Subject: EdWeek Update, March 16, 2005

From: "edweek.org" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 01:11:53 -0500 (EST)

Dear David Harris,
Welcome to the EDWEEK UPDATE, brought to you by edweek.org.
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March 16, 2005
In This Issue:

Top Stories
Teacher Blog: "Do I have what it takes?"
TalkBack: Is NCLB Making History of Social Studies?
The Daily U.S. and International News
Agent K-12 Jobs

TOP STORIES

The March 16, 2005, issue of Education Week is now online.
Links require free registration.
AIDS Infects Education Systems in Africa
The AIDS pandemic raging across sub-Saharan Africa doesn't stop with personal carnage. It also threatens whole systems, including what is arguably the most critical for the region's future--education.
See also our feature story, Circling 'The Scourge,' filed from Kenya, and a related photo gallery.
Spellings Puts Her Stamp on Department
The Department of Education is revamping its structure in a move that some say reflects a more logical division of duties and the new management style of its leader.
Study Blasts Leadership Preparation
A far-reaching study set for release this week offers a damning assessment of the programs that prepare most of the nation's principals and superintendents.
NCLB Choice Option Going Untapped, But Tutoring Picking Up
Districts are paying scant attention to the provision of federal education law that allows students in low-performing schools to transfer elsewhere, though more are providing children with the supplemental services to which they are entitled. Includes the table NCLB: States Report on Progress (Requires Adobe's Acrobat Reader.)
Elections Give No Easy Fix on Union Course
When longtime Los Angeles teachers' union activist A.J. Duffy defeated incumbent President John Perez early this month, it was a first. In the 35-year history of United Teachers Los Angeles, no challenger had ever ousted a sitting president and his slate.
Hefty Fees for Student Parking Help Balance Budgets
As districts around the country deal with persistent budget struggles, some school boards are introducing or increasing user fees, particularly student parking fees, as their next move in the tug of war between budget constraints and rising expenses.
Finnish Students Are at the Top of the World Class
Finland--a nation of 5.2 million people--perhaps best known for long summer days and equally long winter nights, peace conferences in Helsinki, and more recently, a thriving cellphone industry-is drawing worldwide attention for the strength of its schools.
New Recruiting Efforts by Teach for America Yield Record Applicants
Teach for America, the private program that recruits graduates of prestigious colleges for two-year teaching stints, said last week that a record 17,000 candidates have applied to teach at rural and urban public schools next year.

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AFT Extends Its Reach Into Early-Childhood Teaching Corps
The American Federation of Teachers has launched a new venture to bring early-childhood educators together in support of higher wages, better working conditions, and more professional-development opportunities.
Social Studies Losing Out to Reading, Math
As schools allocate more time and attention to reading and math instruction to meet state and federal goals for student achievement, social studies is taking a back seat, experts warn.
Board Studies Release of Individual NAEP Results
Faced with persistent apathy among high school seniors toward the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the board that oversees the federal test is considering potentially significant changes aimed at making NAEP more understandable and relevant to the public.
Opinion: Learning From South Africa
One way to gain insights into our own domestic social problems is to examine the experiences of other countries that have faced similar challenges, write Edward B. Fiske and Helen F. Ladd.

TEACHER BLOG

Betsy Rogers, 20-year teaching veteran from Alabama, and the 2003 National Teacher of the Year, is now working at the "neediest school" in Jefferson County, Alabama, and keeping a blog of her experience there.
In this week's entry, she finds herself asking: "Am I the right person to work at this school? Can I really help and have an impact? Do I have what it takes?"
Read her answer, and post your comments, questions, and insights.

TALKBACK

This week's topic: Is NCLB Making History of Social Studies?
Experts are seeing an increasing trend to devote more class time and instruction to reading and math, as well as other core subjects deemed crucial by state and federal mandates. As a result, subjects such as social studies and civic education are experiencing a decrease in curriculum resources.
Is the No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on reading and writing squeezing social studies from its place as a primary course of study? What role should social studies play in schools today? How can curriculum demands be balanced in schools?
TalkBack to us.
Also, join these ongoing discussions:

Revamping High Schools
Schools' Use of Tracking Devices

The Future of Vocational Education

THE DAILY NEWS

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Get your fix of daily education news from around the country, updated daily by 12:00 p.m., ET.
Read headlines from around the country on our Daily News page.
(Links to some newspapers require registration.)
This week's highlights:
U.S. Education Chief Urges Making High School Courses More Rigorous
Baltimore Sun: March 15.
Educators Differ on Why Boys Lag in Reading
The Washington Post: March 15.
GOP Stays Firm on Education Cuts
The Sacramento Bee: March 15.
Battle on Teaching Evolution Sharpens
The Washington Post: March 14.
High School Students Unfazed After Tackling Revamped SAT Exam
Baltimore Sun: March 13.
Illinois Cuts Testing on 1 of 3 R's
Chicago Tribune: March 11.
Mercury Ban in Schools Reissued
The Washington Times: March 11.

And from our page of International Education News, updated weekly:
Japan Official Rapped Over History Education
China Daily (China): March 9.
Teaching Tolerance: Northern Cyprus Hosts First Greek-Language Schools in Three Decades
Kathimerini (Greece): March 9.
Drop Out and Get a Trade: PM
The Australian (Australia): March 7.

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Agent K-12's Jobs of the Week

Learning Specialist for G&T Curriculum Development, Charleston County S.D., Charleston, SC
Special Education Teacher, Purnell School, Pottersville, NJ
Superintendent of Schools, Butler County Board of Education, Greenville, AL

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>From edweek.org. This update is provided as a weekly service of Editorial Projects in Education, the Washington, D.C.-based publisher of EDUCATION WEEK newspaper and TEACHER MAGAZINE.
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