EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Blackfoot Tells School Of His People's History
The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 2003

The Going-to-the-Sun Institute is an educational organization whose its goals are to preserve the knowledge and oral traditions of the Plains Indians, sharing them with Indians and non-Indians.

Hispanics Are Now Largest U.S. Minority
The News Journal, January 22, 2003

Hispanics have surged past blacks and now constitute the largest minority group in the United States.

.Study: Schools Have Become Resegregated
The Washington Times, January 22, 2003

Public schools are slipping back into racial segregation, according to a study by The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. The researchers blame the resegregation trend on a series of court decisions, beginning with the 1991 Supreme Court ruling Oklahoma City v. Dowell, which backed away from the court-enforced desegregation laws of the 1960s. (See also: Schools Resegregate, Study Finds
The New York Times, January 21, 2003.)

Texas Teaches Abstinence, With Mixed Grades
The Washington Post, January 21, 2003

In 1995, George W. Bush, who was then governor, signed a law making Texas the third state requiring schools to follow an abstinence-only sex education curriculum. Now President Bush is promoting abstinence-until-marriage programs nationwide, a shift in health policy that has sparked an emotional debate over how to keep young people healthy.

Web Tangle
The Boston Globe, January 21, 2003

Those who track trends in bullying say computers have taken the schoolyard into cyberspace, and now students can catch up on ugly taunts and gossip as easily as they can download hot tips for their math homework.

White Teachers Flee Black Schools
Christian Science Monitor, January 21, 2003

Certain neighborhoods in the South are weathering a new version of an old phenomenon: white flight. Across the region, white, often middle-class, teachers are leaving schools dominated by African-Americans almost as fast as they arrive.

Schools' Plan For Integration Challenged
The Baltimore Sun, January 19, 2003

Word that a federal judge could throw out the 22-year-old desegregation plan for Chicago's public schools as early as this spring has caught school officials and advocates off guard.

Administration Urges 'Race-Neutral' Method
The Boston Globe, January 17, 2003

The Bush administration told the Supreme Court yesterday that university admissions programs that give an edge to minority students are unconstitutional and ignore race-neutral alternatives that could boost minority presence on campuses. (See also: .White House Files Brief Opposing 'Flawed' Affirmative Action, CNN.com, January 17, 2003; President To Oppose Race-Based Admissions, The Washington Post, January 15, 2003.)

Abuse Of School Lunch Program Targeted The Challenge: Not Scaring Needy Families
USA Today, January 17, 2003

The Bush administration is considering an audit of the national school lunch program to make sure that all the children receiving free and reduced-price lunches come from families that are truly low-income.

'Guest Teachers' Push For Respect
The Sacramento Bee, January 16, 2003

A new group is seeking better pay and conditions for those who work as substitutes in classrooms.

Bullying Incidents On The Rise, Teen Survey Finds
The San Diego-Union Tribune, January 16, 2003

American teenagers say confrontations with school bullies have increased dramatically, according to a national survey.

Opinion: Craton Liddell's Legacy
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 21, 2003

Like Linda Brown of Topeka, Kan., Craton Liddell was among those American youngsters whose lawsuits resulted in dramatic changes in public education. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was the most far-reaching of these desegregation lawsuits. But it was Liddell v. Board of Education of St. Louis in 1972 that brought integrated education to hundreds of thousands of St. Louis schoolchildren.

Opinion: Bush's Stimulus Plan Would Further Strap Schools
The Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2003

The author writes: "I was shocked to learn that Bush dropped his proposed aid to states from the final version of his economic plan. We needed not only Bush's original $10 billion aid-to-states package, but an even larger grant to provide meaningful aid to states."

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Teachers Union Investigated In Fundraisers For Williams
The Washington Post, January 22, 2003

The D.C. Office of Campaign Finance yesterday began investigating whether the Washington Teachers' Union paid for catering at two political fundraisers for Mayor Anthony A. Williams and whether his campaign failed to report the bills as contributions.

Audit Says Union Lost $5 Million To Theft
The Washington Post, January 17, 2003

An audit released last night alleges that more than $5 million was looted from the Washington Teachers' Union over the last seven years by union officials and others, an amount far greater than previous estimates.

DELAWARE

Major Community Center Grant Given to DE 
Delaware Department of Education, January 13, 2003

Governor Ruth Ann Minner and Secretary of Education Valerie A. Woodruff announced the names of six grantees who have been chosen to receive $1.4 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education to establish learning centers under the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program.

VIRGINIA

Suspensions Reported: School Board To Be Given Analysis At Meeting Today
Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 21, 2003

The Richmond school system handed out 11,926 short-term suspensions and 305 long-term suspensions last year. The school system has about 25,000 students.

Arlington's Nauck Wants Its School Back
The Washington Post, January 16, 2003

In the post-civil rights movement of the 1970s, school boundaries were initially drawn by race and economic status, and children were bused in all directions to achieve diversity. Later, special academic programs were created to draw white students voluntarily into all-black schools. Now, many minority communities are urging a return to neighborhood schools. The Nauck neighborhood in Arlington is one such case.

WEST VIRGINIA

Downsizing State Government Has Price Tag
Charleston Daily Mail, January 22, 2003

The state budget proposed by Governor Bob Wise includes an extra $2.3 million in funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. The program currently serves 21,350 of the 25,000 children estimated to be eligible for the health insurance.

MARYLAND

400 Rally For More Attention To City Schools From Officials
The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 2003

Despite frigid temperatures and bone-chilling winds, nearly 400 people gathered at the front steps of the Baltimore school system headquarters yesterday, urging lawmakers and city and school officials to pay more attention to the city's struggling public schools.

Ehrlich Budget Has More Aid For Counties
The Baltimore Sun, January 22, 2003

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s proposed budget would cut state aid to local governments in the Baltimore region almost $60 million for some purposes, including transportation, but would add more than that amount in increased education, library and other aid, leaving each jurisdiction with more state money overall.

Hook To Seek More Funds For Special Needs
The Washington Post, January 19, 2003

Calvert County public school officials want to spend an additional $1.35 million on special education in fiscal 2004 -- an increase stemming in part from litigation last year over failed efforts to hire a vision teacher.

Testing Concerns Dominate Meeting
The Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2003

High-stakes testing was among the chief topics of concern as the state Board of Education held a forum at Anne Arundel County's school administration headquarters. Several parents and teachers - some of whom said they were part of a group known as Marylanders Against High Stakes Testing - strongly opposed the tests, which could determine whether students receive high school diplomas, regardless of previous academic records.

Balto. Co. Group Offers Ideas On Achievement
The Baltimore Sun, January 17, 2003

Baltimore County's Minority Achievement Advisory Group urged principals at poorly performing schools yesterday to observe classes more frequently and limit the number of students in hallways to help improve standardized test scores.

Md. School Districts Can Drop Skills Test
The Washington Post, January 17, 2003

Any test-weary public school student would welcome taking one less standardized exam. Maryland education officials have made that a possibility this year by giving local districts the option of whether to administer the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills.

Montgomery Officials Plan Charter School Trip
The Washington Post, January 16, 2003

Montgomery County school officials plan to visit a nationally acclaimed charter school in New York next month, reviving what charter supporters thought were poor prospects for establishing one of the independent public schools in the county.

Furloughs Set For Workers In City Schools
The Baltimore Sun, January 15, 2003

Baltimore's school board voted yesterday to furlough the system's 12,000 employees, most from two to four days, as part of a sweeping package to balance its budget.

After-School Program's Handling Of Grant Money Draws Criticism
The Baltimore Sun, January 15, 2003

A small, defunct, church-sponsored after-school homework program for low-income Ellicott City children and their parents has been criticized for poor money management in a Howard County audit.

No More A's For Effort
The Washington Post, January 15, 2003

The Montgomery County school board gave unanimous approval yesterday to a plan that could radically change the way students are graded. The proposed policy, which will be out for public comment until final board action March 24, is aimed at removing some of the subjectivity from grading.

Opinion: Metts's Bold Request Gets Budget Ball Rolling
The Washington Post, January 16, 2003

"It's hard to know what to say about Iris T. Metts's $1.3 billion budget request. It is so big, so bold, so audacious that it inspires admiration. She is, in effect, saying, You want your children to be educated? This is how much it would cost. If you don't want to pay it, don't come whining to me about low test scores."

PENNSYLVANIA

For-Profit Educator Expects Big Boost
The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 2003

Nobel Learning Communities Inc., a national operator of private schools and day-care facilities, said yesterday that it was negotiating to receive $15 million to $25 million in private financing to help pay down its debt and expand. Nobel operates 179 schools in 15 states, including the K-8 Philadelphia Academy Charter School, the Franklin Towne Charter High School in Philadelphia, and many Chesterbrook Academy preschools in the city and its suburbs.

A Chilly Protest Over School Funding
The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 2003

The state share of local school costs has dropped precipitously in Pennsylvania, from about 50 percent 30 years ago to about one-third today, and some wealthy districts spend up to three times as much per student as poor ones. Philadelphia spends about $2,000 less per student than the average in the surrounding suburbs.

Phila. Schools Will Hire An Inspector General
The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 16, 2003

In a drive for more efficient and effective operation, the Philadelphia School District plans to take two new steps: Hire an inspector general to investigate suspected wrongdoing in the schools, and file suit in court against companies or individuals who fail to fulfill contracts.

District May Raise Enrollment Cap For Charters
The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 16, 2003

The Chester Upland School District, which has been plagued by discipline problems, truancy, and low academic performance, could soon see more children fleeing to attend the area's three charter schools. The district has maintained a cap on the number of children attending the privately run schools. But members of the new Board of Control, appointed by the state earlier this month, said they would consider raising the limit. Opponents say raising the cap would further strain the public system.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

The Medical Model in Education Research
The Doyle Report, January 15, 2003

A Multiracial Society with Segregated Schools: Are We Losing the Dream?
Harvard Civil Rights Project, January 16, 2003

Education Statistics Quarterly - Fall 2002 Issue
National Center for Education Statistics, January 13, 2003

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