EDUCATION & EQUITY NEWS    

NATIONAL

Bush Lobbies For Education Bill's Passage
The Washington Post, October 13, 2001

President Bush yesterday personally urged leaders of a congressional conference committee to complete work on his education reform plan, saying the legislation is vital not only to the nation's schools but also to demonstrate that his domestic agenda will not be halted by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

President Creates Advisory
Panel to Help Latino Students
The Los Angeles Times, October 13, 2001

President Bush has created a twenty-five member commission to give him ideas for improving academic achievement among Latin American students.

Intended to Unite, Displays of
Patriotism Divide Some Schools
The Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2001

Rather than drawing all Americans together, the patriotism campaign following the September 11 attacks has proved divisive. A small but staunch minority of parents, teachers and students is standing up to denounce the new boosterism.

Education Summit Tests Reform
The Washington Post, October 11, 2001

A national education summit ended with governors and education and business leaders promising to use standardized testing results not just to rank students or embarrass under-achieving schools, but to diagnose problems in order to allocate resources to improve achievement.

Opinion: Muslim Students
Weigh Questions Of Allegiance
The Washington Post, October 16, 2001

The author asks students at the Muslim Community School in Potomac, Maryland whether they are experiencing a conflict between being an American and being a Muslim given the current political climate.

Closing The Achievement Gap In Public Education
U.S. Newswire, October 9, 2001

According to a new study --"March Toward Excellence" -- conducted by a research team at Vanderbilt University, schools operated by the Department of Defense to educate the children of service men and women may hold the key to closing the achievement gap between white and minority students in the nation's public schools. (See also: Military Kids Are Outscoring Civilian Schools, USA Today, October 9, 2001)

Schools to Get $1 Billion for Technology
eSchool News Online, October 15, 2001

Under an action taken in both the House and the Senate last week, schools will receive an additional $130 million in federal funding for technology in fiscal year 2002.

MARYLAND

Despite Worries, Maryland
Graduation Tests Gaining Ground
The Washington Post, October 14, 2001

Several teachers have been assigned to rewrite the guidelines for the high school assessment test in physics. By 2007, students might have to pass one or more of a dozen state tests in various subjects to graduate, which would add Maryland to a growing list of states that have state testing standards for local diplomas.

Prince George's Summer Students' Scores Up
The Washington Post, October 13, 2001

In its first year, Prince George's County's mandatory summer school program produced marked gains among sixth-grade students but mixed results for younger children.

College Eases Teacher Training
The Baltimore Sun, October 15, 2001

Responding to a statewide shortage of teachers, Anne Arundel Community College has created an associate's degree in teaching that guarantees the credits will transfer to the teacher education program of any four-year college or university in Maryland.

A Well-Tailored Style of Teaching
The Baltimore Sun, October 14, 2001

Howard County schools are trying a teaching model based on learning how each child learns best.

Two Schools Apply for Charter Standing
The Washington Times, October 15, 2001

The school board of Frederick County, Md., will soon consider two applications for charter schools, which would create the state's first publicly funded but independently operated schools outside Baltimore. Montgomery and Frederick counties are the only school districts in the state that have voted to accept charter proposals. Maryland is one of the 14 states that do not have laws on charter schools.

City Students Falter on Basic-Skills Tests
The Baltimore Sun, October 11, 2001

Baltimore's middle and high school students scored significantly worse on state tests measuring basic reading and math skills this year than they did the previous year.

Schools Face Harder Tests
The Baltimore Sun, October 12, 2001

The Maryland Functional Tests are being replaced by a more rigorous set of exams. This year's ninth-graders will be the first to be officially scored on the state's new High School Assessments, which measure students' knowledge in subjects such as algebra, English, biology and government.

PENNSYLVANIA

Internet Access for Inner-City Children
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 15, 2001

The Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School has received a $2.5 million federal grant to establish centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh where inner-city children will be able to access Internet-based educational programs.

School Crime Victims Have New Ally
The Philadelphia Daily News, October 15, 2001

Harvey Rice, the Philadelphia school district's new safe-schools advocate, says he'll try to weed out disruptive and violent students and help level the playing field for victims of school crime. The district has roughly 3,000 reported incidents of school violence per year.

A Blend of Businesses and Books
in High School Academy Programs
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 12, 2001

Philadelphia Academies Inc. - a nonprofit organization founded by a group of businesses in 1969 - connects and nurtures partnerships between businesses and schools.

In Visit to Philadelphia, Schweiker
Gives No Hint of Plan for Schools
The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 12, 2001

After his first face-to-face meeting with Mayor Street, newly anointed Governor Schweiker gave no hint about his plans for Philadelphia schools, but promised to meet the Oct. 31 deadline for a proposed solution. (See also: Street, Schweiker Pledge Cooperation on Schools, Philadelphia Daily News, October 12, 2001.)

VIRGINIA

SOL Meeting Site Raises Stir
Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 16, 2001

A state-appointed committee is once again meeting in Texas to discuss Virginia's Standards of Learning tests, contrary to the wishes of the Virginia PTA, who wants it held in the home state so that interested parents can attend.

Board to Mull SOL alternatives
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, October 14, 2001

Rockingham County school officials are proposing a correspondence diploma program for high school students who can't meet Standards of Learning requirements for graduation.

Magnet School Proposal Irks Some
The Washington Times, October 12, 2001

Fairfax County schools Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech has proposed changing the admissions policy at a nationally recognized high school to boost enrollment from poorer areas, a plan that has upset parents who say it will adversely affect their children.

WASHINGTON,DC

D.C. Expands Free After-School Program
The Washington Post, October 12, 2001

All D.C. public schools are now offering free after-school activities, in a broad expansion of a program to ensure that children have a safe place to go when the school day is over.

SPECIAL ARTICLES & REPORTS

Charter Schools: A New
Hope For America's Latinos
The Atlantic Online, October 2, 2001

Teachers Who Grow As Collaborative
Leaders: The Rocky Road of Support
Education Policy Analysis, October 2001

The Right Thing: Why Liberals Should be Pro-Choice
The New Republic, October 8, 2001
(A pro-choice argument for school vouchers.)

The Shirts Off Their Backs: Can Schools
Regulate What Students Wear? That Depends
American School Board Journal, October 2001

WEBSITES & LINKS

Corporation for National Service
(www.nationalservice.org)

An organization that works with governor-appointed state commissions, nonprofits, faith-based groups, schools, and other civic organizations to provide opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their communities. The Corporation's three major service initiatives are: AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service Corps.

The Future of Children
(www.futureofchildren.org)

A website funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation whose primary purpose is to "disseminate timely information on major issues related to children's well-being, with special emphasis on providing objective analysis and evaluation, translating existing knowledge into effective programs and policies, and promoting constructive institutional change."

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