Education News: February 2, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending February 2, 2007.

School Creating “World Citizens”
(Source: The Seattle Times, 2/2/07): Overlake School in Seattle stresses becoming ‘world citizens’ to its student population, providing myriad opportunities for students to give back to communities near and far away. Students worked together in 2001 to raise money to build a school in Cambodia, and saw their dream come to fruition in 2003. The school now hosts a yearly trip to visit their sister school in Cambodia, and students speak highly about the cultural lessons the trip imparts.

Sought After Program Coming to IPS Classrooms
(Source: The Indianapolis Star, 2/1/07): Teach for America will be sending approximately 50 teachers into the Indianapolis City School District next year. The Mind Trust, a community non-profit group, agreed to contribute $150,000 and to raise an additional $800,000 to cover the total cost of the program. Teacher for America currently affects 375,000 students across America.

School Aid Increases ‘Unprecedented’
(Source: Buffalo News, 2/1/07): New York Governor Spitzer unveiled his new plan for schools Wednesday, dramatically increasing aid for schools that have traditionally seen little change in their budgets. School districts with big boosts will be expected to sign contracts with the state to ensure that the money is spent improving the quality of education, through measures such as class reduction. Spitzer also hopes to give $25 million in tax deductions to parents who send their children to private and parochial schools.

An Urgent Message for Stressed-Out Students: Relax
(Source: The Boston Globe, 2/1/07): Reeling in shock from seven student deaths since 2002, Needham High School in Massachusetts has a principal who spends a great deal of time looking for ways to alleviate stress for his students. One of his most controversial measures included discontinuing the publication of the honor roll in the local newspaper. Ridiculed in the news media for coddling his students, he defends his work by citing the increased college admissions pressure today’s students feel.

N. J. School To Test Students For Weekend Drinking
(Source: USA Today, 1/30/07): Peaquonneck High School in New Jersey will start administering random tests to students that can detect alcohol consumption up to 80 hours prior to the test. The new testing regimen is being funded by federal grants. Students who fail the test will not be ejected from extracurriculars but will have their parents notified.

A Very Good Place to Grow Up, For Almost Everyone
(Source: The Washington Post, 1/30/07): Black children in the Washington, D. C. metro area lag behind Hispanic and white children in a set of standards studied by the Harvard School of Public Health. Standards measured included birth weight and health of the mother during pregnancy. However, black children in the D. C. area lagged behind at a smaller margin than their peers across the country.

Goodbye, Summer Break: School Goes Year Round
(Source: The Chicago Sun Times, 1/30/07): Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago has opted to turn into a year-round school, bucking the conventional three month summer break. While the number of days in school remains the same, students will get vacation for the months of November, March, and July. All but three faculty members voted in favor of the proposal.

Perdue Proposes Killing Foreign Language Program
(Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/27/07): Georgia Governor Perdue wants to eliminate funding for foreign language classes in select schools across Georgia next year, drawing an outcry from satisfied parents of children in the program. The funding was designated over 10 years ago for a pilot program to introduce foreign language instruction in elementary schools, but the program serves roughly only two percent of the eligible students. It would cost Georgia $85 million to implement the program in all schools.