Education News: May 27, 2005

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending May 27, 2005.

Thousands Rally Against Schwarzenegger’s Handling of ‘Reforms,’ Education Funding
(Source: The (San Jose) Mercury News, 5/26/05)
As many as 17,000 demonstrators, many of whom were teachers, converged on Los Angeles and the state capital on May 25 to protest Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s handling of reforms and education funding. According to the governor’s critics, the state of California had promised teachers and schools billions of dollars, which the governor is now refusing to allocate to education.

School Law Spurs Efforts to End the Minority Gap
(Source: The New York Times, 5/27/05)
One aspect of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind law has educators across the country scrambling to close the achievement gap between white students and minority students in schools. While many aspects of NCLB have drawn sharp criticism, the requirement that schools close their achievement gaps over the course of the next decade has drawn praise from experts at top education schools.

For One Day, Schools Must Teach the Same Topic
(Source: CNN.com, 5/25/05)
The Education Department has announced plans to enforce a little-known provision passed by Congress in 2004—a mandate declaring September 17 to be “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day” for all schools and colleges receiving federal funds, as well as federal agencies. The observance falls on the anniversary of the document’s signing, and the new legislation will require that every September 17 (or nearby weekday, if the 17th falls on a weekend) be entirely devoted to study of the U.S. Constitution.

Head Start Overspending Leads to Federal Takeover
(Source: The Oregonian, 5/25/05)
Early Head Start Family Center of Portland, Oregon, which provides child-care and parenting help to low-income families, is being forced out of business for overspending its federal funding by about $600,000. On May 31, the federal government will take over the non-profit organization’s building, employees, vehicles, and classrooms. The government-appointed administrators will attempt to recover the funds, but will also continue to provide services under a new moniker: the Community-Development Institute—Head Start.

New Orleans Schools OK State Takeover
(Source: The Boston Globe, 5/23/05)
After years of financial crisis and controversy, the New Orleans school board has voted to allow a state takeover of the district’s budget. As a result of this vote, the state will choose a private company to manage the school system’s money.

Seven Teachers Quit After One Is Fired for Helping Errant Girl
(Source: St. Petersburg Times, 5/26/05)
In a small school in East Lynne, Missouri, seven out of ten classroom teachers have resigned after a colleague of theirs was fired for helping an 11-year-old girl pick up rocks on the playground as punishment. The girl was doing the work unsupervised and one teacher, Christa Price, was concerned about her safety. After the principal refused to change the punishment, Price used her break to help the girl with her task. As a result, Price was fired for insubordination, and the majority of the school’s other teachers did not return their contracts to protest the firing.

Connecticut School Nutrition Bill Passed
(Source: CNN.com, 5/26/05)
Connecticut lawmakers have passed legislation that will ban soda and junk food from school cafeterias, school stores, and school vending machines. The law is now the toughest school nutrition bill in the country and was passed despite the reservations of Governor M. Jodi Rell and fierce lobbying on the part of soft drink companies. The proposal did, however, have enthusiastic and widespread support from parents.