EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

A Close Look At Girls' Interest in Science
Christian Science Monitor, March 13, 2001

A recent study by a sociologist at the Catholic University of America found that African-American girls take more science classes in high school -- and that they have a more positive attitude about science careers -- than white girls and African-American boys.

What Tests Can't Fix
The New York Times, March 13, 2001

Senator Paul Wellstone and author Jonathon Kozol criticize President Bush's testing plan in a joint editorial.


Experts Preach Caution On Use of 'Precious' NAEP
Education Week, March 14, 2001

President Bush has proposed to use NAEP results to confirm a state's own testing data before determining federal rewards or penalties for states based on student achievement. Some experts are worried that such a measure would move the United States closer to a national curriculum and a national test.

Schools Project Bridges Border -
New Initiative Aids Migrant Schoolkids
The San Francisco Chronicle, March 20, 2001

Claudia Plumley, the principal of Jefferson Elementary School in Cloverdale, California, and Maria Cardenas, a vineyard worker and parent of three students, are part of a low-key, unpublicized effort by educators in the United States and Mexico to share school records, teachers, texts and other information beneficial to the education of migrant children.

Democrats Seek More Cash for Nation's Schools
IWon/Reuters, March 20, 2001

Democrats are challenging President George W. Bush's education budget, proposing that Congress spend $282 billion on the nation's schools instead of on tax cuts for wealthy Americans.

More Schools Getting in the Loop
The Washington Post, March 20, 2001

The practice of "looping"-- in which a teacher stays with the same class for more than a year -- is one that many schools, particularly at the elementary level, are trying across the country.


At School, A Cruel Culture
Education Week, March 21, 2001

While the incidents have prompted many districts to heighten security and crack down on bullies, some experts argue that not enough attention is being paid to changing the unfeeling or openly hostile way so many students treat one another on a day-to-day basis.


Internet Filters Used to Shield
Minors Censor Speech, Critics Say
The New York Times, March 19, 2001

In December, Congress passed the Children's Internet Protection Act, which requires federally financed schools and libraries to use a "technology protection measure" like filters to block access to obscene material, child pornography and anything considered to be "harmful to minors." Several parties, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Library Association, are filing suit against the law, claiming that it violates the First Amendment.

(Related article: Two Suits to Challenge Use of Web Filters in Libraries, The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 21, 2001)

Survey Connects Graphic TV Fare, Child Behavior
The Boston Globe, March 21, 2001

A recent survey of the research on media violence, sex, and risky behavior over the last 10 years found that what children watch can directly influence their behavior.

Out of Africa
Education Week, March 21, 2001

A new wave of refugees from Africa, including many students who have had little or no education, poses a challenge for programs to help immigrants. (See also: Lost Boys of Sudan Find a Home, Education Week, March 21, 2001.)

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. School Board Wants Mayor to Back Off
The Washington Post, March 20, 2001

Members of the District's Board of Education are complaining that Mayor Anthony A. Williams -- in pushing his own ideas for school reform and not funding the board's initiatives -- is not giving them a fair chance to turn the school system around.

PENNSYLVANIA

TEACH Gets Its Charter School
Bucks County Courier Times, March 21, 2001

The Morrisville School Board has approved an application for an Internet-based charter school (a.k.a. "E-Charter school") submitted by TEACH, a coalition based in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. To date, there are three such schools in the state: one in Western Pennsylvania, one in Northumberland, and one in Norristown.

MARYLAND

Open Enrollment Ban Extended
The Baltimore Sun, March 21, 2001

The Howard County Board of Education has voted to continue for one year its moratorium on open enrollment. The 20-year open enrollment policy allows parents to send their children to any school with empty seats so long as they provide their own transportation. Board members were reconsidering the policy because some parents and community groups have become critical of it, and school system officials said it is difficult to manage.

New Literacy Agency Head
Has Long History of Service
The Baltimore Sun, March 21, 2001

Baltimore's premier literacy agency, Baltimore Reads, has hired a new executive director.

A Model Lesson in Educational Development
The Washington Post, March 22, 2001

Montgomery County is spending $8.6 million this year to put a staff development teacher in every school to coach, model lessons and provide immediate feedback to both new and veteran teachers.


Prince George's to Summon 6,500 For Summer School
The Washington Post, March 22, 2001

Prince George's County school leaders say they will proceed with a plan to send 6,500 struggling students to summer school in July, despite complaints from parents about the mandatory program and lack of financial support from the county.


Minorities Pace Growth in County
The Washington Post, March 22, 2001

According to Census Bureau figures released this week, Howard County's population grew 32.3 percent in the last decade -- a rate nearly triple the statewide rate of 10.8 percent. As the population has grown, so has its diversity: ethnic minorities now make up more than a quarter of Howard's population, compared with 17 percent in 1990.

VIRGINIA

Board Expected to Adopt Standards
Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 21, 2001

The Virginia State Board of Education is expected to adopt a revised set of history and social science standards of learning on March 22nd.

Extra Funds From State to Help
School Board Meet Priorities
The Washington Post, March 21, 2001

The proposed school budget for Prince William County increased by more than $440,509 after Virginia released its final figures for how much it would fund local school districts.

Fairfax Teachers Plan Work Protest
The Washington Post, March 22, 2001

In protest of a 2 percent raise next year -- less than projected salary increases in several neighboring school districts -- many Fairfax County teachers voted last week to "work to the rule" and not spend any time on job-related activities before and after the school day.

STUDIES & REPORTS

Child Development and Medicaid: Attitudes of Young Mothers with Children Enrolled in Medicaid (pdf file)
The Commonwealth Fund, March 2001.

This study found significant gaps in communication between pediatricians and mothers of young children who get their health care through Medicaid.
Read press release.

Poverty Research News, Vol. 5., No. 2 (pdf file)
Northwestern University/University of Chicago
Joint Center For Poverty Research, March-April 2001

This month's issue has an article which examines the effects of the federal Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) on children's birth weight, on infant temperament, and on motor & social skills

WEBSITES & LINKS

The Commonwealth Fund (www.cmwf.org)
A private nonpartisan foundation that is dedicated to helping people become more informed about their health care, and improving care for vulnerable populations such as children, elderly people, low-income families, minority Americans, and the uninsured.

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