EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Where Two Worlds Collide
The Washington Post, February 25, 2002

Muslim day schools -- and Muslims in this country -- are at a crucial juncture, as some work to stay true to their religion while they try to adapt to the U.S. experience.

After School, Phones Are Ringing
The Washington Post, February 23, 2002

In a world in which three-quarters of American women with school-age children are employed, "teleparenting" is one of the principal ways parents track budding adolescents and practiced teenagers through a critical chunk of life.

Indiana Schools Shrink Black-White Divide
The Washington Post, February 21, 2002

Typically, school systems address the achievement gap by focusing on the quality of teaching, the thoroughness of instructional standards or the availability of books and classroom materials. Fort Wayne(Indiana) is one of the few U.S. school districts where officials see testing and accountability as just part of the equation and have launched a more comprehensive effort to close the achievement gap. They are asking pointed questions about the attitudes black and white students bring to the classroom.

Justices Appear Open to Vouchers
USA Today, February 20, 2002

Supreme Court justices are appearing receptive to an Ohio program that uses public money to send disadvantaged students to religious schools. (See also: Justices Lean Toward School Vouchers, Chicago Sun-Times, February 21, 2002.)

The Bilingual Schooling Battle Flares Anew
The Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2002

Nearly four years after voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative to effectively end bilingual education in California, forces on both sides of the issue are at war with the state over how the law should be applied in classrooms.

Education Officials Meet With Leaders of Big School Systems
The Washington Times, February 20, 2002

Top Education Department officials met yesterday with leaders from the nation's largest urban school systems to discuss implementation of the education law signed last month.

MARYLAND

Old School, New Lesson
The Baltimore Sun, February 25, 2002

As restoration of the Ellicott City Colored School nears completion, leaders hope to use the building to teach about African-Americans' struggle for a better education.

Phonics Text for Reading Questioned
The Baltimore Sun, February 24, 2002

Despite a three-year rise in reading test scores, Baltimore school administrators say they are considering a change in the way reading is taught and will begin selecting new reading textbooks in the fall.

One Firm 'Guarantee' to Produce Readers
The Baltimore Sun, February 24, 2002

The for-profit company behind the Voyager Universal Literacy System, a program aimed at urban schools, guarantees that all children who are "capable" of reading - that's 95 percent of them - will be doing so at grade level by age 9, or it will continue working with them at company expense until they become competent readers.

Not Backing Away From a Fight
The Washington Post, February 25, 2002

For three years, State Delegate Rushern L. Baker III has lobbied to abolish the elected Prince George's County school board, pitting himself against a majority black panel and some civic leaders, who argue that he's seeking to strip voters of their civil rights.

Schools Make No Moves to Change Names
The Washington Times, February 25, 2002

The school boards in Washington and Frederick counties are resisting the attempts of a Maryland Indian affairs commissioner to bar the use of team names and mascots such as "Warriors," "Braves" and "Indians."

PG School Board Fights State Control
The Washington Times, February 23, 2002

The chairman of the Prince George's County school board is asking national civil rights groups for help in opposing state legislation that would curtail the board's authority.

Rally Backs Education Funding Fix
The Baltimore Sun, February 21, 2002

Education activists rallied in Annapolis yesterday to support a plan to significantly increase state education spending over the next five years, but leading lawmakers were pessimistic about prospects for the Thornton Commission's proposal, whose goal is greater equity is school financing.

City's Special Ed Efforts Get Low Marks in Study
The Baltimore Sun, February 20, 2002

A new report by the Abell Foundation says that in complying with court orders, Baltimore is wasting millions of dollars a year that could be spent on improving instruction.

PENNSYLVANIA

Rocky Start in 'Cyber' Classrooms
The Washington Post, February 26, 2002

The cyber charter movement in Pennsylvania is fizzling due to various lawsuits and bureaucratic battles.

Pre-school Aid is High on Agenda
Philadelphia Daily News, February 23, 2002

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed Rendell says that he might double the state's cigarette tax and even raise the income tax if needed to fund education and early-childhood programs.

25 Charter Schools Are Held Back
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 25, 2002

Without any public discussion, Philadelphia's School Reform Commission has voted to delay action on 25 charter-school applications for nearly a year.

VIRGINIA

House Endorses Bill on Charter Schools
Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 26, 2002

The Virginia House of Delegates has voted 52-46 to endorse a bill that backers say would establish an open-door policy for charter schools.

Tax Bill to Fund Schools Hits Snag
The Washington Times, February 26, 2002

A key House of Delegates committee has struck down a proposal to allow Northern Virginia voters to fund school construction through an increase in the income tax. Most of those who voted against the bill in the Appropriations Committee expressed concern that the disparity between the "haves and have-nots" of the state would grow wider under the plan.

Board to Review Plan to Change School Schedule
The Washington Post, February 24, 2002

The Loudoun County School Board will review the school system's plans to adjust opening and closing times for all of the county's 13 middle and high schools and two elementary schools.

Warner Urges Sales-Tax Bill
Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 21, 2002

Gov. Mark R. Warner yesterday called on the House of Delegates to vote on a Senate-passed measure allowing a statewide referendum to boost the sales tax for education improvements.

WASHINGTON, DC

D.C. Immunization Quest Finds Bigger Problem
The Washington Post, February 24, 2002

D.C. officials sent to track kids who are not in school because they do not have the required immunizations have found a host of other problems: of those who are supposed to be in school, there are kids in jail, and kids about to give birth; kids living on the street, and kids in sole charge of siblings or their own children.

Lawyers Capitalize On D.C. School Gap
The Washington Post, February 18, 2002

The frequent inability of District public schools to meet special education students' needs has provided lucrative business for various law firms and for-profit educational companies, as the city is required by federal law to pay the bills for attorneys, diagnostic companies and private schools when it fails to provide needed services to children with disabilities. (See also: D.C. Seeks Investigation Of Special-Ed Referrals, The Washington Post, February 21, 2002.)

Charter Schools Face a Common Threat:
Not Enough Space to Fulfill Their Missions
The Washington Post, February 21, 2002

Around the city, charter schools are frenetically searching for space. To meet their needs, charter school advocates are pressing the city to turn over surplus public schools, unused school-owned land or excess classroom space.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

Girls Just Want to Be Mean
The New York Times Magazine, February 24, 2002

How to Undermine the High School Diploma
Hoover Institution, February 25, 2002

Integrating Work and Family Life: A Holistic Approach (pdf file)
Sloan Work-Family Policy Network Advisory Board, September 2001

The Role of Community Development Corporations
in Promoting the Well-Being of Young Children
National Center for Children in Poverty, 2002

Sizing Things Up What Parents, Teachers, and
Students Think About Large and Small High Schools
Public Agenda, February 2002

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