Education News: October 13, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending October 13, 2006.

U.S. Agents Question Teen: Girl Ran Anti-Bush Page on MySpace
(Source: The Sacramento Bee, 10/13/06) 14 year old Julia Wilson was taken out of class by Secret Service agents on Wednesday in response to a posting that the young lady had made on a MySpace webpage. Julia Wilson, politically liberal, admitted that her posting (which showed a picture of President George Bush being stabbed in the hand), was inappropriate, as did her parents. What the Wilson family did take issue with was the fact that Julia was questioned in school without her parents being present. Ann Brick, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union in California, states that Ms. Wilson’s request should not have been taken seriously by government officials. Ms. Wilson’s posting was taken down this summer when she decided that MySpace was a waste of time.

Attendance to Make Up Ten Percent of Grades
(Source: The Buffalo News, 10/12/06) On October 11^th the Buffalo School District board voted to grade student attendance and factor it in for report card grades. Excused absences will not be counted against students, including absences for illness, family emergency, college visits, and religious events. Those students who record five or more unexcused absences will receive 0 out of 10 points towards their report card. Students with no unexcused absences will receive a perfect score. While school board officials either opposed or supported the new measure for differing philosophical reasons, truancy in Buffalo city schools has grown to be a big issue.

Reading, Writing, and Character Education
(Source: The Saint Paul Pioneer, 10/11/06) Pilot Knob Elementary School in Minnesota is pioneering the way with Kindness Patrols that operate under the motto of: Take Time to Be Kind (TTTBK). In the past three years, as the school has watched the program take root, administrators have seen fewer disciplinary situations arise. $1.5 million dollars was granted two weeks ago by the Minnesota Department of Education to schools to bolster character education. Teachers whose schools have participated in the program say that they see tangible results.

Weber Wins $3 Million Grant for Abstinence-Only Teaching
(Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, 10/10/06) Weber county in Utah will be receiving a $3 million dollar cash infusion from the federal government to teach abstinence to teenagers in grades 6-12. A recent survey showed that 9.2 percent of every 1,000 women who had babies between 2002-2004 were between the ages of 15 and 19, compared to the national average of 4.1 percent. Educators in the area are being told to promote abstinence and to only mention birth control in passing.

U.S. To Train 30,000 Teachers in Pakistani Quake Areas
(Source: The New York Times, 10/09/06) In the aftermath of last year’s earthquake which left 18,000 students and 853 teachers and staffers dead, the United States has pledged to make $510 million in aid grants to Pakistan. $210 million has already been distributed. The United States pledges to build 50 schools and train 30,000 teachers to rejuvenate Pakistani schools.