Education Program
This Week in Education
July 31- August 6, 2008
Highlighted Bills of the Week
(Powered by State Net)
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Massachusetts- (HB 4706)-Enacted
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Provides that the Department of Early Education and Care shall be the lead agency for providing early education and care programs and services to children through grants or contracting for those services, to license or approve child care facilities, to implement and manage a universal kindergarten program, to maintain a database of early childhood educators and providers, to seek to increase the availability of such education and care programs, and to monitor and evaluate the programs. |
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South Carolina -(HB 4320)- Enacted |
This bill concerns student whose parent or legal guardian has been called to active duty more than a specified number of miles outside of his residence is eligible to attend the public schools of that school district; authorizes nonresident military personnel to enroll in programs designed to award a State high school diploma. |
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This Week in Education
July 31 - August 6, 2008
K-12
Weight issues can affect kids' performance at school
Overweight kids are at risk for a host of health complications, including elevated cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure. They also may do more poorly in school. When grade point averages were compared among 566 middle school students in a suburb of Philadelphia, overweight students came in at about half a grade point lower than normal-weight kids.
Education should lift all children
In their 1995 book "Meaningful Differences," Betty Hart and Todd Risley calculated it would take approximately 41 hours of extra intervention per week to raise language scores of poor children to those of their well-off counterparts by age four -- and that's before starting preschool
Some States Said to Share 'Core' Standards (EdWeek.org)
States that have worked individually to set rigorous academic standards for high school students have inadvertently subscribed to a “common core” of expectations in English/language arts and mathematics, an analysis by Achieve has found.
Patrick signs law that supports preschool
Faced with a list of more than 500 families waiting for pre-school classes, local educators celebrated a new law supporting universal prekindergarten today. But the bill comes with no funding for new classes. An Act Relative to Early Education and Care was passed by the House and Senate in unanimous votes earlier this week.
Leadership
Veteran Educator Named as Chief Of Va. Schools
Patricia I. Wright, chief deputy superintendent of public instruction since 2006, is about to become Virginia's schools chief. Last week, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) named her to be the next superintendent of public instruction, succeeding Billy K. Cannaday Jr. after he steps down Oct. 1.
School Choice
Charter schools eye windfall
State funding to build new charter schools would increase sixfold in four years - to more than $100million - under a clause tucked into a larger bill that has won strong support from traditional charter-school opponents.
School-voucher plan can be on the ballot Nov. 4, judge rules
A Leon County circuit judge ruled Monday that two constitutional reforms designed to expand taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools can go before voters statewide in November. Opponents promised to appeal.
STEM
Another 152 school districts get state-funded laptops
Another 152 school districts have been added to the state Classrooms for the Future program, which provides laptops to high schools. This brings the program, entering its third year, into 543 high schools in 453 of the state's 501 school districts in 2008-09. It is expected to reach about 500,000 students.
Initiative grounds teachers in math
As a kindergarten teacher, Nancy Rogers isn’t taking calculus this summer just for her own enrichment. She’s taking it because it will be useful in her classroom.
TEACHERS
Teacher quality in Texas inequitable, study says
Texas is headed for big problems if state lawmakers don't fix serious inequities in teacher quality and experience between rich and poor schools, a noted education researcher warned Monday. Wealthy, high-performing schools attract and keep experienced, higher-quality teachers, while schools with large numbers of low-income and minority students are left with less-experienced teachers, according to a new study.
Book examines four new teachers' experience at Watts' Locke High School
The author observed the troubled campus and the Teach For America participants for a year. She says the most important ingredient of success is high-quality teachers.
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