Education News: June 16, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 16, 2006.

New teacher support program gets an A
(Source: The Seattle Times , 06/16/06) Lake Washington, a Seattle school district, created a one-on-one mentoring program for first and second year educators in hopes of eliminating the high rate of teachers leaving the teaching profession within the first five years. This unique program has six consulting teachers whose full time job is to confidentially mentor teachers in the district. Teacher retention has jumped from 50% to 80% since the creation of the program. The National Education Association is highlighting the importance of mentoring programs for new teachers, awarding six districts nationwide, including Lake Washington, for their efforts.

Miami-Dade School bans books on Cuba
(Source: The Miami Herald, 06/15/06) After a heated debate, a pre-kindergarten to second grade level book called A Visit to Cuba was banned by the Miami-Dade school board because of its rosy portrayal of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. The school also banned the other twenty-four books in the series although no formal complaint was lodged against them. The board claims that the book simplified events too much; at times it presented falsehood as fact. The supporters of the ban used a Supreme Court case that declares that school boards have a wide range of discretion in deciding which books to permit and ban. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) claims that the decision violates the First Amendment.

Bush education policy to miss goals: Harvard study
(Source: Washington Post, 06/14/06) The Harvard University Civil Rights Project claims that No Child Left Behind will not significantly close racial achievement gaps by 2014. This report follows an upward spike in the number of schools placed on the poor performance list for failing to reach their adequate yearly progress goals. The Department of Education counters these arguments with claims that the gap will be nearly closed by 2014.

History gap delays new curriculum
(Source: The Detroit News, 06/14/06) A recent state law raising graduation standards prompted the issuing of a controversial social studies standard in Michigan. Then the standard was called into question for not teaching about important subjects such as the following: September 11, Watergate, Henry Ford, and Rosa Parks. David Hales, the state superintendent, took responsibility for having rushed the project. The new standards will tentatively take effect beginning the 2007 school year.

Fast learners benefit from skipping a grade, report says
(Source: Washington Post, 06/13/06) A new report from the University of Iowa charges the American school system with stunting the development of gifted students. The report suggests that the school system needs to move beyond attaching ages to grade levels and instead allow students to attend the classes where they can perform at maximum potential. This research goes against the currently wide-held belief that skipping grades will inhibit social development.

U.S. gives charter schools a big push in New Orleans
(Source: The New York Times, 06/13/06) The New Orleans school system has long been a troubled one. Education Secretary Margaret Spelling has recently approved a grant of 24 million dollars to develop charter schools in New Orleans. With seven public schools currently open, this decision makes the New Orleans school district a large experiment in education. Spellings’ decision was based on the charter’s schools ability to recover more quickly than the public school system after Hurricane Katrina.