Mathews: National Curriculum Would Stifle Innovation

In his Washington Post (9/6) "Class Struggle" column, Jay Mathews writes that national curriculum standards "sounds great. But it won't help and won't work. Such specific standards stifle creativity and conflict with a two-century American preference for local decision-making about schools." Mathews suggests that rather than focusing on a national curriculum, education policymakers should "focus on better teaching methods and better training of teachers, as well as school structures that help educators work more as teams. Those teachers could then employ whatever methods and standards make sense for their students."

Many Districts Trading Textbooks For Tablets

The AP (9/6) reports on a number of school districts issuing students iPads instead of textbooks, noting, "Apple officials say they know of more than 600 districts that have launched what are called 'one-to-one' programs, in which at least one classroom of students is getting iPads for each student to use throughout the school day." Educators tout the tablets' ability to access much more current data than is available in traditional textbooks. The AP adds, "The trend has not been limited to wealthy suburban districts. New York City, Chicago and many other urban districts also are buying large numbers of iPads."

From Kenneth Beare

Helpful 'How To' Guides to Get the School Year Started These helpful 'how to' guides will help you start the year right whether you are a teacher of English learner. These step-by-step guides provide a clear path to successful learning... Read more

Texas District Changes Placement Of Cafeteria Foods, Sees Increased Healthy Eating

The Austin American Statesman (9/2, Heinauer) reports that Austin, TX schools are changing lunch lines "so student offerings begin with milk , followed by fruits, vegetables -- first cold then hot -- and then the main entrée." The changes are based on "a New York Times opinion piece about how to make healthier options more marketable by switching things up in the lunch line." So far, the district has found "students were consuming 15 percent more fruit and 10 percent more fresh salad and vegetable dippers," and "hot vegetable consumption went up about 3 percent." Meanwhile, chocolate milk sales "dropped from 200 to 170 units."

Report Finds Critical Parental Involvement Takes Place At Home

Education Week (9/2, Offutt) reports, "Research finds that the most powerful parent involvement" is often "found at home when parents help with homework, express high expectations, and guide children toward goals." A new report from the National School Boards Association's Center for Public Education "emphasizes that the greatest impact from parent involvement comes when parents reinforce high-quality classroom instruction through family-focused, home-based learning." It also found that "parent involvement isn't driven by income." CPE Director Patte Barth offered some "ways to select parent involvement strategies that focus on improving student achievement," which the article details.

Single-Gender Classrooms A Growing Trend

The Washington Times (9/2, Wolfgang) reports that "single-gender classrooms within coed schools have exploded in number over the past decade, rising from about 50 in 2003 to more than 400 this year," with South Carolina having the greatest number, "more than 100 districts offering all-boy and all-girl classes." And, "schools that have successfully implemented same-sex classes often report more attentive students and fewer disruptions as well as a more lively back-and-forth between teachers and their students."

Students Finding Greater Flexibility Within School Dress Codes

The New York Times (9/2, B1, Clifford, Subscription Publication) reports that "in the great tradition of teenagers challenging authority, students at schools that require uniforms have been bending the rules a bit, showing up to class in cargo shorts, leggings and yoga pants." Rather than cracking down on this trend, "some schools are not only looking the other way at the modifications, but explicitly allowing the fashion-forward items." Beverly J. Hutton, principal of educational services for Burlington County Institute of Technology, said, "We just ask them to stay within the color scheme and to abide by the code as far as modesty." Dr. Hutton added, "They're teenagers. If you take it all away, you get rebellion." Other schools have sought greater "student buy-in" by allowing them input into the selection of uniforms.

Educators Consider How To Teach September 11 To New Generation

USA Today (9/2, Toppo) reports that on the eve of the September 11 attacks, "educators at all levels are grappling with endless variations of this problem: How do you teach something that everybody knows about but few understand? And how do you give kids the benefit of 10 years of perspective when the results of that day -- two long-standing wars and increased security worldwide -- are still playing out?" Although "most adults have vivid memories of the events of 9/11, an estimated one in five Americans either have no memory of them or weren't born yet."

Minnesota Schools Increasing Technology In The Classroom

The Austin (MN) Daily Herald (9/1, Mewes) reports that "little by little, area students are using more and more technology in the classroom right from the start of the school year." For example, "for the past five years, Grand Meadow High School provided laptops to ninth-graders through seniors due to a technology grant they received," and this was "so successful that Grand Meadow schools bought several iPads and iPods last year to provide further technological access to elementary and intervention classrooms." Meanwhile, "Pacelli Catholic Schools laptop program" has seen similar success, and "Austin's special education programs recently got 26 iPads to use this year."

Vermont Middle School Creates New Position To Oversee Special Education

The Bennington (VT) Banner (9/1, Raspuzzi) reports that "a new position has been created to oversee special education at Mount Anthony Union Middle School to make up for administrative cuts over the past three years." The Vermont school will now have a "special education building facilitator" who "will coordinate and oversee all special education matters at the middle school and assist the dozen special educators and 23 special education paraprofessionals in the building." Since 2008, "Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union has eliminated an assistant superintendent for special services, the director of student services and director of grants positions."

Report Says US Teacher Salaries Near Bottom

The Grand Rapids Press (9/1, Murray) reports that an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report "showed US teachers ranked 22nd out of 27 countries" in terms of teacher pay, and teachers earned "less than 60 percent of the average pay for full-time college-educated workers," according to a Huffington Post blog post about the survey, written by Center on Education Policy CEO Jack Jenkins. Jenkins added that other nations "draw higher-performing college students to the education field."

Utah Elementary School Experiments With "Looping" To Raise Performance

The Deseret Morning News (UT) (9/1, Wimmer) reports on McPolin Elementary School, which is experimenting with "looping," in which teachers follow their students as they move up in grade. "Research shows it's four to six weeks of added instruction time because of the familiarity and the procedures and routines in place," explained Principal Bob Edmist. "When you work with students and you work with the parents and they have to work with each other for two years, you develop deeper relationships." According to Sydnee Dickson, teaching and learning director at the State Office of Education, "looping is also good teaching model because teachers can connect curriculum from year to another."

Nonprofit CEO Urges "Gifted And Talented" Treatment For Underachieving Students

NPR's Tell Me More (8/31, Martin) reported an interview with Yvette Jackson, CEO of the nonprofit The National Urban Alliance for Effective Education and the former executive director of instruction and professional development for New York City Board of Education. Jackson "is proposing that school officials offer 'gifted and talented' programs to underachieving students," arguing that "these programs build on students' strengths and give them more power in deciding what they learn." The NPR website includes a full transcript and the original audio of the interview.

Some Districts Experimenting With Four-Day School Weeks

NBC Nightly News (8/31, story 12, 2:50, Williams) reported, "In our 'Education Nation' report tonight, this idea of a four-day school week. On the face of it, it makes you wonder how this could be better for our kids. ... But it's already a reality in some places, four-day school weeks are now in effect in several states." NBC (Cowan) reported, "The number of hours in class won't change, just four longer days. Kids may have Fridays off, but teachers still have to come in to plan." Cowan added, "Experts...were split on the issue, saying there's not enough research yet on the shorter week to see if it helps or harms."

California Schools Make Headway, But Sanction Concerns Remain

Reporting continues on the release of California's Academic Performance Index, which shows widespread gains but also raised concerns about the state's ability to meet AYP goals in the future. The AP (9/1, Chea) reports, "California schools posted gains on standardized tests for the ninth consecutive year, even as nearly 4,000 campuses face possible sanctions for failing to reach rising federal requirements," according to the state Department of Education's Accountability Progress Report. Data from the state show that "a record 49 percent of public schools met or surpassed the state target score of 800 on the 1,000-point Academic Performance Index, up from 46 percent in 2010 and 36 percent in 2009." However, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson noted, racial academic gaps persist despite some gains. Torlakson has also asked Secretary Arne Duncan for "a waiver for California, but he and other school officials asked that states not be 'held hostage to new and under-funded policy requirements.'"

A host of California newspapers and websites reported on the results for local areas. The Los Angeles Daily News (9/1, Llanos), for example, reports "students at Los Angeles schools continue making steady academic gains, with a record number of campuses meeting key state achievement goals." Overall, "the Los Angeles Unified School District scored 728 on the Academic Performance Index," a gain of 19 points over the previous year. However, "while more schools than ever can brag about their test scores, an alarmingly high number of campuses in the state and in L.A. were also marked as failing under federal guidelines," the article notes.

 

The Santa Cruz Sentinel (9/1, Jones) reports, "Statewide, 49 percent of schools met the state goal, up from 46 percent last year. But more than 900 schools are at risk of joining nearly 4,000 others already designated failing by federal officials for falling short of proficiency targets in English and math." Mary Anne James, director of curriculum and assessment for Santa Cruz City Schools, is quoted as saying, "The question is, is the target meaningful or is the improvement meaningful."