated 18,000 educators and more than 400 vendors are attending the convention through Wednesday, with sessions from industry leaders, examples of technology use by teachers and even a playground for robots.” Officials with ITSE are concerned “that the zeal to cut funding will block the advancement of technology in the classroom – specifically the elimination of the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology program that, in part, pays for teacher training and curriculum development” which the Administration cut by $169 million for FY 2011.
Baltimore Schools Apply For $23 Million Worth of ED Grants.
The Baltimore Sun (6/30) reports Baltimore, MD schools “recently filed four applications for about $23 million in grants from the US Department of Education.” The first grant “calls for a Career Ladder that rewards teachers for the amount of professional development they get and their ability to apply what they learn, rather than paying teachers as they get more advanced degrees. The grant would also pay for a data system to track whether the professional development that teachers are getting is having an impact in the classroom.” The other grants seek to foster better childhood development, increase child nutrition and fitness, and to pay for “on-site, two-day reviews of schools every three years.”
California Ranks 23rd In Per Pupil Spending.
The Orange County Register (6/30, Martindale) reports that the US Census Bureau released financial data showing “California ranks 23rd among US states in per-pupil spending on public education, below the national average of $10,259.” During the data based from the 2007-08 school year, California spent on average $9,863 per pupil. NEA statistics point to lower spending during the same period, though the difference is likely attributed to the use of different data sets. For 2008-09, NEA statistics show California spent $8,322 per student, placing the state in 43rd place. “The Census Bureau’s rankings will likely reflect a similar trend when the 2008-09 rankings are released next year.”
Iowa Districts Raised Property Taxes By $130 Million To Pay For Schools.
The AP (6/30) reports that Iowa’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency released a report showing “local school districts have raised property taxes by more than $133 million for the upcoming school year.” Republicans blamed Democrats for property tax increase, given the state’s complex formula for funding schools. However, Democrats refute the charge, noting local school districts approved the new taxes.
“North Carolina Uses Lottery Revenues To Retain Teachers.”
The AP (6/30) reports “More teachers and university faculty would stay on the job this fall but some might face furloughs” in the latest version of the budget drafted by the North Carolina legislature. The spending plan “seeks to protect more classroom positions in public schools and University of North Carolina system campuses.” Reallocating revenue from the state’s lottery would allow districts to retain teachers. House Speaker Joe Hackney said the budget had “some really … innovative ways…to keep teachers teaching and faculty members teaching in the universities. There are some new ways to minimize the damages.” Brian Lewis, a lobbyist for the North Carolina Association of Educators, said, “don’t think there should be any (classroom) job losses in the 2010-11 school year.”
Educators Struggle To Tame Cyberbullying Epidemic.
The New York Times (6/28, Hoffman) reports, “Schools these days are confronted with complex questions on whether and how to deal with cyberbullying, an imprecise label for online activities ranging from barrages of teasing texts to sexually harassing group sites. The extent of the phenomenon is hard to quantify,” yet “one 2010 study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, an organization founded by two criminologist who defined bullying as ‘willful and repeated harm’ inflicted through phones and computers, said one in five middle-school students had been affected.” According to the Times, “Affronted by cyberspace’s escalation of adolescent viciousness, many parents are looking to schools for justice, protection, even revenge” yet “many educators feel unprepared or unwilling to be prosecutors and judges.”
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In the Classroom
New Jersey District Applies Computer-Based, Teacher Moderated Language Instruction.
New Jersey’s Star-Ledger (6/28, Rundquist) reports that the Ridgewood, New Jersey school system last year “introduced an interactive computer program” for Spanish classes “in which students listen to lessons on headsets, using a computer mouse to answer questions and a microphone to practice words and phrases.” The computer-based classes are supervised by “a regular classroom teacher.” The district “saved just under $200,000 by cutting three Spanish teaching positions.” Meanwhile, the district paid roughly $50,000 to purchase the Rosetta Stone computer language program. According to the Star-Ledger, “similar change is coming to schools across New Jersey this year as many districts, making cuts in the wake of an $820 million statewide school aid reduction, have targeted elementary foreign language programs.”
Texas High School Students Face Tougher Graduation Requirements.
The Dallas Morning News (6/26, Holloway) reported, “Instead of an easier schedule with no math or science, Texas seniors must now take a fourth year of those subjects to graduate with the recommended diploma required by most universities. The Legislature passed the new requirements five years ago” and Texas districts “knew the Class of 2010 would be the last to need only three years of math and science for the recommended diploma,” yet “they didn’t know how many more students would be in the classes, and in which of several approved fourth-year courses, until students filled out schedules this spring.” According to the Morning News, “Educators are particularly concerned about the ability of some students to pass the extra classes.”
New York Educators Debate Merits Of Raising High School Graduation Standards. The New York Times (6/28, Medina) reports, “When the State Education Department announced five years ago that all students would soon be required to pass five tests to earn high school diplomas in New York, officials applauded themselves for raising standards.” Though the “new requirements do not take full effect until the class of 2012 graduates,” if “they were in place today, New York City’s graduation rate would almost certainly drop after years of climbing steadily. What is not so evident, educators and testing experts say, is whether the higher bar will inspire students and schools to greatness, or merely make them lean more heavily on test-taking strategies.”
On the Job
New York City Principal Helps Turn Around Troubled School.
The New York Times (6/27, MB1, Gootman) reports, “When Pedro Santana arrived as principal of Middle School 391 in the South Bronx four years ago, it was, as he likes to put it, ‘a hot mess,” as fights “were frequent” and only “11 percent of seventh graders had passed their most recent state math tests. Had Mr. Santana fled, teachers and parents would not have been surprised.” However, Santana “is still around, but the school is not the same” as last “year, 59 percent of its seventh graders passed the state math test – below the 81 percent who passed citywide, but enough of an improvement to help the school earn an A on its report card.”
Denver District Using Radio To Reach Out To Spanish-Speaking Parents.
The Denver Post (6/26, Meyer) reported, “Denver Public Schools is reaching out to an increasingly diverse student population through one of the most popular media for Spanish-speakers: radio. The district says it is the first in the nation to produce a commercial Spanish-language radio show to engage parents.” According to the Post, “About 40 percent of the district’s 79,000 students come from homes where English is not the primary language, and many of those students have parents who speak no English at all,” yet “they do turn on the radio regularly.”
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Law & Policy
Texas Districts Sue Education Commissioner Over Minimum Grade Policy.
The Dallas Morning News (6/28, Unmuth) reports that eleven Texas districts with policies establishing “minimum grades of 50, 60 or even 70 for assignments and report cards” will argue in court today “they have the right to boost failing report card grades.” Legislation ending the practice “for classroom assignments” was passed in the state Legislature last year. “Education commissioner Robert Scott told superintendents last fall that it extended to report cards such as six-week grades as well — an opinion the school districts are challenging.” The districts “say that the state is overreaching into what should be local decisions.”
Illinois BOE Votes To Require Bilingual Education In Preschool.
Mary Ann Zehr wrote in a blog for Education Week (6/25), “The Illinois State Board of Education…unanimously adopted regulations that will require all public preschools in the state to identify any children who have limited proficiency in English and provide transitional bilingual education for them. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules in Illinois will still have to approve the rules for them to go into effect.” Zehr added, “Should the rules go into effect, and I expect now they likely will, it is believed that Illinois will have the most prescriptive rules in the nation for English-language learners in preschool.”
School Finance
Cutting Employee Health Benefits Helps Some Districts Cover Budget Shortfalls.
The St. Petersburg Times (6/27, Catalanello) reported that “for decades, affordable health benefits have been the comfy cushion public education employees could recline on in exchange for otherwise lackluster pay.” But, “as districts eye budget maneuvers that could have long-term implications for teachers and for the districts’ ability to recruit educators,” some are looking at cutting health benefits. This would mean “handing over more health insurance costs to their employees.” In Hillsborough County, Florida, for instance, “the district is facing a $20 million shortfall…next year.” Keeping health benefits as-is “in 2011 could cost $29 million alone.” Now, a “fully paid premium option for single coverage” that “once had no deductible,” now “comes with a $1,000 deductible.”
Survey Shows Most Pennsylvania Districts Cutting Instructional Staff.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (6/27, Weigand) reported, “School districts are taking drastic measures to balance budgets socked by falling tax revenue, skyrocketing pension obligations and uncertain state and federal funding.” School districts’ deadline for passing a balanced budget is Wednesday. Jay Himes of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials said school budgets this year are “probably the worst in two decades in terms of schools having to deal with both revenue declines and cost increases.” The Tribune-Review lists four causes of the budget crunch faced by school systems and also describes measures that some school boards are taking to reduce their budgets. “A survey of more than half of the state’s 500 school districts conducted by the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials and the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators found two-thirds will cut instruction staff in 2010-11″ and that “at least 69 percent planned to use reserve funds to balance their budget.”
Pennsylvania’s Standard Speaker (6/26, Nissley) reported that the survey also showed that throughout Pennsylvania, “school districts collectively lost $343 million in local revenues as a result of the recession.” Himes said that “using reserve funds is extremely risky,” because “there are concerns about soaring pension contributions and cuts to state and federal funding in the next two years.”
Voter-Approved Education Measures Further Strain Washington State Budget.
Chris Grygiel wrote in the Seattle Post Intelligencer (6/27) “Seattle Politics” blog, “Washington state’s budget situation gets bleaker the further out one looks. And to a certain extent, voters have only themselves to blame.” About one quarter of the state’s $8.1 billion shortfall “is due to anticipated costs of restoring money to two voter-approved initiatives…that mandated reduced class sizes and automatic teacher raises pegged to inflation.” While lawmakers “could opt not to pay for the education measures,” they would still have to replace about $2 billion in federal stimulus funds, “fund pensions for state workers above the current base assumptions” at a rate of “700 million in 2011-13 and $1.2 billion the following two years,” and they would have to “pay for Basic Education improvements lawmakers signed off on this year.” Grygiel concludes, “No wonder Gov. Chris Gregoire has floated the idea of having companies pay for naming rights to highways and rest areas.”
Also in the News
Some Educators Recognizing Multiple Valedictorians.
The New York Times (6/27, Hu) reported, “In top suburban schools across the country, the valedictorian, a beloved tradition, is rapidly losing its singular meaning as administrators dispense the title to every straight-A student rather than try to choose the best among them. Principals say that recognizing multiple valedictorians reduces pressure and competition among students, and is a more equitable way to honor achievement, particularly when No. 1 and No. 5 may be separated by only the smallest fraction of a grade from sophomore science.” However, “some scholars and parents have criticized the swelling valedictorian ranks as yet another symptom of rampant grade inflation, with teachers reluctant to jeopardize the best and brightest’s chances of admission to top-tier colleges.”
Youths Face Worst Summer Hiring Season Since 1969.
In a column for the Riverside Press Enterprise (6/26), Steve Rosen wrote, “This is the worst start to the summer hiring season for teens since 1969,” according to experts, and “though part-time openings are expected to pick up this month and next, many youths will still come up empty.” Rosen advised high schoolers to “look for off-the-beaten-path opportunities,” noting that “outdoor jobs involving heavy labor or behind-the-scenes jobs in warehouses or in retail inventory are typically not as sought after by teen job-seekers.” Alternately, he wrote that high schoolers should consider becoming entrepreneurs and going into business for themselves. Rosen also advises youths to “find a mentor” whom they can shadow, find a place to volunteer their services, or “work on a family project.”
NEA in the News
Pay Agreement Promises To Try For More Teacher Rewards After Economy Improves.
The Lawrence (KS) Journal World (6/27, Diepenbrock) reported that a “tentative agreement reached last week between Lawrence teachers and school board negotiators included salary raises for a limited number of teachers and a promise to try to reward more teachers once the economy turns around.” Negotiators for the schools board “said the $4.6 million in cuts for the 2010-2011 school year restricted their ability to offer raises, mostly to teachers who completed more graduate course hours in the last year.” Wade Anderson of the Kansas National Education Association noted, “There has been an acknowledgment on the part of both sides in most places that these are extraordinary times.” Throughout the state, “districts have cut $300 million in the last two years.” Anderson also said that “he was expecting the worst on salary offers, but he has been ‘pleasantly surprised so far.’”
Massachusetts District To Reconsider Condom Distribution Policy.
The AP (6/25, Johnson) reports that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) “used his bully pulpit Thursday to call the superintendent of a Cape Cod school district and urge her to revise a new policy allowing even elementary school students to receive free condoms without the knowledge of their parents.” Provincetown school district “officials later said the policy would be revisited.” According to the AP, Patrick said he “objected not only to the age of the students covered by the policy, but also to a provision prohibiting their parents from being told about any request for prophylactics – and from having their objections overrule a distribution.”
FOX News (6/24, Barnes) reported that Provincetown’s school health advisory committee proposed the distribution policy because committee members were “worried that children were becoming sexually active at ever younger ages, and…believed protection was the best policy.” According to Fox News, “the proposal had been on the agenda for weeks” before it was unanimously approved by the school board June 8. Before that meeting, “it had been discussed in open session and on local cable channels.” Superintendent Beth Singer said that “even after passage…she had only one phone call — from a parent who wanted to know when it would go into effect so she could talk to her kids about it.”
ABC News (6/24, James) added that “because school officials felt strongly that those who are sexually active should have protection, they had no ‘opt out’ clause for parents.” Provincetown’s only elementary school currently “serves children in pre-K to grade 6.” Singer, who wrote the policy, pointed out that “it is possible to have a young teenager in the sixth grade. So the school committee didn’t want to eliminate anyone to having access for whom it was relevant,” she added.
The New York Times (6/25, Goodnough) reports that Singer said “a revised policy would probably include more specifics about how to handle a condom request from an elementary school student — though she added that she was not anticipating any such requests.” However, the part of the policy that would give students access to “condoms even if their parents object, may not change,” because, Singer said, “withholding birth control from a student who is sexually active ‘really is not helpful.’” The Boston Globe (6/25, Nicas) and USA Today (6/24) also covered the story.
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In the Classroom
Computer-Based Summer School Program Targets Students’ Weakest Skills.
The St. Petersburg Times (6/25, Solochek) reports, “Each summer, the Pasco County School District offers two-week courses for students to make up lost credits from the school year.” This year, a computer program called NovaNet is being offered at four high schools “for 10 days this summer.” NovaNet “allows…students to work at an independent pace on the topics that vex them most.” The courses are “divided into modules of eight chapters, all aligned to state standards.” At the beginning of each module is “a pretest that identifies which skills they already have mastered and which require more attention.” Students say that “the computerized lessons, with help from an instructor and three student tutors from the International Baccalaureate program, [make] the material more accessible.”
After Weeks-Long Delay, Florida Schools Will Finally Receive State Test Scores.
The Miami Herald (6/25, Sampson, Mcgrory) reports that schools in Florida will finally receive “the FCAT scores that allow them to plan for next school year.” NCS Pearson, “the company that administers and grades the tests,” will have to pay a $3 million penalty “for tardiness — with more punishment on the way.” The Miami Herald adds that “FCAT scores are an important factor in deciding whether a student moves on to the next grade, gets placed in remedial courses, and ultimately whether he or she graduates.” In addition, the scores are “critical in determining the letter grade assigned annually to individual schools.” The Herald further explains the penalties NCS Pearson faces for delivering the scores several weeks later than the date indicated in its $254 million contract with the state.
Arizona Elementary School District Adding Extra Science Courses Over The Summer.
The Arizona Republic (6/25, Gordon) reports, “Tolleson Elementary School District is offering extra science courses this summer” that “about 10 percent of the district’s pupils” will be attending. The courses include “hands-on learning” that “engages students and introduces them to concepts that aren’t taught until high school or college,” educators said. Grant funding “went to pay teachers for the summer-school program, provide a science club throughout the year and contract with the Arizona Science Center to offer summer-school workshops. The workshops are embedded professional development for teachers,” the Republic notes.
Successful STEM Mentoring Program For Girls Being Expanded.
The Gary (IN) Post-Tribune (6/24, Lavalley) reported, “Discoveries Unlimited’s pilot program pairing middle school girls with mentors in the STEM fields…was such a success, it’s being expanded.” The non-profit “paired 17 Valparaiso girls with mentors for the first time in January,” and “will have 30 girls when it starts up again in the fall, including 13 who are returning from the last session.” Officials said “the pilot featured monthly events for the girls and their mentors, with the goal of giving the girls new experiences and sparking their interest in the STEM fields.” Through the ongoing program, “girls can switch mentors until they find someone in a field they are most interested in, and maintain that relationship through college, when they can intern and find full-time jobs with businesses involved in the program.”
Elementary Schools In New York Adopting Digital Curricula.
T.H.E. Journal (6/24, Nagel) reported that in New York City, 21 “elementary schools…are adopting digital curricula for the 2010-2011 school year.” The schools this fall will begin “shifting to a digital platform for math and reading designed for 1:1 classroom environments.” The platform, called Time to Know, “provides an interactive core curriculum targeted toward grades 4 and 5, along with collaborative tools designed to support group activities and discussions; various summative and formative assessment capabilities; interactive lesson planning with content previews; and a range of real-time classroom management utilities.”
On the Job
Five Utah Schools To Test Teacher Performance Pay Program.
The AP (6/24) reported, “A pilot program at five Utah schools will give teachers the opportunity to earn up to $2,000 more for improving student performance, parent satisfaction and giving quality instruction. … The program will cost $300,000 a year, drawing criticism from some who say it is not the best use of state money during difficult budget times.” However, “some say the program is the first step in spreading performance pay statewide.” The AP added, “The five schools’ plans reward 40 percent of the pay based on instructional quality, 40 percent based on student achievement and 20 percent based on community satisfaction.”
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Law & Policy
Parents File Suit Challenging Move To Cut Education Funding In Missouri.
The AP (6/25, Blank) reports that three parents of children in the Kansas City school system filed a lawsuit last week, “challenging a school funding maneuver by Gov. Jay Nixon.” The parents say that “Kansas City schools are due an extra $3 million from Missouri.” In an effort to “spread the pain of a $43 million state funding shortfall in basic aid to school districts,” state “lawmakers approved a bill this spring that shielded about one-quarter of school districts from the cut.” The governor, however, “ordered his administration to ignore the legislation.” Funding was, instead, cut equally among the state’s 523 school districts. Nixon contends that “it was unconstitutional for lawmakers to change school funding policies in a state budget bill.” The parents say that “Nixon’s order to ignore lawmakers cost their schools $3 million.”
School Finance
California Awarded $416 Million Turn Around Failing Schools.
The AP (6/25) reports that California “education officials say the federal government has awarded $416 million to California to turn around dozens of its lowest public schools. Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, said Thursday that California received the money from the US Department of Education School Improvement Grants program.” The AP notes that “school districts can apply for grants of $50,000 to $2 million to turn around 188 ‘persistently lowest achieving schools’ that state education officials identified in March.”
Alabama Schools Chief Says Oil Spill Reimbursement Is Critical To Education Funding.
WVTM-TV Birmingham (6/24, White) reports that State Superintendent Dr. Joseph Morton “reminded state board members” this week that the Gulf oil spill “is a critical issue” for education funding in Alabama. On Thursday, Morton told state board of education members that “he stands by his decision earlier this month to add up what the spill is costing the Education Trust Fund and send BP the bill.” He also warned that the impact of the spill “will be felt in this budget year, which ends September 30th, and in the next one,” and that “without reimbursement from BP, that could mean” further cuts to school funding.
Some School Budget Cuts Restored In Massachusetts District.
The Boston Globe (6/24, Roy) reports, “An additional $185,000 will be transferred to the school department budget from” Medford, MA’s “dwindling free cash account in fiscal 2011, Medford Mayor Michael McGlynn announced on Wednesday.” According to the Globe, “Superintendent Roy Belson previously announced 29 school positions have been eliminated, including 22 through layoffs, 13 of them school department secretaries. … The additional funding does not affect the number of school department layoffs, which remains at 22, although the amendment does restore one position while introducing four others (two part-time).”
Also in the News
Dallas All-Boys School Named For President Obama.
Tawnell Hobbs wrote in a blog for the Dallas Morning News (6/24), “The Dallas school district’s planned all-boys school will be named for President Barack Obama, trustees decided in a split vote at tonight’s board meeting. The school will be housed in the building that had been B.F. Darrell Math, Science, and Technology Vanguard, an elementary school in southern Dallas.” According to Hobbs, “Several trustees voiced concerns with the naming, including that Obama didn’t meet the age requirement and the submission was late.”
NEA in the News
Michigan Teachers Rally At Michigan Capital To Protest School Cuts.
The Detroit Free Press (6/25, Bell) reports that “more than 3,000 public school teachers and support personnel” rallied in Lansing, Michigan Thursday “for a union rally to celebrate public education and protect school funding.” Participants “waved signs declaring ‘Enough is Enough’ and ‘Stop the Attacks,’ aimed at state lawmakers whom they criticized for allegedly scapegoating school employees for government budget woes and under-funding K-12.” They argued that “chronic budget battles in Lansing are…a distraction from the mission of education.” Said Michigan Education Association President Iris Salters, “Over the past year, our public schools have been held hostage by a Legislature that has done nothing but cut.”
WWJ-TV (6/25) quotes Salters with saying, “You can’t run your own household budget if you don’t plan appropriately, and (state lawmakers) have not planned appropriately to fund education in this state. They have shortchanged the children, the community, and the school employees.”
WPBN-TV Traverse City, Michigan (6/25) notes that the rally’s focus was to “find solutions to the current school funding crisis and to show the support of the concessions in salaries and benefits school employees have made over the years to try to help with the budget crisis.” Focusing on the Northern Michigan teachers’ participation in the rally, WPBN adds that “more than 75 Northern Michigan teachers packed two charter buses” to attend. “‘We’re pretty excited about this, we’ve got people, we’ve got teachers, support staff, their children, we’re going down to Lansing,’ said Bob Kwiatkoski, of the MEA in Petoskey.”
WJBK-TV Detroit (6/25, Skubick) reports that 5,000 MEA members participated in the rally. They “heard from the man that the MEA has endorsed for governor and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero called for government off the backs of teachers with programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top.” But, on the other side of the argument, the state Senate GOP leader, Sen. Mike Bishop, told WJBK, “For anybody to come up here and suggest that we don’t prioritize the school community is outrageous. … They might want to take that and get out of Dodge quick.”
State Coalitions Vie For Federal Funding To Develop New Academic Tests.
The AP (6/24, Blankinship) reports, “Two big coalitions of states are competing” for up to a total of $160 million in federal grants “to create a series of new national academic tests to replace the current patchwork system. In the current system, every state gives a different test to its students” and in “some states, passing the exam is a graduation requirement.”
Education Week (6/23, Sawchuk) reported, “At least three state consortia will vie for $350 million in federal financing to design assessments aligned to the recently unveiled common-core standards, according to applications submitted today to the Education Department. Education Week noted that the competition aims to encourage “states to band together to create measures of academic achievement that are comparable across states. Two consortia — the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, which consists of 31 states, and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, which consists of 26 states — will compete for the bulk of the funding, $320 million, to produce comprehensive assessment systems.” Meanwhile, an alliance of “12 states appears to be the only contender for a smaller, $30 million competition earmarked by the Education Department to support specific exams aligned to high school grades or courses.”
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In the Classroom
Chicago Students Make Modest Gains On State Test.
The Chicago Tribune (6/24, Ahmed) reports, “State test scores for elementary school students in Chicago Public Schools rose about two percentage points this year, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.” Student showed the largest gains in science, “with a 3.6-point increase.” Reading, meanwhile, “showed the smallest increase, lifting half a percentage point from 2009 levels.”
WBBM-TV Chicago (6/23, Carlson) reported that overall, “nearly 72 percent of students now meet or exceed state standards,” which represents “a 1.9 percent increase from last year, and a 30 percent increase from 2002.” WBBM notes that “The timing of this good news is ironic. Despite the improvements, the threat of teacher layoffs is still looming as CPS struggles to fill a $1.2 billion budget deficit.”
WFLD-TV Chicago (6/24) reports that in an announcement about the test scores on Wednesday, Mayor Richard Daley (D) “attributed the improvement to the continued focus on teaching.” WFLD notes that test scores in Chicago public schools “have been steadily rising since 2002.”
Fewer 16-Year-Olds In Illinois Getting Driver’s Licenses. The Chicago Tribune (6/23, Gregory) reported, “Fewer 16-year-olds in Illinois are getting their licenses” and the “easy explanation for the decline is Illinois’ tougher new teen licensing requirements, started in 2006. But it’s clear that’s not the only reason.” According to the Tribune, in June 2006, “Illinois lawmakers doubled the number of hours – to 50 from 25 – of adult-supervised driving required before a driver with a learner’s permit could get a license” and the “next year, the number of 16-year-olds with licenses dropped by nearly 5 percent – to 74,675 from 78,250 – even though the state’s teen population increased.”
Program Offers Middle Schoolers Chance To Test Software On Space Station Robots.
The Boston Globe (6/23, Travaglini) reports on “Salem CyberSpace, a program offered through North Shore Community Action Programs, Inc.” that “has been awarded a NASA grant to bring a summer robotics program to middle-school-aged kids,” according to officials. “Up to 20 youths will be chosen to participate in the free 5-week program and learn from mentors from MIT while working on computer programs controlling robots just like the ones aboard the International Space Center. The winning team that creates the best computer program will be able to test their software on one of the robots on the Space Station while talking with the astronauts on board.” The Globe notes, “This is the first year NASA has offered such a grant. … The agency partnered with MIT in applying for the grant and is one of only four groups in the state to be awarded the monies.”
Gulf Oil Spill A “Potential Gold Mine” For Real-World STEM Lessons In The Classroom.
Noting the ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Eric Clayton writes in District Administration (June 2010) that “the foundations for future disaster-aversion could be built” through STEM education. In fact, the current disaster presents an opportunity for educators “to stretch out their hands and seize this potential gold mine of ‘real-world problems,’” Clayton writes. Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said, “Students may be hearing their families talk about the oil spill…and they’ll have some awareness of it, so the opportunities in the classroom are pretty extensive.” Eberle describes some of “the numerous issues to tackle in the classroom,” adding that the exercises teaches that “part of the reason to pursue science is to answer questions and solve problems.” Clayton also addresses the broader issue of boosting STEM learning in the US, writing that “extracurricular opportunities” and cultural backing are important factors.
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On the Job
Program Allows Teachers Chance To Spend Time In Supreme Court.
The AP (6/23, Sausser) reported that a “group of 30 social studies teachers from around the country… got a behind-the scenes look this week at the Supreme Court as part of the Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers.” The program, which aims to “demystify the court for teachers,” includes classes on “subjects ranging from choosing the court’s docket to nominating a justice.” The AP added, “In addition to classes, the teachers toured the Supreme Court on Friday and met in a closed-door session with court clerks.” The summer institute “is partially paid for by the Supreme Court Historical Society,” and “many of the teachers are sponsored by their school districts or local bar associations and only have to pay their hotel costs.
High School Puts Off Hiring Teachers Due To Delayed State Test Results.
The St. Petersburg Times (6/24, Solochek) reports that “the weeks-long delay in Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test results” has put some school financial decisions on hold. At Wiregrass Ranch High School, for instance, “eighth-grade math results will guide how many algebra instructors” are needed. Also, “tenth-grade reading outcomes will show whether the school should hire extra reading teachers, or whether it can bring in more educators in specialty areas such as Spanish.” The St. Petersburg Times notes that initially, testing contractor NCS Pearson’s “inability to match students within testing databases seemed a minor inconvenience to Pasco school officials,” as “key results, for third-graders and high school seniors, had arrived on time.” Yet, “as time has worn on, schools — particularly high schools — found themselves impeded by the lack of data.”
Portland, Oregon Schools Chief Recommends Eliminating 10 Percent Of Teachers.
The Oregonian (6/24, Hammond) reports, “Portland’s elementary and middle schools would lose their entire physical education program and the high schools would lose 10 percent of their faculty under Superintendent Carole Smith’s plan to deal with a $19 million cut in state funding for next school year.” Overall, 178 teaching positions would be eliminated from Oregon’s largest school district — “66 from elementary and middle schools, primarily from physical education; 60 from high schools; 38 from special education; and 14 from English as a second language.” In addition, Smith “proposes cutting 25 positions from the district’s central office.” According to the Oregonian, every district in the state “is being hit with a 9 percent cut in state funding for the coming school year.”
Law & Policy
San Francisco School Board Bans District Travel To Arizona.
Jill Tucker wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle (6/23, Tucker) “City Insider” blog, “The San Francisco school board jumped on the ‘Boycott Arizona’ bandwagon Tuesday night, banning all district travel to the southwestern state.” The move was in response to Arizona’s new “immigration laws aimed at identifying and deporting illegal residents. Critics, now including San Francisco school officials, believe the new laws encourage racial profiling.” Other “Arizona boycotters” include “San Francisco city, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego [and] professional organizations across the country.” Tucker notes that Arizona also has banned “public school ethnic studies courses as well as a statewide push to reassign English language teachers who have heavy foreign accents or bad grammar.” Some university professors nationwide argue that “the accent policy…would target Latino/Latina educators, the ones most qualified to teach English learners.”
Many Immigrant Families Leaving Arizona.
The AP (6/23, Myers) reported that many illegal immigrants living in Arizona are making plans “to escape the state’s tough new law that cracks down on people just like them. The law’s stated intention is unambiguous: It seeks to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona and to discourage them from coming here.” Though there “is no official data tracking how many are leaving because of the new law,” anecdotal “evidence provided by schools and businesses in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and by healthcare clinics suggest that sizable numbers are departing.”
Illinois Considers Adoption Of Unified National Standards For Math, Reading. The Chicago Tribune (6/24, Malone, Reporter) reports, “Illinois schoolchildren should be able to tell time by the end of first grade and know how to calculate probability by middle school graduation under a plan that would create unified national standards for math and reading instruction.” If approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, which will decide the matter today, “the grade-by-grade guidelines could be rolled out to local classrooms as soon as this fall, officials said. They would replace the state’s current expectations that researchers have criticized as both scattered and superficial.” The Tribune notes, “The move paves the way for national standardized tests, as soon as 2014, to determine how kids measure up in states that adopt the voluntary benchmarks.”
School Finance
Rural Alabama District Faces State Takeover Amid Fiscal Woes.
The AP (6/23) reported, “The rural Coosa County [Alabama] school system has been turned down in its usually routine request to borrow more money from a local bank, possibly leading to the first state takeover of a system’s finances in Alabama since 2001″ According to Superintendent Dennis Sanford, “the system, with 1,350 students and 105 teachers in a high school, middle school and elementary school, does not have enough money in the bank to pay teachers and staff during August and September.”
Also in the News
Students Taste, Rate Potential School Meal Offerings With “Sound Nutritional Value.”
The St. Petersburg Times (6/24, Lehman) reports, “On Wednesday morning, 175 students from across Hillsborough County showed up at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover to rate 22 potential offerings for the coming school year’s menu.” After tasting “each dish, they could circle one of three smiley faces: Love It, Like It or Dislike It.” Offerings included “pizza with whole wheat crust and lean pepperoni, earned positive reviews.” MaryKate Harrison of the district’s student nutrition department “said the expo was a good opportunity to interact with the school’s ‘customers’ and present them with healthful options. It’s modeled after a program that started in Orange County.”
WTSP-TV St. Petersburg (6/24, Mascarenas) reports that students sampled “main entrees [that were] a bit out of their comfort zone such as teriyaki beef dippers with oriental brown rice, maple turkey sausage wrapped in whole grain pancakes, cheese tortellini with marinara sauce, and curry chicken with oriental brown rice.” High-scoring foods “will end up on the school lunch menu.” Said Harrison, “We’ve prescreened them and know they have sound nutritional value and pricing is right in the ballpark for us.”
NEA in the News
Jennings National Education Association Votes No Confidence In School Board.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (6/23, Bock) reports that Jennings National Education Association (JNEA) members have voted “no confidence in the School Board, saying the district” would eventually be taken over by the state. The JNEA “says the board has ignored many of the recommendations of a state audit released last summer that critiqued administrative costs, accounting practices and spending.” The audit said that Jennings ran “annual deficits of $3 million for four years. For the coming school year, the deficit is projected at $1.4 million, Chief Financial Officer Michael O’Connell said.” The district is “eliminating 30 positions, including 18 teachers and one administrator,” and it “has frozen most salaries, and all district employees will take two furlough days in the coming school year.” Still, said JNEA President Mike McMurran, members “take issue with administrators who received pay raises.”
Study Shows Small New York City High Schools Boosting Student Achievement.
The AP (6/23, Matthews) reports, “New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg has systematically shut down large, failing high schools and replaced them with small schools, many pegged to themes like the fashion industry or the business of sports. A new study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – which has invested more than $150 million in New York City schools – suggests that the small schools have succeeded in boosting graduation rates for the city’s most academically challenged students.” According to the AP, “proponents say small schools can provide one-on-one support to struggling students, and the specialized programs are supposed to improve students’ motivation by enticing them to apply to schools that match their interests.”
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In the Classroom
School Board In Florida May Hire Long-Term Substitutes To Comply With Class-Size Rules.
The Naples Daily News (6/23) reports that the Lee County School Board, “faced with an ailing budget due in part to requirements of the state class size amendment,” is “now contemplating using…substitutes to” meet Florida’s class size this fall. The “long-term substitute teachers, those placed in a class for one month or more,” would “receive higher pay than short-term subs.” But, the County school system would “not have to pay benefits to those teachers.” The long-term substitutes would be placed as co-teachers in classrooms with large numbers of students and “could stay on as long as needed – until a student moves out of the class, or until voters have their say on whether to reverse the class size amendment.” The Naples Daily News adds that the district has set aside “$5 million in the 2010-11 budget to cover the hiring of permanent teachers, in the event that voters uphold the class size amendment.”
School’s Graphic Communications Program Earns PrintED Accreditation.
The Gwinnett (GA) Daily Post (6/23, Darenberg) reports that the graphic communications program at Maxwell High School of Technology “has earned PrintED accreditation,” and students enrolled in the program “will benefit as they learn from courses that meet industry standards” as a result. “The PrintED accreditation program is based on industry standards and administered by the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation,” and “grants accreditation to institutions that have met industry standards for communications courses of study at the secondary and postsecondary level.” The school “will open this August as a charter school,” following the state Board of Education’s recent approval of the school’s petition to that end. “The school will have flexibility to allow more students to earn dual enrollment credits and graduate with business- and industry-recognized credentials.”
Case For Single-Sex Classrooms Analyzed.
Newsweek (6/22, Ellison) reported, “With male academic achievement declining by almost every measure, and their scores possibly dragging down national averages, administrators are taking a fresh look at same-sex classrooms and the concept that boys and girls might do better when they’re apart. … Regardless of the mixed research, the interest in single-sex classrooms shows just how desperate teachers and administrators are to find a cure to the oft-lamented ‘problem with boys,’” as by “just about every metric, boys are, and have been for perhaps a decade, lagging tremendously behind girls in terms of academic achievement.” Ellison added, “Ultimately, figuring out what method is best for boys and girls may mean identifying and tearing down gender stereotypes where they begin-with the kids themselves.”
KIPP Students Outscore Public School Peers, Report Says.
The Washington Post (6/22, Turque) reported, “Middle school students in the Knowledge Is Power Program, a charter school network with a major footprint in the District and other cities, significantly outperform their public school peers on reading and math tests, according to a new study. But the report, from Mathematica Policy Research, to be made public Tuesday, is unlikely to resolve debate over what is behind the network’s success” as critics “say that the program benefits from highly motivated parents seeking alternatives to ineffective public schools and that KIPP often winnows out students who don’t fit its program.” According to the Post, “The study, which KIPP commissioned, comes as the Obama administration is promoting the spread of strong charter schools as a strategy to improve urban education.”
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On the Job
Arizona District Developing Own Integrated Teacher Evaluation System.
The Arizona Republic (6/23, Faller) reports that the Scottsdale Unified School District is developing an evaluation system “that will use a model of student growth rather than test scores to evaluate how well a teacher has performed over the school year.” The district “will use several kinds of data to mark a student’s progress, such as AIMS scores, benchmarks and other types of assessments, but not subjective criteria such as grades or homework.” Professional development will also be a component of the system. John Wright, president of the Arizona Education Association, pointed out that the purpose of the system is not “to catch somebody failing, but to assess performance and find opportunities for improvement.”
District Officials Asked To Renegotiate Educator Contracts To Save $10 Million.
The Providence (RI) Journal (6/23, Marcelo) reports that Providence school officials say that the system “does not have the money to cover contracts for principals, teachers and other school staff, after saying last year that the contracts were affordable.” Now, the City council is asking that the school department renegotiate the contracts, as the school budget faces a more than $10 million budget deficit. School Finance Officer Matthew Clarkin said that “the district has been able to cut what was an even larger current-year deficit with a freeze in purchasing and other cost savings, but that the remaining $10.3 million would have to come out of the city’s rainy day fund.” The Providence Journal notes that the teacher and administrator contracts account for “about half of the department’s projected $12-million budget shortfall for next year.”
ProComp Program May Have Boosted Teacher Selection, Retention In Denver District.
Stephen Sawchuk wrote in a blog for Education Week (6/22), “Denver’s ProComp pay program may have helped attract more-effective teachers to the district and boosted retention in hard-to-serve schools, according to a report on the much-discussed system released recently by the University of Colorado at Boulder. Teachers opting into the program also appear to be slightly more effective on the whole.” According to Sawchuk, “Researchers compared each student’s results with those of other students with similar achievement histories and traced the data back to the students’ teachers” and the researchers “also examined value-added data linked to specific teachers.”
Elementary School Arts Program To Be Partially Restored In Los Angeles District.
Howard Blume wrote in a blog for the Los Angeles Times (6/22), “Los Angeles Unified School District officials are expected to restore $5 million to elementary arts programs that were cut in half as part of efforts to balance next year’s budget, The Times has learned. The restoration comes amid ongoing pressure from arts groups and powerful local philanthropists to spare the programs, but Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said his decision was unrelated to these entreaties.” Cortines “said he made the move because recent financial projections regarding this year’s $640-million deficit proved slightly better than expected.”
Law & Policy
Massachusetts BOE Proposes Rules For Principals Reporting Bullying Incidents.
The AP (6/23) reports that Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) “signed an anti-bullying law last month that requires teachers to report any bullying they are aware of to principals and called on the” state BOE “to design procedures that principals should follow.” The BOE’s “proposed rules would require principals to notify the parents of the alleged victims and perpetrators of bullying. Principals must” determine “whether the allegations are serious enough to report to police for possible criminal investigation.”
Kansas Would Face Up To $10 Million In Special Education Costs Under Medicaid Law.
KTKA-TV Topeka (6/22, Seabrook) reported that “school districts will no longer be able to claim Medicaid for Attendant Care Services” under a federal law that goes into affect July 1. “The Kansas Health Policy Authority says if Medicaid pays for those services for children in a school setting, it must also pay for those same services on a statewide basis for all qualifying children, regardless of the setting.” That would cost the state “an additional five to ten million dollars” from the Medicare General Fund. “The Kansas Health Policy Authority is meeting to look at alternatives to the change.”
Special Needs
New Jersey Budget Proposal Would Restore Funding Programs For Students, Disabled.
The Philadelphia Inquirer (6/22, Lu, Rao) reported, “Democratic lawmakers reached a compromise” with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “on a state budget Monday that will restore $74 million to programs that help students, the poor, and the disabled. Christie said the budget remained true to the principles he outlined in his budget address in March, among them that spending be kept within the state’s means and that fiscal order be restored without raising taxes.” According to the Inquirer, “The compromise budget would restore $1 million to the popular NJ STARS tuition program, allowing this fall’s freshman class to receive assistance for college tuition.”
Facilities
Two Hundred School Construction Projects Under Way In Denver-Area Districts.
KUSA-TV Denver (6/23) reports that in 2008, Denver voters “approved a $454 million bond issue for work at every single school building in the district.” In addition, the Aurora and Cherry Creek school systems “also had their respective ballot initiatives approved.” Together, all three districts’ “construction projects [total] $873 million over a five-year period.” Most of the “200 projects in the works…have to be completed in the time from when students leave for summer vacation to when they return in the fall.”
Also in the News
SkillsUSA Student Leadership Conference Underway In Missouri.
The St. Petersburg Times (6/23, Miller) reports that “while many students are off enjoying some lounging time, Dominic Anger and Scott Schwirian have been making the weekday trek to Marchman Technical Education Center.” The two students are representing Florida at “in Kansas City, [Missouri], at the 46th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference” taking place until Friday. “Formerly known as VICA, SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization that promotes partnerships between students, teachers and industry to help develop a skilled work force.” After placing second in a regional SkillsUSA competition and first in state in their divisions, Anger and Schwirian earned the right to represent the state of Florida.
Teen from Maine Develops E-Coli Detecting Biosensor.
WABI-TV Bangor, ME (6/22, Pelletier) reported on Rebecca Ye, a graduate of Bangor High School who was recently “named the US winner of the 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize at a competition in St. Louis, Missouri.” Ye won the award for using “microbiology and nanotechnology to create a biosensor to quickly identify E-Coli in water.” She will now travel “to Stockholm, Sweden where she will compete against national winners from more than 30 countries for the International Water prize.”