EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Bush Proposal for Head Start
Raises Play-vs.-Learn Debate
The Washington Post, April 16, 2002

Under a series of early childhood initiatives recently announced by President Bush, Head Start programs across the country would be asked to prove how well they are preparing some 900,000 low-income students for the rigors of school -- a proposal that has renewed the debate over just how much preschoolers should learn and how much they should play.

Court Closes Historic Desegregation Case
The Boston Globe, April 16, 2002

The Supreme Court brought to a close court-ordered desegregation in a North Carolina school district where in 1971 justices for the first time upheld crosstown busing of black and white pupils.

Connectedness Called Key to Student Behavior
The Washington Post, April 12, 2002

Students who attend small schools are less likely than others to engage in risky behavior such as drug use, violence or early sexual activity, largely because they feel better connected to their teachers and one another, according to the results drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a federally funded survey of 72,000 junior high and high school students.

Opinion: The Myth And Math of Affirmative Action
The New York Times, April 14, 2002

The author writes: "Affirmative action is widely thought to be unfair because it benefits minority applicants at the expense of more deserving whites. Yet this perception tends to inflate the cost beyond its real proportions."

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA METRO AREA

Teacher To Lose Job Under Hatch Act
The Washington Post, April 15, 2002

D.C. public school officials say a high school teacher who ran for a D.C. Council seat two years ago will be fired for violating the Hatch Act, a 62-year-old law that bars federal workers from participating in partisan political activity to prevent conflicts of interest.

Grime Expelled at 30 District Schools
The Washington Post, April 14, 2002

Across the District yesterday, about 2,500 volunteers went to 30 public schools to refurbish buildings in varying states of disrepair. They installed computers and electrical outlets, repaired fences, painted murals, maps and classrooms and restored a courtyard fountain.

Area Private School Rates Endanger Diversity
The Washington Post, April 11, 2002

Tuition will top $20,000 a year at some of the Washington region's elite private schools next year, a trend that is pushing some education bills into New York City price ranges and creating worries about attracting middle-class and lower-income students.

WEBSITE:

Hands-On DC
http://www.handsondc.org/

An all-volunteer project aimed at creating better schools for students in the District of Columbia.

MARYLAND

School's In for Prince George's
The Washington Post, April 15, 2002

Maryland state lawmakers have replaced the elected Prince George's County school board with an appointed panel and approved a school funding formula that will pump $1 billion into the district within five years. (See also: School System Poised For Dramatic Change, The Washington Post, April 11, 2002.)

Pr. George's Launches Search for Appointees
The Washington Post, April 10, 2002

The search for nine appointed members to the new Prince George's County school board began on April 9th, a day after lawmakers in Annapolis voted to abolish the elected school board.

PENNSYLVANIA

11 Districts Balk at Program to Lure Minority Teachers
The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 17, 2002

Last year, the Gloucester County freeholders created an Office of Minority Recruitment to increase the number of minority teachers. They hoped school districts would hire candidates from a countywide pool. But six months into the program, more than a third of the districts have not participated in the pool, which now has 220 candidates.

Race, Sex Listed in Results of Pa. Tests
The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 16, 2002

For the first time, Pennsylvania has released math and reading test results by race, poverty, sex and other indicators.

411 City Teachers Say They Plan to Resign
The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 16, 2002

A total of 411 Philadelphia public-school teachers - up more than a third over last year - reported that they will retire or resign at the end of the school year.

Panel to Review 'Reform' Schools
Philadelphia Daily News, April 16, 2002

The School Reform Commission said that it would review the list of Philadelphia schools selected for sweeping reforms after some of them insisted they've made significant academic progress. (See also: School Overhaul List Sparks Questions, Fears, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 11, 2002.)

Union Irate Over Plan for Schools
The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 16, 2002

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Ted Kirsch vows to fight any move by the city's School Reform Commission that would take schools out of the union and give them to private firms to run.

7 City Groups Given Grants for Schools
The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 10, 2002

The state announced yesterday that it would give seven Philadelphia-based community groups $2 million in state planning grants to explore converting 80 existing public schools into "independent schools."

VIRGINIA

Teachers' Salaries Lagging
Richmond Times-Dispatch, April 10, 2002

The National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers union, said in a report issued this week that salaries for Virginia public school teachers have not kept pace with inflation over the last 11 years.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

The Rise and Fall of American
Youth Violence: 1980 to 2000 (pdf file)
The Urban Institute, March 28, 2002

No Scientific Answers, but Many
Opinions on Reading Research
The Washington Post, April 11, 2002

How Bush Stole Education
Progressive Policy Institute, March 25, 2002

The Test Mess
The New York Times Magazine, April 7, 2002

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