Education News: April 14, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending April 14, 2006.

Omaha schools to split along racial lines
(Source: The Chicago Tribune, 04/14/06) Beginning in 2008 the Omaha school district will create three school districts, one majority white, one majority black, and one majority Hispanic. Leaders of the bill claim that Omaha schools were already segregated by race because students were forced to attend their neighborhood schools. They further cite that this caused better teachers and more resources to be allocated to the white majority schools. Advocates for the bill state that new school districts will allow minorities to have more control over their schools. Opponents foresee legal battles over the constitutionality of three school districts in light of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

NYC to randomly scan students for weapons
(Source: The Boston Globe, 04/14/06) Although crime in New York City schools is falling, the number of confiscated weapons rose 5 percent from last year. To combat this hike, NYC is implementing portable walk-through metal detectors that will be at 10 given schools at any one time. The machines will be used in the 80 percent of NYC middle and high schools that do not have metal detectors. The NYCLU has raised concerns of violations of student’s privacy rights.

More Idaho school districts look to four day week
(Source: The San Diego Union Tribune, 04/13/06) School districts in the western United States are experimenting with a four-day school week in order to cut cost on custodial staff, lights, and busses. A four-day week also attracts teachers and is more cost efficient for taxpayers. One school district in Idaho is purportedly saving 200,000 dollars. Many school districts are calling the switch an experiment and are willing to return a five day week if test results prove it is better for students. Opponents are also worried that the longer Monday-Thursday school day unnecessarily exhausts students, especially in elementary grades.

Principals face review in education overhaul
(Source: The New York Times, 04/12/06) New York City School Chancellor, Joel Klein, hopes to impel a privately funded 25-million-dollar initiative to grade schools based on their progress as shown through standardized test scores and surveys of students, teachers, and parents. While allowing principals more control over schools, it would in turn remove principals who receive consistent failing grades. Critics are concerned that the measure will focus too much attention on test scores and alienate principals.

Better teachers, but still too few
(Source: The LA Times, 04/12/06) In addition to the estimated 100,000 teachers that the state of California will need in the next decade, the state is having difficulty recruiting highly-qualified teachers, as required by No Child Left Behind, for urban high-poverty schools due to the low teacher pay, poor treatment, and lack of mentoring. Low-income students are five times more likely to have less qualified teachers than their middle class peers, which is one explanation of the academic achievement gap.

Schools allege discrimination
(Source: The Chicago Tribune, 04/11/06) The separation of 13 schools from a 33-school, 33-year-old high school conference to a 75% white conference is being labeled as racially motivated. The recently filed federal civil rights lawsuit is claiming that student rights are violated because of a lack of competitors in low-interest sports such as soccer, badminton, speech, debate, drama, chess and math. The schools that left the conference are stating that their reasons are too much travel time and scheduling conflicts.