Education News: December 1, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending December 1, 2006.

Arena Full of Parents Lectured on Truancy
(Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/1/06) Stern letters have been issued to over 6,000 parents in the Philadelphia schools district, ordering them to attend a meeting with Mayor Street at the Liacouras Center on Thursday night. Parents were warned that they faced fines or even jail time if they didn’t show up at the meeting. At the meeting, parents were offered contracts stating their willingness to ensure their children attend school. In return for signing the contract, the truancy records of the students were cleared. The Philadelphia school district is currently investing in 400 new employees who will focus on tracking down truant students.

Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Offers Free Tuition to Chicago Public School Students
(Source: The Chicago Sun-Times, 11/30/06) The Illinois Institute of Technology has announced its intention to provide free tuition for all low-income high achieving students from Chicago who meet a set benchmark. Students with family incomes under $40,000 who achieve a 3.88 GPA (out of 4.0), a 1286 SAT, and a 28 on the ACT will have their tuition paid. Officials estimate that 100 students will qualify to be a beneficiary of the program.

Non-Asians Show a Growing Interest in Chinese Courses
(Source: The New York Times, 11/29/06): A growing number of non-Asian students in the United States are electing to take Chinese language classes or enrolling in schools that have special Chinese programs. Parents are beginning to view Chinese as an extremely marketable skill that can help their children distinguish themselves. While schools with instruction in Chinese are not new, the number of Caucasian students being enrolled in them now is the start of a new trend.

Students Expelled Over MySpace Fight
(Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, 11/29/06): Eleven girls and one boy were suspended from Edwardsville High School in Utah over an in-school fight that was planned on MySpace.com. The disagreement began over invitations to a party. School administrators had been working with the students to resolve the conflict. The school board voted unanimously to expel the twelve students for the remainder of the school year.

Just No Time to Enjoy Lunch
(Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/28/06): Students in the greater Philadelphia area are having lunch earlier and earlier these days. In large schools such as Central High School in downtown Philadelphia, lunch period for some students starts as early as 10 a.m.. On top of this, some students opt out of lunch to take extra classes. The results, experts fear, is that students are eating more unhealthy food and worrying less about what they eat.

What It Takes to Make a Student
(Source: The New York Times, 11/27/06): Paul Tough delves deeply into the No Child Left Behind Act, which is schedule to be completed in seven years. He examines early childhood and the effect that upbringing has on a student’s ability to succeed in school. He also looks at the successes of charter schools, including KIPP (the Knowledge is Power Program), and looks at the odds of replicating their success nationally.

Arizona Schools Chief Announces Statewide History Education Initiative
(Source: The History Channel, addendum from 11/17/06): The History Channel will be providing every public middle and high school history and social studies teacher in Arizona with The History Channel Multimedia Classroom, pending funding. The multimedia resource will help educators explore American history on a deeper level with their classrooms. This statewide distribution is the first of its kind.