Education News: October 12, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending October 12, 2007.

Prayer Optional, Silence Required, Lawmakers Say
(Source:  The Chicago Tribune, 10/12/07):  State lawmakers in Illinois have passed a law that mandates a period of silence at the beginning of each school day.  The time is to be used for silent prayer or reflection on the day’s upcoming activities.  Those opposing the measure say it comes too close to requiring prayer in public schools.

Investigators Seek Motive for Ohio School Shooting
(Source: USA Today, 10/11/07):  A week after making threatening remarks, 14-year-old Asa Coon, who had just been suspended from SuccessTech Academy, shot and wounded four individuals before turning the gun on himself at the Cleveland high school.  The district plans to increase school security, but experts on school violence say a more important lesson is that students and teachers should report threatening remarks so incidents like this one can be prevented.

Bush Prodding Congress to Reauthorize His Education Law
(Source: The New York Times, 10/10/07):  In recent days, President Bush has used his presidential platform to urge Congress to reauthorize No Child Left Behind before the end of the year.  As of yet, the president’s education law has received its strongest support from civil rights advocates, who are a core constituency of the Democratic Party, and its strongest opposition from the Republicans.

In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening
(Source: The New York Times, 10/10/2007):  The use of iPods in the classroom is an idea that is being slowly embraced around the country as a way to enhance student learning.  In early academic experiments, the devices have proven particularly effective in ESL classes and in foreign language instruction.

Database Will Track Fates of Students
(Source:  The Washington Post, 10/9/07):  The school system in Washington, D.C., has announced plans to create a database that will track students’ progress from pre-kindergarten to college graduation using a $5.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.  Until now, the district was not able to keep good records, a shortcoming that hobbled efforts to find and fix problems in the system.

L.A. Schools Turn to the Internet in New Effort to Reduce High School Dropout Rate
(Source: The Los Angeles Times, 10/9/07):  The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced the launch of the “My Future My Decision” Campaign, which will utilize YouTube, MySpace, and its own website in an effort to reduce high school dropout rates and convince students who have already dropped out to return to school.  The state estimates that approximately 1 of every 4 high school students in the district drops out.

Teachers Call for Ouster of Alonso
(Source:  The Baltimore Sun, 10/08/07): This week, teachers and supporters gathered outside the Baltimore city school system headquarters to rally in support of the removal of Andres Alonso, the chief of schools.  The dispute between the Baltimore teachers’ union and the school system centered on the amount of planning time in teachers’ schedules.  Accusing Alonso of being insensitive to their preparation needs, the teachers are collectively calling for his removal.

Special-Ed Children Progress by Move to Mainstream
(Source: The (Raleigh) News and Observer, 10/07/07):  In an attempt to incorporate special-needs students into general academic settings, special education students have recently joined mainstream classes at some schools in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Special needs educators and general educators are working together to make this newly implemented program work.  The initial results are promising.