 This Week in Education
September 25- October 1, 2008
Highlighted Bills of the Week
(Powered by State Net)
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California- (ACR 134)- Enacted |
ACR 134 establishes a Legislative Task Force on Summer and Intercession Enrichment to study ways to help prevent summer learning loss among California's children and to provide enrichment activities and experiential learning that complement the school year curriculum, but offer other opportunities not found in school. |
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Massachusetts- (HB 469)-Enacted |
HB 469 allows the parents of twins or higher order multiples to request that the children be placed in the same classroom or in separate classrooms when the children are in the same grade level at the same school; provides that the school may recommend placement and provide professional education advice; requires the placement request to be made by a specified time; provides that higher order of multiples shall mean triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets or more. |
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This Week in Education
September 24 - October 1, 2008
K-12
Absences in Early Grades Tied to Learning Lags (EdWeek)
Having solid data became the first step in addressing what a new report identifies as an under recognized problem: chronic absenteeism in the primary grades.
School bus audio surveillance considered
School administrators and police could listen in on conversations in school buses under a proposal exempting buses from state wiretapping and surveillance laws.
Preschool bills improve access to early education
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills this week that will improve pre-kindergarten access and increase child development programs that education leaders hope will address the achievement gap between minority and disadvantaged students and their white counterparts.
Computer testing OK'd for some districts
A bill that would allow school districts and charter schools to try out computer-adaptive testing programs and be exempt from state testing requirements was passed by the Legislature on Friday.
Report: State struggling on preschool
Despite a 150 percent increase in funding for pre-kindergarten programs in the past three years, Colorado still ranks near the bottom in program quality and enrollment, according to a national report released Wednesday.
UT Dallas researchers hope to train teens in reasoning skills
Nearly 98% of teenagers with attention deficit problems who were trained to filter out unimportant details and focus on main concepts improved their overall reasoning skills. The brain-health researchers want to see the program implemented in all Texas middle schools.
School Leadership
For Pr. George's Schools, a Scene They Know Well
Residents of Prince George's County awoke to an all-too-familiar situation yesterday morning: For the fourth time since 1999, they were searching for a superintendent to run their struggling school system.
Special Topic / The Principal's Priority 1
Public Agenda surveys examine how well principals are managing their new roles as instructional leaders.
Urban school superintendents hard to keep
Despite good salaries and plenty of perks, a recent study found that the average urban superintendent nationwide stays on the job only about three years — which educators say isn't enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform.
30 Denver schools on probation
Ten schools were rated "distinguished" and 30 were given probationary marks under Denver's new score-card system that ranks each school based on a broad array of measures.
Public Schools, Higher Ed and Others Working Together to Prepare Leaders
The West Virginia Department of Education is working with higher education institutions and other stakeholders to strengthen principal preparation programs and ultimately student achievement. Members of the collaborative are developing leadership standards for superintendents, principals and teacher leaders.
School Choice
Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation to Strengthen Charter School Movement
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed Senate Bill (SB) 658, which contains around $100 million for the SB 740 Charter School Facility Grant Program over the next five years and also grants additional bonding eligibility to the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The High-Wire Job of Charter School Leadership (EdWeek)
As it turns out, running a charter school poses different challenges from those of running a traditional public school. Some of the challenges, of course, are the same. Both charter and regular public school leaders are responsible for shaping a school’s vision, fostering trust between adults and students, managing resources well, and balancing the inevitable pressures inside and outside the school’s environment.
K-12 Governance
Schools fiasco sparks action by state board
A commission of business leaders from across Georgia presented a 100-page report to the state board on Wednesday, outlining a way to improve board governance and student achievement. The recommendations focus on giving the state the power to intervene when problems arise
STEM
Districts prepare full-time online K-12 schools under new state law
Next school year, the first generation of Florida students can begin to earn a diploma from local public schools entirely online, without ever setting foot in a classroom from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Singapore math teaching method is gaining supporters
So far at least 20 lawmakers and more than 300 others have signed a letter that recommends, among other things, that Utah adopt Singapore math in grades K-8. Singaporean eighth-graders scored first in the world in math on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study in 2003. In Singapore, math students are encouraged to think visually and develop mental strategies to solve problems.
Effectiveness Of Traditional And Blended Learning Environments
In today’s online era, the concept of a classroom extends beyond a walled room with desks and chairs and into the realm of cyber space. Computer screens are replacing the blackboard and keypads are replacing chalk.
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