Education News: August 17, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending August 17, 2007.

College Ratings Race Roars on Despite Concerns
(Source: The New York Times, 8/17/07): U. S. News has published the 2006 ranking of colleges amidst a firestorm of criticism from many universities. Opponents of the ranking system used to rate colleges cite multiple ways that colleges try to increase their rankings to appear more attractive to applicants.

Passing Marks Out of Reach for Missouri Kids?
(Source: The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/17/07): Students in Missouri are projected to fall short of the 2014 NCLB goal of 100% proficiency. Districts ranging from those that are truly struggling to those that are doing relatively well all had groups of students that did not pass this year.

Astronaut Teaches in Space, and Lesson is Bittersweet
(Source: The New York Times, 8/15/07): Astronaut and teacher Barbara Morgan relayed her first lesson from space this week. Speaking to students in Idaho, she fielded questions about what it is like being in space. Morgan’s long-anticipated trip will result in two more mini-lessons with students in Virginia and Massachusetts. Morgan’s trip is the first time a teacher has been sent into space since the Challenger disaster.

Teachers’ Misconduct Files Coming to the Web
(Source: The Saint Petersburg Times, 8/15/07): The Florida State Board of Education voted to make state records of teacher misconduct available to the public on the web starting this upcoming school year. The information will be posted on the Department of Education’s educator quality portion of their site.

Average Chicago Freshman: 19 Absences, 2.6 F’s
(Source: The Chicago Sun-Times, 8/15/07): In a recent study, the average freshman in the Chicago School District missed 19 days of classes and received nearly 3 failing grades in classes. Districts officials are wringing their hands over this statistic, pointing to the significant impact that attendance has on graduation rates.

Missouri Judge Upholds School Suspension Over Clothing
(Source: The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/14/07): A 14-year-old Missouri student who was suspended for a day over refusing to remove his shirt displaying a Confederate flag has lost his suit in court. The court ruled that school administrators have the right to prohibit divisive and disruptive clothing from school grounds. The student plans to appeal the case.

Grants Given for Nonexistent Students
(Source: The Washington Post, 8/14/07): The Washington, D.C. school system received $3.85 million dollars in grants for educating children from families in migrant fishing and agriculture. However, these students did not exist. The state is now examining the case to see if a clerical oversight is to blame.

Obesity is a Predictor of School Absenteeism, Research Team Reports
(Source: The Arizona Republic, 8/11/07): A study conducted in Philadelphia public schools concluded that obese children missed more days of school than their average-weight peers. The researchers were unable to extrapolate the cause behind this but surmise that it may be either health problems or peer stigmatization.