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1.
TEACHER
PROGRESS: Houston school officials say they’ve tapped several
winning sources for reducing the number of uncertified teachers in district
classrooms. Last year, 1,147 uncertified teachers stood before classes
of students, while this year the number was reduced to 797. District strategies
included an advertising campaign aimed at attracting credentialed staff.
STATES 2.
BALLOT
BOX: Education Week’s election roundup of ballot initiatives is hot
off the presses. Twelve states have education measures on the November
ballot. Highlights include California’s Proposition 49. Pushed by action
film star Arnold Schwarzenegger, the plan would provide grants of up to
$50,000 to elementary schools and up to $75,000 for middle and junior high
schools to increase and improve before- and after-school programs. California
voters could “make his day,” (oops, wrong Hollywood action hero gone political!).
California also has a school-construction measure on the ballot. Meanwhile,
Florida voters will decide whether to create universal preschool; Colorado
and Massachusetts voters will consider bilingual education issues.
And Hawaii voters consider whether to give private school access to special-purpose
revenue bonds that reduce their interest rates for building expansion or
upgrades.
3.
TESTING
TEACHERS: Pennsylvania Governor Schweiker has on his desk a bill that
would end the highly controversial requirement that teachers take exams
in math and reading. State lawmakers recently voted to eliminate the Professional
Teacher Assessment Test, created just last year. Technical problems plagued
the computer-administered test. Most of the 26,000 teachers who did take
the test in the first round of exams posted scores in the middle range.
THE NATION 4.
LEARNING THE 123s: A $250,000 Department of Education grant to the
Jump$tart Coalition is designed to help students become financially literate
- so maybe they can tell us what to do in a volatile stock market!
Actually, the grant will fund a project aimed at improving student knowledge
about personal finance. On another financial note, the Department of Education
and the Department of Treasury have opened an office of financial education
within the Treasury Department.
5.
I’VE GOT COPYRIGHT BABE: U.S. Supreme Court judges are grappling with
the thorny question of copyright extension. The high court last week
heard arguments in Eldred v. Ashcroft, a constitutional challenge to the
Sonny Bono copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. Under the law named for
the famous singer and congressman, copyright protection for individual
authors, composers and artists was extended from 50 years to 70 years after
the creator’s death. Copyrights held by corporations were stretched
from 75 to 95 years. How does this relate to education, children, or teaching?
Think Charlotte’s Web or The Cat in the Hat. Childhood favorites like these
books might enter the public domain sooner if the court rejects the 1998
law.
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRACTICE 6.
PARENTS
AND TEACHERS: Improving parent-teacher relationships, especially with
African-American families is critical for student success, say education
leaders in North Carolina . They are now seeking ways to improve the school-home
connection with the intention of boosting student achievement. A nagging
dilemma, however, is the mistrust of schools among black parents and, on
the other side, the debate over whether or not it is solely a teacher’s
responsibility to “bridge the gap” between home and school.
7.
EARLY
BOOST: It should come as no surprise that preschool children from disadvantaged
homes learn better and faster when they are in classes with their more
affluent peers. A new study released by St. Joseph College in West
Hartford, Connecticut came to this conclusion after examining selected
preschools. Educators are hoping the study brings changes to preschool
education -- much of which is economically segregated.
WEEKLY FEATURE 8.
SCHOOLS IN CRISIS: In the wake of sniper-related school disruptions
in Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas, teachers, parents and
school leaders continue to struggle to help their children deal with traumatic
events.
--
Barbara Pape, Editor
Arkansas: Teachers
On Target
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