LEADING THE NEWSStudy suggests parental influence determines success of low-income, urban students.
READ MORE FROM USA Today (10/10, Toppo) reports, "Whether low-income, urban students attend a public or private high school matters less to their academic success than whether their parents take part in their education, earn enough money to offer enriching experiences and have high aspirations for their kids, a study from an education advocacy group suggests."
IN THE CLASSROOM
Oregon school finds that test scores rise when teachers share practices.
Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/9, Hammond) reported, "When teachers at Glencoe High in Hillsboro [Oregon] saw that fewer than half their students passed state tests in math and writing, they knew they needed to do something drastic. Down came the walls dividing teacher from teacher, ending the practice that let them each cover their own material their own way."
Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/9, Hammond) reported, "When teachers at Glencoe High in Hillsboro [Oregon] saw that fewer than half their students passed state tests in math and writing, they knew they needed to do something drastic. Down came the walls dividing teacher from teacher, ending the practice that let them each cover their own material their own way."
Majority of U.S. kindergarten programs are now full-day.
The READ MORE FROM THE AP (10/9, Berris) reported that the majority of kindergarten programs in the U.S. are now operating on full-day schedules. "Nationwide, more than 60 percent of children in public or private kindergarten [are] enrolled in full-day programs."
Nebraska school implements teacher-guided homework period after performance audit.
Nebraska's READ MORE FROM The Columbus Tribune (10/10, Blum) reports that Columbus Middle School in Nebraska has added "Anchor Time" to its schedule.
Nebraska's READ MORE FROM The Columbus Tribune (10/10, Blum) reports that Columbus Middle School in Nebraska has added "Anchor Time" to its schedule.
Texas schools create separate programs to help fifth-year seniors succeed.
Texas's READ MORE FROM The Star-Telegram (10/10, Brock) reports, "Fifth-year seniors -- students who did not have enough credits to graduate last year with their class -- were recruited to attend" the Panther Academy at Colleyville Heritage High and the HOPE (Harnessing Opportunities for Personal Education" Academy at Grapevine High "at the beginning of the year."
Columnist: International Baccalaureate programs have "small advantage" over Advanced Placement courses.
In his Class Struggle column for the READ MORE FROM The Washington Post (10/9), Jay Matthews wrote that "the battle between pro-Advanced Placement (AP) and pro-International Baccalaureate (IB) people...is a big deal and is likely to become even more important as IB -- at the moment tiny compared to AP -- continues its rapid growth."
ON THE JOBArrest of New York principal triggers debate over authority of school safety officers.
The READ MORE FROM The New York Times (10/10, B3, Medina) reports, "For years, parents and principals" in New York City Schools "have claimed that some cases in which students were being arrested for misconduct were simply behavior problems that should have been handled by school officials."
The READ MORE FROM The New York Times (10/10, B3, Medina) reports, "For years, parents and principals" in New York City Schools "have claimed that some cases in which students were being arrested for misconduct were simply behavior problems that should have been handled by school officials."
Fingerprint scanners in school cafeterias prove controversial.
Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/10, Trappen) reports that "students at an increasing number of Oregon schools are buying their on-campus meals in speedy fashion using fingerprint technology that, at first breath, sounds eerily Big Brotherish."
Oregon's READ MORE FROM The Portland Oregonian (10/10, Trappen) reports that "students at an increasing number of Oregon schools are buying their on-campus meals in speedy fashion using fingerprint technology that, at first breath, sounds eerily Big Brotherish."
South Dakota school combats effects of high student mobility.
READ MORE FROM Education Week (10/10, Zehr) reports, "To improve student achievement," South Dakota's North Middle School "has launched new teaching strategies, after-school tutoring, and family-outreach efforts that -- if successful -- could hold lessons for other urban and low-income schools with high student turnover."
READ MORE FROM Education Week (10/10, Zehr) reports, "To improve student achievement," South Dakota's North Middle School "has launched new teaching strategies, after-school tutoring, and family-outreach efforts that -- if successful -- could hold lessons for other urban and low-income schools with high student turnover."
President suggests willingness to alter NCLB.
The READ MORE FROM The Washington Post (10/10, A4, Baker) reports, "Under pressure from the right and the left, President Bush said yesterday that he is open to reformulating his signature No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law but stressed that he remains unwilling to surrender on its core elements of testing and accountability."
The READ MORE FROM The Washington Post (10/10, A4, Baker) reports, "Under pressure from the right and the left, President Bush said yesterday that he is open to reformulating his signature No Child Left Behind (NCLB) education law but stressed that he remains unwilling to surrender on its core elements of testing and accountability."
Congress debates restrictions on beverages sold in school.
READ MORE FROM Education Week (10/10, Samuels) reports that a school nutrition measure under consideration in Congress now "would call for the Department of Agriculture to update its decades-old standards on the nutritional quality of food and drinks sold outside of the cafeteria during the school day."
SAFETY & SECURITYNevada educators attend conference on bullying among girls.
Nevada's READ MORE FROM The Sparks Tribune (10/10, Kearney) reports, "A diverse group of nearly 300 educators, counselors, parents, Girl Scout leaders and juvenile justice officers attended a two-day conference in Reno over the weekend," hosted by the national Ophelia Project, an anti-bullying initiative for girls.
Nevada's READ MORE FROM The Sparks Tribune (10/10, Kearney) reports, "A diverse group of nearly 300 educators, counselors, parents, Girl Scout leaders and juvenile justice officers attended a two-day conference in Reno over the weekend," hosted by the national Ophelia Project, an anti-bullying initiative for girls.
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ALSO IN THE NEWSColumnist: High-stakes testing may not be "anything more than a shell game."
In a column for the READ MORE FROM The New York Times (10/9, A31) Bob Herbert argued that "[i]t's time to rein in the test zealots who have gotten such a stranglehold on the public schools in the U.S.
