EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

U.S. Court Bars Race as Factor in School Entry
The New York Times, March 28, 2001

A federal judge in Detroit ruled on March 27th that the race-conscious admissions system of the University of Michigan's law school is unconstitutional, contradicting a December ruling in a parallel case that upheld the university's affirmative action policy for undergraduate admissions.

An Educational Melodrama Is Expanding
The Washington Post, April 3, 2001

A recent paper by University of Houston sociologists Laurence A. Toenjes and A. Gary Dworkin argues that the increasing test scores in Texas indicate real improvement, contrary to the claims made by Boston College researcher Walter M. Haney in his influential article "The Myth of the Texas Miracle in Education."

Reformers Push Small Schools
The San Francisco Chronicle, April 1, 2001

Backed by a growing body of research which suggests that small schools are better and safer, large high schools are breaking themselves down into smaller, more personal communities.
(See also: The Problem of the Megaschool, Newsweek, March 26, 2001)

Support for Tuition Vouchers
a Struggle Many States
Cleveland Plain-Dealer, April 1, 2001

According to most analysts, blacks voted overwhelmingly against school tuition vouchers in the last election because the measure was supported by wealthy whites and did not have a high-profile black proponent.

High-Tech Twist Boosts Reading
The Washington Post, April 2, 2001

The Pinellas County School District (Florida) has successfully used computer technology to improve student reading.


Teachers Like Internet, Wish It
Were Better Used in Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, March 30, 2001

According to a recent survey by NetDay, 87 percent of tearchers are comfortable using the Internet and 84 percent thought the Internet could improve the quality of education, but most said the Internet was not well-integrated into their classrooms because they lacked the time, equipment and technical support to use it effectively.

More Teen Girls Smoking in U.S.
CNN, March 27, 2001

A U.S. Surgeon General report released March 26 shows that record numbers of female high school teens now smoke.

NWLC Applauds Formation of Child Care Caucus (press release)
National Women's Law Center, March 29, 2001

The National Women's Law Center praises Representatives Bernie Sanders, Connie Morella, Rosa DeLauro and Ben Gilman for their efforts to improve the nation's child care policies through the formation of a new, bipartisan Congressional Child Care Caucus.

Racial Integration's Shifting Patterns
The Washington Post, April 1, 2001

Recent census data show a trend towards increasing black-white integration but growing Hispanic segregation in the largest metropolitan areas. (See also: Segregation Still High, Study Says, The New York Times, April 3, 2001)

California Census Confirms Whites Are in Minority
The New York Times, March 30, 2001

According to just-released census figures, non- Hispanic whites are now officially a minority in California, amounting to a little less than half the population of the most populous state, compared with nearly three-quarters only a decade ago.

In Moore's Trials, Excluded Jurors Fit Racial Pattern
The Washington Post, April 2, 2001

As exemplified in the case of murder defendant Corey A. Moore, attorneys and judges frequently ignore a law meant to prevent racial profiling on juries.

For Black Officers, Diversity Has Its Limits
The New York Times, April 2, 2001

For all the recruiting campaigns, the millions of dollars spent, the pledges by police commissioners and mayors to make the New York City Police Department reflect the city it polices, the advances have largely excluded black men.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Area's New Teachers Add Up
The Washington Post, March 29, 2001

Rapid teacher turnover in the Washington region's poorest schools and fast-paced growth in the suburbs mean children in local school districts have a 1 in 6 chance of getting a teacher who is new to their school or new to the profession.

Two D.C. Schools Make Bid for Understanding
The Washington Post, April 2, 2001

Parents at Bernard T. Janney Elementary, located in an predominately white and affluent community, recently planned a joint fund-raising event with parents at Anne Beers Elementary, located in a predominately black and working-class neighborhood.

MARYLAND

Teachers Ask for Help to End Minority Gap
The Washington Post, April 1, 2001

At a Maryland State Teachers Association symposium held in Bowie, teachers addressed the issue of bridging the minority achievement gap

Raising the Bar for New Educators
The Washington Post, March 29, 2001

Montgomery County is phasing in a new teacher evaluation system that introduces a new level of accountability and a mechanism to get rid of teachers who don't measure up.

Silver Spring School Overhaul
The Washington Post, March 30, 2001

In an unprecedented effort to turn around Broad Acres elementary, a school in danger of becoming eligible for state takeover, Montgomery County school officials have developed a plan which includes the following: asking teachers and administrators to reapply for their positions, adding extra hours of instruction to school days and weekends, doubling the classroom time spent on reading and math, adding 20 paid workdays a year for teachers, and bolstering English instruction for students and parents, many of whom are immigrants.


Web Site Permits Test Score Tracking
The Washington Post, April 1, 2001

Advocates for Children and Youth, an independent, nonprofit advocacy organization, has developed a website (www.marylandschoolreportcard.org) that allows for easy school-by-school comparisons in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program.

School Safety Drills' New Mantra: Duck and Cower
The Washington Post, March 31, 2001

In response to the rash of high school shootings in recent years, many schools have instituted "code red" emergency drills.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charters Put to the Test
The Philadelphia Daily News, April 2, 2001

Philadelphia nows has 34 charter schools enrolling about 14,000 students, with an unknown number having left. Some schools are succeeding but some are in danger of being shut down.

VIRGINIA

Fairfax Schools Plan Biggest Referendum
The Washington Post, April 2, 2001

Fairfax County school officials will announce a list of nearly $380 million in school construction projects that must be approved by the School Board and Board of Supervisors and then endorsed by voters in the Nov. 6 election. If it passes, it will be the most expensive school referendum in county history.

PUBLICATIONS & REPORTS

The Principal Shortage: Crisis or Opportunity?
National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), March 2001

The Fathering Indicators Framework: A Tool
for Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
National Center on Fathering and Families, March 2001

The Lone Star Gamble: High Stakes
Testing, Accountability, and Student
Achievement in Texas and Houston
University of Houston, August 2000

All Together Now: Creating Middle Class
Schools through Public School Choice
Brookings Institution Press, 2000

WEBSITES & LINKS

Parent's Online Resource Center
(www.childrenspartnership.org/prnt/prnt.html)

This webpage, developed by The Children's Partnership, lists practical tools for increasing parent involvement in technology.

The Principal's Center at Harvard University
( www.gse.harvard.edu/principals/)

A center devoted to the professional development of school leaders.

 

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