Education Program
This Week in Education
February 21 - February 26, 2008
Highlighted Bills of the Week
(Powered by State Net)
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Utah SB 61 (Location-To HOUSE Committee on RULES) |
This bill tracks mastery of financial literacy concepts and is optional for students. SB 61 requires the State Board of Education to: work with private and non-profit entities to create the financial literacy passport; coordinate financial literacy instruction with existing instruction; create staff development programs and assessments; and make rules related to financial literacy education; requires an annual report to the Education Interim Committee for five years. |
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Virginia HB 1425 (Passed SENATE)
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HB 1425 requires the Board of Education to develop a plan for the withdrawal from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, unless waivers that allow Virginia's existing educational accountability system, as set forth in the Standards of Quality, Standards of Learning, and Standards of Accreditation, to substantially meet the requirements of the Act are granted by the U.S. Department of Education. |
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This Week in Education
February 21 - February 26, 2008
K-12
Teens miss the boat on knowledge of common historical references
Twenty-five years after the federal A Nation at Risk report challenged U.S. public schools to raise the quality of education kids receive, the study finds that high schoolers still lack important historical and cultural underpinnings of "a complete education."
Virginia considers leaving federal education act behind
The Virginia General Assembly is flirting with abandoning a landmark federal law that governs schools in the United States. The decision could make Virginia the first state to set a deadline – summer 2009 – for planning a pullout from the No Child Left Behind Act, which ties billions of dollars to federally mandated testing standards in public schools.
Class-Size Reductions Seen of Limited Help on Achievement Gap (Edweek)
Reducing class sizes—a popular policy among parents, teachers, and lawmakers—has long been viewed as a way to increase student achievement. But while shrinking the number of students in a class can lead to higher test scores overall, it might not necessarily reduce the achievement gaps that exist between students in a given classroom, a new study suggests.
GOP bill would revamp testing: MULTIPLE-CHOICE EXAMS WOULD SAVE TIME, MONEY, BACKERS SAY
Senate Bill 1, which was introduced Tuesday night, would also remove collections of student writing known as portfolios from statewide tests, although students would continue to create them. In addition, arts and humanities would no longer be measured.
Leadership
Standards for School Leaders Get New Thumbs Up (Edweek)
A coalition of education groups came together in the mid-1990s to draft model standards for school leaders that would refocus the profession on student learning. Since then, the resulting Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium standards have been used or adapted by more than 40 states.
Good Principals by Fiat? (Edweek)
A national standard of ‘highly qualified’ undermines recruitment, retention, and instructional leadership.
Ackerman to be named Phila. schools chief today: She led districts in San Francisco, Washington
A former San Francisco schools superintendent who took bold steps to improve student achievement and drew national recognition for her work - but at the same time became a lightning rod for controversy - is to become the next schools chief in Philadelphia.
School Choice
California schools with high dropout rates listed
A UC Santa Barbara study shows 25 sites, many are charter campuses, account for a fifth of dropouts in the state. The findings are criticized.
STEM
Reading skills remain basis of success
In our classrooms, it's clear that we need to continue to foster both a love of and a talent for reading. But we also need to meet students where they are; and while many of us may find new technology intimidating, it's the key to reaching today's students.
Teacher
School-freedom bill gains support
In Colorado teachers unions support the measure after the threshold was raised on how to drop collective bargaining, but there are reservations about the lack of funding.
Post-Secondary Education
Florida Senate leader pushes for voters to determine who sets college-tuition rates
Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, wants voters to settle the fight between lawmakers and the state university system's governing board over who sets tuition rates for public colleges and universities. Pruitt said that Senate leaders will push a constitutional amendment this session spelling out that the Legislature -- not the Board of Governors -- has the sole power to set tuition. The amendment would also make the state's education commissioner elected once again.
Education Finance
Panel breathes hope into charter schools
Charter schools could get more state money than ever before if the full Legislature supports a bill that won approval yesterday from the House Education Committee. The bill would direct $6,500 per pupil next year to the seven charter schools in danger of closing because of financial uncertainty.
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