Ed World tracks down education news from across the nation and around the world. Some sites credited in this article
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IQs May Be Better
College Selectors
Research recently released in Great Britain indicated that IQ-type tests could be better predictors of how students
will perform in college than national exams. 12/18/03
District Sues Over
NCLB Requirements
The Reading (Pennsylvania) School District is the first in the U.S. To sue a state education department over
No Child Left Behind requirements. Reading officials claim they face unfair sanctions. 12/17/03
West,
Midwest, Have Most H.S. Graduates
Rural Western and Midwestern U.S. States have the highest percentages of residents with high school diplomas.
Wyoming is tops with 90.2 percent. 12/16/03
School
Installs Face-Scanning Technology
A Phoenix, Arizona, middle school has installed a face-scanning system to identify registered sex offenders
and children who have been reported missing. 12/15/03
Students
Show Gains in Single-Sex Classes
Colorado middle school students in single-sex classrooms showed improvement in attendance, behavior, and academic
performance during a yearlong pilot program. 12/12/03
Housing Costs Forcing Out Teachers
Skyrocketing housing costs in many wealthy school districts are forcing some teachers to move or teach elsewhere
because they cannot afford housing. 12/11/03
Changes for Testing Disabled
Students
School systems now will have more flexibility in testing students with severe disabilities, according to adjustments
made to the No Child Left Behind Act. 12/10/03
Teaching Drivers
to Be Organ Donors
Some states now are including lessons in how to become an organ and tissue donor as part of their high schools'
driver education curriculum. 12/09/03
School
Dress Code Would Apply to Kids, Adults
A new dress code under consideration in the Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, school district would cover
everyone, including parents and teachers. It could take effect next year. 12/08/03
New Rules For Testing
Disabled Students
Children with severe learning problems can be held to a different academic standard than their peers, according
to new rulings due from the U.S. Department of Education. 12/05/03
Helping
With Handwriting
Children in the Colonial (Delaware) School District are having fun while learning to write with the Handwriting
Without Tears program. Students write letters on slates with wet sponges and use wooden shapes to learn to form
letters. 12/04/03
Figuring Out
Why Math Is So Hard
As educators search for a formula to improve student math performance, researchers continue to study why math
is so difficult for so many people. 12/03/03
New NCLB Special Ed Guidelines
Due in January
New, more flexible No Child Left Behind guidelines for testing special education students are scheduled for
release in January. But critics say the regulations still are not flexible enough. 12/02/03
Many Factors Fuel Achievement
Gap
To shrink the achievement gap in the U.S., educators must pay attention to the factors inside and outside of
school that keep minorities students from catching up academically, according to a recent report. 12/01/03
Protesters Call
for More Afro-Centric Curriculum
Demonstrators in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, recently called on school officials to include more African and
African-American studies in the district's curriculum. 11/25/03
Lawmakers Mull
Dropping Senior Year
Colorado legislators have asked education officials to study the possibility of dropping the 12th grade in the
state's high schools and replacing it with a year of preschool. 11/24/03
Students Tune
in to Algebra
A Houston cable television show features teachers reviewing algebra lessons and problems to help students complete
their homework. Students also can call in questions. 11/21/03
Rich
Nations Fail to Educate the Poor
The U.S. is third from last and the Netherlands first when it comes to funding education for the world's poorest
children, according to a report. The study looked at 22 rich countries and how much of their aid budgets boost
education in developing countries. 11/20/03
U.S. Principals,
Superintendents Rail Against Torrent of Mandates
U.S. school leaders say funding and the time it takes to comply with local, state, and federal mandates are
taking a toll on them, according to a recent report. Ninety-three percent of superintendents and 88 percent
of principals say their district’s responsibilities and mandates have increased but not the resources to fulfill
them. 11/19/03
Who Benefits from Technology in Schools?
As the debate about the role of technology in education continues, some critics wonder if corporate underwriting
of equipment for schools has more to do with self-interest than improving education. 11/18/03
Facing
Up to Accountability
Educators must stop lamenting the challenges of accountability and start making changes, one columnist writes.
But as the accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind begin to take effect this fall, many teachers
and administrators are feeling squeezed. 11/17/03
Fighting Bullying
Statewide
A law that took effect in New Jersey this fall requires that all school districts have an anti-bullying policy
and ways to respond to bullying or other forms of harassment. About six states now have laws regarding bullying.
11/14/03
Nation's Report Card Shows Gains
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released this week showed improvement among
U.S. fourth and eighth graders in mathematics, and gains by minority and low-income students. 11/13/03
Ten NCLB Misconceptions
With debate ongoing about implementing the federal No Child Left Behind Act, The Washington Post recently
compiled ten statements often heard about the law but "not firmly anchored in reality." 11/12/03
Prizes Lure Students to Tests
Some Wisconsin schools are offering students movie passes, gift certificates, and other incentives to take the
state's standardized tests. Schools with low participation or performance risk sanctions. 11/11/03
Mentors
Aim to Stop Teacher Drain.
The education department at the University of Washington is planning one of the most comprehensive teacher-preparation
programs in the U.S., which will track and provide guidance to master's students for two years after they graduate.
11/10/03
Resources for Veterans'
Day
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal agencies have fact sheets, videos, teachers' guides,
and other materials for teachers seeking Veterans' Day lessons. 11/07/03
Student
Court Tough on Peers
Students plead their cases before a jury of their peers--literally--at the Fort Vancouver High School, Oregon,
traffic court. Student judges and juries hear the cases, issue verdicts, and sentences. Only 16 and 17 year
olds can apply for student traffic court. 11/06/03
Sharing Cuts Schools'
Costs
Small and rural school districts are finding they can save money by sharing resources, services, and employees.
Some smaller districts even are considering merging to cut costs. 11/05/03
Grant to Help With School
Choice
The Center for School Change and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices will use a $600,000
federal grant for a three-year project to help states develop the most effective ways to handle school choice
systems. 11/04/03
"Hurricane
Day" a Lesson in Readiness
Students at a Florida middle school got to experience a hurricane on a recent sunny day. Area rescue workers
showed youngsters how a hurricane would affect the community, and how people respond. 11/03/03
Small Classes Yielding Big
Benefits
A seven-year-old California law that limits class sizes has reduced teacher stress and led to improved student
performance, officials say. Teachers also have more time for individual instruction. 10/31/03
More, Younger
Kids Computer Savvy
Approximately 90 percent of 5-to 17-year-olds use computers and 59 percent of them use the Internet -- including
one out of four 5-year-olds, according to a U.S. Department of Education analysis. Both usage rates are higher
than those for adults. 10/30/03
Nature Trail is Outdoor
Classroom
Sixth graders at North Middle School in Belleville, Michigan, get hands-on science experience by exploring and
helping to maintain a nature trail at the school. A science teacher used his own money and donations to create
the trail.
10/29/03
Cup-Stacking
Moves Into P.E.
Stacking and re-stacking plastic cups into different towers as quickly as possible as become the rage in some
schools. Some physical education programs are using the activity, saying it builds eye-hand coordination and
dexterity. 10/28/03
School Crime
Declining
From 1995 to 2001, the percentage of students age 12 to 18 who reported being victims of violence or theft at
school dropped from 10 percent to 6 percent, according to figures from departments of Justice and Education.
10/27/03
"Exploding
Moments" Make Writing Exciting
Students in the Eanes, Texas, schools are more enthusiastic writers, thanks to techniques such as "exploding
moments" that requires them to start with a place where the action or feelings are at the peak, isolate the
moment, and describe it. 10/24/03
More Top H.S. Students
in Remedial College Courses
High school grade inflation and less challenging courses are resulting in more students with top high school
averages landing in college remedial courses, because they are not prepared, education experts say. 10/23/03
Wide Range
of Teacher Quality Across States
Three states -- Alaska, Alabama, and California -- are reporting that fewer than half of their teachers meet
the highly qualified requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act. So far 39 states and the District of Columbia
have reported data. 10/22/03
New SAT Could Spur Curriculum
Changes
Planned revisions to the SAT exam that include the addition of an essay, second-year algebra problems, grammar,
and the elimination of analogies could force massive changes to secondary school curricula, some experts say.
10/21/03
Taking The Yuck Out
of Dissection
New computer programs and videoconferencing allow younger and more squeamish students to experience a frog dissection
without the frog. One program with sound effects, allows students to use a virtual scalpel to cut open the animated
amphibian. 10/20/03
Parents Work With Parents to
Keep Kids in School
Some districts, including Philadelphia, are hiring parents to work as truant officers. The parents work with
families of truant students to get them the help they need to get back in school. 10/17/03
School
Funding Study Launching
Fifteen researchers plan to spend four years studying school spending in four states, as part of one of the
largest school financing studies ever done. The goal of the study is to help retool school-finance systems in
the U.S. 10/16/03
Baring
All For The Schools
Civic-minded men from Junction City, Oregon's, Long Tom Grange have posed tastefully nude in a calendar to raise
money for the school district. Budget cuts have forced the schools to ax at least three classroom teachers,
art, music, and gym classes, and field trips. 10/15/03
Handhelds Help Kids Learn to
Read
Teachers in Forest Park Elementary School in Kannapolis, North Carolina, are using a new program called "mClass"
on hand-held computers to help children learn to read. Teachers can track students' progress on the handhelds.
(Free registration may be required.) 10/14/03
Tips
for Creating Great Schools
"The Urban Superintendent: Creating Great Schools While Surviving on the Job," a report from the Council of
the Great City Schools, offers tips to new superintendents and superintendents-in-training. 10/13/03
Virtual School
Students Need Traditional Monitoring
Staff at Cincinnati, Ohio's, Virtual High School have revamped the program after half the students were dropped
last year for failing to complete assignments. The program now has more structure and monitoring. 10/10/03
Parents Sue Over Wireless Plans
Parents in Oak Park, Illinois, are suing the school board to block plans to install wireless local area network
technology in classrooms. The suit claims school officials are ignoring studies that show high frequency electro-magnetic
radiation poses health risks. 10/09/03
Schools Get Help
Dealing With Bomb Threats
A package of resources for preventing and dealing with school bomb threats is now available from the federal
government. The package was compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S.
Department of Education. 10/08/03
Kids Pack Saturday School
Hands-on learning, generous use of technology, and small classes are drawing third and fourth graders to Danville
Kids' University, a half-day Saturday program in Danville, Kentucky. Sixty-five percent of the fourth graders
attended last year. 10/07/03
Test Prep Ends Kindergarten
Naps
The Gadsden, Alabama, public schools has ended nap time for kindergartners, saying students need more time to
prepare for mandatory state tests. Children will be permitted to lay their heads down if they are sleepy, school
officials said. 10/06/03
Motivational Speakers
Prime Kids for State Tests
A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, high school hired three motivational speakers to encourage students to take the
state reading, writing, and math tests seriously and to do their best. 10/03/03
Worms Teach Kids About
Recycling
A worm-laced compost box in a Pleasanton, California, classroom is teaching students about the recycling cycle.
The compost project is part of the Go Green Initiative started last year by the PTA council to reduce waste
in the schools. 10/02/03
Study: Most Kids Not Buried in Homework
The idea that many U.S. Students and families are stressed out from hours of homework is inaccurate, according
to two recent studies. Most students are assigned less than an hour of homework a night. 10/01/03
Schools Battle
Cyber Bullies
Cyberspace has become the new "playground" for bullies, many school officials say. Children often insult, humiliate,
and threaten other children through postings on Web bulletin boards, in chat rooms, or Web logs (blogs.) 09/30/03
"Guy
Stuff" Aimed at Connecting Boys to School
In an effort to keep boys interested in education, a Quebec, Canada, high school held a "Guys Show" with a helicopter
and all-terrain vehicles while the girls got lessons in fashion and make-up. The boys also attended seminars
on self-esteem and values. 09/29/03
Recall
Vote Full of Teachable Moments
With an election field that includes actors and odd balls, teachers are capitalizing on the interest students
are showing in the recall vote in California to teach about civics and the political process. 09/26/03
What
Do Harry Potter and Captain Underpants Have in Common?
The Harry Potter series, Captain Underpants' adventures, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and "The Bridge
to Terabithia" all made the American Library Association's list of most frequently challenged books last year.
09/25/03
History Comes Alive in DC Classroom
Writing Colonial-era news stories and throwing birthday parties for important women in American history are
just some of the ways social studies teacher Cynthia Mostoller engages her eighth graders in the study of U.S.
history. 09/24/03
High
School Considers Breathalyzer Use to Curb Drinking
Concerned about the number of students drinking alcohol, Greenwich (Connecticut) High School officials are considering
using breathalyzers to test some students before they attend school events. 09/23/03
Why Merit Pay Won't Work
Author/researcher Alfie Kohn argues that merit pay for teachers is impossible to implement and that factors
other than money -- such as rigid accountability measures -- drive teachers from the profession. 09/22/03
Text Messages Fight
Truancy
A British high school cut its truancy rate by 20 percent after staff started sending text messages to parents
as soon as their children were reported absent from class. More than 100 schools now plan to try the same approach.
09/19/2003
Changes In Special Ed Laws
Looming
A bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives would make it easier for schools to discipline special education
students--including transferring them to segregated settings--for any infraction of school rules. 09/18/2003
Can We Borrow The
Superintendent?
To cope with shrinking budgets and enrollments, 40 small school districts in Iowa are sharing superintendents.
The arrangement can pack superintendents' schedules with night meetings. 09/17/2003
Kids Document
Neighborhood's Health Issues
Armed with disposable cameras, sixth graders in Rochester, New York, are preparing photo essays of health and
safety issues in their neighborhood. 09/15/2003
Tax Deductions for Educators
The Internal Revenue Service is reminding teachers and other educators to save their receipts for purchases
of classroom supplies. Educators can deduct up to $250 of qualified expenses from their 2003 income. 09/12/2003
Janitor Moves to the Principal's Office
Jack Yates of Michigan began education career as a janitor, and discovered he loved working with children. He
began attending college part-time, earned his teaching degree, and moved into administration a short time later.
09/11/2003
Social Studies
Curricula Unfair to U.S.
Students are getting an unbalanced view of American history in school, with lessons that focus more on the country's
failings than its values and freedoms, according to a report from a non-partisan group. 09/10/2003
The
Lasting Effects of Bullying
Bullies and their victims frequently develop emotional and behavioral problems later in life, according to a
study by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Bullies often go on to commit crimes and violence, while victims often
struggle with depression and loneliness later in life. 09/09/2003
More
Kids Playing Sports
High school students are playing sports in greater numbers than ever, and the participation gap between boys
and girls is narrowing, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
09/08/2003
Automated Essay
Grader Saves Teacher Time
Automated essay-scoring programs are winning over educators. Early use of the systems has shown more than 90
percent agreement between a human scorer and the program. 09/05/2003
Too
Much Television for Tots?
One in six British children under age 6 watches television between two and six hours a day, and a third of children
under age 3 have TV's in their bedrooms, according to two studies. 09/04/2003
Schools
Recruit DADS
The Jefferson Parish (Louisiana) School Board is considering hiring a consultant to recruit and train male volunteers
for the schools. The program is called Dads Are Doing Something (DADS). 09/03/2003
What's
A Highly Qualified Teacher?
By 2005-06, all U.S. teachers must meet the "highly qualified teacher" requirements of the No Child Left Behind
Act. Some say the way the law is being implemented is unfair. 09/02/2003
Numbers of Male Teachers
Continue to Fall
The number of men teaching in the U.S. has dropped to a 40-year low, according to a study by the National Education
Association. Currently, only two out of ten teachers are male. 08/29/2003
New High Scores on the SAT
SAT math scores for the Class of 2003 hit a 36-year high and verbal scores were the highest in 16 years. 08/28/2003
Gene for Dyslexia
Found
Finnish scientists have identified a gene they think is critical in causing dyslexia, one of the most common
and complex learning disorders. 08/27/2003
Four New
Illinois Schools
Four new Chicago-area schools will remain closed for the year because the Elgin-based Unit School District 46
lacks the funds to operate them. 08/26/2003
Community Activists Rally Against
NCLB
ACORN, a community organization of low-and-moderate income families, is planning rallies around the U.S. To
urge Congress to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act. 08/25/2003
Outcry Ends Silent
Lunch Period
A plan to ban student talking during lunch at an Iowa elementary school was repealed after loud protests from
the public and parents. 08/22/2003
Poll: Public Supports Higher
Salaries, Opposes Vouchers.
Support for school vouchers has dropped from 46 percent to 38 percent in a year, according to a recent poll,
and 59 percent of respondents think teachers in their communities are underpaid. 08/21/2003
Schools Offer Attendance
Incentives
Chicago school officials are considering offering sports tickets, coupons, and summer jobs to draw habitually
truant students back to classrooms. 08/19/2003
Exit Exams Are a Fact
of Life
The fate of half of the public high school students in the U.S. rests on exit exams, and that number is expected
to grow, according to a recent study. 08/18/2003
Smile, You're
on Webcam!
Students and teachers were welcomed back to school this week with Webcams in every classroom and hallway. 08/15/2003
