Subject: EdWeek Update, April 27, 2005

From: "edweek.org" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2005 02:01:04 -0400 (EDT)

Dear David Harris,

Welcome to the EdWeek Update, brought to you by edweek.org.

(NOTE: The links in this newsletter will expire on May 11, 2005. If you are clicking on links from a previous e-mail, make sure you are logged into edweek.org first.)

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April 27, 2005

In This Issue:

• Top Stories
• Live Chat: Learning the World, Today, 2 p.m., EST
• Daily News
• TalkBack: The Ed. Dept.'s PR Efforts
• Stat of the Week
• Web Watch: News for Teachers
• Agent K-12 Jobs

Top Stories

The April 27, 2005, issue of Education Week is now online. Read these and other stories at:
www.edweek.org

Union, States Wage Frontal Attack on NCLB

Widespread sniping at the Bush administration’s centerpiece education law escalated into a frontal attack last week as the nation’s largest teachers’ union and several school districts sued federal officials over the measure, just a day after the Utah legislature approved a bill challenging the reach of the law.

Web Only

Education Department Fines Texas for Missing NCLB Transfer Deadline

The U.S. Department of Education has fined Texas $444,000 for failing to inform parents quickly enough that their children were eligible under the No Child Left Behind Act to transfer out of struggling schools.

Researchers Ask Tough Questions of K-12 Charities

Private foundations can play a critical, catalytic role in changing American public education for the better, but they could and should be getting more bang for their bucks, according to a diverse collection of research papers commissioned for a conference this week.

Study Sees Positive Effects of Teacher Certification

Students learn more from certified teachers than they do from uncertified teachers, even when the uncredentialed teachers are Teach For America recruits from some of the nation’s top colleges, a Stanford University research team concludes from a study of test scores in Houston.

Education Dept. Casts Wide ‘Outreach’ Net

Since President Bush came to town in 2001, the Education Department has taken aggressive and sometimes creative steps to promote its agenda to the public, including its support for school choice options such as charter schools and for Mr. Bush’s signature program, the No Child Left Behind Act.

Public Schools Still Wary of Lessons on Bible

Even as Americans wage epic legal battles over religion in public schools—the reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance, the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, and lessons on alternatives to the theory of evolution—teaching about the Bible remains taboo in many districts across the country.

Ohio Poised to Expand Vouchers Beyond Cleveland Choice Program

Ohio is poised to take one of the biggest steps toward expanding school choice during a legislative season that has seen voucher proposals in other states gain early momentum, only to be dashed by political opposition.

Cities Riled by Bush Plan to Weigh School Progress

Under a proposal by President Bush, a portion of federal community-development money would be distributed to cities and towns based in part on how well their local schools had performed under the No Child Left Behind Act’s standards.

Harvard, Boston Educators Team Up on Test-Data Book

In an unusual collaboration, faculty members and students from Harvard University’s graduate school of education have teamed up with educators from the Boston school system to write a book on how to use data to improve instruction.

On Assignment

Safety Check

High-profile attacks raise concerns, but statistics show school violence is down.

Commentary

Does Vocational Education Have a Role to Play In High School Reform?

If we value the employment advantages it produces, we should be wary about adopting policies that squeeze career and technical education out of the curriculum, writes Gary Hoachlander, president of MRP Associates.

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Live Chat

Learning the World

Join us on Wednesday, April 27, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern time, for a live Web chat with Barbara Chow, vice president of the National Geographic Society’s Education Foundation.

Ms. Chow will take your questions on the challenges of strengthening the role of geography in the schools at a time when efforts to infuse international education into the curriculum often face resistance at the state, district, and school levels.

Submit questions here.

See a related Education Week Story, "International Studies a Hard Sell in U.S."

No special equipment is needed to participate in the chat, except an Internet connection and a Web browser. A transcript will be posted soon after the chat ends.

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The Daily News

Get your fix of daily education news from around the country, updated daily by 12:00 p.m., ET. Visit the Daily News.

(Some papers require registration.)

Hundreds Of Teachers To Lose Jobs

Indianapolis Star: April 26.

Gov.Schwarzenegger Proposes Teacher 'Combat Pay'

San Francisco Chronicle: April 26.

Union Seeks To Save 8 Schools

Chicago Tribune: April 26.

Mich. Chamber Of Commerce Supports Eliminating State Board Of Education

The Detroit News: April 25.

Kindergartners Lack Basic Skills, Teachers Say

Chicago Tribune: April 25.

Study Faults State Efforts To Fix Ailing Schools

Boston Globe: April 22.

State Report Cites Massive Waste In N.J. School-Construction Program

Philadelphia Inquirer: April 22.

TalkBack

The Ed. Dept.'s PR Efforts

Since President Bush took office in 2001, the U.S. Department of Education has taken aggressive and sometimes creative steps to promote its agenda, including its support for school choice options and the No Child Left Behind Act. Some of these promotional efforts, such as the payments through a public relations firm to the commentator Armstrong Williams, have caused controversy and led to investigations by federal officials. But the department's public relations efforts have taken a number of other routes as well, including outside contracts for print advertisements, radio spots, and Web sites.

How effective have the Education Department's efforts to promote its agenda been? Are they in keeping with the agency's role? How best can the public learn about the No Child Left Behind Act and other federal education priorities?

Join the discussion.

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Research Center

Stat of the Week

Did you know that while a number of states require mentoring for new teachers, only 16 actually provide districts with the resources to pay for it? Of those states that provide money for mentoring, funding per teacher ranges from $500 in New Mexico and Oklahoma to $3,500 in California.

To find out more about state efforts to improve teacher quality, access Education Counts database.

Web Watch

News for Teachers

Teacher Magazine's weekly Web Watch column—published every Friday afternoon—is a unique roundup of education news from around the Web. It captures the stories affecting teachers' worlds (for better or for worse), with the wit and perspective you've come to expect from Teacher Magazine, a 2005 National Magazine Award finalist.

The latest:

Gambling on Education, Dodging Blame, and Lighting the Way

Jobs of the Week

Associate Dean for Teacher Education, College of William and Mary, School of Education, Williamsburg, VA.

Elementary Principal, Barnstable Public Schools, Hyannis, MA.

Superintendent of Schools, Anaheim Union High School District, Anaheim, CA.

How Are We Doing?

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