Education News: June 23, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 23, 2006.

Teach for America surging in popularity
(Source: The Boston Globe, 06/22/06) Teach for America is a 17 year old non-profit that helps college graduates receive alternative certification in order to begin teaching in troubled school districts across the country. Rapidly growing in recent years, this year the program turned down 4 out of 5 applicants. It enjoys being a significant employer of college graduates and hopes to create a large alumni base that will positively influence education policy in the future. Despite its successes, Teach for America is not immune to its share of criticism, which surprisingly comes from groups such as school professionals and education researchers. Many critics fear that the program is geared more towards helping TFA employees rather than students, as evidenced by the fact that less than thirty three percent of TFA teachers continue to teach after their required two years.

School’s waning days
(Source: The New York Times, 06/22/06) As the school year draws to a close, teachers are finding creative ways to keep their students productive, combating the laziness and indifference that is a byproduct of the end of the year. A professor from Columbia University’s Teacher College emphasizes that, contrary to popular opinion, a great deal of learning can occur during the final weeks of the school year. When testing is finished, classes have time for field trips, individual projects of interest, and community exploration. To take the end-of-the-year tension out of the air, many elementary school teachers calm their classrooms by teaching breathing exercises and playing classical music.

A third of U.S. dropouts never reach the 10th Grade
(Source: New York Times, 06/21/06) A new study by Education Week’s EPE Research Center shows that 14 of the biggest school districts in the country have a high school four-year graduation rate of less than 50%. The dropout rate of 69% contrasts with earlier reports that published a nationwide 82% dropout rate. The discrepancy stems from how the reports classify the term “graduate.” For example, New York City classifies those who earn the equivalency of a high school degree as a graduate while Education Week does not.

Charter schools joining the mainstream
(Source: The Mercury Times, 06/19/06) As opposed to solely serving students fleeing from poorly achieving public schools, in recent years charter schools have gained popularity in affluent neighborhoods as well. Their emphasis on creative curriculums and small classroom sizes rather than standardized tests are drawing students away from wealthy private and public schools. Local school districts have the option to approve or deny charter schools in their area.

High school makes room at the top for grads
(Source: Washington Post, 06/17/06) High schools across the nation are debating how they should honor the graduates from their schools who have the highest academic marks. Many schools are expanding the title of valedictorian to include multiple winners. One school in the Washington DC area has awarded 41 students the title of valedictorian. Schools are being driven to have multiple valedictorians because doing so allows for more students to cite the title on their resumes. Having multiple valedictorians also reduces some of the cutthroat competition that faces students vying for the title. Some students, however, prefer the traditional method of one valedictorian per class, believing that the valedictorian’s hard work should not be diminished by awarding multiple students the prize.