Home > School Issues Channel > Archives > EDscoops

Ed World tracks down education news from across the nation and around the world. Some sites credited in this article may require free registration. Some links may be valid for only a brief period.

Edscoops 2008

• For Some, Cursive Still 'Write' of Passage
  Despite pressures from No Child Left Behind and state testing, some teachers still find time to teach cursive writing, since even in a digital age students must sign their names. 01/09/09



• Professor Argues Cell Phones Are Educational
  While many schools ban student cell-phone use, teachers can use phones to supplement their lessons, said Liz Kolb, an adjunct professor at Madonna University in Michigan and author of a book on cell-phone projects. 01/08/09



• Parents to Try State's High-Stakes Test
  The Plainville, Connecticut, school board is inviting parents to take a mock exam with questions from the Connecticut Mastery Test and Connecticut Academic Performance Test so they better understand what their children face in class. 01/07/09



• Student Troublemaker Who Made Good Honors Disciplinarian
  More than 20 years after Elgin (Illinois) Academy's discipline dean James Lyons saved James J. Liautaud from expulsion, Liautaud donated $1 million to the school for a new building and insisted it be named for Lyons as well as himself. 01/06/09



• Schools Melding Alternative Energy into Lesson Plans
  Students at Michigan's St. Clair County RESA Career Technical Center are learning about alternative energy by calculating actual energy outputs from school-owned windmills, solar panels, and a hydroelectric plant. 01/05/09



• Chicago Schools' CEO Named Secretary of Education
  Chicago Public Schools' CEO Arne Duncan's experience in consensus-building and compromise are among the reasons president-elect Barack Obama chose Duncan for Secretary of Education, some say. 01/02/09



• Schools Keep Cafeterias Open During Break
  Concerned that needy children would have no place to eat over the holiday break, North College Hill School District in Ohio kept its cafeterias open during the vacation so children would have hot lunches. 01/01/09



• School Shooter: 'I Didn't Realize' They Would Die
  Evan Ramsey, 20, serving a 210-year prison sentence for a 1997 fatal shooting spree at his Alaska high school, claims at the time he couldn't discern fantasy from reality. "I didn't realize that you shoot somebody, they die." 12/18/08



• School Enforcing 'Dirty Dancing' Ban With Orientation, Contracts
  Fed up with sexully-suggestive moves at student dances, Prairie High School's (Vancouver, Washington,) principal now requires students to attend an orientation and sign a contract to attend dances. 12/17/08



• Almost 10,000 Teachers Earn National Certification
  For the second straight year, the number of new National Board Certified Teachers broke a record -- 9,600 teachers earned national certification in 2008, an increase of 12 percent from 2007. 12/16/08



• U.S. Students Show Progress in Math, Science
  U.S. fourth and eighth grade students generally rank at least in the top one-third compared to other countries in mathematics, according to the 2007 report of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). 12/15/08



• Budget Cuts Could Mean Bigger Classes
  A survey of more than 800 districts by the American Association of School Administrators found that 36 percent of districts have increased class sizes because of the economic downturn. 12/12/08



• District Launches Hotline for Hispanic Parents
  In an effort to reach out to Hispanic parents, the New Haven, (Connecticut), school district launched a hotline with a Spanish-speaking liaison to help parents navigate the school system. 12/11/08



• School Employees Disciplined Over Facebook Postings
  Seven Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' faculty members have been disciplined in connection with postings on their Facebook pages. An after-school program staff member was fired, and one teacher may face dismissal. 12/10/08



• Survey Raises Questions About Teen Ethics
  In the last year, more than 64 percent of students have cheated on a test and 30 percent have stolen from a store, indicates a survey of 30,000 U.S. high school students. Yet, 93 percent are satisfied with their ethics and character. 12/09/08



• Teacher Sells Ads on Tests to Cover Printing Costs
  After the Poway (California) Unified School District cut funds for printing, Rancho Bernardo High School calculus teacher Tom Farber began selling ads on his tests to cover his printing expenses. 12/08/08



• Drop-Out Warning Signs Surface by Middle School
  Middle-schoolers who fail a single math or reading class are much more prone to drop out of high school than those who do well, noted a recent study in Colorado. Struggling students as young as 11 should be monitored. 12/05/08



• Students Convince Board to Rename School for Obama
  Students at the former Ludlum Elementary School in Hempstead, New York, convinced the school board to rename their school after president-elect Barack Obama. The change took effect November 21. 12/04/08



• Brain Abnormalities Tied to ADHD
  Boys with ADHD have minor brain abnormalities that may help scientists better understand the disorder, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. 12/03/08



• More Parents Want Twins in Same Class
  More parents are pushing to overrule principals' long-standing practice of separating twins in school. Nine states have laws requiring public schools to respect parents' requests on classroom placement. 12/02/08



• State to Require Online Course to Graduate
  Next year, all high-school students in Alabama will be required to take and pass an online course in order to graduate. A growing number of students in Alabama already are learning online. 12/01/08



• Feds Say No to New Testing System
  The federal government will not waive NCLB requirements to let two Utah school districts give computer adaptive tests several times a year instead of Criterion Referenced Tests. 11/26/08



• Schools Showing Latino Parents How to Get Involved
  Garland, Texas, school officials this year began a series of workshops for Hispanic parents of children in bilingual education. Bilingual teachers show parents test-taking strategies and how to work with kids at home. 11/25/08



• States to Pilot High-School Reforms
  Three states - Massachusetts, Utah, and New Hampshire - have agreed to pioneer some high-school reform proposals from the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce aimed at better preparing students for college and employment. 11/24/08



• Gates Foundation to Tackle Teacher Quality, H.S. Graduation Rates
  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to focus now on improving teacher quality, creating national high-school learning standards, and improving the college acceptance and retention rate for disadvantaged students. 11/21/08



• K-8 Students Could Flock to Online Schools
  Thousands of Florida K-8 students could abandon public schools next year in favor of online classes. A state law taking effect next fall requires every district to set up an online school for K-8 students. 11/20/08



• District Drops Zeros for Elementary Students
  The lowest grade elementary students in the Collier County (Florida) district now can receive on an assignment is 50 rather than zero. School officials say zeros are punitive and rarely reflect a student's overall abilities. 11/19/08



• Who Will be the Next Education Secretary?
  Speculation has begun about who President-elect Barack Obama will name as his secretary of education. Eight of the previous nine education secretaries had backgrounds in elementary and secondary education. 11/18/08



• New Copyright Guide Available for Teachers
  To help teachers understand when they can use copyrighted materials without permission or paying a fee, several organizations have prepared the "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education" for teachers. 11/17/08



• Solar Panels Could Provide Schools With Cheap Power
  Solar panels placed on the roofs of school buildings by private businesses may allow four Arizona school districts to buy their electricity at a discount. The businesses would pay to install the panels. 11/14/08



• School District to Build Housing for Teachers
  The Los Angeles (California) Unified School District is looking to develop low-cost apartments on as many as 12 campuses in an effort to help teachers find less expensive housing and live closer to their jobs. 11/13/08



• Experts Worry About Impact of Student Rewards
  Cash incentives for students to improve grades and/or test scores may work better when instructors are rewarded as well, some reports indicate. Some education experts, though, worry what will happen to students' motivation when the rewards stop coming. 11/12/08



• Law Bans Truants from Stores During School Hours
  A new law in St. John the Baptist (Louisiana) Parish bans youngsters who skip school from loitering in stores during school hours. 11/11/08



• More Teachers Using Sick Leave for Reasons Other than Illness
  A new analysis of a district's teacher-absence pattern suggests more teachers are dipping into their sick time in order to take care of errands, do the holiday shopping, or extend a weekend. 11/10/08



• Students Form Bank to Help Latin American Women
  Seventy students at The Meadows School in Las Vegas, Nevada, have raised about $25,000 and formed The Meadows School MicroBank, which will loan money to needy Latin American women seeking to start their own businesses. 11/07/08



• Small City Districts to Sue State for More Aid
  A group of smaller city school districts in New York said it will sue the state for more funding, similar to the way New York City schools sued to get billions of dollars more in operating and capital funds. 11/06/08



• District Cuts Night Lights to Save Money
  officials in the Wachusett (Massachusetts) Regional School District plan to shut off all lights in buildings, parking lots, and athletic fields from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. to save money and energy. 11/05/08



• Poor Vision Could Be Source of Homework Problems
  A common yet often missed vision problem called convergence insufficiency, which prevents the eyes from turning together properly to read, could be the cause of reading problems in as many as one out 20 children. 11/04/08



• Dept. of Ed. Announces New Rules to Decrease Dropout Rates
  U.S. schools and states now must track and lift the graduation rates for all students, including minorities and students with disabilities, under new regulations announced by the U.S. Department of Education. 11/03/08



• 77 Percent of Teachers Assign Internet-Related Homework
  More than three in four K-12 teachers say they or a colleague assigns homework that requires students to use the Internet, according to a recent study conducted for Cable in the Classroom. 10/31/08



• Parents Lobby for Insurance Coverage for Autism
  Many parents of children with autism are lobbying their state legislatures to require health insurance companies to cover more of the costs of services for autistic children. 10/30/08



• NCLB Puts Science Back in Focus
  The No Child Left Behind Act mandate to start testing students in science last year is sparking a resurgence in science instruction, after years of minimal or no science instruction in many schools. 10/29/08



• Parents Are Key to Dropout Prevention
  Schools need to keep parents informed and involved to help reduce the high-school drop-out rate, a study said. Fewer than half of parents of students in low-performing high schools said they were kept up-to-date on their child's progress. 10/28/08



• Deaf Students Leading Cheers
  Three students who are deaf have joined the cheerleading squad at Francis Howell North High School in Missouri. The students are able to follow the cheers by reading lips and watching an interpreter using sign language. 10/27/08



• Wind Power Comes to Schools
  A program called Wind for Schools is aiming to bring smaller turbines to six states with a mission of educating students and the community about wind power. 10/24/08



• Experts Question Benefits of Time-Out Rooms
  Some educators say time-out rooms are being used with increased frequency to discipline children with behavioral disorders. And the time outs are probably doing more harm than good, they add. 10/23/08



• More Title I Schools in Restructuring
  The number of Title I schools in the restructuring phase of school improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has increased by 56 percent since the 2006-07 school year, according to a study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP). 10/22/08



• Students Anonymously Report Bullying Online
  Six Utah schools have introduced a Web site that allows students to anonymously report bullies, so kids can avoid being labeled snitches or suffering in silence. Students also can post information about other issues. 10/21/08



• Students Note Hazards on Their Route to School
  Fifth graders from Garfield Elementary School in Santa Ana, California, joined by teachers and public health officials, walked their route to school with checklists and notepads to record conditions that made them feel at risk or uncomfortable. 10/20/08



• Stand-Up Desks Steady Fidgety Students
  Some schools have discovered that adjustable-height, stand-up desks and big, tall tables that let students work in groups while standing and shifting their weight, leaning, and stretching are improving student attentiveness. 10/17/08



• Students Learn in 'Education Garden'
  More than 1,000 Massachusetts students are helping prepare the soil, plant, and harvest herbs and vegetables in an "education garden." Crops included herbs, rainbow kale, beans, potatoes, pumpkins, and the occasional tomato. 10/16/08



• District Mulls Selling Bonds to Pay Retiree Benefits
  The Moorhead (Minnesota) School District is considering the sale of about $10 million worth of bonds to finance skyrocketing retirement benefit costs. The state allows schools and local governments to bond for retiree health insurance costs without taxpayers' approval. 10/15/08



• Students No Longer Surpassing Parents' Education Levels
  The American tradition of younger generations exceeding their parents' education level is at a standstill, according to a report by the American Council on Education. 10/14/08



• Nearly 9 Out of 10 LGBT Students Face Harassment
  The 2007 National School Climate Survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that nearly 9 out of 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students experienced harassment at school in the past year. 10/13/08



• Teachers Give F to New Grading Policy
  Teachers and parents in Dallas, Texas, are complaining about new grading policies that they say lower standards and expectations. One policy allows a student who fails a test to retake it, and then drop the lower score. 10/10/08



• Boys Benefit from Male Teachers
  Boys who have a male elementary school teacher tend to perform better in school, British researchers say. About half of 1,000 men surveyed cited male elementary school teachers as having had the most impact on them during their school life. 10/09/08



• Students Call for More Options to Earn H.S. Diploma
  Students from Michigan Youth in Government have called for changes in the state's tough new graduation requirements, to give teens more options for earning a diploma based on their post-graduate plans. 10/08/08



• Urban Districts Struggle to Retain Superintendents
  Despite good salaries and ample perks, one study notes that the average urban U.S. superintendent stays on the job only about three years -- which educators say isn't enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform. 10/07/08



• Study: Many Teachers Lack Sleep
  About 43 percent of teachers said in a recent study that they slept an average of six hours or fewer per night, while half admitted to missing work or making errors due to a "serious lack of sleep." 10/06/08



• Male First-Grade Teacher Shares Love of Baseball, Books
  Illinois first-grade teacher Jeremy Melick, the son of two educators and husband to another, is the only male teacher most of his students will have until they reach the seventh grade. He's also a top teacher, his principal said. 10/03/08



• Magazine Names Healthiest U.S. Schools
  Health magazine recently named the healthiest schools in the U.S. after rating schools based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices. 10/02/08



• Isn't It Time for Financial-Literacy Lessons?
  Why isn't teaching personal finance basics considered more important than trigonometry, which few of us will ever use again, asks financial-literacy expert Braun Mincher. 10/01/08



• Schools' Chief: Find Those Dropouts
  In a new effort to re-enroll dropouts, Baltimore's school chief Andres Alonso has directed the city's high schools to track down the 925 students who have dropped out since January and urge them to return to school. School administrators must make home visits. 09/30/08



• Report Questions Effectiveness of Reading Coaches
  While a new report from the Rand Corporation shows middle school reading coaches in Florida help teachers and boost student motivation to read, the study offers no clear data on coaches' overall effectiveness in raising student test scores. 09/29/08



• State Adopts Chess Instruction
  As part of an effort to increase math and reading skills, all second and third graders in Idaho are learning to play chess. The state's Department of Education has invested $120,000 into the project. 09/26/08



• Students Protest Backpack Ban
  Dozens of students staged a sit-in at Marshwood High School in Maine to protest a school policy that prohibits the use of backpacks during school hours. School officials said the ban would remain in place. 09/25/08



• Superintendent Cuts Salary to Help District
  The Little Miami (Ohio) School District superintendent, Dan Bennett, is donating 1 percent of his salary ($1,180.14) to the district to help persuade voters to approve an annual 1 percent earned income tax. 09/24/08



• AFT Announces Reform Effort
  The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has launched the AFT Innovation Fund, a plan to support sustainable, innovative, and collaborative reform projects developed by AFT members to strengthen public schools. 09/23/08



• Younger, Minority Students Doing Better
  One-third of fourth- and eighth-graders were capable of reading and doing math at grade level last year compared with one in four in 2000, according to data from the U.S. Education Department. 09/22/08



• Math Lessons Outside of Class Aid Understanding
  A new math program in Michigan is designed to improve math achievement among struggling students by having them work on problems in real-world settings. Teachers gain new skills as well. 09/19/08



• Businesses Urged Not to Hire Dropouts
  Companies in Alberta, Canada, should stop hiring high school dropouts to encourage students to get their diploma, Alberta Education Minister Dave Hancock told Calgary business leaders. 09/18/08



• More Incentives Needed to Recruit Teachers
  While more than 40 percent of surveyed adults with bachelor's degrees say they are interested in becoming teachers, two recent reports conclude that higher salaries, incentives, and stronger preparation programs are needed to entice people. 09/17/08



• Schools Urged to Restore Playground Games
  Traditional outdoor games such as tag and British Bulldog may be returning to British school playgrounds at the urging of government officials, who say the games can help combat childhood obesity. 09/16/08



• 'Number Sense' Helps With Math
  Scientists have for the first time established a link between a primitive, intuitive sense of numbers and performance in math classes, a finding that could lead to new ways to help children who struggle with math. 09/15/08



• Georgia Schools' Chief Wins $1 Million on Quiz Show
  Georgia state school superintendent Kathy Cox won $1 million on the game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" and plans to donate most of the money to state schools for the deaf and blind. Some state officials are criticizing Cox for appearing on the show. 09/12/08



• Middle Schoolers Can Earn Cash for Grades, Conduct
  Some middle-school students in the Washington, D.C., public schools will be able to earn cash this year for good grades, behavior, and attendance. Students could receive as much as $100 a month. 09/11/08



• Researcher Studying Cheating Epidemic
  University of Connecticut assistant professor Jason Stephens is piloting a program at six schools to deter cheating by letting teachers and students develop academic integrity plans. 09/10/08



• Kindergarten Teacher's First Lesson: Try Hard
  First-time kindergarten teacher Darin Peets, who is a quadriplegic, told his young students they need to try new things before asking for his help. Peets previously taught older students. 09/09/08



• Stressed Teachers Get 24-Hour Helpline
  Scottish teachers who are feeling overwhelmed now can call a free, 24-hour teacher helpline staffed by trained counselors to receive emotional and practical support. Teachers also can request coaching via e-mail. 09/08/08



• Mistrust of Male Elementary Teachers Remains
  While teachers' unions and other educators have called for more men to enter teaching, male elementary-level teachers often are mistrusted by some parents who are suspicious of men who want to teach young children. 09/05/08



• School Bans Homework, Calling it 'Unfair'
  The principal of Prince of Wales Public School in Barrie, Ontario, has banned homework, saying it is unfair to many of the school's students who don't have the resources or parental help at home to complete projects. 09/04/08



• Outdoor Educators Seek More Funding
  Outdoor and environmental educators across the U.S. are putting pressure on Congress and their state lawmakers to add more funding to state and federal budgets for nature learning to get more kids outside. 09/03/08



• Students Explore Career Options at Mayo Clinic
  A pilot partnership between the Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and an area high school aims to allow struggling teens to explore health and science jobs and develop career goals. 09/02/08



• Cell Phone Use Banned Near School
  West University Place, Texas, has banned all use of cell phones by drivers within three blocks of its elementary school during school hours. School officials feared distracted drivers could put kids at risk. 08/29/08



• Group Distributes School Supplies to Needy Kids
  Kids R First, a non-profit group founded by retired teachers, collected school supplies for more than 14,000 needy Virginia students this year. The group finds out exactly what students need before buying materials. 08/28/08



• Student-Fueled Effort for More Rigor Falls Short
  A student-supported push that began in 2005 to get the Los Angeles school district to ensure that every area high school student had access to college-prep courses by 2006 has fallen short of its goal. 08/27/08



• Governor Calls for Legal Protection for Teachers
  The governor of Indiana said he wants to give teachers immunity from lawsuits for making good faith efforts to maintain discipline and order, such as restraining a student involved in a fight. 08/26/08



• Council to Advise on NCLB Issues
  The U.S. Department of Education appointed 16 members to the National Technical Advisory Council, which will advise the department on state standards, assessments, and accountability systems. 08/25/08



• Town Allows Teachers to Carry Guns
  The Harrold (Texas) Independent School District may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms for protection when classes begin for this school year. 08/22/08



• Educators Paying to Stock Classrooms
  Severe budget cuts in the Clark County, Nevada, district have led to teachers spending more of their own money on classroom supplies. Some teachers expect to spend about $100 a month on supplies. 08/21/08



• 200,000-Plus Kids Spanked/Paddled at School
  More than 200,000 children were spanked or paddled in U.S. schools during the past school year, reports a human rights group. Corporal punishment in schools is legal in 21 U.S. states and used frequently in 13. 08/20/08



• Districts Pool Funds for Teacher Training
  Three south San Antonio (Texas) school districts shared the cost of bringing summer training sessions to teachers. Educators who attended the training met new people and the districts saved money. 08/19/08



• Are Laptops Improving Student Learning?
  Since Maine began supplying laptops to middle-schoolers in 2002, attendance has improved and students have shown more enthusiasm for schoolwork. But student scores on most state tests have not changed significantly. 08/18/08



• Principal Spends Summer Visiting Students
  Armed with maps and back-to-school information and aboard a scooter, Saghalie (Federal Way, Washington) Middle School principal Damon Hunter visited the home of every one of his 600 students this summer. 08/15/08



• Students More Open to Life Lessons from Trusted Teachers
  When it comes to delivering lessons on sensitive subjects such as sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention, the message has more impact on students when it comes from a teacher they trust, a study says. 08/14/08



• Rodeo Clown Creates Anti-Bullying Program
  Marvin Nash, a professional rodeo clown for 30 years in Wyoming, and his wife, developed a bullying prevention program for schools called "Bullying Hurts." Older students teach younger ones how to deal with bullies. 08/13/08



• Teachers, Parents Question Summer Assignments
  As the new school year looms, many students are rushing to finish all their summer assignments, causing some parents and educators to question whether such projects stress out students badly in need of a break. 08/12/08



• Grants to Help Special Ed Teachers Meet NCLB Standards
  Twenty U.S. universities are slated to receive federal funding to expand preparation programs for special educators. The grants are for training programs to help special ed teachers meet NCLB "highly qualified" standards. 08/11/08



• Double Dutch Gains Varsity Status
  Starting in the spring of 2009, double dutch, a form of jumping rope popular in urban areas, is slated to become the New York City Public Schools' newest varsity sport. 08/08/08



• Students Who Break Dress Code Get Jumpsuits
  Starting in the fall, students at Gonzales High School in Texas who ignore the school's dress code will be sentenced to wearing a blue prison-style jumpsuit for the rest of the school day. 08/07/08



• Energy Costs Spurring Green-School Construction
  School districts that in the past thought constructing green schools would be too expensive now are embracing the idea as a way to save on energy costs and have more healthful school environments. 08/06/08



• Is Online Reading Real Reading?
  While some educators and policy makers argue that too much time surfing the net is causing children's reading skills to decline, others say the time has come to recognize the value of online reading. 08/05/08



• Girls Doing as Well in Math as Boys
  A study recently published in the journal Science disputes the notion that girls don't do as well in math as boys. The study data showed only a small gap in boys' and girls' math performance. 08/04/08



• Mentoring Program Exposes H.S. Students to College Science
  Connecticut high-school students are getting a taste of college science and other subjects through Mentor Connection, a three-week session that matches high school students with University of Connecticut researchers. 08/01/08



• New School Buses Run on Propane
  A San Antonio, Texas-area school district has unveiled new classic-yellow school buses that officials say are the first in the U.S. manufactured to run on propane. 07/31/08



• Working With Hands Helps Brain Development
  British children's brain development is being threatened by their failure to work with their hands in school and at home, a study said. Schools offer fewer hands-on classes, and at home kids play computer games. 07/30/08



• State Calls NCLB Goals Unrealistic
  While more Hawaiian students scored higher on standardized tests this year, 60 percent of public schools failed to make adequate yearly progress due to what education officials called unrealistic NCLB expectations. 07/29/08



• Multiple Military Deployments Stressful for Children
  With more children of military personnel showing signs of stress as parents are deployed multiple times to war zones, schools are increasing efforts to provide support for the children of servicemen and women. 07/28/08



• School District Approves Paddling Students
  Starting in the fall, principals in Twiggs County, Georgia, will be able to paddle students who don't respond to detention or other forms of discipline, reaffirming a policy that had lain dormant in the county since 2006. 07/25/08



• School Board Bans Student-Teacher Texting, Online Social Networking
  The Lamar County (Mississippi) school board recently approved a policy prohibited teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace. 07/24/08



• Students Taking Lead in Green Initiatives
  Increasing numbers of environmentally-aware students are leading green initiatives at their schools. A graduate of a Virginia high school got approval for solar panels and raised money for the project. 07/23/08



• Grants Aim to Help Middle-Schoolers Prep for College
  The U.S. Department of Education approved 24 new grants for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to help disadvantaged middle school students prepare for and pursue a college education. 07/22/08



• Students Discuss Asian, Hispanic Students' Performance
  Students at Lincoln High School in California have participated in candid discussions about the differences in Hispanic and Asian-American students' academic performance in an effort to close the achievement gap. 07/21/08



• Parents Secretly Teaching Kids 'Old' Math
  Concerned that their children are missing out on certain critical skills, some parents are teaching their children "old" math procedures -- such as long division -- to supplement new, concept-based curricula. 07/18/08



• Summer Program Cuts Hurt Gifted, Remedial Students
  Remedial and enrichment summer classes are being eliminated around the country as school districts try to reduce costs and struggle to balance budgets in a tight economy. 07/17/08



• Good Nutrition Linked to Better Test Performance
  Learners with access to a more nutritious diet in early childhood may score higher on intellectual tests in adulthood, regardless of how much education they received overall, according to new data. 07/16/08



• ALA to Study Gaming Impact on Literacy
  The American Library Association (ALA) is planning a study to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills. ALA plans to monitor the results of gaming initiatives. 07/15/08



• Teachers Sign On for 'Geek' Training
  More than 50 Oklahoma teachers participated in a week of work with GEEK SMART, a professional development program that helps educators learn to integrate hands-on math and science lessons. 07/14/08



• Failure No Option for Middle-Schoolers
  Starting this fall, Florida will require all students to pass their core subjects in middle school in order to be promoted to the ninth grade. Failing students receive remedial help during the year or attend summer school. 07/11/08



• Virtual PE Fits Many Students' Needs
  Hundreds of teens in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area are enrolled in online gym classes. Students study sports and fitness, but are expected to practice what they learn. Physical activity is completed on an honor system. 07/10/08



• Teachers Could Swap Tenure for Higher Pay
  D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is proposing giving mid-level teachers who are paid $62,000 yearly the opportunity to earn more than $100,000 -- but they would have to give up seniority and tenure rights. 07/09/08



• Some See School Day-Care, Teen Pregnancy Link
  Some educators and social service workers have raised concerns that the presence of day-care centers in high schools sends the message to girls that teen pregnancy is acceptable. Others call for increased sex education. 07/08/08



• Study: PE No Cure for Obesity
  Increasing the volume and frequency of physical education classes can improve kids' bone mineral density, aerobic capacity, blood pressure, and flexibility, but has no effect on childhood obesity, a study says. 07/07/08



• The Ordeal of Trying to Fire Bad Tenured Teachers
  The mounting legal costs and years of effort needed to dismiss bad tenured teachers -- even those who have broken the law -- forces many administrators to tolerate poor teacher performance, some experts say. 07/03/08



• School Districts Root Out Energy 'Hogs'
  Texas school administrators are scouring their districts to find ways to save energy to meet a state mandate to reduce energy consumption 5 percent each year from now through 2013. Some districts already have energy plans. 07/02/08



• Study: Children Still Love Books
  Despite their interest in all things digital, children between the ages of 5 and 17 still want to read books, a study says. The study also noted that the amount of time kids spend reading for fun declines after age 8. 07/01/08



• Parents Want to See More Math Instruction
  More than one-third of U.S. parents said in an AP poll that they want their children to receive more math instruction in school. A majority also said schools are doing just a fair job in preparing children for the work force. 06/30/08



• Study: Test Scores Up Under NCLB
  Students are performing better on state reading and math tests and the achievement gap has narrowed since enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law six years ago, according to an independent study. 06/27/08



• Are Eighth-Grade Graduation Celebrations Going Overboard?
  Some educators are starting to wonder if eighth-grade graduation celebrations -- which can include dances, trips, dinners, and awards ceremonies over the course of several weeks -- are becoming excessive. 06/26/08



• New Data Shows Gains for Reading First Students
  State data shows gains for Reading First students in nearly every grade and subgroup, including English language learners and students with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 06/25/08



• Students Charged With Loading Spyware, Changing Grades
  Two Orange County, California, teenagers have been charged with breaking into high school offices and using stolen usernames and passwords to change lackluster grades to A's. The two are facing jail time if convicted. 06/24/08



• Children Read Better After Brains 'Rewired'
  An intensive reading program conducted three years ago in 50 Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) schools permanently "rewired" the brains of dyslexic children, Carnegie Mellon University researchers reported. 06/23/08



• College Board: SAT Writing Section Fails to Meet Expectations
  The writing section added to the SAT three years ago has done little to improve the exam's overall ability to predict how students will do in college, according to research released by the College Board, the test's owner. 06/20/08



• Teachers Not 'LOL' Over Text Shortcuts
  Many teachers are seeing the abbreviations used in text messaging in student papers, tests, and other assignments, and say students also are ignoring spelling and punctuation in their written schoolwork. 06/19/08



• Group Seeks Uniform Allergy Policies for U.S. Schools
  The nonprofit Food Allergies & Anaphylaxis Network is pushing for a federal law to create uniform guidelines for schools to follow to protect the estimated 2 million U.S. school-age children with food allergies. 06/18/08



• Board-Certified Teachers Boost Scores
  Students taught by educators certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards make bigger gains on standardized tests than students taught by other teachers, according to a study. 06/17/08



• Actor Pays for First Interracial Prom
  Charleston (Mississippi) High School held its first interracial prom this year, paid for by actor Morgan Freeman. In the past, white and African-American students attended separate, privately-funded proms. 06/16/08



• Interest Grows in Peer Review for Teachers
  The teachers' union in Toledo, Ohio, has spearheaded a peer review policy to purge the district of incompetent teachers. The practice has withstood three lawsuits and union members overwhelmingly support it. 06/13/08



• Study: Exercise Helps Raise Test Scores
  Studies by Ontario, Canada, researchers indicate that schools that stress fitness and nutrition have seen their standardized scores rise by as much as 50 per cent over two years in third grade. 06/12/08



• Teachers React to Dress Code Memo
  Annoyed by teachers who "dressed down," the Wyandanch, New York, superintendent fired off a memo saying teachers should dress like they are working with children, not cows and horses. The union reacted sharply. 06/11/08



• School Goes Extra Mile to Help Poor Kids Learn
  Sherrie Gahn, principal of Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, Nevada, has made it her mission to ensure her students get what they need to help them learn -- including food, clothes, eyeglasses, and haircuts. 06/10/08



• Poll: Male Involvement at Schools on the Rise
  A National PTA poll shows that more men are involved in their children's education than ever before. Almost 50 percent of parent leaders said that the level of male involvement has grown at their PTA in the last three years. 06/09/08



• Students, Teachers Protest Gas Prices
  Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff at Sayville (New York) High School left their cars at home Wednesday and found alternate means of transportation to school to protest rising gas prices. 06/06/08



• Districts Receive Funds for Emergency Planning
  The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $24 million in grants to 92 school districts in 34 states to help them update and improve their readiness and emergency management plans. 06/05/08



• High Schools, Parents Raise Concerns About 'Beach Week' Parties
  The high-school graduation ritual in some communities of teens partying at a beach for a week after school ends, and often drinking excessively, is raising concerns among parents and educators. 06/04/08



• State Asks for "Fresh Start" on NCLB
  Idaho's State Board of Education has asked the U.S. Department of Education to wipe away the student progress measurements for 2002-2006 for hundreds of schools now facing sanctions under No Child Left Behind. 06/03/08



• States Wrestle With School Bus Fuel Costs
  The soaring cost of fuel for school buses is forcing some school districts to reduce the number of field trips, cut the school week down to four days, and even eliminate bus transportation for some students. 06/02/08



• Poor Hearing Can Be Behind School Problems
  Hearing problems may be the cause of some children's poor academic performance or misbehavior in school, according to some experts. Children who have difficulty hearing often appear inattentive and restless. 05/30/08



• Schools Requiring Students to Take Lunch Break
  In some high schools where students are trying to pack Advanced Placement courses into every spare moment of the day, school administrators are tweaking schedules to allow all students a lunch break. 05/29/08



• Bill to Shield PE, Music, Arts from Cuts Vetoed
  Arizona's governor vetoed a measure intended to protect gym classes and instruction in music and the arts from K-12 budget cuts. The governor noted that school boards decide which programs are cut. 05/28/08



• Free Summer Classes Draw Thousands
  Students in British Columbia, Canada, are registering for summer school in droves because the province is paying for classes ranging from math and science to music, sports, speed reading, and digital media. 05/27/08



• Proposed Teacher Contract Would End Seniority
  The Washington (D.C.) Teachers' Union is reviewing a proposed three-year contract from the school system that would eliminate seniority, giving the schools' chancellor more control in filling vacancies. 05/26/08



• Study: 'Crisis' in Boys' Education Overblown
  The idea that school systems favor girls at boys' expense and there is a crisis in boys' school performance is overblown, according to a study by the American Association of University Women. 05/23/08



• Tight Budgets Mean Fewer Field Trips
  At a time when school budgets are shrinking, gas prices rising, and there is an increased emphasis on standardized testing, class visits to science centers, museums, and zoos are becoming increasingly rare. 05/22/08



• Debate Grows on Grade-System Reform
  U.S. education experts and school administrators are trying to determine how and whether to reform grading systems to give failing students a better chance to catch up. Some advocate a minimum grade of 50. 05/21/08



• Virtual Schools Show Strong Growth
  A report predicts that as many as half of all courses in grades 9 to 12 could be taught online by 2019, prompting calls for more oversight of virtual schools. Last year enrollment in online classes reached 1 million. 05/20/08



• Teachers Agree: Firing Bad Teachers Is Tough
  More than half of teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure, and nearly half say they personally know such a teacher, according to a survey. 05/19/08



• Registration Open for Dept. of Ed Summer Workshops
  The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring free summer workshops where teachers share successful strategies with other educators to raise student achievement. The workshops are being held in 12 cities. 05/16/08



• School Uses Electronic Monitoring to Curb Truancy
  Rather than send chronic truants to juvenile detention, a high school in East Dallas, Texas, is using electronic monitoring devices to make sure students arrive at school on time and remain there throughout the day. 05/15/08



• Teachers Must Prove They Can Teach Reading
  Aspiring early childhood and elementary school teachers in Connecticut will have to prove they know how to teach reading on a test the State Board of Education has added to Connecticut's teacher certification requirements. 05/14/08



• Woman Donates Kidney to Former Teacher
  Darren Paquin, an English teacher at Elwood (Indiana) Community High School, received a special gift from former student Angie Collins: a kidney. Paquin was suffering from kidney failure. 05/13/08



• Amount of K-5 Physical Activity Doubles
  The Oklahoma state senate passed a bill increasing the amount of required physical activity time for students in grades K-5 from 60 minutes a week to 120 minutes a week. 05/12/08



• Students Want to Learn With Gaming Technology
  Educational gaming is one of the emerging technologies that students would most like to see in their schools, according to a Project Tomorrow survey. Yet, only one in ten teachers has adopted gaming as an instructional tool. 05/09/08



• State Weighs Anti-Bulling Law
  Florida lawmakers are weighing an anti-bullying bill that would prohibit bullying or harassment of any student or school system employee for any reason. Districts could identify groups of students in need of protection. 05/08/08



• Teachers' Risque Online Profiles Pose Dilemma for Schools
  Some school administrators are wondering what, if anything, they can or should do about racy material some young teachers post on their personal profiles on online social networking sites. 05/07/08



• Reading First Not Improving Scores
  Students enrolled in the $6 billion federal Reading First program that is at the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act are not reading any better than those who don't participate, according to a U.S. government report. 05/06/08



• Districts Investing in Parent Education
  Some Texas school districts are investing in parent education programs, in the hope that they lead to improved student behavior, academic performance, and attitudes. The programs include classes, counseling, and social services. 05/05/08



• Dept. of Ed to Hold Hearings on New Title I Regulations
  The U.S. Department of Education has scheduled a series of public meetings around the U.S. to discuss proposed changes to regulations for Title I under the No Child Left Behind Act. 05/02/08



• Report: U.S. Kids' Well-Being Improves
  While childhood obesity remains a major problem, the overall well-being of U.S. children between the ages of 6 to 11 is improving, according to a report from the Foundation for Child Development. 05/01/08



• Schools Make AYP After Reclassifying Students
  Over the past two years, 80 California schools were able to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act after changing the racial classification of some of their students. 04/30/08



• Kids Who Pass Tests May Get More Days Off
  The Grand Prairie (Texas) Independent School District is seeking state permission to give students who pass the state tests eight days off from school. Teachers would use those days to tutor students who did not pass. 04/29/08



• Classical Music Inspires Students
  Many pupils from Prince George's County, Maryland, got their first taste of classical music when the district opted to send all 8,000 fourth graders to a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra. 04/28/08



• Public Schools Seeking Private Money
  Proposed budget cuts in California are prompting schools to seek donations from parents and and community to make up the shortfall. Potential layoff notices have been issued to 20,000 public school employees. 04/25/08



• Teacher Suspended for Refusing to Give Test
  Carl Chew, a science teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in Seattle, has been suspended for two weeks without pay for refusing to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in his classroom. 04/24/08



• Warning: Kids Need Heart Exam Before ADHD Drugs
  Children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram before starting medication such as Ritalin to treat hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder, said the American Heart Association. 04/23/08



• Bullies Taunt Allergic Kids With Peanuts
  Some schools are seeing a dangerous new trend in bullying: Kids deliberately exposing students with peanut allergies to peanut products. Peanut exposure can cause severe reactions in some children, even causing death. 04/22/08



• Teacher Focuses on Copier Over-Usage to Mark Earth Day
  Kenny Luna, a science teacher in North Babylon, New York, is urging schools to reduce the number of photo copies staff members make to help save trees and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 04/21/08



• School Nurse Forms Anti-Smoking Group
  School nurse and former smoker Donna Pasko created a SWAT team -- Students Working Against Tobacco -- to educate teens at Palmetto High in Florida about the dangers of smoking. 04/18/08



• Funding for School Media Centers Lagging
  Despite research showing that school libraries help boost student achievement, media centers still don’t receive sufficient funding, reports a study by the American Library Association. 04/17/08



• Study: Co-Ed Classes Optimize Learning
  A Tel Aviv University study found that boys and girls perform better academically in co-ed classrooms. The study showed that the pressence of girls improved boys’ grades markedly. 04/16/08



• Schools Reach Out to Hispanic Parents
  Some schools in Texas are offering English and citizenship courses for Hispanic parents so they can become more comfortable speaking English and more involved in their children's education. 04/15/08



• Teachers Ordered to Turn Over E-Mails Written at School
  A circuit court judge ruled that five Wisconsin Rapids School District teachers must turn over the contents of e-mails written while at school. A resident claims the teachers were writing personal e-mail on school time. 04/14/08



• Legos Help Kids With Autism Build Social Skills
  Working together on Lego projects helps to build the social skills of pre-adolescent boys with autism, experts have found. Children are forced to interact to meet a common goal while working on a project. 04/11/08



• Secretary of Ed Cites Writing Gains
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that writing scores for eighth and 12th graders on the 2007 NAEP tests showed gains from 2002 and 1998. More than 165,000 students took the test. 04/10/08



• Cricket Comes to U.S. Schools
  The New York City schools have become the first school system in the U.S. to launch a cricket league. About 600 students from 14 schools are participating; each team is playing 12 matches. 04/09/08



• Judge: Firm Can Store Students' Essays
  A U.S. federal district court judge in Virginia ruled that the plagiarism detection company Turnitin does not violate students' copyrights when it stores copies of their essays to check future submissions for plagiarism. 04/08/08



• Dept. of Ed. Proposing Uniform Graduation-Rate Formula
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings plans to propose that states use a uniform graduation-rate formula and publish data on the graduation rates of students from different racial and socioeconomic groups. 04/07/08



• Study: Bullies Have Tough Relationships With Parents, Friends
  Researchers at York University and Queen's University in Canada found that bullies often have troubled relationships with parents and friends, and without intervention, may continue being disruptive into their teens. 04/04/08



• Report: Fewer than Half Graduate from Many Urban Schools
  Seventeen of the 50 largest U.S. cities had high-school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates posted in Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, a report noted. 04/03/08



• School Weaning Students off Gossip
  School officials at the private Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls are "weaning" girls off gossiping, starting with a daily school-wide, gossip-free hour. The school encourages a gossip-free atmosphere. 04/02/08



• Free Tutoring Not Far-Reaching, Effective Enough
  Federally mandated public after-school tutoring isn't always reaching the children it's intended to help, researchers note -- and when it does, the tutoring isn't always help as effective as it could be. 04/01/08



• City to Attack School Failure at Multiple Levels
  Washington, D.C., plans to pilot a program that includes in-home substance-abuse counseling, solutions for public-aid problems, and other programs for students' troubled families in an effort to raise achievement. 03/31/08



• Principal Turns to Students to Close Achievement Gap
  Frustrated by the lack of progress in closing the achievement gap at T.R. Smedberg Middle School in south Sacramento, California, the principal began meeting with students to get their input. 03/28/08



• Study: Students Drinking by Sixth Grade
  A study of more than 4,000 sixth-graders in Chicago schools that showed that 17 percent already had tried alcohol, suggests that education programs need to start at the elementary level, researchers said. 03/27/08



• School Stressing Importance of Sleep
  To stress the importance of adequate sleep for learning, officials at Memminger Elementary School in Charleston, South Carolina, are asking parents to sign contracts agreeing to put their children to bed earlier. 03/26/08



• Dropout Figures Worse Than NCLB Data Shows
  Because many states report lower dropout figures to the federal government than they do to state education officials, the magnitude of the high school dropout problem is being hidden, some say. 03/25/08



• Officials Unveil Statewide Chess Program
  Idaho is the first state in the U.S. to approve a chess curriculum for all second and third graders. The state will fund chess instruction for the voluntary program. 03/24/08



• Teacher Absences Could Affect Test Scores
  The more days teachers are absent before high-stakes tests, the more likely it is that students will not perform well on the tests, according to a study by Harvard researchers. 03/21/08



• Do State Test Scores Belong on Transcripts?
  Minnesota state education officials are pushing to add state test scores to high school transcripts that students submit to colleges and universities, in order to get students to take the tests more seriously. 03/20/08



• Training Principals to Be Instructional Leaders
  Officials in the Norwalk-La Mirada school district have hired consultants to transform their 29 principals into instructional leaders rather than building managers. 03/19/08



• Looming Science Test Has Schools Scrambling
  The fall launch of science testing under NCLB should lead to a renewed focus on science instruction, said educators and science advocates, at a time when the U.S. is facing a "crisis" in science education. 03/18/08



• College Offers Online AP, Honors Courses
  The University of California, Irvine Extension, is offering advanced placement (AP) and honors courses online to high-school students nationwide. Courses have been approved by the College Board. 03/17/08



• More High Schools Adding Classes Scripted by Corporations
  Some major U.S. accounting and engineering firms, partly because of fears about labor shortages, are creating free curriculum for high schools to introduce students to careers in engineering and finance. 03/14/08



• Charter School to Pay Teachers $125,000
  The director of a New York City charter school plans to pay teachers $125,000 annually -- more than his own salary -- based on the idea that top teachers are the key to high achievement. 03/13/08



• Ruling Could End Homeschooling
  Parents who lack teaching credentials cannot educate their children at home, according to a California appellate court ruling that is sending shock waves through the state's home-schooling families. 03/12/08



• Students Record Black Residents' Memories
  Students in an education class at Henry E. Lackey High School in Indian Head, Maryland, interviewed some of the area's oldest African-American residents and are preserving the stories on a DVD. 03/11/08



• Underachievers May Have Poor Working Memory
  Not all underachieving students are slow; some may have poor working memories, according to a study by researchers in the United Kingdom. Working memory is the ability to retain information and manipulate it mentally. 03/10/08



• Teachers Complain About 'Hovering' Parents
  For the past two years, 60 percent of Howard County (Maryland) teachers said in a job satisfaction survey that they have been subjected to harassment -- and parents were the offenders 60 percent of the time. 03/07/08



• Schools Try New Ways to Curb Cheating
  With cheating and plagiarism rampant in many U.S. high schools, some administrators are trying new strategies to curb cheating, such as allowing accused students to be judged by a panel of their peers. 03/06/08



• Parents Push for School Defibrillators
  Two families whose sons might have survived cardiac problems if defibrillators had been available on school fields have teamed up with a cardiologist to lobby Congress to require all schools to have defibrillators. 03/05/08



• Students Do Better in 'Green' Schools
  Students in schools with clean air, natural light, wastewater recycling, renewable power, and other "green" features show improved academic performance and have fewer cases of asthma, colds, and flu, a study says. 03/04/08



• Good Students Earn Cell Phones, Minutes
  About 2,500 students in seven New York City middle schools received cell phones for good grades and good behavior. Students now can earn additional rewards such as more minutes, ring tones, and text messaging options. 03/03/08



• Bill Would Expand Crimes to Decertify Teachers
  A bill in the Washington state legislature would require districts to report innapropriate behavior by teachers and expand the list of crimes for which a conviction could result in the termination of a teacher and/or the revocation of credentials. 02/29/08



• Math Teachers, Students Can Be Bad Match
  Miscommunication between math teachers and students may compound the struggles some students have with the subject. Teachers who are math experts sometimes assume students know more than they do. 02/28/08



• Educators Fighting Back against Online Insults
  Teachers and principals are retaliating against students who post insulting messages or images about them online. Students have faced criminal charges, civil lawsuits, long-term suspensions, or permanent expulsions. 02/27/08



• Beef Recall Puts Schools on Alert
  School districts around the U.S. are trying to determine if any of the meat involved in the biggest beef recall in the nation's history announced this week is still headed for school lunches. 02/26/08



• Eating Better Could Earn Kids Cash
  Children who eat more healthful food at school and exercise regularly could receive taxpayer-funded financial bonuses in their state savings accounts, a health adviser to the British government suggested. 02/25/08
  
  
• School Turns to Business Management Model
  Children at Mt. Lebanon (Pennsylvania's) Washington Elementary School are learning under the "continuous improvement" management model that made Toyota a powerhouse. The approach's mantra is: plan, do, study, act. 02/22/08



• Computer Program Shows Living Costs
  Eighth-graders at Bernardo Heights Middle School in California got a look at real-world living expenses through a computer program that provided figures for housing, utilities, and other costs based on their location and lifestyle. 02/21/08



• Students Set to Learn about Young Holocaust Victims
  France's president Nicolas Sarkozy set off a debate when he announced that next year every fifth grader will learn about the life of a French child who died in the Holocaust. Some argue the information is too grim for young children. 02/20/08



• Sixth Graders to Learn About Contraceptives
  Under a new sex education curriculum beginning in April, Palm Beach (Florida) sixth graders will learn about contraceptives. Florida has the sixth-highest rate of teen pregnancies in the U.S. 02/19/08



• More Students Taking, Passing AP Exams
  A higher percentage of students in public high schools are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams, a report from the College Board notes. The performance gap between black and white students, however, remains large. 02/18/08



• State Passes Anti-Bullying Measure
  Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill intended to prevent bullying in schools. The measure doesn’t dictate specific actions that school districts must take, but it does require them to set antibullying policies by next summer. 02/15/08



• Bullying Harms Kids' Mental Health
  Being bullied can negatively affect children's mental health, according to a recent study. Bullied children are more likely to have anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, study authors note. 02/14/08



• Rallies, Prayers Pump Up Students for Tests
  Schools and communities in Florida are rallying around students who are taking the state assessment tests with pep rallies, academic boot camps, exercise programs, and prayer meetings. 02/13/08



• National PTA CEO to Retire
  Warlene Gary, who has served as the chief executive officer of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for five years, plans to retire in June. Gary has been active in the PTA for 35 years. 02/12/08



• In Some Schools, 50 is the New 0
  Some schools in Clark County, Nevada, are experimenting with making 50 the lowest grade a student can receive on a report card -- even if a student turned in no homework and scored 0 on every test. 02/11/08



• "Green Team" Keeps School Eco-Conscious
  Student members of the Green Team at Julius West Middle School in Rockville, Maryland, promote energy conservation and recycling among the school's students and faculty. 02/08/08



• Many Sex Ed Teachers Don't Cover the Basics
  A study of sex education teachers in Illinois showed that one-third did not give comprehensive instruction -- defined as covering abstinence, birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. 02/07/08



• Government to Fund Auschwitz Visits
  To impress on young people the horrors of the Holocaust, the English government will pay for two students from every secondary school to visit the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. 02/06/08



• Board Approves Afro-Centric School
  The Toronto District School Board narrowly approved a proposal for an Afro-centric school that opponents charged was tantamount to segregation. The school is slated to open in September 2009. 02/05/08



• Kids With ADHD May Be More Likely to Bully
  Children with ADHD are almost four times as likely as others to be bullies, a study shows. Also, children with ADHD symptoms were almost ten times as likely to have been bullied prior to the onset of ADHD symptoms. 02/04/08



• Rocker Composing Curricula
  Steven Van Zandt, lead guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is writing Little Steven's Rock and Roll High School, a music education program that traces the history of rock 'n' roll in the U.S. 02/01/08



• Computer-Savvy Kids Still Lack Research Skills
  Today's children may have grown up using the Internet, but that doesn't mean they are better researchers, a British study says. Easy access to data has not improved kids' ability to assess information. 01/31/08



• School Holds "No Place for Hate" Week
  Memorial Middle School in Houston, Texas, recently held a No Place for Hate Week, featuring activities and discussions designed to reduce bullying and teasing and help students appreciate differences. 01/30/08



• Bounce Back School Gives Dropouts Last Chance
  The Bounce Back School in Chula Vista, California, is a last chance for high-school dropouts to earn a diploma. Students attend classes for three hours a day, and teachers track them down if they are missing. 01/29/08



• Mandatory Cooking Classes Proposed
  A new mandate requires all students between the ages of 11 and 14 in English public schools to take a cooking class, as part of an effort to teach students about nutrition and reduce obesity. 01/28/08



• Intensive Remediation Program Shows Results
  A promotion with intensive remediation program has allowed some Louisiana youngsters who struggled in eighth grade to move from middle school to high school and handle the demands of high school work. 01/25/08



• School District Gives Teachers Money for Houses
  The Palm Beach County (Florida) School District is offering $10,000 housing subsidies to 50 teachers who purchase homes in a specific development, which gives qualified buyers more than $43,000 for homes. 01/24/08



• H.S. Offers Homeland Security Courses
  Joppatowne High School in Joppa, Maryland, is the first high school in the U.S. to offer a homeland security program. Students take courses to learn about protecting the country against terrorism. 01/23/08



• School Board Weighs Maternity Leave for Students
  Two pediatricians, a counselor, and a pregnant teen asked the Denver School Board to consider granting four-to-six weeks of maternity leave for students who have babies, so the teens can recover and bond with their children. 01/22/08



• Teens Brainstorm Ways to Keep Peers in School
  At Mississippi's first Teen Graduation Summit, high school students from across the state talked about reasons why their peers drop out of school and what could be done to keep them in school. 01/21/08



• 'Dashboards' Give School Snapshots
  The U.S. Department of Education has unveiled an online tool called Dashboards to show the public how schools fare in reading and math achievement, graduation rates, and participation in Advanced Placement exams. 01/18/07



• Teacher Stress Impacts Pre-K Expulsions
  The level of stress experienced by a preschool teacher directly impacts the number of children who are expelled, a Yale University study says. Preschoolers are three times more likely to be expelled than K-12 students. 01/17/07



• Student Artwork on Display in DC
  Artwork by 30 students created in 2006-2007 for the national PTA’s arts program, Reflections, has been selected for display at the U.S. Department of Education. The theme for last year's program was "My Favorite Place." 01/16/08



• Education Funding System Gets Overhaul
  The New Jersey state legislature approved a bill overhauling how the state allocates funding for public schools. Gov. Jon Corzine said the changes will more fairly distribute more than $8 billion in annual education aid. 01/15/08



• School Principals Get More Authority
  The Hartford (Connecticut) school district is on the verge of making a dramatic shift in the way school budgets are prepared to give principals control over hiring, the length of their school days and years, and more. 01/14/08



• Teacher's Songs Inspire Students
  Virginia music teacher Linda White helps her students learn about history, science, and other subjects through the musicals she writes for students to perform. 01/11/08



• Bush Gives NCLB Ultimatum
  President Bush has warned that if Congress doesn't reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act soon, he'll make as many changes as he can on his own. Bush added if Congress acts and weakens the law, he will veto it. 01/10/08



• Court Ruling Revives NCLB Challenges
  A federal appeals court decision has revived a lawsuit filed by three states and the National Education Association challenging the funding of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. 01/09/08



• More Schools Drafting Breathalyzer Policies
  More schools are creating policies on the use of breathalyzers, now that the cost of the devices has fallen and schools are seeking better ways to keep intoxicated students from attending school functions. 01/08/08



• Parents of Disabled Students Seek Separate Classes
  As mainstreaming students with disabilities becomes common, more parents of disabled students are opposing the practice, saying their children don't get the specialized attention they need in regular classes. 01/07/08



• Tutors Help Boys Get Organized for Success
  A growing number of families are hiring tutors to assist their sons with organizational, time management, and study skills to help them succeed in school and prepare college applications. 01/04/08



• Foundation Creates Fellowship for Teachers
  The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation plans to award hundreds of future teachers $30,000 starting in 2009 to attend graduate school. The fellows agree to teach for three years at high-needs schools. 01/03/08



• Fifth of U.S. Dropouts May Be Gifted
  As many as 20 percent of the high-school dropouts in the U.S. could be considered gifted, studies show, an indication that these students are bored and frustrated with school. 01/02/08




Edscoops 2007



• More Class Time Equals Better Math Skills
  A study by the Brookings Institution may show that more class time does pay off. The study found that adding just ten minutes of math instruction to an eighth-grader's day translated into a jump in math skills. 12/13/07



• Before-School Reading Program Draws Parents
  Moore Elementary School in Ft. Collins, Colorado, has started before-school reading programs called "Doughnuts with Dad" and "Muffins with Mom" to encourage parents to read with their children. 12/12/07



• Parents Protest Report Card Ads
  Some parents in Orlando, Florida, are complaining about McDonald's ads on report card covers. Some of the ads promise children free Happy Meals for good grades, attendance, and behavior. 12/11/07



• Province Plans to Ban Trans Fats in Schools
  Ontario (Canada) Premier Dalton McGuinty has introduced legislation to ban all trans fats and junk food in school cafeterias and vending machines. The ban will apply from pre-K to grade 12. 12/10/07



• H.S. Students Try Teaching
  Students from Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale, Arizona, are helping in elementary school classes twice a week to get a taste of the teaching profession. 12/07/07



• Union Proposes More Teacher Authority
  A proposal from the Los Angeles teachers' union calls for more local, grass roots control over schools and hiring principals and would allowing instructors more flexibility to develop curricula. 12/06/07



• Teachers' Union Pulls Out of Affordable Housing Plan
  The New York City teachers' union plans to pull out of a development project that would have built moderately priced housing for teachers because the developers would not promise to use union labor. 12/05/07



• H.S. Educator Lives for Science
  West Salem (Oregon) High School teacher Michael Lampert keeps his students enthralled with demonstrations that show different types of propulsion and the effects of liquid nitrogen on substances. 12/04/07



• Teen's Suicide Spurs Anti-Cyberbullying Law
  The town of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, passed a law to prevent cyberbulling in response to the suicide last year of a 13-year-old girl. The child killed herself after receiving hurtful messages on MySpace. 12/03/07



• Parents Rank Student Satisfaction Over Teacher Performance
  When it comes to choosing teachers, parents often are more concerned with a teacher's ability to satisfy their children than to raise academic achievement, according to a new study. 11/30/07



• Reading Screenings Often Misapplied
  Popular screening tests used to identify children with reading problems are being misapplied, landing students in the wrong instructional level and delaying interventions for their actual difficulties, a study says. 11/29/07



• A New Recipe for Dropouts: Cooking
  A new school scheduled to open in the Chicago school district in fall 2008 is being designed to teach at-risk 11th and 12th graders to become chefs or hotel and restaurant managers. 11/28/07



• Three-Year Brain Lag Found in ADHD Kids
  The brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) develop more slowly than those of other children but eventually catch up, according to a new study. 11/27/07



• Parents Ordered to Court for Not Vaccinating Kids
  The Prince George's County (Maryland) school system ordered hundreds of parents who had failed to have their children vaccinated to appear in court. More than 2,000 students lacked the required immunizations. 11/26/07



• Teens Reading Less Often, For Shorter Periods
  Teenagers are reading less often and for shorter periods of time, according to a report from the National Endowment for the Arts. Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, the report noted. 11/21/07



• Harry Potter Theme Turns School Around
  A British primary school that had been struggling posted higher scores and had fewer behavior problems after it adopted a Harry Potter theme that covers everything from how classes are set up to the curriculum. 11/20/07



• Pharmacy Students Deliver Meth Warning to Middle-Schoolers
  Some pharmacy students from the University of Montana are developing a course for middle-school students about the dangers of methamphetamine. The course includes scientific information and true-life stories. 11/19/07



• Web Site Helps Educators Use Research-Based Methods
  The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new Web site called Doing What Works designed to help educators apply research-based strategies to their teaching. 11/16/07



• Agriculture Education Goes High-Tech
  Students at Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin interested in agriculture can take courses in greenhouse production and management, for which college-bound students can receive technical-college credit. 11/15/07



• Study: Early Bad Behavior Does Not Hurt Pupils Later
  A new study shows that poorly-behaved young children will not necessarily struggle in school as they get older. Children who had behavior problems in kindergarten did as well academically in elementary school as their peers. 11/14/07



• Students Join Fight Against Global Warming
  Teachers, parents, and volunteers helped organize assemblies and participated in skits at Rancho Elementary School in Novato, California, to help raise student awareness about global warming. 11/13/07



• Report: Abstinence Education Not Curbing Teen Sex
  Although sex education programs that focus on abstinence are eligible for federal grants, they have not affected teen sexual behavior, according to a study by a nonpartisan group seeking to reduce teen pregnancies. 11/12/07



• Voters Defeat Voucher Measure
  More than 60 percent of voters in Utah rejected a comprehensive education voucher program. The Utah program would have provided tax-funded subsidies to any student, rich or poor, to enroll in a private school. 11/09/07



• Teachers Use iPods in Class
  Eighteen staff members at Ervin C. Whitt Elementary School in Grand Prairie, Texas, including the principal and librarian, are using iPods to teach students subjects they might otherwise find unappealing. 11/08/07



• Teacher Protests Testing for NCLB
  Wisconsin middle-school teacher David Wasserman refused to administer the first part of a required standardized test because of moral objections. He reluctantly was at his desk for the second round to save his job.11/07/07



• District Plans to Install Face-Recognition Cameras
  The Nashville, Tennessee, school district plans to become the first in the U.S. to install security cameras with face-recognition software to spot intruders. The program will start in three schools and