Education News: March 3, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending March 3, 2006.

Schools secession is in the air
(Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, 03/03/06) Lawmakers in Salt Lake City have passed a law aimed at increasing local control for unified school districts by allowing cities populations over 65,000 to create their own school districts. Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon supports the idea under the assumption that more discussion must take place about the feasibility and cost for taxpayers.

Diatribe on Bush taped; teacher placed on leave
(Source: The Washington Times , 03/03/06) Jay Bennish, a social studies teacher in Aurora, Colorado, was placed on administrative after a student taped 20 minutes of his class containing anti-Bush rhetoric. The school district spokesperson said that teachers are allowed to express their opinions as long as they present opposing viewpoints. 200 students supported the teacher by staging a walkout.

State targets bullies
(Source: The Boston Globe, 03/02/06) Massachusetts’ Marlbourgh County is launching a pilot program to reduce the amount of bullying in their school district brought on by increased diversity. The program, assisted by the state’s attorney general, involves increased training of school officials and collaboration with local police, non-profit organizations, and legal entities.

In Boston, special ed students find barrier to mainstream classes
(Source: The Boston Globe, 03/01/06) Boston public school systems have received a warning from the state board of education, brought on by complaints from parents, citing that special education students are unnecessarily segregated for most of their school day. Parents and advocates say that there is not segregation in the real world and students need to learn how to interact with everyone; they are hoping that the next superintendent will make mainstreaming a priority. Boston public schools are working to alleviate the problem, hoping to hire more aides and better train teachers to properly handle mainstreaming.

Pilot program expands elementary schools
(Source:The Mobile Register, 03/01/06) School systems nationwide have been baffled with increased student achievement in elementary schools but failing middle schools. To increase middle school achievement three schools in Mobile, Alabama, are keeping 6th graders in elementary schools, hoping the extra year will allow them to transition more easily.

As AP expands, studies disagree on its value
(Source: The Washington Post, 02/28/06) In the process of providing more AP courses, schools have dropped many honor classes, which are seen as a stepping-stone to AP classes. In the face of competing studies released recently debating the value of Advanced Placement courses, parents and educators in a Fairfax County are worried that the increased focus on AP exams are rushing students into classes that are too hard. Parents are also worried that the lack of honor courses makes AP courses intimidating for many students.

Days off for Muslims unlikely
(Source: The Washington Times , 02/28/06) The Baltimore County Board of Education is likely to reject proposals to add two Muslim holidays to the list of school closings. The board’s rationale is that there are not a substantial number of student absences on these holidays to merit a school-wide holiday. The Baltimore County Muslims’ spokesperson argues that it is not a matter of attendance but equal treatment.

Gym: revolutionized
(Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 02/27/06) St. Mary’s Parish in Milwaukee is joining the trend established by the West Virginia school board of installing dance video games in their physical education classrooms. The games combat youth obesity by getting students who are usually uninterested in gym class activities.