Education Program
This Week in Education
January 1 - January 9, 2008
K-12
Rep. John Rogers to introduce bill that would allow Mayor Larry Langford to appoint an oversight committee to the Birmingham school board
State Rep. John Rogers said Thursday he will introduce a bill next month into the Legislature that would allow Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford to appoint an oversight committee to work with the Birmingham Board of Education.
Academy defends the teaching of evolution
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences on Thursday issued a spirited defense of evolution as the bedrock principle of modern biology, arguing that it, not creationism, must be taught in public-school science classes.
Waiting Too Late to Test?
Since a 1975 federal law gave students with learning disabilities a right to special education, the number of learning-disabled students who receive such services has risen to 6 percent of the public school population. The figure was less than 2 percent in 1977. Many educators say learning disabilities have been over-diagnosed and are seeking ways to address learning difficulties in mainstream classrooms, rather than addressing them through special education for as much as twice the cost.
States May See Fiscal Squeeze on Education (Edweek)
The 2008 state legislative season launches this month under a fiscal cloud in a number of states, where ambitious education initiatives—including expanded pre-K programs, college- or career-preparation efforts, and improved teacher pay—may end up being balanced against gloomy revenue projections.
Leadership
Left out, students want a voice in reform
Even as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa promises to enlist teachers and parents in his reform plan for Los Angeles schools, he has largely overlooked another group with a stake in his new enterprise: students.
Dallas magnet schools drop 'dean' title, boost pay for new principals
Leaders of elite Dallas magnet schools will get a pay raise and once again be called principals after parents complained about their new lower-paying positions as deans. Parents feared the change signaled the district was scaling back support for the magnets.
NCLB
Court Revives Lawsuit Against No Child Left Behind Law
A federal appeals court on Monday revived a legal challenge to the federal No Child Left Behind education law, saying that school districts have been justified in complaining that the law required them to pay for testing and other programs without providing sufficient federal money.
STEM
PISA Results Scoured for Secrets to Better Science Scores
Beyond international comparisons, the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, offers clues to what educators and policymakers might do to improve U.S. students' test scores. The report examines differences in how nations go about the business of schooling and pinpoint which practices are linked to better performance on the science portion of the exam.
Education Finance
New Jersey Revamps State Aid to Schools
Legislators handed Gov. Jon S. Corzine a dramatic political victory on Monday night when they approved his $7.8 billion plan to revamp New Jersey’s school financing formula.
N.H. commission starting to cost state's education cost
special legislative commission has begun putting a rough price to New Hampshire's share of public school costs. The commission estimates the state should spend roughly $3,460 per pupil in base aid. That's about $692 million — and does not include extra aid the commission is considering adding for needier schools.
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