EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

State Voters' Top Priority: Education
Christian Science Monitor, May 7, 2002

When it comes to voters' national concerns, education ranks second, slightly higher than terrorism/security. Last month, the Public Education Network and Education Week newspaper reported that while 16 percent of voters polled are most concerned about education, 13 percent are most worried about terrorism/security.

House GOP Prods Members
to Tout Education with Voters
The Washington Times, May 3, 2002

House Republican leaders are pushing their members to talk more about education as they campaign, because they are trailing Democrats on the issue and leaders believe it is a key part of securing victory this fall.

Tolerance in Schools a Homosexual
Ploy, Conservatives Say
The Washington Times, May 7, 2002

Programs to teach tolerance in public schools are actually being used to promote and encourage homosexuality, conservative activists said in a Capitol Hill briefing.

Bullying, Girl-Style
The Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2002

In public forums, often for the first time, girls--and women--are stepping forward with stories about how they were bullied or were bullies themselves.

Challenges of Special Ed Extend to Finding Teachers
The Arizona Republic, May 6, 2002

More than 30,000 special education teachers nationwide teach without the appropriate license, reports the Council for Exceptional Children, a national teachers organization.

Panelists: Single-Sex Schooling Beneficial
The Washington Times, May 2, 2002

Single-sex instruction benefits boys and girls, especially those with economically challenged and historically disadvantaged backgrounds, educators and researchers said at a single-sex instruction seminar hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.

White House Yields to Democratic
Pressure on Student Loans
The Boston Globe, May 1, 2002

The Bush administration backed away yesterday from a proposal to curtail a popular student loan program after Democrats charged that the plan would make it more expensive for millions of Americans to attend college.

U.S. Schools Recruiting Teachers From Abroad
The Nando Times, May 6, 2002

Due to a shortage of qualified bilingual teachers in the United States, many schools are recruiting them from abroad.

MARYLAND

Governor Signs Bills Aimed at Education
The Baltimore Sun, May 7, 2002

Gov. Parris N. Glendening signed a bill yesterday to significantly boost spending on public schools over the next six years. The Thornton Commission legislation - which raises Maryland's cigarette tax to $1 per pack to pay for the first two years of education aid - was one of 130 bills signed yesterday by the governor.

See also:

$1.3 Billion For Schools Signed by Glendening ,
The Washington Post, May 7, 2002;

Bill-Signing Session Focuses on Education,
The Washington Times, May 7, 2002.)

Montgomery Tests Show Student Gains
The Washington Post, May 7, 2002

Montgomery County students scored in the top third nationally on the latest round of standardized tests, but youngsters from low-income backgrounds and some racial and ethnic groups continued to lag far behind.

PG Activists Seek Schools Referendum
The Washington Times, May 7, 2002

A group of parents and community activists in Prince George's County is seeking a referendum on the bill that ousted the county's elected school board in favor of an appointed one.

Pr. George's Test Scores Rise
The Washington Post, May 3, 2002

On the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, which compares students with their peers nationwide, Prince George's County schools posted significant gains this year, with 60 percent of the schools now scoring at or above the national average, compared with 34 percent last year.

PENNSYLVANIA

Analysis of Schools Released By State
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 7, 2002

A detailed analysis of Pennsylvania's school districts released by the bond-rating firm Standard & Poor's concluded that simply spending more money per student in school districts will not necessarily increase test scores, but there are strong correlations between poverty levels and educational achievement.

Stay Or Go? School Overhaul Plan Has
Philadelphia Teachers Facing Tough Decision
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 6, 2002

Hundreds of Philadelphia teachers have been wrestling with a dilemma: Do they abandon the students, families and staffs they have come to know to transfer to a school that is not scheduled for overhaul? Or do they stay and face the possibility that their worlds will be turned upside down, for better or worse?

3 Push 'Thin Management'
Over Privatization of Schools
Philadelphia Daily News, May 6, 2002

Officials from three of the seven management organizations selected to run a group of Philadelphia schools marred by low performance– Chancellor Beacon Academies Inc., Foundations Inc. and Temple University - say they favor "thin management," as opposed to outright privatization" Under the "thin management" model, teachers would remain in their buildings and as employees of the school district.

Former Chicago Schools Chief Seeks Phila. Post
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 7, 2002

Paul G. Vallas, who ran Chicago's schools for six years and recently lost a Democratic bid for Illinois governor, has applied to become the Philadelphia School District's chief executive officer.

Questions Remain for 70 Principals
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2, 2002

Philadelphia School District and reform commission officials yesterday met privately for nearly three hours with the 70 principals whose schools are targeted for overhaul but offered little new information. The principals did not find out whether they would keep their jobs or be transferred.

VIRGINIA

Past Bias Barred as Admissions Factor in Va.
The Washington Post, May 4, 2002

A new directive from the Virginia attorney general's office warned state universities they cannot use past discrimination against minority students as a justification for college admissions decisions, but higher education officials said it should bring little change to their policies.

WASHINGTON, DC

Revoked Charter Schools Still Open
The Washington Post, May 6, 2002

More than eight months after the DC school board voted to revoke the charters of theWorld Public Charter School and the Richard Milburn Public Charter Alternative High School, both remain open and continue to receive public funding.

'Something Special' Seen at Charter School in District
The Washington Times, May 3, 2002

Friendship Edison's facility -- Carter G. Woodson public school in Northeast -- has been reborn as one of the finest charter schools, in the country, said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform.

D.C. School Office Workers Must Reapply
The Washington Post, May 3, 2002

D.C. School Superintendent Paul L. Vance announced a staff reorganization that will force 1,100 central office employees to reapply for work if they want to remain in the school system.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls
The Oprah Show, April 24, 2002

A Real Education
Columbia Journalism Review, March/April 2002
(The author describes her experiences teaching inside of one of Philadelphia's "toughest schools.")

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