EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Senate Education Committee
Leaves Vouchers Out Of Reforms
The Washington Post, February 14, 2001

Senate education committee leaders have agreed not to include vouchers for private school tuition in their education reform package. Many Republicans originally wanted a voucher provision, but fears of losing Democratic support for other reforms caused them to relent. The committee hopes to complete work on the bill by the end of February.

See also:

Panel Starts Clock on Education Bill
The Washington Post, February 15, 2001

Democrats Challenge Bush on Education
The Washington Post, February 16, 2001

Threat of Vouchers Motivates
Schools to Improve, Study Says
The New York Times, February 16, 2001

California Universities May Drop SAT
The Chicago Sun-Times, February 18, 2001

The president of the University of California has recommended dropping the main SAT as an admission requirement at its eight campuses, saying the test hurts students.


Low-Performing Schools Lack Help, Study Says
Education Week, February 13, 2001

A report by the Department of Education's planning and evaluation service found that in 1998-99 fewer than half (47 percent) the principals in schools identified as "needing improvement"under the federal Title I program received additional technical aid or professional development from their district or state as a result of that designation -- despite a legal requirement that states and districts provide them with that assistance.

Language Barrier Falls in New Teaching Format
The Chicago Tribune, February 13, 2001

Dual-language teaching, also called two-way immersion, is one of the fastest-growing trends in elementary education. Lessons are taught in English and another language, most often Spanish, to children representing both cultural groups.

'No' to 'Zero Tolerance'
The Washington Post, February 20, 2001

The leadership of the American Bar Association voted today to recommend ending "zero tolerance" school discipline policies.


An Extra Dose of Emotional Support
The Washington Post, February 13, 2001

Many schools are creating teacher-led help groups to give students a sounding board for social and academic problems.

Recruitment Pinch Fuels
Global Trade in K-12 Teachers
Education Week, February 13, 2001

The dearth of U.S. educators in some specialty areas—and a shortage of those willing to work in urban schools—is helping to create a growing global market for teachers. In the past two years, recruiters from Maryland schools have traveled to India, New York City has targeted Austria, and several California districts have begun to tap the Philippines to fill vacant teaching posts.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Vance Seen Stabilizing D.C. School Operations
The Washington Post, February 18, 2001

The consensus among city officials, educators and parents regarding D.C. School Superintendent Paul L. Vance's performance is that he has been a stabilizing force in his first seven months in office, but has yet to achieve significant improvements in the school system because he has been slow to make personnel changes.

PENNSYLVANIA

School board OKs Virtual Charter School
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 14, 2001

William J. Bennett's Virginia-based education company, K12, has won approval to manage its first virtual charter school in Norristown.

District Begins Its Initial Effort to
Gauge Charter Schools' Success
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 20, 2001

For the first time since charter schools were allowed by the state legislature in 1997, the Philadelphia School District is making an effort to measure their success.

MARYLAND

Md. Study to Examine Successful Area Schools
The Washington Post, January 25, 2001

A Maryland commission examining the way the state funds its public schools has come up with a list of 59 successful schools that it will study to determine what makes them so good and what it will take to replicate their programs in schools not doing as well. (See also: 32 Washington Area Schools Selected, The Washington Post, January 25, 2001.)

Full-day Kindergarten Urged for Schools in State
The Baltimore Sun, February 14, 2001

G. Reid Lyon of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, one of the nation's leading early childhood researchers, told a General Assembly committee yesterday that the most effective way Maryland could improve reading achievement would be to offer full-day kindergarten in all elementary schools.


PG School Board Likely to Be Revamped
The Washington Times, February 20, 2001

In Annapolis, state lawmakers are fed up with the Prince George's County school board, and the county delegation is leading the effort to replace the current board with a hybrid that adds four appointed members. (Related article: Schools Ensnared In Cycle of Failure, The Washington Post, February 15, 2001.)

Editorial: Cash Reward Turns
Every Teen into a Suspect
The Baltimore Sun, February 20, 2001

At Westminster High School in Carroll County, the student government has launched a program - with approval by all the important adults - called Project TIPS, which offers rewards of up to $100 (plus as much anonymity as possible) for any kids who inform about classmates involved with drugs, alcohol or weapons on campus.

ARTICLES & REPORTS

High Standards for All Students: A Report from the National Assessment of Title I on Progress and Challenges Since the 1994 Reauthorization (pdf file)
(Also available in Word format)
U.S. Department of Education, Planning and Evaluation Service, January 2001


Transcript of PBS's "News Hour" Discussion on Bush's Proposal for Required Testing in Schools
February 15, 2001

Panelists on the show included: Arizona schools chief Lisa Graham Keegan, Hoover Institute researcher Bill Evers, author Alfie Kohn and Fairtest Director Monty Neill.


Hate Crime Statistics - 1999 (pdf file)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, February 13, 2001

The FBI's annual statistical report on the 7,876 bias-motivated criminal incidents that were reported to the Bureau's Uniform Crime Reporting Program in 1999.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Leadership for Student Learning:
Restructuring School District Leadership (pdf file)
Institute for Educational Leadership, 2000

Leadership for Student Learning:
Reinventing the Principalship (pdf file)
Institute for Educational Leadership, 2000

WEBSITES & LINKS

Education for Disadvantaged Children
This page on the Department of Education's website contains links to studies, reports, and policy documents pertaining to the education of disadvantaged children.

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