EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Jeffords' Special-Ed Plan Revived
The Boston Globe, June 4, 2001

Empowered by the defection of Republican Senator James Jeffords, Senate Democrats take control this week with plans to push for a special-education program that may cost $181 billion over ten years.

Opinion: How Middle-Class Tax
Breaks Masquerade as School Reform
USA Today, June 4, 2001

The federal tax cut passed last month included education IRAs which allow parents to invest $2,000 a year into a tax-free fund that covers any education expense, including private or parochial school tuition. The writer argues that they are an expensive benefit for the middle class -- costing $6.3 billion in revenue during the next decade -- and that they could sidetrack plans to reform public schools.

(See also: Tax Bill Gives Benefits for Education, The Washington Post, May 31, 2001.)

Media's Eye on Moms: Few People Had
Any Idea That the Latest Child-Care
Study Would Cause Such a Stir
The Christian Science Monitor, June 5, 2001

According to the authors of a study released last month saying that children who spend long hours in child care tend to be more aggressive, the media needlessly sensationalized the findings and ignored the study's positive conclusions

New Roles Tap Expertise of Teachers
The Washington Post, May 30, 2001

In recent years, a growing number of districts have begun to give teachers leadership responsibilities beyond their own classrooms.

High Court Allows University Affirmative Action
CNN.com, May 29, 2001

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to the use of race as a factor in university admission decisions to achieve a diverse student body.

U.S. Gets "Failing Grade" Protecting
Gay Students Widespread Bullying,
Teacher Indifference in U.S. Schools
Human Rights Watch, May 30, 2001

According to a new report issued by Human Rights Watch, gay teenagers are often subject to so much bullying in U.S. schools that they are not receiving an adequate education.

The Legacy of Columbine
The Washington Post, June 5, 2001

"Blueprints," a two-year program administered by the University of Colorado at Boulder, aims to reduce bullying by changing the culture of a school.

PENNSYLVANIA

Big Deficit, New Crisis for Philadelphia Schools
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 1, 2001

Philadelphia's Board of Education has adopted a $1.7 billion budget for the coming year with a $216 million deficit, with no solid plans on how to close the gap. Without additional help, the district could run out of cash before the end of next school year and be forced to shut down its schools, which would trigger a state takeover of the district.

Report: More Can Be Done
to Ease Charter-School Costs
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 2, 2001

With the increase in charter schools becoming a bigger financial burden on the Philadelphia School District, an independent report (pdf file) released by the Pennsylvania Economy League calls for additional state funding and better management by the district.

VIRGINIA

SOL Frenzy Grips Virginia Campuses
The Washington Post, June 4, 2001

95,000 ninth grade students -- scheduled to graduate in 2004 -- will be the first class that must pass six Standards of Learning (SOL) tests to receive its diplomas. Supporters of the new system say they worry that if too many students fail the tests, public support will collapse for higher standards in Virginia and other states.

Newest Arrivals Face Biggest Hurdles
The Washington Post, May 30, 2001

The High Intensity Language Training (HILT) program at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington is aimed at teaching new immigrants English quickly and integrating them into regular classrooms as soon as possible. But it's difficult to challenge students with complex ideas in a language they haven't mastered. As a result, some students in the program have complained about a "dumbed-down" curriculum for LEP students.

MARYLAND

Hold Back Student, Maryland Father Urges
The Washington Post, June 3, 2001

A case in which a Maryland father wants her underachieving child retained instead of graduating to the next grade level highlights some of the concerns in the debate between retention versus social promotion.

Metts May Cut 150 Teachers, New Counselors
The Washington Post, May 31, 2001

To meet a county spending cap, the Prince George's County Board of Education must trim $100 million from its budget proposal. As a result, Prince George's County high schools could lose up to 150 teaching positions and may scrap a plan to add guidance counselors to middle and high schools.

School Hails Help System
The Baltimore Sun, June 4, 2001

An innovative new program for Howard Community College students with less-than-stellar high school careers has been successful in retaining them in school.

Officials Seek Grant to Lure 50 Teachers
The Baltimore Sun, June 3, 2001

With the school board's anticipated approval, Anne Arundel County school officials will apply for a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to bring in 50 teachers to teach difficult subjects in high-poverty schools and keep them there.

Teachers Union Argues Case Against
Contract for Privately Run Schools
The Baltimore Sun, June 2, 2001

Lawyers for Baltimore teachers challenging the private operation of three city schools told the state's highest court yesterday that Edison Schools is a business that markets its product - educating public school students - "like Haagen-Dazs," and contended that the State Board of Education's contract with Edison is illegal.

Schools Make Valuable Exchange
The Baltimore Sun, June 3, 2001

This article describes a pen-pal and resource-exchange program between middle school students in Howard County and less-privileged elementary students in West Baltimore.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

Building Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations
The Urban Institute, April 2001

The Condition of Education 2001
National Center for Education Statistics, 2001

Federal Expenditures on Children: 1960–1997
The Urban Institute, April 2001

Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools
Human Rights Watch, May 30, 2001

Pathbreaking Congressional Budget Office
Study Shows Dramatic Increases in Both
1980s and 1990s in Income Gaps Between
the Very Wealthy and Other Americans
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 31, 2001

WEBSITES & LINKS

PolicyLink
(www.policylink.org)

A national advocacy, research, capacity building, and communications organization that focuses on equity issues. For a list of their publications and report, click here.

The Urban Institute
(www.urban.org)

A nonprofit, non-partisan policy research organization established whose goals are to "sharpen thinking about society's problems and efforts to solve them, improve government decisions and their implementation, and increase citizens' awareness about important public choices."

Human Rights Watch
(www.hrw.org)

An independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by from private individuals and foundations, dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world.

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