Just Over Half Of Students Show Up For First Day In Detroit

The Detroit Free Press (9/9, Dawsey, 226K) reports that "a little more than half of enrolled Detroit Public Schools students attended the first day of school on Tuesday," noting that low enrollment could threaten the district's funding. The piece notes that the district "has lost about 100,000 students during the last decade, costing the district millions and leading to closures of half of the district's schools. Last year, DPS enrolled about 74,000 students."

Florida District To Close For Entire Week Of Thanksgiving To Save Costs

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (9/8, Fitzpatrick) reports on the "extended break" that students in Broward County, Florida, will have on the week of Thanksgiving, noting that the "cost-saving measure will cut pay for school employees and could create a child care crunch for thousands of working parents." The school board approved the "employee furlough plan" this week, the Sun-Sentinel reports, continuing to focus on the impact on families and the financial constraints which prompted the district to take this step.

Heavy Superintendent Buyouts Raise Controversy

An Education Week (9/8, Samuels) article discusses a number of recent cases in which superintendents and high-ranking education officials have left their positions with hefty severance packages, noting that "Arlene Ackerman's $905,000 settlement with the Philadelphia district grabbed headlines, but she isn't the only Pennsylvania superintendent who has been shown the door in recent months with a generous settlement in hand. According to media reports, William Hall, who led the 3,050-student Gettysburg district, left in February with $542,000." The piece details a number of similar cases in districts nationwide, explores the impact of ironbound contracts in superintendents' compensation, and steps that are being considered to limit the escalation in high-level administrator pay.

Schools, Teachers Work To Craft Lessons Around 9/11 Anniversary

Several media outlets are reporting on the effort to develop lessons related to the upcoming anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001. The Baltimore Sun (9/8, Toth) reports on a pair of "new initiatives implemented by Howard County schools this year to honor the victims of Sept. 11. As the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, teachers are preparing lessons and the central office has issued recommendations to schools and staff to commemorate the occasion." The article describes the two programs and lists other activities and lessons that are being planned.

 

The Ithaca (NY) Journal (9/8, Stern) also reports on local educators' preparations for the commemoration, noting that "teachers around Tompkins County are grappling with how to teach students about 9/11 -- if at all." The piece notes that as time passes, the attacks become less fresh in students minds, and details the concerns teachers express about students taking divisive lessons from the attacks. The Everett (WA) Herald (9/8, Muhlstein) and the Norristown (PA) Times Herald (9/8, Rotenberg) also cover this story.

 

Meanwhile, the AP (9/8, Stacy) runs an article profiling "the students who were with President George W. Bush in a southwest Florida classroom on Sept. 11, 2001." The piece describes the students' memories of the event, and their reflections on how it may have impacted them.

Philadelphia School Violence Report Prompts New Safety Measures

The Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer (9/7, Snyder, Graham) reports that "a long-awaited report on violence in Philadelphia schools found that the district failed to report crime consistently, offered too little counseling for children traumatized by violence, and failed to implement solutions in all schools," and the district "has begun implementing the report's recommendations, including establishing a new protocol for reporting serious incidents and crime in the 155,000-student school system."

Evidence Of Systemic Cheating Found At Two Los Angeles Schools

The Huffington Post (9/7) reports that a number of teachers at two Los Angeles-area schools are being accused of correcting students' answers on standardized tests at two schools, resulting in neither school. Receiving "Academic Performance Index scores, which were released last week and are state measures of school performance. Both schools are among the state's top performers." The Post describes the nature of the irregularities and the steps that officials took to investigate, presenting the story within the context of other cheating scandals in Los Angeles and districts across the country.

Editorial: Philadelphia Superintendent's Departure Magnifies Schools' Challenges

An editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer (9/7) addresses the "crucial leadership void" left by the departure of former Philadelphia Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman, who recently "accepted a generous $905,000 buyout package." The piece also criticizes school district CFO Michael Masch for allowing a $650 million deficit to develop during his tenure. The Inquirer urges teachers and administrators to "make sure that all the uncertainty...doesn't filter down to their No. 1 priority - the children," and urges support for interim Superintendent Leroy Nunery, II.

Study: Lack Of Minority Teacher Retention To Blame For Gap

The Deseret Morning News (UT) (9/7, Lenz) reports that despite Education Secretary Arne Duncan's plans to recruit "more African American and Latino teachers in hopes to narrow the achievement gaps between students," new research published in the September issue of Kappan Magazine "shows that it's not recruitment that's lacking but retention of minority teachers." The study acknowledges a "significant gap between the percentage of minority students and the percentage of minority teachers," but indicates that "from 1998 to 2008, the number of minority teachers in the classroom nearly doubled." However, minority teachers leave the profession in even higher rates.

Recession, End Of Stimulus Bring Massive Teacher Layoffs

The CBS Evening News (9/6, story 6, 2:30, Pelley, 6.1M) ran a segment on the roughly 200,000 teachers and other education professionals who have been laid off due to state and local budget cuts resulting from the recession and the drop-off in Federal stimulus funding intended to preserve those jobs. "Back in 2009," CBS notes, "$97 billion in federal stimulus to states saved an estimated 325,000 school jobs. But that money is now gone. ... Gym, music, and art teachers are often the first to go." The piece focuses on the impact on teachers and their families, adding that some districts are now facing critical teacher shortages and are recalling limited numbers of teachers.

Technology Companies Gaining Funds At Schools' Expense, Writer Says

In an op-ed in Salon (9/7), writer David Sirota says that "a recent Education Week report showing that as US school systems are laying off teachers, letting schoolhouses crumble, and increasing class sizes, high-tech firms are hitting the public-subsidy jackpot thanks to corporate 'reformers" successful push for more 'data-driven' standardized tests" classroom technology, meaning that "the overall spending pie for public schools is shrinking, the piece of the pie for high-tech companies -- who make big campaign contributions to education policymakers -- is getting much bigger."

California District Uses "Looping" Classes

The Bakersfield Californian (9/7, Barrientos) reports that looping, a practice that keeps "groups of students together for two or more years with the same teacher," is uncommon in California districts, "but has been part of public education generally since the early 1900s." And, although little is known about "its effectiveness," research at universities "shows looping has boosted attendance rates," and school officials "say students benefit from such things as teachers understanding students' needs better."

Two ELL Links from Kenneth Beare

Modal Verbs Grammar

Most students eventually have difficulties with grammar and usage when using modal verbs. A good example of this is the difference in usage between mustn't and don't have to... Read more

Points of View Points of View is an intermediate to advanced level discussion lesson that asks students to rate their opinions from one to ten (1 - strongly agree / 10 - strongly disagree) on a number of controversial issues... Read more

Study: Bullying Linked To Low Academic Success

The Washington Post (9/6, George) reports that according to research conducted by researchers with the University of Virginia on students at nearly 300 Virginia high schools, bullying is "linked to lower academic achievement across the school." The study "shows that high school campuses with more reported bullying had lower passing rates on Virginia's standardized tests." The Post notes that this finding dovetails with "increasing public concern about bullying. On Thursday, one of the nation's toughest anti-bullying laws took effect in New Jersey, where a Rutgers University freshman committed suicide after a sexual liaison he was involved in was streamed over the Internet."

Survey: More Teachers Take Alternative Path To Certification

The Tulsa (OK) World (9/6, Archer) reports that according to a new survey from the National Center for Education Information, "one third of first-time US public school teachers hired since 2005 entered the profession through an alternative program other than a college campus-based teacher education program." The report also points to "an increasingly younger education workforce more apt to believe teacher tenure should be eliminated and performance-based pay implemented."

Experts Question Value Of Classroom Technology

The New York Times (9/4, Richtel, Subscription Publication) profiles a Chandler, Arizona, school with a "technology-centric classroom," noting that the "class, and the Kyrene School District as a whole, offer what some see as a utopian vision of education's future. Classrooms are decked out with laptops, big interactive screens and software that drills students on every basic subject." However, despite strong enthusiasm, "since 2005, scores in reading and math have stagnated in Kyrene, even as statewide scores have risen." The Times paints this district as a thumbnail of observations from education experts that "schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning."