Education Program
This Week in Education
December 6 - December 12, 2007
K-12
Dropout-Prevention Program Sees to The Basics of Life
Andrill Harris, dropout prevention coordinator at the Patricia R. Harris Education Center, knew what to do. She set up a food-bank delivery. For another parent in a tight spot, Harris found subsidized housing. The two families had a total of five children at the school. All, with help from Harris, were spared at least some of the stress that makes it hard for some inner-city students to concentrate on reading and math, hard even to stay in school.
Mobility creates educational challenge
One of the greatest educational challenges today - particularly in urban school districts such as Milwaukee Public Schools - is dealing with the sometimes pinball-like movement of students from one school to another. The reasons are as varied as the students: They may have gotten in with the wrong crowd, their parents may have moved, or they may be homeless or in foster care. They may have clashed with teachers at other schools or been in search of a different academic program.
Usual Efforts to Raise Scores Have Weak Effect, Study Says
Common methods used to improve test scores in Maryland's chronically underperforming schools have had little effect, according to a report scheduled to be released today, but Prince George's County and other school systems have shown a willingness to try other approaches that could lead to a reversal of the downward trend.
Adult education bringing hope to young dropouts
The state has listed James Stonier as a high school dropout since the 18-year-old quit Fort Dorchester High School earlier this year when his grades plummeted. But James spends more than five hours each day listening to teachers explain complicated math concepts and English skills. He hopes to attend Trident Technical College next year and eventually enroll at The Citadel.
Feds to loosen No Child Left Behind requirements
The Bush administration on Friday granted new flexibility to states on how they track student progress under the No Child Left Behind education law. The Education Department announcement was a response to stalled efforts in Congress to rewrite the five-year-old law, and an acknowledgment that the law in its current form is flawed.
More time in class equals better math skills
The idea that more time in school produces better results could get a small boost today with the release of international data from the Brookings Institution. The study finds adding 10 minutes of math instruction to an eighth-grader's day translates into a jump in math skills. The findings come as a handful of states and school districts experiment with packing more minutes into the school day and, in a few cases, more days into the year.
Leadership
Policy Focus Turning to Principal Quality
The spotlight that has focused on ways of measuring and rewarding teacher effectiveness may now be turning to school principals. The Center for American Progress released a report this week on reforming principal compensation, while the National Association of Secondary School Principals published guidelines for evaluating effective principals. Calls to create voluntary national certification for principals that first surfaced more than five years ago also are being renewed.
Living the ABCs of Running a School
Glynis Jordan had already had a busy day patrolling the halls of Fairmont Heights High School. She'd shepherded kids to class, sent one boy to detention because he was running late, sent another back to his locker to put on a school uniform and covered a class for a teacher who wasn't there. Jordan, a 12-year veteran of middle and high school classrooms and now a trainee in a program that embeds experienced educators in schools for a year to learn how to become principals, this was all part of learning the ropes.
Toward the ‘Highly Qualified’ Principal (Edweek)
As Congress considers the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, it could take an important step forward by supporting proposals that help set higher standards for principals and improve pay for effective leaders, particularly those who work in high-need schools.
STEM
Early alerts should help shape education
Indiana stands ready to roll out a computer-based teaching tool that can serve as an early warning system for student learning problems. The system is designed to give quick tests to students throughout the year, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed. The tests will make sure children are learning what they should and reveal what they've missed. "The most important part is it is help now," Reed said. "As soon as we know there is a problem, we can intervene and offer help."
Teacher
Unions Launch Ad To Fight School Plan
The unions representing employees of D.C. Public Schools will launch a $20,000 radio advertising campaign today against legislation that would give schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee the authority to fire nonunion workers in the central office. The 60-second spot is called "Hijacked" and uses the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers" as background music.
Florida teachers earn honors, risk bonus
Nearly 1,700 Florida teachers earned national board certification this year, according to results released Tuesday, making the state No. 1 in the nation for a distinction that is widely seen as the gold seal for good teaching.
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