Education News: January 27, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending January 27, 2006.

Laura Bush visits schools
(Source: The Times-Picayune, 01/27/06) First Lady Laura Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings visited schools in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish in a largely symbolic gesture on January 26.  During the visit, Bush and Spellings spoke with school administrators and students and reassured them that the US government and citizenry remain behind them and that relief would continue to come.

Experts: California teacher shortage to reach 100,000 by 2016
(Source: The [San Jose] Mercury News, 01/26/06) A group of education experts has informed the California Senate panel that the state should anticipate a shortage of 100,000 teachers within 10 years. Margaret Gaston, one of the experts and the executive director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, made several recommendations to address the issue. These measures included minimizing red tape to make it easier for out-of-state teachers to gain licensure, providing more funding to California State University and University of California systems to increase the number of teacher candidates, and increasing incentives to attract teachers to low-achieving schools, among others.

City fails reform test
(Source: The Baltimore Sun, 01/26/06) A report presented to the Maryland state school board said that only 42% of teachers in Baltimore’s classrooms are considered “highly qualified” as outlined by the No Child Left Behind act.  By contrast, 78% of teachers in Baltimore County meet the criteria.  According to the federal education law, the Baltimore school system will have to undergo structural reform as it continues to work toward meeting the criteria of NCLB.

Union-run charter school draws scrutiny
(Source: The Associated Press, 01/26/06) The United Federation of Teachers Elementary Charter School, which is in its second semester in Brooklyn, New York, is believed to be the only union-run charter school in the nation.  The school provides an interesting point in the debate about charter schools, which are publicly funded, but independently run.  Supporters of charter schools praise their lack of red tape and high student achievement, while critics say the schools shift needed funds away from regular public schools.  The nation’s two largest teacher unions, the AFT and the NEA, have displayed lukewarm attitudes toward charter schools, in part because they are, in most cases, not subject to union-negotiated contracts and rules.  The success or failure of the Brooklyn school could have important implications in this local, regional, and national debate.

Virtual Academy idea may become reality
(Source: Chicago Sun-Times, 01/25/06) The Chicago Virtual Academy, a proposed online public elementary school for up to 600 students, may open as early as next year.  Officials at Chicago Public Schools said that students will receive the required 300 minutes per day of instruction and that a method has been developed to verify attendance.  One advantage of the school, according to the proposal, is that it will cater to hard-to-reach students including expelled and homebound students.

Gov. proposes laptops for teachers in recruitment campaign
(Source: Miami Herald, 01/23/06) All of Florida’s nearly 164,000 public-school teachers would receive laptop computers under a $237 million plan to recruit and retain educators unveiled today at North Miami Middle School by Gov. Jeb Bush. The proposal is intended to increase recruitment and includes the creation of an education minor at the state’s public universities and nearly $48 million for incentives to attract teachers.  (These incentives include signing bonuses, student loan repayments and housing assistance programs.) The proposal is awaiting legislative approval, but already many top Florida lawmakers support it. Florida needs to hire 31,800 teachers, and an increase in pay, especially for new teachers and those in shortage subject areas, will be part of the solution.