EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Bush-Backed School Bill Advances in Senate
The New York Times, March 9, 2001

On March 9th, a Senate committee unanimously approved an education bill embodying President Bush's calls for changes in education, but several committee Democrats threatened to withdraw their support if the administration did not back a substantial increase in spending for schools in poor areas.

Census Figures Show Hispanics
Pulling Even With Blacks
The New York Times, March 8, 2001

The Hispanic population in the United States has grown by more than 60 percent in the last decade, pulling it into rough parity with blacks as the largest minority, early data from the 2000 census show.


Habla Ingles, Por Favor
Newsweek, March 12, 2001

Ron Unz, a silicon valley software mogul, is on a crusade to end bilingual education. He has battled bilingual education out West and is now taking on the nation’s largest school district—New York City.


Fighting Like a Girl: Female Adolescents
Catching Up to Boys in Aggressive Behavior
The Boston Herald, March 11, 2001

According to Deborah Prothrow-Stith, a professor at Harvard's School of Public Health who studies juvenile violence, it is becoming more of a norm for girls to respond violently to situations.


Proposed Bill Could Change
American Indian History Lessons
North County Times (California), March 6, 2001

Bill 41 in the California Senate, if approved, would develop a model curriculum for students in grades one through 12 that would emphasize California Indian history, culture, sovereignty and diversity.

Lessons: Reducing Poverty Could
Increase School Achievement
The New York Times, March 7, 2001

The author of this commentary piece opines, "when we see poor children with lower test scores, we fail to consider if improving conditions of poverty, sometimes at relatively little cost, might also have an impact."

With Schools, Small Seems a Better Fit
The Seattle Times, September 12, 2001

Research shows students at small high schools go to class more, drop out less, behave better and, in the case of low-income students, often score higher on standardized tests than students at schools double or triple that size.


Top Educators Question Merit of SAT Exams
The Miami Herald, March 12, 2001

Some of the nation's top educators are questioning whether the SAT deserves its vaunted status, and whether it should be used at all.


Census Finds Diversity Spreading to Suburbs
The Washington Post, March 9, 2001

Racial and ethnic diversity once concentrated in the nation's cities has spread significantly into suburbs and small towns, according to the 2000 census data for New Jersey, Wisconsin and Mississippi.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Williams Reaching Out To Poor in Budget Plan
The Washington Post, March 12, 2001

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams today will propose a $5.3 billion operating budget that provides only modest increases for the city's public schools but attempts through tax credits and funding increases to counter claims that he is insensitive to the poor.

Clashes Bog Down D.C. School Board
The Washington Post, March 12, 2001

Members of the District's Board of Education say they are spending too much time arguing with board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz and have done little to improve schools since taking office two months ago.

PENNSYLVANIA

PA Schools Lack Science Standards
Philadelphia Daily News, March 12, 2001

Pennsylvania still hasn't adopted its already-written standards for the science knowledge and skills it expects schoolchildren to know.

WEST VIRGINIA

Graduation Rates Up, Down and All Around the Issues
National Education Goals Panel Monthly, February 2001.

As of 1998, only 19 states had met the national goal of a 90% high school completion rate. This newsletter highlights success stories in Tennessee, Vermont and West Virginia.

MARYLAND

Poorer Children Least Ready for School
The Washington Post, March 9, 2001

According to a recent report based on assessments of 8,261 Montgomery County kindergartners in last fall, children from poor families fall well below their peers in knowing the alphabet and other fundamental skills.


ACLU Aims to Get Maryland Funds for City Schools
The Baltimore Sun, March 12, 2001

The American Civil Liberties Union has stepped up pressure on Maryland's governor and state legislature, saying it will consider further legal action if funding for Baltimore schools is not increased soon.

Lawmaker Fights for Early Learning
The Baltimore Sun, March 11, 2001

State Delegate Mark K. Shriver, the Montgomery County Democrat, is sponsoring several bills this year aimed at helping young children, including pushing for more state funding for all-day kindergarten in local school systems.

Maryland Panel Rejects Aid to Private Schools
The Washington Post, March 10, 2001

Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening's plan to spend $8 million on textbooks for private schools was narrowly defeated last night in the House Appropriations Committee.


Lawsuits on School Bonuses in the Works
The Washington Post, March 11, 2001

The Prince George's County Board of Education has authorized its attorney to file a lawsuit against Superintendent Iris T. Metts's top three deputies and one former deputy to force them to repay thousands of dollars in bonuses Metts awarded them last summer.

VIRGINIA

Revised Standards Criticized
Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 12, 2001

Two national think tanks --Hudson Institute's Center for American Common Culture and the Thomas B, Fordham Foundation -- have issued reports critical of Virginia's proposed revisions to its history and social science Standards of Learning.

Virginia House Leaders Seek Session
to Find Funds for Teacher Raises
The Washington Post, March 10, 2001

House members allied with Governor James S. Gilmore III (R) on the car-tax cut said today they will try to coax senators back to the bargaining table to salvage $200 million in teacher raises that only a special legislative session can now enact.

STUDIES & REPORTS

Meeting the Needs of Students
with Limited English Proficiency
General Accounting Office, February 2001

This report examines how long it takes for a child to gain enough English fluency to learn in English, what strategies are effective, and the role of the federal Office for Civil Rights.

WEBSITES & LINKS

Association of Community
Organizations for Reform Now (www.acorn.org)

The nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 100,000 member families organized into 500 neighborhood chapters in 40 cities across the country. Its priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools.

The Better Homes Fund (www.thebetterhomesfund.org)

A national nonprofit organization dedicated to developing long-term solutions to family homelessness by translating research and field experience into programs and policies benefiting homeless families.

The Galef Institute (www.dwoknet.galef.org)

Founded in 1989, the Galef Institute is a nonprofit educational organization whose primary goal is to work with educators in public schools, schools of education, and other reform agencies to improve student achievement by strengthening the teaching profession.

Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center For Poverty Research (www.jcpr.org)

JCPR concentrates on the causes and consequences of poverty in America and the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing poverty.

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