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Michelle Snow

“I’m amazed and honored that she chose me,” said John Alemany, Michelle Snow’s 12th grade Spanish teacher.“She's a star basketball player. I would have thought for sure she’d pick one of her coaches.” “Sports came easy to me,” explains Michelle. “Spanish was a challenge, and Mr. Alemany didn’t give up on me. “He has this amazing positive energy. And he genuinely cares. You can’t imagine what a difference that makes.” Behind every famous person is
a fabulous teacher

Education News: April 22, 2005

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending April 22, 2005.

Utah Vote Rejects Parts of Education Law
(Source: The New York Times, 4/20/05)
The Republican-dominated Utah Legislature passed a bill ordering state officials to ignore any aspect of the No Child Left Behind law that conflicts with Utah’s education goals or requires state financing. This legislative opposition to the President’s signature education bill came despite a 15-month lobbying effort against it by the Bush administration.

First National Suit Over Education Law
(Source: CNN.com, 4/20/05)
The National Education Association (the largest teacher union in the U.S.) and school districts in three states have joined together to challenge Bush’s No Child Left Behind law by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for eastern Michigan. The plaintiffs are 10 NEA chapters in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Vermont, along with nine school districts in Michigan, Texas, and Vermont. The sole defendant is U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

No Apologies At ‘No Child’ Meeting
(Source: The Hartford Courant, 4/19/05)
Following an escalating dispute between the state of Connecticut and the federal government over the No Child Left Behind law, Connecticut State Education Commissioner Betty J. Steinberg met with U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, in hopes of getting either an apology from Spellings (for calling Connecticut’s objections to NCLB “un-American”), a concession on annual student testing, or both. The meeting was cordial, but Steinberg left with neither.

Bush Honors Teacher of the Year
(Source: CNN.com, 4/21/05)
President Bush named Jason Kamras, a math and social studies teacher at John Philip Sousa Middle School in Washington, D.C., 2005 Teacher of the Year. The top teacher from each state received recognition from the President during the Rose Garden ceremony, and Sousa was chosen from the group to receive the additional distinction.

1,116 Chicago Teachers Flunk Out
(Source: Chicago Sun Times, 4/15/05)
A new procedure in Chicago city schools allows principals to choose not to renew the jobs of untenured teachers at the touch of a button. As a result, 1,116 teachers will receive letters next month telling them not to return to their schools next fall for reasons such as classroom failings, poor instruction, and lack of responsibility. These teachers will be free to apply to other teaching jobs in the district.

California Gov. Seeks More Charter Schools as the Key to Improving Education
(Source: Los Angeles Times, 4/22/05)
Speaking at the opening of the Accelerated Charter School’s new campus, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that charter schools can solve many of the state’s education problems and announced plans to make it easier for failing public schools to become charters. By definition, charter schools are publicly funded campuses free from many state education regulations. Generally, they offer innovative classes and programs, but are also held to more stringent accountability standards than regular public schools.