Education News: June 8, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 8, 2007.

States Found to Vary Widely on Education
(Source: The New York Times, 6/8/07): A new report reveals major variations in learning standards from state-to-state. In other words, a student judged to be proficient for his grade-level in one state could fall far short of proficient in another state. The report provides support for the arguments of those who favor national standards for education.

Board of Education Says Goodbye as Activists Fight for Chance to Save It
(Source: The Washington Post, 6/7/07): The D.C. Board of Education had what will likely be its last meeting as such. The board is being rechristened the D.C. State Board of Education and will have a significantly diminished role, as D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty takes over the city’s schools.

City Nonprofit Group Gets Money for Merit Pay at Charter Schools
(Source: The New York Times, 6/7/07): The U.S. Department of Education awarded $10.5 million to the Center for Educational Innovation – Public Education Association to create a merit pay system for10 New York City charter schools. The nonprofit will be able to give yearly merit-based bonuses of up to $8000 for supervisors, $6000 for teachers and $2000 for aides.

Mayor to Teachers: Lengthen School Day
(Source: The Chicago Sun-Times, 6/6/07): While Chicago mayor Richard Daley has long favored the idea of longer school days, he drew surprised reactions with his newest argument this week that longer school days while save lives because children are most likely to be injured or killed between the hours of 2:00 and 5:00pm.

New Study Finds Gains Since No Child Left Behind
(Source: The New York Times, 6/6/07): A new study by the Center on Education Policy shows that, in many states with appropriate data, math and reading scores have increased and achievement gaps between white and minority students have narrowed since 2002. The study cautions, however, that it is not clear the extent to which the gains can be attributed to No Child Left Behind.

St. Louis Schools May Oust Teach For America
(Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/4/07): The St. Louis School Board has asked the district superintendent to decide whether to break its contract with Teach for America, which currently has 90 teachers in the city’s schools. The board is not displeased with the TFA teachers’ performance; rather, the district is experiencing financial woes and does not want to be forced to terminate veteran teachers over the young teachers in the program.

Cheating Off the Charts at (Texas) Charter Schools
(Source: The Dallas Morning News, 6/4/07): Out of the 50 most severe cases of cheating on standardized tests in Texas, 37 took place at charter schools, despite the fact that charters comprise only 2% of the state’s schools. Although it is thought that school employees are responsible for or complicit in much of the cheating, even the charter schools with the worst cheating records have been allowed by the Texas Education Agency to remain open, prompting criticism.

Mass. Lawmakers Weigh Ban on All Marketing in Schools
(Source: The Boston Globe, 6/3/07): Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban all marketing in schools because of the perceived onslaught of advertising that children are exposed to every day. The only marketing that would be allowed would be that which is part of a product’s packaging (e.g. logos on chip bags).