Education News: September 14, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending September 14, 2007.

Schools Aim to Be Havens after Classes
(Source:  The Chicago Tribune, 9/13/07):  The Chicago school system is launching a $26-million anti-violence campaign, which will work by offering activities and safe spaces at schools after classes and on weekends when many children are unsupervised.  During the 2006-2007 school year, 32 Chicago public school students were violently murdered. 

Official: Schools’ Safety in Peril
(Source:  The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/13/07):  Philadelphia’s safe schools advocate has warned the Philadelphia School District that its planned $8-million cut to the $40-million disciplinary schools budget will endanger students and staff at mainstream schools.  Proponents of the budget cut, however, said that the current approach is not working as Philadelphia continues to see in-school violence despite having the largest disciplinary alternative school system in the country.

Ohio Attorney General Sues to Close 2 Dayton-area Charter Schools
(Source:  The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, 9/13/07):  Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann has sued to close two Dayton-area charter schools whose students have shown poor academic performance.  School officials praised Dann’s move, but said he should go after other charter schools as well.  Currently, 142 of the state’s 330 charters are in academic watch or academic emergency, which are the two worst of the five performance categories for schools.

Teachers and Rights Groups Oppose Education Measure
(Source: The New York Times, 9/11/07):  Civil rights groups and the nation’s largest teachers’ unions are attacking the draft House bill to renew No Child Left Behind.  One point of contention was a proposal that would allow districts to determine their own measures for academic progress, a change that the groups said would be a setback for accountability.  Additionally, the teachers’ unions objected to a proposal that would tie student test scores to pay bonuses for teachers.

Latino Advocates Praise ‘No Child’
(Source: The Richmond Times-Dispatch, 9/11/07):  Latino advocates from the National Council of La Raza told a House panel this week that No Child Left Behind had produced important gains for students learning English.  Before the law was passed, they said, many schools ignored English-language-learning students.  The advocates warned that the law’s upcoming revisions should not undermine this progress.

2 More Teachers Sick at School Officials Insist Is Safe
(Source: The Houston Chronicle, 9/10/07):  Two more teachers at Houston’s Key Middle School were taken to a hospital with vomiting, watery eyes, and breathing difficulty.  The school’s problems began on August 28 when one teacher fell ill.  Following that, seven janitors who were cleaning the school required medical care.  The district has had the school’s air tested and claims that it is safe, but the Houston Federation of Teachers wants the staff and students moved to a different facility.

New Orleans to Throw Book at Students Who Skip School
(Source: The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune, 9/8/07):  Due to poor attendance rates, the Recovery School District in New Orleans will begin using police officers and newly hired truancy officers to round up students who skip school and bring them to a new truancy center.  The center, which is run by a staff of approximately eight people, will notify the students’ parents and then transport them to school.  Those with chronic attendance problems, however, must be picked up by their parent or guardian.

Private Firm Finds Profits in Special Ed
(Source: The Boston Globe, 9/8/07):  Educational Services of America is one of just a few for-profit companies that run private schools for special education students.  With 120 schools in 16 states, the company has grown substantially since its 1999 inception.  CEO Mark Claypool says the schools provide a valuable service to students and parents, but many education officials object to the practice of profiting from special education.