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Edscoops 2008

• Students Explore Career Options at Mayo Clinic
  A pilot partnership between the Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and an area high school aims to allow struggling teens to explore health and science jobs and develop career goals. 09/02/08



• Cell Phone Use Banned Near School
  West University Place, Texas, has banned all use of cell phones by drivers within three blocks of its elementary school during school hours. School officials feared distracted drivers could put kids at risk. 08/29/08



• Group Distributes School Supplies to Needy Kids
  Kids R First, a non-profit group founded by retired teachers, collected school supplies for more than 14,000 needy Virginia students this year. The group finds out exactly what students need before buying materials. 08/28/08



• Student-Fueled Effort for More Rigor Falls Short
  A student-supported push that began in 2005 to get the Los Angeles school district to ensure that every area high school student had access to college-prep courses by 2006 has fallen short of its goal. 08/27/08



• Governor Calls for Legal Protection for Teachers
  The governor of Indiana said he wants to give teachers immunity from lawsuits for making good faith efforts to maintain discipline and order, such as restraining a student involved in a fight. 08/26/08



• Council to Advise on NCLB Issues
  The U.S. Department of Education appointed 16 members to the National Technical Advisory Council, which will advise the department on state standards, assessments, and accountability systems. 08/25/08



• Town Allows Teachers to Carry Guns
  The Harrold (Texas) Independent School District may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms for protection when classes begin for this school year. 08/22/08



• Educators Paying to Stock Classrooms
  Severe budget cuts in the Clark County, Nevada, district have led to teachers spending more of their own money on classroom supplies. Some teachers expect to spend about $100 a month on supplies. 08/21/08



• Outdoor Educators Seek More Funding
  Outdoor and environmental educators across the U.S. are putting pressure on Congress and their state lawmakers to add more funding to state and federal budgets for nature learning to get more kids outside. 08/20/08



• Districts Pool Funds for Teacher Training
  Three south San Antonio (Texas) school districts shared the cost of bringing summer training sessions to teachers. Educators who attended the training met new people and the districts saved money. 08/19/08



• Are Laptops Improving Student Learning?
  Since Maine began supplying laptops to middle-schoolers in 2002, attendance has improved and students have shown more enthusiasm for schoolwork. But student scores on most state tests have not changed significantly. 08/18/08



• Principal Spends Summer Visiting Students
  Armed with maps and back-to-school information and aboard a scooter, Saghalie (Federal Way, Washington) Middle School principal Damon Hunter visited the home of every one of his 600 students this summer. 08/15/08



• Students More Open to Life Lessons from Trusted Teachers
  When it comes to delivering lessons on sensitive subjects such as sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention, the message has more impact on students when it comes from a teacher they trust, a study says. 08/14/08



• Rodeo Clown Creates Anti-Bullying Program
  Marvin Nash, a professional rodeo clown for 30 years in Wyoming, and his wife, developed a bullying prevention program for schools called "Bullying Hurts." Older students teach younger ones how to deal with bullies. 08/13/08



• Teachers, Parents Question Summer Assignments
  As the new school year looms, many students are rushing to finish all their summer assignments, causing some parents and educators to question whether such projects stress out students badly in need of a break. 08/12/08



• Grants to Help Special Ed Teachers Meet NCLB Standards
  Twenty U.S. universities are slated to receive federal funding to expand preparation programs for special educators. The grants are for training programs to help special ed teachers meet NCLB "highly qualified" standards. 08/11/08



• Double Dutch Gains Varsity Status
  Starting in the spring of 2009, double dutch, a form of jumping rope popular in urban areas, is slated to become the New York City Public Schools' newest varsity sport. 08/08/08



• Students Who Break Dress Code Get Jumpsuits
  Starting in the fall, students at Gonzales High School in Texas who ignore the school's dress code will be sentenced to wearing a blue prison-style jumpsuit for the rest of the school day. 08/07/08



• Energy Costs Spurring Green-School Construction
  School districts that in the past thought constructing green schools would be too expensive now are embracing the idea as a way to save on energy costs and have more healthful school environments. 08/06/08



• Is Online Reading Real Reading?
  While some educators and policy makers argue that too much time surfing the net is causing children's reading skills to decline, others say the time has come to recognize the value of online reading. 08/05/08



• Girls Doing as Well in Math as Boys
  A study recently published in the journal Science disputes the notion that girls don't do as well in math as boys. The study data showed only a small gap in boys' and girls' math performance. 08/04/08



• Mentoring Program Exposes H.S. Students to College Science
  Connecticut high-school students are getting a taste of college science and other subjects through Mentor Connection, a three-week session that matches high school students with University of Connecticut researchers. 08/01/08



• New School Buses Run on Propane
  A San Antonio, Texas-area school district has unveiled new classic-yellow school buses that officials say are the first in the U.S. manufactured to run on propane. 07/31/08



• Working With Hands Helps Brain Development
  British children's brain development is being threatened by their failure to work with their hands in school and at home, a study said. Schools offer fewer hands-on classes, and at home kids play computer games. 07/30/08



• State Calls NCLB Goals Unrealistic
  While more Hawaiian students scored higher on standardized tests this year, 60 percent of public schools failed to make adequate yearly progress due to what education officials called unrealistic NCLB expectations. 07/29/08



• Multiple Military Deployments Stressful for Children
  With more children of military personnel showing signs of stress as parents are deployed multiple times to war zones, schools are increasing efforts to provide support for the children of servicemen and women. 07/28/08



• School District Approves Paddling Students
  Starting in the fall, principals in Twiggs County, Georgia, will be able to paddle students who don't respond to detention or other forms of discipline, reaffirming a policy that had lain dormant in the county since 2006. 07/25/08



• School Board Bans Student-Teacher Texting, Online Social Networking
  The Lamar County (Mississippi) school board recently approved a policy prohibited teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace. 07/24/08



• Students Taking Lead in Green Initiatives
  Increasing numbers of environmentally-aware students are leading green initiatives at their schools. A graduate of a Virginia high school got approval for solar panels and raised money for the project. 07/23/08



• Grants Aim to Help Middle-Schoolers Prep for College
  The U.S. Department of Education approved 24 new grants for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to help disadvantaged middle school students prepare for and pursue a college education. 07/22/08



• Students Discuss Asian, Hispanic Students' Performance
  Students at Lincoln High School in California have participated in candid discussions about the differences in Hispanic and Asian-American students' academic performance in an effort to close the achievement gap. 07/21/08



• Parents Secretly Teaching Kids 'Old' Math
  Concerned that their children are missing out on certain critical skills, some parents are teaching their children "old" math procedures -- such as long division -- to supplement new, concept-based curricula. 07/18/08



• Summer Program Cuts Hurt Gifted, Remedial Students
  Remedial and enrichment summer classes are being eliminated around the country as school districts try to reduce costs and struggle to balance budgets in a tight economy. 07/17/08



• Good Nutrition Linked to Better Test Performance
  Learners with access to a more nutritious diet in early childhood may score higher on intellectual tests in adulthood, regardless of how much education they received overall, according to new data. 07/16/08



• ALA to Study Gaming Impact on Literacy
  The American Library Association (ALA) is planning a study to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills. ALA plans to monitor the results of gaming initiatives. 07/15/08



• Teachers Sign On for 'Geek' Training
  More than 50 Oklahoma teachers participated in a week of work with GEEK SMART, a professional development program that helps educators learn to integrate hands-on math and science lessons. 07/14/08



• Failure No Option for Middle-Schoolers
  Starting this fall, Florida will require all students to pass their core subjects in middle school in order to be promoted to the ninth grade. Failing students receive remedial help during the year or attend summer school. 07/11/08



• Virtual PE Fits Many Students' Needs
  Hundreds of teens in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area are enrolled in online gym classes. Students study sports and fitness, but are expected to practice what they learn. Physical activity is completed on an honor system. 07/10/08



• Teachers Could Swap Tenure for Higher Pay
  D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is proposing giving mid-level teachers who are paid $62,000 yearly the opportunity to earn more than $100,000 -- but they would have to give up seniority and tenure rights. 07/09/08



• Some See School Day-Care, Teen Pregnancy Link
  Some educators and social service workers have raised concerns that the presence of day-care centers in high schools sends the message to girls that teen pregnancy is acceptable. Others call for increased sex education. 07/08/08



• Study: PE No Cure for Obesity
  Increasing the volume and frequency of physical education classes can improve kids' bone mineral density, aerobic capacity, blood pressure, and flexibility, but has no effect on childhood obesity, a study says. 07/07/08



• The Ordeal of Trying to Fire Bad Tenured Teachers
  The mounting legal costs and years of effort needed to dismiss bad tenured teachers -- even those who have broken the law -- forces many administrators to tolerate poor teacher performance, some experts say. 07/03/08



• School Districts Root Out Energy 'Hogs'
  Texas school administrators are scouring their districts to find ways to save energy to meet a state mandate to reduce energy consumption 5 percent each year from now through 2013. Some districts already have energy plans. 07/02/08



• Study: Children Still Love Books
  Despite their interest in all things digital, children between the ages of 5 and 17 still want to read books, a study says. The study also noted that the amount of time kids spend reading for fun declines after age 8. 07/01/08



• Parents Want to See More Math Instruction
  More than one-third of U.S. parents said in an AP poll that they want their children to receive more math instruction in school. A majority also said schools are doing just a fair job in preparing children for the work force. 06/30/08



• Study: Test Scores Up Under NCLB
  Students are performing better on state reading and math tests and the achievement gap has narrowed since enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law six years ago, according to an independent study. 06/27/08



• Are Eighth-Grade Graduation Celebrations Going Overboard?
  Some educators are starting to wonder if eighth-grade graduation celebrations -- which can include dances, trips, dinners, and awards ceremonies over the course of several weeks -- are becoming excessive. 06/26/08



• New Data Shows Gains for Reading First Students
  State data shows gains for Reading First students in nearly every grade and subgroup, including English language learners and students with disabilities, according to the U.S. Department of Education. 06/25/08



• Students Charged With Loading Spyware, Changing Grades
  Two Orange County, California, teenagers have been charged with breaking into high school offices and using stolen usernames and passwords to change lackluster grades to A's. The two are facing jail time if convicted. 06/24/08



• Children Read Better After Brains 'Rewired'
  An intensive reading program conducted three years ago in 50 Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) schools permanently "rewired" the brains of dyslexic children, Carnegie Mellon University researchers reported. 06/23/08



• College Board: SAT Writing Section Fails to Meet Expectations
  The writing section added to the SAT three years ago has done little to improve the exam's overall ability to predict how students will do in college, according to research released by the College Board, the test's owner. 06/20/08



• Teachers Not 'LOL' Over Text Shortcuts
  Many teachers are seeing the abbreviations used in text messaging in student papers, tests, and other assignments, and say students also are ignoring spelling and punctuation in their written schoolwork. 06/19/08



• Group Seeks Uniform Allergy Policies for U.S. Schools
  The nonprofit Food Allergies & Anaphylaxis Network is pushing for a federal law to create uniform guidelines for schools to follow to protect the estimated 2 million U.S. school-age children with food allergies. 06/18/08



• Board-Certified Teachers Boost Scores
  Students taught by educators certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards make bigger gains on standardized tests than students taught by other teachers, according to a study. 06/17/08



• Actor Pays for First Interracial Prom
  Charleston (Mississippi) High School held its first interracial prom this year, paid for by actor Morgan Freeman. In the past, white and African-American students attended separate, privately-funded proms. 06/16/08



• Interest Grows in Peer Review for Teachers
  The teachers' union in Toledo, Ohio, has spearheaded a peer review policy to purge the district of incompetent teachers. The practice has withstood three lawsuits and union members overwhelmingly support it. 06/13/08



• Study: Exercise Helps Raise Test Scores
  Studies by Ontario, Canada, researchers indicate that schools that stress fitness and nutrition have seen their standardized scores rise by as much as 50 per cent over two years in third grade. 06/12/08



• Teachers React to Dress Code Memo
  Annoyed by teachers who "dressed down," the Wyandanch, New York, superintendent fired off a memo saying teachers should dress like they are working with children, not cows and horses. The union reacted sharply. 06/11/08



• School Goes Extra Mile to Help Poor Kids Learn
  Sherrie Gahn, principal of Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, Nevada, has made it her mission to ensure her students get what they need to help them learn -- including food, clothes, eyeglasses, and haircuts. 06/10/08



• Poll: Male Involvement at Schools on the Rise
  A National PTA poll shows that more men are involved in their children's education than ever before. Almost 50 percent of parent leaders said that the level of male involvement has grown at their PTA in the last three years. 06/09/08



• Students, Teachers Protest Gas Prices
  Hundreds of students, faculty, and staff at Sayville (New York) High School left their cars at home Wednesday and found alternate means of transportation to school to protest rising gas prices. 06/06/08



• Districts Receive Funds for Emergency Planning
  The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $24 million in grants to 92 school districts in 34 states to help them update and improve their readiness and emergency management plans. 06/05/08



• High Schools, Parents Raise Concerns About 'Beach Week' Parties
  The high-school graduation ritual in some communities of teens partying at a beach for a week after school ends, and often drinking excessively, is raising concerns among parents and educators. 06/04/08



• State Asks for "Fresh Start" on NCLB
  Idaho's State Board of Education has asked the U.S. Department of Education to wipe away the student progress measurements for 2002-2006 for hundreds of schools now facing sanctions under No Child Left Behind. 06/03/08



• States Wrestle With School Bus Fuel Costs
  The soaring cost of fuel for school buses is forcing some school districts to reduce the number of field trips, cut the school week down to four days, and even eliminate bus transportation for some students. 06/02/08



• Poor Hearing Can Be Behind School Problems
  Hearing problems may be the cause of some children's poor academic performance or misbehavior in school, according to some experts. Children who have difficulty hearing often appear inattentive and restless. 05/30/08



• Schools Requiring Students to Take Lunch Break
  In some high schools where students are trying to pack Advanced Placement courses into every spare moment of the day, school administrators are tweaking schedules to allow all students a lunch break. 05/29/08



• Bill to Shield PE, Music, Arts from Cuts Vetoed
  Arizona's governor vetoed a measure intended to protect gym classes and instruction in music and the arts from K-12 budget cuts. The governor noted that school boards decide which programs are cut. 05/28/08



• Free Summer Classes Draw Thousands
  Students in British Columbia, Canada, are registering for summer school in droves because the province is paying for classes ranging from math and science to music, sports, speed reading, and digital media. 05/27/08



• Proposed Teacher Contract Would End Seniority
  The Washington (D.C.) Teachers' Union is reviewing a proposed three-year contract from the school system that would eliminate seniority, giving the schools' chancellor more control in filling vacancies. 05/26/08



• Study: 'Crisis' in Boys' Education Overblown
  The idea that school systems favor girls at boys' expense and there is a crisis in boys' school performance is overblown, according to a study by the American Association of University Women. 05/23/08



• Tight Budgets Mean Fewer Field Trips
  At a time when school budgets are shrinking, gas prices rising, and there is an increased emphasis on standardized testing, class visits to science centers, museums, and zoos are becoming increasingly rare. 05/22/08



• Debate Grows on Grade-System Reform
  U.S. education experts and school administrators are trying to determine how and whether to reform grading systems to give failing students a better chance to catch up. Some advocate a minimum grade of 50. 05/21/08



• Virtual Schools Show Strong Growth
  A report predicts that as many as half of all courses in grades 9 to 12 could be taught online by 2019, prompting calls for more oversight of virtual schools. Last year enrollment in online classes reached 1 million. 05/20/08



• Teachers Agree: Firing Bad Teachers Is Tough
  More than half of teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure, and nearly half say they personally know such a teacher, according to a survey. 05/19/08



• Registration Open for Dept. of Ed Summer Workshops
  The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring free summer workshops where teachers share successful strategies with other educators to raise student achievement. The workshops are being held in 12 cities. 05/16/08



• School Uses Electronic Monitoring to Curb Truancy
  Rather than send chronic truants to juvenile detention, a high school in East Dallas, Texas, is using electronic monitoring devices to make sure students arrive at school on time and remain there throughout the day. 05/15/08



• Teachers Must Prove They Can Teach Reading
  Aspiring early childhood and elementary school teachers in Connecticut will have to prove they know how to teach reading on a test the State Board of Education has added to Connecticut's teacher certification requirements. 05/14/08



• Woman Donates Kidney to Former Teacher
  Darren Paquin, an English teacher at Elwood (Indiana) Community High School, received a special gift from former student Angie Collins: a kidney. Paquin was suffering from kidney failure. 05/13/08



• Amount of K-5 Physical Activity Doubles
  The Oklahoma state senate passed a bill increasing the amount of required physical activity time for students in grades K-5 from 60 minutes a week to 120 minutes a week. 05/12/08



• Students Want to Learn With Gaming Technology
  Educational gaming is one of the emerging technologies that students would most like to see in their schools, according to a Project Tomorrow survey. Yet, only one in ten teachers has adopted gaming as an instructional tool. 05/09/08



• State Weighs Anti-Bulling Law
  Florida lawmakers are weighing an anti-bullying bill that would prohibit bullying or harassment of any student or school system employee for any reason. Districts could identify groups of students in need of protection. 05/08/08



• Teachers' Risque Online Profiles Pose Dilemma for Schools
  Some school administrators are wondering what, if anything, they can or should do about racy material some young teachers post on their personal profiles on online social networking sites. 05/07/08



• Reading First Not Improving Scores
  Students enrolled in the $6 billion federal Reading First program that is at the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act are not reading any better than those who don't participate, according to a U.S. government report. 05/06/08



• Districts Investing in Parent Education
  Some Texas school districts are investing in parent education programs, in the hope that they lead to improved student behavior, academic performance, and attitudes. The programs include classes, counseling, and social services. 05/05/08



• Dept. of Ed to Hold Hearings on New Title I Regulations
  The U.S. Department of Education has scheduled a series of public meetings around the U.S. to discuss proposed changes to regulations for Title I under the No Child Left Behind Act. 05/02/08



• Report: U.S. Kids' Well-Being Improves
  While childhood obesity remains a major problem, the overall well-being of U.S. children between the ages of 6 to 11 is improving, according to a report from the Foundation for Child Development. 05/01/08



• Schools Make AYP After Reclassifying Students
  Over the past two years, 80 California schools were able to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act after changing the racial classification of some of their students. 04/30/08



• Kids Who Pass Tests May Get More Days Off
  The Grand Prairie (Texas) Independent School District is seeking state permission to give students who pass the state tests eight days off from school. Teachers would use those days to tutor students who did not pass. 04/29/08



• Classical Music Inspires Students
  Many pupils from Prince George's County, Maryland, got their first taste of classical music when the district opted to send all 8,000 fourth graders to a concert by the National Symphony Orchestra. 04/28/08



• Public Schools Seeking Private Money
  Proposed budget cuts in California are prompting schools to seek donations from parents and and community to make up the shortfall. Potential layoff notices have been issued to 20,000 public school employees. 04/25/08



• Teacher Suspended for Refusing to Give Test
  Carl Chew, a science teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in Seattle, has been suspended for two weeks without pay for refusing to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in his classroom. 04/24/08



• Warning: Kids Need Heart Exam Before ADHD Drugs
  Children should be screened for heart problems with an electrocardiogram before starting medication such as Ritalin to treat hyperactivity and attention-deficit disorder, said the American Heart Association. 04/23/08



• Bullies Taunt Allergic Kids With Peanuts
  Some schools are seeing a dangerous new trend in bullying: Kids deliberately exposing students with peanut allergies to peanut products. Peanut exposure can cause severe reactions in some children, even causing death. 04/22/08



• Teacher Focuses on Copier Over-Usage to Mark Earth Day
  Kenny Luna, a science teacher in North Babylon, New York, is urging schools to reduce the number of photo copies staff members make to help save trees and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 04/21/08



• School Nurse Forms Anti-Smoking Group
  School nurse and former smoker Donna Pasko created a SWAT team -- Students Working Against Tobacco -- to educate teens at Palmetto High in Florida about the dangers of smoking. 04/18/08



• Funding for School Media Centers Lagging
  Despite research showing that school libraries help boost student achievement, media centers still don’t receive sufficient funding, reports a study by the American Library Association. 04/17/08



• Study: Co-Ed Classes Optimize Learning
  A Tel Aviv University study found that boys and girls perform better academically in co-ed classrooms. The study showed that the pressence of girls improved boys’ grades markedly. 04/16/08



• Schools Reach Out to Hispanic Parents
  Some schools in Texas are offering English and citizenship courses for Hispanic parents so they can become more comfortable speaking English and more involved in their children's education. 04/15/08



• Teachers Ordered to Turn Over E-Mails Written at School
  A circuit court judge ruled that five Wisconsin Rapids School District teachers must turn over the contents of e-mails written while at school. A resident claims the teachers were writing personal e-mail on school time. 04/14/08



• Legos Help Kids With Autism Build Social Skills
  Working together on Lego projects helps to build the social skills of pre-adolescent boys with autism, experts have found. Children are forced to interact to meet a common goal while working on a project. 04/11/08



• Secretary of Ed Cites Writing Gains
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that writing scores for eighth and 12th graders on the 2007 NAEP tests showed gains from 2002 and 1998. More than 165,000 students took the test. 04/10/08



• Cricket Comes to U.S. Schools
  The New York City schools have become the first school system in the U.S. to launch a cricket league. About 600 students from 14 schools are participating; each team is playing 12 matches. 04/09/08



• Judge: Firm Can Store Students' Essays
  A U.S. federal district court judge in Virginia ruled that the plagiarism detection company Turnitin does not violate students' copyrights when it stores copies of their essays to check future submissions for plagiarism. 04/08/08



• Dept. of Ed. Proposing Uniform Graduation-Rate Formula
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings plans to propose that states use a uniform graduation-rate formula and publish data on the graduation rates of students from different racial and socioeconomic groups. 04/07/08



• Study: Bullies Have Tough Relationships With Parents, Friends
  Researchers at York University and Queen's University in Canada found that bullies often have troubled relationships with parents and friends, and without intervention, may continue being disruptive into their teens. 04/04/08



• Report: Fewer than Half Graduate from Many Urban Schools
  Seventeen of the 50 largest U.S. cities had high-school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates posted in Detroit, Indianapolis, and Cleveland, a report noted. 04/03/08



• School Weaning Students off Gossip
  School officials at the private Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls are "weaning" girls off gossiping, starting with a daily school-wide, gossip-free hour. The school encourages a gossip-free atmosphere. 04/02/08



• Free Tutoring Not Far-Reaching, Effective Enough
  Federally mandated public after-school tutoring isn't always reaching the children it's intended to help, researchers note -- and when it does, the tutoring isn't always help as effective as it could be. 04/01/08



• City to Attack School Failure at Multiple Levels
  Washington, D.C., plans to pilot a program that includes in-home substance-abuse counseling, solutions for public-aid problems, and other programs for students' troubled families in an effort to raise achievement. 03/31/08



• Principal Turns to Students to Close Achievement Gap
  Frustrated by the lack of progress in closing the achievement gap at T.R. Smedberg Middle School in south Sacramento, California, the principal began meeting with students to get their input. 03/28/08



• Study: Students Drinking by Sixth Grade
  A study of more than 4,000 sixth-graders in Chicago schools that showed that 17 percent already had tried alcohol, suggests that education programs need to start at the elementary level, researchers said. 03/27/08



• School Stressing Importance of Sleep
  To stress the importance of adequate sleep for learning, officials at Memminger Elementary School in Charleston, South Carolina, are asking parents to sign contracts agreeing to put their children to bed earlier. 03/26/08



• Dropout Figures Worse Than NCLB Data Shows
  Because many states report lower dropout figures to the federal government than they do to state education officials, the magnitude of the high school dropout problem is being hidden, some say. 03/25/08



• Officials Unveil Statewide Chess Program
  Idaho is the first state in the U.S. to approve a chess curriculum for all second and third graders. The state will fund chess instruction for the voluntary program. 03/24/08



• Teacher Absences Could Affect Test Scores
  The more days teachers are absent before high-stakes tests, the more likely it is that students will not perform well on the tests, according to a study by Harvard researchers. 03/21/08



• Do State Test Scores Belong on Transcripts?
  Minnesota state education officials are pushing to add state test scores to high school transcripts that students submit to colleges and universities, in order to get students to take the tests more seriously. 03/20/08



• Training Principals to Be Instructional Leaders
  Officials in the Norwalk-La Mirada school district have hired consultants to transform their 29 principals into instructional leaders rather than building managers. 03/19/08



• Looming Science Test Has Schools Scrambling
  The fall launch of science testing under NCLB should lead to a renewed focus on science instruction, said educators and science advocates, at a time when the U.S. is facing a "crisis" in science education. 03/18/08



• College Offers Online AP, Honors Courses
  The University of California, Irvine Extension, is offering advanced placement (AP) and honors courses online to high-school students nationwide. Courses have been approved by the College Board. 03/17/08



• More High Schools Adding Classes Scripted by Corporations
  Some major U.S. accounting and engineering firms, partly because of fears about labor shortages, are creating free curriculum for high schools to introduce students to careers in engineering and finance. 03/14/08



• Charter School to Pay Teachers $125,000
  The director of a New York City charter school plans to pay teachers $125,000 annually -- more than his own salary -- based on the idea that top teachers are the key to high achievement. 03/13/08



• Ruling Could End Homeschooling
  Parents who lack teaching credentials cannot educate their children at home, according to a California appellate court ruling that is sending shock waves through the state's home-schooling families. 03/12/08



• Students Record Black Residents' Memories
  Students in an education class at Henry E. Lackey High School in Indian Head, Maryland, interviewed some of the area's oldest African-American residents and are preserving the stories on a DVD. 03/11/08



• Underachievers May Have Poor Working Memory
  Not all underachieving students are slow; some may have poor working memories, according to a study by researchers in the United Kingdom. Working memory is the ability to retain information and manipulate it mentally. 03/10/08



• Teachers Complain About 'Hovering' Parents
  For the past two years, 60 percent of Howard County (Maryland) teachers said in a job satisfaction survey that they have been subjected to harassment -- and parents were the offenders 60 percent of the time. 03/07/08



• Schools Try New Ways to Curb Cheating
  With cheating and plagiarism rampant in many U.S. high schools, some administrators are trying new strategies to curb cheating, such as allowing accused students to be judged by a panel of their peers. 03/06/08



• Parents Push for School Defibrillators
  Two families whose sons might have survived cardiac problems if defibrillators had been available on school fields have teamed up with a cardiologist to lobby Congress to require all schools to have defibrillators. 03/05/08



• Students Do Better in 'Green' Schools
  Students in schools with clean air, natural light, wastewater recycling, renewable power, and other "green" features show improved academic performance and have fewer cases of asthma, colds, and flu, a study says. 03/04/08



• Good Students Earn Cell Phones, Minutes
  About 2,500 students in seven New York City middle schools received cell phones for good grades and good behavior. Students now can earn additional rewards such as more minutes, ring tones, and text messaging options. 03/03/08



• Bill Would Expand Crimes to Decertify Teachers
  A bill in the Washington state legislature would require districts to report innapropriate behavior by teachers and expand the list of crimes for which a conviction could result in the termination of a teacher and/or the revocation of credentials. 02/29/08



• Math Teachers, Students Can Be Bad Match
  Miscommunication between math teachers and students may compound the struggles some students have with the subject. Teachers who are math experts sometimes assume students know more than they do. 02/28/08



• Educators Fighting Back against Online Insults
  Teachers and principals are retaliating against students who post insulting messages or images about them online. Students have faced criminal charges, civil lawsuits, long-term suspensions, or permanent expulsions. 02/27/08



• Beef Recall Puts Schools on Alert
  School districts around the U.S. are trying to determine if any of the meat involved in the biggest beef recall in the nation's history announced this week is still headed for school lunches. 02/26/08



• Eating Better Could Earn Kids Cash
  Children who eat more healthful food at school and exercise regularly could receive taxpayer-funded financial bonuses in their state savings accounts, a health adviser to the British government suggested. 02/25/08
  
  
• School Turns to Business Management Model
  Children at Mt. Lebanon (Pennsylvania's) Washington Elementary School are learning under the "continuous improvement" management model that made Toyota a powerhouse. The approach's mantra is: plan, do, study, act. 02/22/08



• Computer Program Shows Living Costs
  Eighth-graders at Bernardo Heights Middle School in California got a look at real-world living expenses through a computer program that provided figures for housing, utilities, and other costs based on their location and lifestyle. 02/21/08



• Students Set to Learn about Young Holocaust Victims
  France's president Nicolas Sarkozy set off a debate when he announced that next year every fifth grader will learn about the life of a French child who died in the Holocaust. Some argue the information is too grim for young children. 02/20/08



• Sixth Graders to Learn About Contraceptives
  Under a new sex education curriculum beginning in April, Palm Beach (Florida) sixth graders will learn about contraceptives. Florida has the sixth-highest rate of teen pregnancies in the U.S. 02/19/08



• More Students Taking, Passing AP Exams
  A higher percentage of students in public high schools are taking and passing Advanced Placement exams, a report from the College Board notes. The performance gap between black and white students, however, remains large. 02/18/08



• State Passes Anti-Bullying Measure
  Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill intended to prevent bullying in schools. The measure doesn’t dictate specific actions that school districts must take, but it does require them to set antibullying policies by next summer. 02/15/08



• Bullying Harms Kids' Mental Health
  Being bullied can negatively affect children's mental health, according to a recent study. Bullied children are more likely to have anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide, study authors note. 02/14/08



• Rallies, Prayers Pump Up Students for Tests
  Schools and communities in Florida are rallying around students who are taking the state assessment tests with pep rallies, academic boot camps, exercise programs, and prayer meetings. 02/13/08



• National PTA CEO to Retire
  Warlene Gary, who has served as the chief executive officer of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for five years, plans to retire in June. Gary has been active in the PTA for 35 years. 02/12/08



• In Some Schools, 50 is the New 0
  Some schools in Clark County, Nevada, are experimenting with making 50 the lowest grade a student can receive on a report card -- even if a student turned in no homework and scored 0 on every test. 02/11/08



• "Green Team" Keeps School Eco-Conscious
  Student members of the Green Team at Julius West Middle School in Rockville, Maryland, promote energy conservation and recycling among the school's students and faculty. 02/08/08



• Many Sex Ed Teachers Don't Cover the Basics
  A study of sex education teachers in Illinois showed that one-third did not give comprehensive instruction -- defined as covering abstinence, birth control, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. 02/07/08



• Government to Fund Auschwitz Visits
  To impress on young people the horrors of the Holocaust, the English government will pay for two students from every secondary school to visit the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. 02/06/08



• Board Approves Afro-Centric School
  The Toronto District School Board narrowly approved a proposal for an Afro-centric school that opponents charged was tantamount to segregation. The school is slated to open in September 2009. 02/05/08



• Kids With ADHD May Be More Likely to Bully
  Children with ADHD are almost four times as likely as others to be bullies, a study shows. Also, children with ADHD symptoms were almost ten times as likely to have been bullied prior to the onset of ADHD symptoms. 02/04/08



• Rocker Composing Curricula
  Steven Van Zandt, lead guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is writing Little Steven's Rock and Roll High School, a music education program that traces the history of rock 'n' roll in the U.S. 02/01/08



• Computer-Savvy Kids Still Lack Research Skills
  Today's children may have grown up using the Internet, but that doesn't mean they are better researchers, a British study says. Easy access to data has not improved kids' ability to assess information. 01/31/08



• School Holds "No Place for Hate" Week
  Memorial Middle School in Houston, Texas, recently held a No Place for Hate Week, featuring activities and discussions designed to reduce bullying and teasing and help students appreciate differences. 01/30/08



• Bounce Back School Gives Dropouts Last Chance
  The Bounce Back School in Chula Vista, California, is a last chance for high-school dropouts to earn a diploma. Students attend classes for three hours a day, and teachers track them down if they are missing. 01/29/08



• Mandatory Cooking Classes Proposed
  A new mandate requires all students between the ages of 11 and 14 in English public schools to take a cooking class, as part of an effort to teach students about nutrition and reduce obesity. 01/28/08



• Intensive Remediation Program Shows Results
  A promotion with intensive remediation program has allowed some Louisiana youngsters who struggled in eighth grade to move from middle school to high school and handle the demands of high school work. 01/25/08



• School District Gives Teachers Money for Houses
  The Palm Beach County (Florida) School District is offering $10,000 housing subsidies to 50 teachers who purchase homes in a specific development, which gives qualified buyers more than $43,000 for homes. 01/24/08



• H.S. Offers Homeland Security Courses
  Joppatowne High School in Joppa, Maryland, is the first high school in the U.S. to offer a homeland security program. Students take courses to learn about protecting the country against terrorism. 01/23/08



• School Board Weighs Maternity Leave for Students
  Two pediatricians, a counselor, and a pregnant teen asked the Denver School Board to consider granting four-to-six weeks of maternity leave for students who have babies, so the teens can recover and bond with their children. 01/22/08



• Teens Brainstorm Ways to Keep Peers in School
  At Mississippi's first Teen Graduation Summit, high school students from across the state talked about reasons why their peers drop out of school and what could be done to keep them in school. 01/21/08



• 'Dashboards' Give School Snapshots
  The U.S. Department of Education has unveiled an online tool called Dashboards to show the public how schools fare in reading and math achievement, graduation rates, and participation in Advanced Placement exams. 01/18/07



• Teacher Stress Impacts Pre-K Expulsions
  The level of stress experienced by a preschool teacher directly impacts the number of children who are expelled, a Yale University study says. Preschoolers are three times more likely to be expelled than K-12 students. 01/17/07



• Student Artwork on Display in DC
  Artwork by 30 students created in 2006-2007 for the national PTA’s arts program, Reflections, has been selected for display at the U.S. Department of Education. The theme for last year's program was "My Favorite Place." 01/16/08



• Education Funding System Gets Overhaul
  The New Jersey state legislature approved a bill overhauling how the state allocates funding for public schools. Gov. Jon Corzine said the changes will more fairly distribute more than $8 billion in annual education aid. 01/15/08



• School Principals Get More Authority
  The Hartford (Connecticut) school district is on the verge of making a dramatic shift in the way school budgets are prepared to give principals control over hiring, the length of their school days and years, and more. 01/14/08



• Teacher's Songs Inspire Students
  Virginia music teacher Linda White helps her students learn about history, science, and other subjects through the musicals she writes for students to perform. 01/11/08



• Bush Gives NCLB Ultimatum
  President Bush has warned that if Congress doesn't reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act soon, he'll make as many changes as he can on his own. Bush added if Congress acts and weakens the law, he will veto it. 01/10/08



• Court Ruling Revives NCLB Challenges
  A federal appeals court decision has revived a lawsuit filed by three states and the National Education Association challenging the funding of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. 01/09/08



• More Schools Drafting Breathalyzer Policies
  More schools are creating policies on the use of breathalyzers, now that the cost of the devices has fallen and schools are seeking better ways to keep intoxicated students from attending school functions. 01/08/08



• Parents of Disabled Students Seek Separate Classes
  As mainstreaming students with disabilities becomes common, more parents of disabled students are opposing the practice, saying their children don't get the specialized attention they need in regular classes. 01/07/08



• Tutors Help Boys Get Organized for Success
  A growing number of families are hiring tutors to assist their sons with organizational, time management, and study skills to help them succeed in school and prepare college applications. 01/04/08



• Foundation Creates Fellowship for Teachers
  The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation plans to award hundreds of future teachers $30,000 starting in 2009 to attend graduate school. The fellows agree to teach for three years at high-needs schools. 01/03/08



• Fifth of U.S. Dropouts May Be Gifted
  As many as 20 percent of the high-school dropouts in the U.S. could be considered gifted, studies show, an indication that these students are bored and frustrated with school. 01/02/08




Edscoops 2007

• More Class Time Equals Better Math Skills
  A study by the Brookings Institution may show that more class time does pay off. The study found that adding just ten minutes of math instruction to an eighth-grader's day translated into a jump in math skills. 12/13/07



• Before-School Reading Program Draws Parents
  Moore Elementary School in Ft. Collins, Colorado, has started before-school reading programs called "Doughnuts with Dad" and "Muffins with Mom" to encourage parents to read with their children. 12/12/07



• Parents Protest Report Card Ads
  Some parents in Orlando, Florida, are complaining about McDonald's ads on report card covers. Some of the ads promise children free Happy Meals for good grades, attendance, and behavior. 12/11/07



• Province Plans to Ban Trans Fats in Schools
  Ontario (Canada) Premier Dalton McGuinty has introduced legislation to ban all trans fats and junk food in school cafeterias and vending machines. The ban will apply from pre-K to grade 12. 12/10/07



• H.S. Students Try Teaching
  Students from Agua Fria Union High School in Avondale, Arizona, are helping in elementary school classes twice a week to get a taste of the teaching profession. 12/07/07



• Union Proposes More Teacher Authority
  A proposal from the Los Angeles teachers' union calls for more local, grass roots control over schools and hiring principals and would allowing instructors more flexibility to develop curricula. 12/06/07



• Teachers' Union Pulls Out of Affordable Housing Plan
  The New York City teachers' union plans to pull out of a development project that would have built moderately priced housing for teachers because the developers would not promise to use union labor. 12/05/07



• H.S. Educator Lives for Science
  West Salem (Oregon) High School teacher Michael Lampert keeps his students enthralled with demonstrations that show different types of propulsion and the effects of liquid nitrogen on substances. 12/04/07



• Teen's Suicide Spurs Anti-Cyberbullying Law
  The town of Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, passed a law to prevent cyberbulling in response to the suicide last year of a 13-year-old girl. The child killed herself after receiving hurtful messages on MySpace. 12/03/07



• Parents Rank Student Satisfaction Over Teacher Performance
  When it comes to choosing teachers, parents often are more concerned with a teacher's ability to satisfy their children than to raise academic achievement, according to a new study. 11/30/07



• Reading Screenings Often Misapplied
  Popular screening tests used to identify children with reading problems are being misapplied, landing students in the wrong instructional level and delaying interventions for their actual difficulties, a study says. 11/29/07



• A New Recipe for Dropouts: Cooking
  A new school scheduled to open in the Chicago school district in fall 2008 is being designed to teach at-risk 11th and 12th graders to become chefs or hotel and restaurant managers. 11/28/07



• Three-Year Brain Lag Found in ADHD Kids
  The brains of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) develop more slowly than those of other children but eventually catch up, according to a new study. 11/27/07



• Parents Ordered to Court for Not Vaccinating Kids
  The Prince George's County (Maryland) school system ordered hundreds of parents who had failed to have their children vaccinated to appear in court. More than 2,000 students lacked the required immunizations. 11/26/07



• Teens Reading Less Often, For Shorter Periods
  Teenagers are reading less often and for shorter periods of time, according to a report from the National Endowment for the Arts. Less than one-third of 13-year-olds are daily readers, the report noted. 11/21/07



• Harry Potter Theme Turns School Around
  A British primary school that had been struggling posted higher scores and had fewer behavior problems after it adopted a Harry Potter theme that covers everything from how classes are set up to the curriculum. 11/20/07



• Pharmacy Students Deliver Meth Warning to Middle-Schoolers
  Some pharmacy students from the University of Montana are developing a course for middle-school students about the dangers of methamphetamine. The course includes scientific information and true-life stories. 11/19/07



• Web Site Helps Educators Use Research-Based Methods
  The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new Web site called Doing What Works designed to help educators apply research-based strategies to their teaching. 11/16/07



• Agriculture Education Goes High-Tech
  Students at Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin interested in agriculture can take courses in greenhouse production and management, for which college-bound students can receive technical-college credit. 11/15/07



• Study: Early Bad Behavior Does Not Hurt Pupils Later
  A new study shows that poorly-behaved young children will not necessarily struggle in school as they get older. Children who had behavior problems in kindergarten did as well academically in elementary school as their peers. 11/14/07



• Students Join Fight Against Global Warming
  Teachers, parents, and volunteers helped organize assemblies and participated in skits at Rancho Elementary School in Novato, California, to help raise student awareness about global warming. 11/13/07



• Report: Abstinence Education Not Curbing Teen Sex
  Although sex education programs that focus on abstinence are eligible for federal grants, they have not affected teen sexual behavior, according to a study by a nonpartisan group seeking to reduce teen pregnancies. 11/12/07



• Voters Defeat Voucher Measure
  More than 60 percent of voters in Utah rejected a comprehensive education voucher program. The Utah program would have provided tax-funded subsidies to any student, rich or poor, to enroll in a private school. 11/09/07



• Teachers Use iPods in Class
  Eighteen staff members at Ervin C. Whitt Elementary School in Grand Prairie, Texas, including the principal and librarian, are using iPods to teach students subjects they might otherwise find unappealing. 11/08/07



• Teacher Protests Testing for NCLB
  Wisconsin middle-school teacher David Wasserman refused to administer the first part of a required standardized test because of moral objections. He reluctantly was at his desk for the second round to save his job.11/07/07



• District Plans to Install Face-Recognition Cameras
  The Nashville, Tennessee, school district plans to become the first in the U.S. to install security cameras with face-recognition software to spot intruders. The program will start in three schools and an administration building. 11/06/07



• 12 Percent of U.S. High Schools Are 'Dropout Factories'
  At more than one in ten high schools across the U.S., no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University. 11/05/07



• Most Public School Students in the South Are Poor
  For the first time in more than 40 years, the majority of children in public schools in southern states in the U.S. are poor, according to a report from the Southern Education Foundation. 11/02/07



• School Board Mulls Report Cards for Parents
  A school board member in Manchester, Connecticut, has proposed that schools evaluate parents and guardians on whether their child gets to school on time, with homework completed; and is well-fed and dressed for the weather. 11/01/07



• Law Denies Truants Learner's Permits
  A Maryland state law that took effect October 1 prohibits students younger than 16 who have more than ten unexcused absences during the prior school semester from receiving a permit to learn to drive. 10/31/07



• Elementary-School Science Almost Extinct
  Most elementary-school students in the San Francisco, California, area are spending less than an hour a week learning science, according to a recent study. Teachers have been focusing more on math and reading skills. 10/30/07



• Schools' Environmental Efforts Prompt Criticism
  While many schools across the U.S. are involving students in environmental programs, some critics say these efforts are a distraction at a time when many students struggle to master basic skills. 10/29/07



• Marching Bands Could Cause Hearing Damage
  Marching band, which exposes young ears to loud sounds, can cause irreparable hearing damage, according to Brian Fligor, director of diagnostic audiology at Children's Hospital in Boston. 10/26/07



• Good Behavior Can Earn Students Laptops
  Sixth graders in the Miami-Dade County (Florida) Public Schools with above-average attendance, good grades, and excellent manners can expect to be rewarded with their own laptop computers. 10/25/07



• Students May Have to Apply to College to Get H.S. Diploma
  Maine's education commissioner is proposing that high school seniors be required to apply to a college in order to get their diplomas. The change could take affect with the class of 2009. 10/24/07



• Report: Only States With Low Standards Will Meet Proficiency Goals
  Some education experts fear that allowing states to set their own proficiency standards for reading and math tests will mean that only the states with the lowest standards will meet NCLB proficiency goals by 2014. 10/23/07



• Vocal Cord Injuries Plague Teachers
  Teachers make up only 4 percent of the U.S. workforce, yet have the highest percentage of voice box injuries, according to leading vocal researchers. Experts are calling for more research into vocal cord injuries. 10/22/07



• Middle School to Offer Birth Control to Students
  The Portland, Maine, school board voted to allow pupils at King Middle School to get birth control pills and patches at their student health center. Condoms have been available since 2002 to King students. 10/19/07



• Failing Schools Struggling to Make the Grade
  With the No Child Left Behind Act now in its fifth year -- the one in which more severe penalties are scheduled to take effect -- many failing schools see no way to prevent restructuring. 10/18/07



• Study: Teachers Spend about $475 on Supplies
  A recent study shows that on average, U.S. K–12 teachers spend $475 of their own money annually for classroom supplies. About 12 percent of teachers spend $1,000 annually on supplies. 10/17/07



• Student's Free Speech Case Draws Supporters
  Friends and family have rallied around Avery Doninger, a Burlington, Connecticut, student barred from running for senior class office after calling district officials names on a personal blog. 10/16/07



• High Court Rules Public Schools Liable for Special Ed Costs
  The U.S. Supreme Court let stand the right of parents to be reimbursed by their local school districts for the costs of placing children with disabilities in private schools. 10/15/07



• ACLU: Banning T-Shirt in School Not Censorship
  Banning a Smyrna (Tennessee) High School student from wearing a "Free the Jenna 6" T-shirt did not qualify as censorship, because school officials had reasonable concerns about disruptions to school, the ACLU said. 10/12/07



• Suspended Student Shoots Five at High School
  A 14-year-old suspended student, dressed in black, opened fire in his downtown Cleveland, Ohio, high school Wednesday, wounding four people before killing himself. The student had been suspended for fighting. 10/11/07



• Students Try to Set Twister Record
  About 450 North Dakota high school students at a conference played Twister on 180 mats in an attempt to set a world record for the largest Twister game board. The mats formed a Twister board measuring 4,699 square feet. 10/10/07



• More Parents Deciding Class Placement of Siblings
  A new Texas state law allows parents of multiple-birth siblings to decide whether or not they are assigned to the same class. The law also allows school officials to voice their opinions on parents' decisions. 10/09/07



• School Buses to Get GPS Tracking Devices
  New York City school buses soon will be outfitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices as part of a pilot program aimed at tracking their routes and stops, leading to more efficient routes. 10/08/07



• School Bans Hugging
  Administrators at Oak Park's (Illinois) Percy Julian Middle School have banned hugging among students within the building. Hallway hugging was creating bottlenecks and making students late for class, the principal said. 10/05/07



• Text Messages Spread Word on Teen Dating Violence
  Students at Arizona's Coronado High School took part in a regional "textathon," using their cell phones to raise their peers' awareness about dating violence. The messages included a link to a supportive Web site. 10/04/07



• Teacher Blows Whistle on Public Displays of Affection
  Michigan math teacher Colin Nelson got tired of the student make-out sessions in the hall outside his classroom, so now every time he spots a public dispaly of affection, he breaks it up with a blast from a whistle. 10/03/07



• Students Go to the Mat for Yoga
  Students at Colfax Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, now practice yoga twice a week in their gym classes, learning to stretch, balance, and relax. A non-profit group gave the yoga curriculum to the school. 10/02/07



• H.S Principal Tackles Summer Reading List
  Cherry Hill High School West (New Jersey) principal Joseph Meloche had his summer reading mapped out. He read all the selections on the summer reading list for every grade, a total of more than 15 books. 10/01/07



• More Schools Consider Supervised Recess
  A recent report puts school recess at the top of the class among opportunities to make students' school days more active, and urges adults to supervise fun recess activities that involve all children.
  09/28/07



• Schools Adopt Mexican Curriculum
  Some Oregon high schools are adopting Mexico's public school curriculum to help Spanish-speaking students learn math, science, and even U.S. history. The Mexican government provides free textbooks, DVDs, and CDs. 09/27/07



• Education Secretary Cites Gains Under NCLB
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said that gains in reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed that NCLB mandates are working. 09/26/07



• Bookseller Starts Foundation to Benefit School Libraries
  After a retired school librarian told Canadian bookseller Heather Reisman about book shortages in Canadian school libraries, Reisman not only donated books but started a foundation to raise money for school libraries. 09/25/07



• School Surveillance Cameras Rankle Teachers, Parents
  Teachers and parents in many Long Island, New York, schools are protesting the use of surveillance cameras in school classrooms, auditoriums, and gyms. Schools installed them for security purposes. 09/24/07



• NYC Schools Win Top Education Prize
  The New York City public schools won this year's $500,000 Broad Prize for Urban Education, which honors large urban school districts that improve student achievement while reducing the achievement gap. 09/21/07



• Academic Cheating Rampant, Accepted
  Academic cheating has reached an all-time high, and today's cheaters are more likely to be the students with top grades who are feeling the pressure to keep their high grade point averages. 09/20/07



• H.S. Students Create Alcohol Warnings for Middle Schoolers
  A competition called Courageous Persuaders seeks high school students to produce commercials to convince middle school students not to drink alcohol. The Detroit Auto Dealers Association funds the contest. 09/19/07



• School Backpack Awareness Day Sept. 19
  Educators are asked to remind students September 19 of the safe ways to load and carry school backpacks. Heavy backpacks were blamed for more than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001. 09/18/07



• Professor to Rate Anti-Bullying Efforts
  Twelve Tennessee middle schools are in a program to create "cultures of kindness" to discourage bullying. A Vanderbilt University professor will measure a school's social climate each year to see if efforts are working. 09/17/07



• Schools Fail to Take Restructuring Action
  Schools are reluctant to make major changes even after failing to reach student-achievement targets under the No Child Left Behind Act for five consecutive years, according to researchers. 09/14/07



• Double-Vision in Children Often Undetected
  Convergence insufficiency, an eye condition that causes double-vision at close range, often is overlooked in children, and it can be the source of learning and behavior problems. 09/13/07



• More Merit Pay Going to Affluent Schools
  A study of the distribution of merit bonuses to 3,911 Orange County, Florida, teachers and administrators showed that educators in more affluent schools were twice as likely to get bonuses as those in schools in low-income areas. 09/12/07



• Schools Get Stuck With Lunch Tabs
  Some districts are losing thousands of dollars a year because parents fail to reimburse schools when children without lunch money charge meals. 09/11/07



• Structure, Consistency Help ADHD Preschoolers
  Stressing consistent rules and routines and using more praise for good behavior than punishment for bad has been found in a study to help preschoolers who demonstrate early ADHD behavior. 09/10/07



• Billions Pouring into Public Preschool
  U.S. states now are investing $4.2 billion in public preschool programs that serve almost 1 million children nationwide. Research showing that the programs are cost-effective and may help boost test scores is spurring the investments. 09/07/07



• Schools Offer Bonuses to Cut Teacher Absenteeism
  To reduce the number of teacher absences, some schools in Florida are offering a bonus to staff members if the number of absences is lower than the previous year or allowing teachers to cash in unused sick time when they retire. 09/06/07



• District Pays for School Uniforms
  The Elizabeth, New Jersey, school system not only requires students to wear uniforms -- it buys them. Since January 2006, the district has spend more than $2 million to buy navy blazers, khaki pants, polo shirts, gym shorts, and even socks. 09/05/07



• Study: Up to 2.4 Million Kids Have ADHD
  About 2.4 million U.S. children ages 8 to 15 have ADHD, according to a recent study, but fewer than 40 percent of those children are taking medication for it. But some experts still believe the condition is diagnosed too often. 09/04/07



• ADHD Drug Ads Part of Back-to-School Pitch
  Some critics say that back-to-school-themed ads for ADHD medications for children prey on parents' concerns about their children's school performance. Drug makers argue that they are educating the public. 08/30/07



• SAT Scores Drop for Second Year
  SAT scores dropped for the second straight year nationwide, raising suspicions that students could be suffering "test fatigue" from the expanded, 3 3/4-hour standardized exam. 08/29/07



• School Top Cause of Teen Stress
  Academic performance is the top cause of stress among 13-to-17-year-olds in the U.S., according to a recent poll, and girls feel more stressed than boys. Girls also are less likely to feel safe in their schools and neighborhoods. 08/28/07



• Suit Claims DOE Is Violating Teacher Quality Provision
  A coalition has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings for violating the teacher quality provisions of No Child Left Behind by defining teachers still in training as "highly qualified." 08/27/07



• Online Tool Measures School Safety Plans
  An online safety assessment tool gives school leaders a benchmark they can use in comparing their physical and information technology security plans with those of other schools or districts across the U.S. 08/24/07



• More Students Taking Longer to Finish High School
  Faced with 70,000 students or more who are years behind in earning the required credits to graduate from high school, New York City school officials have set up programs to help older students catch up and graduate. 08/23/07



• Districts Offer Bonuses to Subs
  Movie passes, store gift certificates, and cash bonuses are just some of the incentives school districts are offering substitute teachers these days to lure them to their schools. 08/22/07



• Tonsillectomies Could Cure ADHD Behavior
  Doctors are finding that the behavior of some hyperactive children improves after their tonsils are removed. Once the swollen tonsils are gone, children are able to sleep better and so are less irritable and distractible. 08/21/07



• Kids Use Social Networking for Education
  A recent study showed that about 60 percent of students who use online social networking sites discuss education-related topics while online. The study suggests social networking sites could play a greater role in education. 08/20/07



• U.S. Turns to Britain for School Improvement Ideas
  Sir Michael Barber, a senior adviser to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has been talking to school officials in the U.S. about school improvement strategies. Barber's top suggestion: Improve teacher quality. 08/17/07



• Governor Calls for Internet Safety Training for Teachers
  New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine has called for Internet safety training for teachers and has asked the state attorney general and education commissioner to begin the process this school year. 08/16/07



• Teachers Could Earn More for Police Training, Carrying Guns
  Education officials in Nevada have proposed giving bonus pay to teachers -- from kindergarten to college -- who undergo training to serve as armed reserve school police officers. 08/15/07



• Students to Talk With Shuttle Crew
  Twenty students are slated to ask questions during a live downlink scheduled for August 16 with Endeavour mission specialists Barbara Morgan, a former teacher, and Richard Mastracchio. The downlink will be live on NASA TV . 08/14/07



• Unclaimed Property Auction Raises $817,000 for Schools
  An auction in Florida of unclaimed property from abandoned safe deposit boxes yielded $817,000 for the state's public schools. The state's Bureau of Unclaimed Property schedules such auctions periodically. 08/13/07



• Gestures Help Students Learn
  Studies show that teachers who use gestures as they explain a concept do better at getting their ideas across, and students who gesture as they process new ideas tend to remember them longer. 08/10/07



• Teacher Astronaut Blasts Into Space
  Barbara Morgan, the former teacher turned astronaut, blasted into space Wednesday aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Morgan is scheduled to talk with some students during the mission. 08/09/07



• Four District High Schools Going Green
  In what may be the largest solar power and energy-efficiency program in U.S. K-12 education, the San Jose school district is installing solar panels on four of its high schools and adding environmental studies to the curriculum. 08/08/07



• H.S. to Test Students for Sexually Transmitted Diseases
  Starting this fall, the York City (Pennsylvania) School District will provide sexually-transmitted-disease testing for all students at William Penn Senior High School. 08/07/07



• Schools Urged to Connect Curriculum to Nature
  Spurred by the national group Leave No Child Inside, more school districts are looking to connect their curriculum to outdoor activities, to encourage children to spend time away from the television and computers. 08/06/07



• Program Teaches Parents to Help Children
  Parents in many communities are learning how they can help their local schools and own children excel through a parent leadership institute called Parents for Public Schools. Graduates of the program help to mobilize other parents. 08/03/07



• Kids' Letters Get Green Beans off Lunch Menu
  Second graders from William V. Wright Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, learned the power of the pen when their letters to the school lunch lady asking for different vegetables got green beans off the lunch menu. 08/02/07



• Poll: Schools Spend More Time on Math, Reading
  In response to the No Child Left Behind Act, schools are spending more time on math and reading and less time in elementary schools on social studies, science, art, music, and gym, a poll showed. 08/01/07



• Students Helping to Recruit Teachers
  The Prince George's County, Maryland, school system is using appeals from its students in an ad campaign to lure teachers for the nearly 800 jobs the district needs to fill before school reopens. 07/31/07



• School District Striving to Go Paperless
  Officials in the Dallastown (Pennsylvania) Area School District are moving as many memos, minutes, and notices as possible to the Internet in an effort to save paper and money. 07/30/07



• Boys Face Charges for Slapping Backsides
  Two Oregon middle-school students are facing possible time in a juvenile jail and may have to register as sex offenders for swatting girls on the backside at school. The two boys said the swats were a type of greeting many students used. 07/27/07



• Online Summer School a Hit With Teens
  More school districts are allowing students who failed a course to "attend" summer school online, giving youngsters the flexibility to study as well as work, attend camp, or go on vacation. 07/26/07



• Want to Drive? Stay in School
  An Illinois state law that went into effect July 1 allows the state to revoke the drivers' licenses of students who have more than 18 unexcused absences from school, are expelled, or drop out. 07/25/07



• Father's Math Books Get High Marks
  A Michigan father determined to help his sons' math grades improve rewrote their math textbooks, and then went on to write a math curriculum that has grown to 14 textbooks. 07/24/07



• Kids, Parents Learn Together
  Harborside Elementary School in Chula Vista, California, "enrolls" parents of Spanish-speaking students so parents and children can learn to read and speak English together. 07/23/07



• Fewer Children Walking, Biking to School
  Fewer than half of U.S. children who live close to school regularly walk or ride a bike to classes, a new study says. Safety concerns and the increase in the number of kids commuting by car to school are partly behind the trend. 07/20/07



• Teacher Who Sold Drugs Gets License Back
  A Connecticut teacher who lost his license four years ago for selling a small amount of cocaine was reinstated, after the state's board of education reviewed his record and heard positive testimony from colleagues. 07/19/07



• Student Files Suit Over Blog Entry
  A high school student barred from running for class office after she called administrators a derogatory term on a non-school-related blog is accusing school officials of violating her free speech rights. 07/18/07



• Schools to Give Lessons in Feelings
  Officials in Great Britain plan to offer students lessons in how to manage their feelings and resolve conflicts without fighting as part of broader initiatives to improve classroom behavior. 07/17/07



• Nutrition Education Has Little Influence on Kids' Eating Habits
  While the U.S. government will spend more than $1 billion this year on nutrition education to encourage children to eat better and lose weight, studies show the programs have little effect. 07/16/07



• Former Students Salute Retiring Teacher
  When Jim Burns retired after 40 years of teaching fifth and sixth grades in three Philadelphia schools, more than two dozen former students came to his retirement party to thank him for believing in them. 07/13/07



• 'Pay-to-Plug' Rules Gaining Ground
  Several Michigan school districts are requiring employees who bring in fans, space heaters, refrigerators, and other small devices to pay a fee to offset the electricity those appliances use. 07/12/07



• Summer Science Attracts Scholars
  About 200 Shelby County (Tennessee) students are immersing themselves in math and science this summer, through the two-week-long Shelby Scholars Summer Institute. 07/11/07



• Cosby Tells Teachers-to-Be: 'You Hold the Key'
  Bill Cosby told aspiring teachers in Philadelphia that molding children in the classroom and giving them the skills to be upstanding citizens helps ensure that they do not get caught up in the city's cycle of violence. 07/10/07



• More Schools Adopt Growth Models
  A movement is growing to amend the federal No Child Left Behind Act to allow alternative assessments of student progress such as growth models. About 24 states have moved to growth models. 07/09/07



• Spellings Calls for Flexibility in Assessing Schools
  U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings has proposed differentiating under NCLB between schools that are close to meeting state standards and those that are "...chronic underperformers." 07/06/07



• Debate Grows about Separating Twins in School
  While assigning twins to separate classes in school was standard practice for years, many educators and parents now are questioning whether separate classes are best for the children. 07/05/07



• Education Department Awards Teacher-Training Funds
  The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $22.1 million for 41 grants through the Transition to Teaching program to increase the pool of qualified teachers in high-need schools by recruiting non-traditional teacher candidates. 07/03/07



• Report: Bullies May Have Sleep Disorder
  Children who bully other children may have a sleep disorder, a study says. The study found that bullies were more than twice as likely to have sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD), which can disrupt sleep. 07/02/07



• Supreme Court Rejects School Diversity Plans
  A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that race cannot be a factor in the assignment of children to public schools. The ruling could affect existing school-desegregation programs. 06/29/07



• School District Brings College to High Schools
  To encourage more students to attend college and help make it more affordable, the Arlington (Texas) school district will be offering college-level courses in modular centers at each of its six high schools. 06/28/07



• Student Gives Home-Buying Seminar for Teachers
  After hearing some teachers say that they couldn't afford to buy homes in the Oakland, California, area, Huber Trenado, 18, organized a seminar on home-buying tools for teachers as his senior project at MetWest High School. 06/27/07



• Kids Race to NASCAR Math
  Fourth grade teacher Tom Baughman decided to capitalize on his students' interest in racing and developed a program called NASCAR Math. Students "race" to complete tasks involving calculations and measurement. 06/26/07



• Parents, Teachers Want NCLB Fixed
  Despite criticisms, parents and educators would rather fix than nix the federal No Child Left Behind law, which in part requires all children to be academically "proficient" by 2014.06/25/07



• Thousands of 'Failing' Schools Face Restructuring
  About 2,300 U.S. schools are either in restructuring under the federal No Child Left Behind Act or are a year away and are planning for such drastic action as firing the principal and moving many of the teachers. 06/22/07



• Schools to Pay Cash for Good Grades
  Some New York City students could receive as much as $500 a year for good grades, attendance, and behavior next year, as part of a proposed cash incentive program under review by school and city officials. 06/21/07



• Summer Reading Lists Draw Fire
  As schools roll out their summer reading lists, some of the choices are prompting complaints from parents and students, who say that the material in some books is too graphic for teens. 06/20/07



• Backlash Grows Against 'Zero Tolerance'
  Lawmakers in several states are saying that strict "zero tolerance" policies for certain offenses in schools have resulted in many punishments that lack common sense, and they are seeking to loosen the restrictions. 06/19/07



• Middle-School Class Teaches Baby Care
  A six-week class called Crib Notes at Lincoln Middle School in Pontiac, Michigan, teaches students how to keep babies alive through healthful and proper eating, sleeping, and living habits.06/18/07



• Canceled Student Play about Iraq Draws Attention
  After the principal of Wilton (Connecticut) High School canceled a performance of a student- written-and-performed-play about the Iraq war, several professional theater companies offered to host the production. 06/15/07



• Students Fill In for Guidance Counselors
  A shortage of guidance counselors at Oakland (California) Technical High School prompted some students to train as peer counselors. They talk to classmates about the college application process. 06/14/07



• More Schools Adopt Fitness Breaks
  To meet a federal mandate for increased supervised physical activity in schools, more schools are scheduling fitness workouts between lessons. Some students work out to exercise videos. 06/13/07



• Parents Seek Classroom Webcams
  Some parents in the United Kingdom said they wished their children's classrooms had Webcams so they could monitor their children and gain a better understanding of what they are learning. 06/12/07



• Report: State Standards Vary Widely
  What students must learn to be deemed academically proficient varies drastically from state to state, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Education. Critics say common standards are needed. 06/11/07



• Teacher Cleared of Exposing Kids to Porn
  A substitute teacher who faced up to 40 years in jail for not shielding her students from pornography on her computer has been granted a new trial. The computer was infected with spyware that caused pop-up ads to take over the screen. 06/08/07



• Students Denied Diplomas after Graduation Cheers
  Five Galesburg (Illinois) High School seniors who were denied their diplomas because audience members cheered for them during graduation ceremonies are trying to reach an agreement with school officials. 06/07/07



• Mixed Reviews for Early Reading First
  The federal Early Reading First program has had a positive effect on preschooler's print and letter knowledge, but no impact on phonological awareness, according to a recent study. 06/06/07



• Bill Would Ban Sugary, Fatty Snacks from Schools
  A bill in the Massachusetts legislature would prohibit the sale of fatty and sugary foods from school vending machines, bake sales, and fund-raisers. The bill also would ban corporate food and soda advertising in schools.06/05/07



• Students Learn to Plan for Future
  Michigan students are planning for their futures through mandatory Educational Development Plans. The program involves exploring careers, choosing a broad "career pathway" of possible occupations, and working on a portfolio that shows their achievements. 06/04/07



• WiFi in Schools Generates Concern
  The chairman of Britain’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) is calling for an investigation of potential health risks linked to radiation from wireless Internet networks in schools. 06/01/07



• Dads Enlisted to Help Girls With Bullying
  The Canberra (Australia) Girls Grammar School is reaching out to fathers to get them more involved with their daughters' lives and to encourage fathers to talk with their daughters about issues such as bullying. 05/31/07



• Memorial Fund Pays for Students to Visit Arlington
  The parents of Steven Szwydek, a Marine killed in Iraq who attended high school in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, established a fund in his memory to pay for area high school students to visit Arlington National Cemetery. 05/30/07



• U.S. Spends Average of $8,701 Per Student
  The U.S. spent an average of $8,701 per student to educate its children in 2005, according to the Census Bureau. New York spent the most per pupil, $14,119. 05/29/07



• 'Gradcasts' Bring Graduation to You
  More schools are making arrangements to broadcast events such as high school graduations -- known as "gradcasts" -- via live streaming video. The technology allows more people to view the event. 05/25/07



• Global Warming Project Connects Students Worldwide
  Students from around the world collaborated on possible solutions to global warming through the Global Challenge, a Vermont-based contest that paired U.S. students with pupils from Japan, China, India, and Mexico. 05/24/07



• Parents Don't Need Lawyers to Sue for Kids' Needs
  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that parents of special education students do not have to hire lawyers in order to sue their school districts to ensure their children's needs are met. 05/23/07



• Students Help Create Black History Book
  Several students from Doris M. Johnson High School in Maryland researched local and state black history and wrote a paperback book about their findings. Several state and local agencies helped fund the project. 05/22/07



• Students Build, Launch Rockets into Space
  Students in Fredericksburg (Texas) High School's principles of technology class learn to build and launch rockets. This year students planned to launch two rockets to the edge of space with research payloads. 05/21/07



• Study: Students Show Little Gain from Tutoring
  While the Chicago Public Schools spent $50 million in federal money on after-school tutoring for 56,000 students last year, students showed very small gains on state tests. 05/18/07



• Students Feast on Food Grown at School
  Students in the Bloomfield, Connecticut, school district are eating a variety of fresh foods, some which they are helping to grow, as part of a program to use locally-grown food in schools. 05/17/07



• Teacher Focuses Students on High ACT Scores
  Tennessee math teacher J.R. Sparks formed the Whitehaven 30+ Club to motivate his students. To join, a student must score at least 30 out of 36 on one or more parts of the ACT college entrance exam. 05/16/07



• Teachers, Students Share Web Space
  Some teachers in Delaware are communicating with students through MySpace and Facebook about school activities and assignments. Sometimes teachers and students connect just to chat. 05/15/07



• Internet Safety High Priority for Parents
  Keeping their children safe while using the Internet is now among the top ten concerns of parents, according to a recent poll. Twenty-six percent of parents cited Internet safety as their top child-rearing problem. 05/14/07



• Study: Too Much TV Detrimental to All Age Kids
  Two new studies in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine say that many very young children are watching TV regularly and teens who watch too much TV are more likely to be poor students. 05/11/07



• Court Upholds School Cell Phone Ban
  A New York state court upheld a New York City school system regulation banning students from having cell phones in public schools. Several parents had sued to have the ban overturned. 05/10/07



• Concerns Grow Over School Bus Fumes
  States are seeking funds to replace or retrofit the diesel engines on many of their school buses. Congress had promised $1 billion over five years to help states clean up diesel fleets, including school buses, but the money has yet to appear. 05/09/07



• State Urges Expanded Use of Comic Books in Class
  Maryland's top educator is encouraging teachers to use comic books to inspire students to read. The state has been working with Disney, which took Maryland's reading standards and created comics-based lesson plans.05/08/07



• Registration Opens for Summer Workshops
  Teachers can register for the U.S. Department of Education's fourth annual summer workshops, where teachers share successful strategies with other teachers. The free workshops are held in different parts of the U.S. 05/07/07



• House Approves More Funding for Head Start
  The U.S. House approved $7.4 billion for Head Start in 2008, up from this year's $6.9 billion allocation. Democrats also voted down a proposal to allow religious groups to take religion into account in hiring Head Start staff. 05/04/07



• Parents to Grade Schools
  The New York City Department of Education plans to send surveys to the families of the 1.1 million students in the public school system so that the children and their parents can rate school performance. 05/03/07



• Districts Privatizing Substitute Services
  Several school districts in Michigan are privatizing their substitute teaching services by hiring a company to recruit and assign substitutes. 05/02/07



• Schools Banning iPods
  A growing number of schools are banning digital media players because students can download information onto the devices and access the material during tests. 05/01/07



• Billionaires Commit $60 Million to Raise Education Awareness
  Billionaires Bill Gates and Eli Broad plan to commit $60 million to raise awareness of education issues during the 2008 presidential campaign through an effort Called Strong American Schools. 04/30/07



• Nine States Could Craft Common Math Test
  Nine states have agreed to develop common standards and a common exam for a high-school-level algebra II course. They are Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. 04/27/07



• Hispanic Children Less Prepared for Kindergarten
  A new study indicates that Hispanic children significantly lag behind white children in terms of kindergarten readiness, and because of that, achieve at lower levels throughout school. 04/26/07



• No "F" Rule Benches More Kids
  Nearly three times as many high school athletes and music students were sidelined after the fall marking period under Iowa's "no pass, no play" law than a year ago. 04/25/07



• Secondary Schools Go Green
  About 200 new British secondary schools will be "green" under a new government plan. In addition, all secondary schools would be in line for renovations to work toward achieving carbon-neutral standards by the end of the next decade. 04/24/07



• Small Schools Require More Hours
  As small high schools become increasingly popular in the U.S., many educators say the model does not work without teachers willing to shoulder 60-to-70-hour weeks. 04/23/07



• Teachers Propose Merit Pay Plan
  A year-long study by a group of 18 master teachers concluded that it is time for meaningful performance pay incentives for teachers. 04/20/07



• Paige Book Critical of Teachers’ Unions
  Former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige writes in his new book, The War Against Hope: How Teachers' Unions Hurt Children, Hinder Teachers, and Endanger Public Education, that unions are "arrogant" and "destructive." 04/19/07



• Bush: NCLB Meant to Help, Not Punish Schools
  President Bush, acknowledging public frustration over the No Child Left Behind Act, said the point of the law is not to punish struggling schools, but to help them. 04/16/07



• Portables Face Test Under Noise Law
  Portable classrooms in the Colchester, Connecticut, school district are the first to face scrutiny under the state's new noise standards for classrooms.04/13/07



• Students Sue Antiplagiarism Web Site
  Four students from McLean (Virginia) High School are suing the antiplagiarism Web site Turnitin, arguing that they shouldn't have to surrender their rights to their homework. 04/12/07



• Principals' Salaries Fall Behind Cost of Living
  Salaries for U.S. principals and assistant principals continue to rise, but they still do not keep pace with increases in the cost of living, according to a report from Educational Research Service (ERS). 04/11/07



• H.S. Students Teach Elementary Lessons in Spanish
  Once a month, about a dozen Spanish language students from duPont Manual High School in Kentucky come to Hawthorne Elementary School and conduct lessons about different subjects with the younger students in Spanish. 04/10/07



• Study: Software No Help for Reading, Math Scores
  A study on the effectiveness of education technology found achievement scores were no higher in classrooms using reading and math software products than in classrooms without the new products. 04/09/07



• New Testing Standards for Students With Disabilities
  New regulations under NCLB will allow states to test certain students with disabilities using an alternate assessment that more appropriately aligns with students’ needs and yields more meaningful results for schools and parents. 04/06/07



• Students Get Laptops Instead of Books
  As part of Bolton (Louisiana) High School's push to an all-digital curriculum, many of the students next fall will be getting laptops instead of textbooks. 04/05/07



• Are Children Praised Too Much?
  Trying to bolster children's self-esteem with too much praise can give children a sense of entitlement and make them self-centered, some experts warn. 04/04/07



• NCLB Taxing Testing Companies
  Delays and errors in scoring state tests are likely to get worse as a handful of testing companies struggle to meet the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act. 04/03/07



• Pay-for-Performance Adopted for Principals
  All principals in the Pittsburgh Public Schools will be on pay-for-performance contracts at the start of the next school year, as part of the superintendent’s plan to make employees more accountable. 04/02/07



• Daycare Affects Later Vocabulary, Behavior
  A child care study concluded that children in quality child care before kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did those who did not. But the more time that children spent in child care, the more likely their sixth-grade teachers were to report problem behavior.03/30/07



• Grants Would Boost Adolescent Literacy
  A proposed federal bill calls for providing grants to states and districts to create literacy programs specifically for middle and high school students. The bill would help ensure that students at risk of dropping out because they read below grade level receive help to earn a high school diploma.03/29/07



• More Struggling Schools Extend the Day
  Facing low test scores and the threat of federal sanctions, more struggling schools are extending the school day and year to help students meet standards. 03/28/07



• School Uses Humor as a Learning Tool
  A program at the Melbourne (Australia) Girls' College uses a comedian to learn what makes ninth-grade girls laugh and to teach them how to use humor as a survival skill. 03/27/07



• State Takes Over St. Louis Schools
  The Missouri State Board of Education voted to take control of the St. Louis Public Schools because of the district's financial, administrative, and student achievement failures. The district's cumulative debt in 2006 was almost $25 million. 03/26/07



• States Note Benefits of Pre-K
  Research highlighting the importance of early learning is prompting more and more states to add pre-kindergarten programs. While many states offer free pre-kindergarten to low-income children, some are considering expanding the programs to all families.03/23/07



• Music Improves Language Sensitivity
  Playing a musical instrument at a young age significantly enhances the brainstem's sensitivity to speech sounds, according to a study by Northwestern University researchers. 03/22/07



• Are Schools Becoming Too Restrictive?
  The number of rules banning, limiting, or deterring potentially inappropriate or dangerous actions in schools is steadily growing, some students, and even administrators, complain. School officials say they have become more cautious in a security-and-lawsuit-conscious society. 03/21/07



• Students Step to Success
  Some schools in Maryland are using stepping -- a combination of dance, cheerleading, and military marching -- to encourage African-American youngsters to excel academically, appreciate their history, and inspire them to go to college.03/20/07



• What Are the Benefits of Many Hands Clapping?
  Some second- and third-grade students at the Montessori Community School in Salt Lake City, Utah, are learning the Chinese exercise qigong, which involves vigorous hand clapping. Teachers reported that students who tried it performed better and behaved better.03/19/07



• Students Get Hands-On Lessons on Solar Power
  Entheos Academy in Utah has been teaching its students about renewable energy sources since officials installed solar panels on the school roof. Students can monitor how weather and other factors affect energy generation throughout the day. 03/16/07



• Is NCLB's Goal Unreachable?
  As Congress debates renewing the No Child Left Behind Act, some are questioning whether to abandon the law's goal of having every child proficient in reading and math by 2014. 03/15/07



• Top Court to Hear Landmark Student Speech Case
  The Supreme Court is due to hear the most important student free-speech case in more than 30 years. At issue is the slogan "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" a student held during a parade. 03/14/07



• Schools Targeting Sleep Habits
  More schools are working to educate parents about the importance of children getting enough sleep and the negative impact of sleep deprivation on schoolwork. 03/13/07



• Parents Pay to Pull Kids from School
  School officials in the Scotts Valley, California, district grew weary of parents taking children out of school for vacations, and now charge parents $36.13 for each missed school day. 03/12/07



• Doctors Oppose Drug-Testing Kids
  The American Academy of Pediatrics has said it opposes schools and parents testing children for drug use because testing can erode trust and the results are not always reliable. 03/09/07



• Senate Leaders Seek Math, Science Education Funds
  A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed a bill designed to bolster American "competitiveness" by increasing federal investments in math, science, and technology education and research. 03/08/07



• Suburban Kids Tutor Urban Students
  Tutors from suburban Farmington (Connecticut) H.S. spent one day a week for two months tutoring students at Hartford's McDonough Elementary School for the state's high-stakes tests. 03/07/07



• Schools Cutting Out Homework
  Some San Francisco Bay (California) Area schools are reducing or eliminating homework, citing concerns that too much homework is causing students stress and not contributing to student achievement. 03/06/07



• High School Students Report Boredom
  A majority of U.S. high school students report they get bored in class every day, and more than one out of five has considered dropping out, according to a recent survey. 03/05/07



• Study: Sixth Graders Do Better in Elementary School
  Sixth graders perform better in elementary schools than middle schools, according to a recent study. Sixth graders in middle schools had more discipline problems and lower test scores than sixth-graders in elementary schools.03/02/07



• Apple CEO Blasts Teacher Unions
  Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs blasted teacher unions, saying pubic schools have become "unionized in the worst possible way" and the key to improving schools is giving principals the authority to fire bad teachers. 03/01/07



• District Using Lunch Stats to Balance Schools
  In a process Boulder Valley (Colorado) District officials are calling de-stratification, they are aiming to have 20 percent of each school's enrollment be free-and-reduced-price lunch students. 02/28/07



• New Warnings for ADHD Drugs
  Drugs prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) soon will include guides to alert patients and parents of the risks of mental and heart problems, including sudden death. 02/27/07



• States Weigh Longer School Day
  With more to do and federal requirements to meet, some states and districts have increased the length of the school day, an idea catching the attention of Congress. 02/26/07



• Bill Would Prohibit Teachers from Airing Views
  A bill proposed in the Arizona legislature would forbid instructors in public schools or colleges from advocating or opposing a political candidate or one side of a social, political, or cultural issue that is part of a partisan debate. 02/23/07



• Are U.S. High School Grades Inflated?
  While 12th grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to decline, grade-point averages for seniors are increasing, according to a study. 02/22/07



• District Tests Students' Tech Literacy
  Williamson County (Tennessee) School officials have implemented a technology literacy test for eighth graders, to ensure students have the necessary skills for high school work. 02/21/07



• Panel Calls for Tougher NCLB Standards
  A bipartisan panel is calling for NCLB to judge teachers and principals by their students’ test scores and to prevent chronically ineffective educators from working in high-poverty schools. 02/20/07



• Teacher’s Web Content Scrutinized
  A San Diego Unified School District investigation into a middle school instructor's personal Web content has raised debate about teachers' right to privacy and what districts can or cannot do to regulate their online activities.02/16/07



• Role-Playing Game Hooks Kids on History
  A Chicago’s teacher built lessons around a role-playing game that enables students to create digital characters and work together to re-create the Roman Empire and the historical Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville. 02/15/07



• Bilingualism Sharpens Brains
  People who are bilingual are better able to focus and ignore distractions, according to a recent study. Bilingualism also can help delay the onset of dementia as people age. 02/14/07



• State Approves Vouchers for All Students
  The Utah legislature approved one of the nation's broadest voucher programs, allotting up to $3,000 for any public school student to put toward private school tuition. 02/13/07



• Parents Could Face Fines for Skipping Teacher Meetings
  A bill proposed in the Texas legislature would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for missing a scheduled parent-teacher conference.02/12/07



• Proposal Would Link Diplomas, Voter Registration
  A California state assemblyman is proposing that high school students be required to register to vote in order to receive a diploma. If this becomes law, starting with the class of 2010, students who are 18 and U.S. citizens would be required to submit proof of registration to the school.02/09/07



• Spellings Calls for NCLB Expansion
  Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings wants Congress to broaden the No Child Left Behind Act in high schools when lawmakers vote later this year on whether to reauthorize the plan. Such an expansion would represent an unprecedented federal role in public education.02/08/07



• Higher Salaries Led to Higher Scores
  When several Maryland districts used some of their state aid to raise teachers' salaries over a three-year span, student test scores increased as well. 02/07/07



• States Turn to Mentoring Programs to Keep Teachers
  States all across the U.S. are considering spending millions of dollars on mentoring programs for new teachers, aiming to prevent many educators from leaving the profession after a few years. 02/06/07



• Parents Could Face Fines for Skipping Teacher Meetings
  A bill proposed in the Texas legislature would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for missing a scheduled parent-teacher conference. 02/05/07



• Department of Ed Puts Check Register Online
  In a move to encourage financial transparency, the Texas Education Agency, the state's department of education, decided to post its check register online.02/02/07



• Popular Reading Program Under Fire
  Some parents are criticizing the popular Accelerated Reader program for providing more incentives for students to read popular novels than classic literature. In one Maryland middle school, students could earn more points for reading a Nancy Drew mystery than Macbeth.02/01/07



• School to Test for Weekend Drinking
  Officials at Pequannock (New Jersey) Township High Schoolplan to start administering random alcohol tests to students that can detect if someone consumed alcohol as much as 80 hours earlier. 01/31/07



• Team Sports Vanishing from PE Classes
  More schools are shifting the emphasis in physical education classes away from team sports to physical fitness, in the hope that students will find activities they like and will continue to do to stay fit as they get older. 01/30/07



• Teachers' Bonuses Raise Ire
  The first round of teacher bonuses in the Houston (Texas) Independent School District left many teachers angry and confused about the criteria for determining who received bonuses and how much. 01/29/07



• Struggling Principals Face Dismissal
  Under a plan proposed by the Chicago Public Schools’ system, struggling principals would receive help, and if their performance did not improve in a year, they could face dismissal. 01/26/07



• Wealth Is Tops on Youth Priority List
  A recent survey of college freshmen in the U.S. indicated that about 75 percent of those polled thought it was essential or very important to be very well off financially. 01/25/07



• Helping Special Ed Students Adapt to Mainstream Classes
  Parents, teachers, and others at a Manchester, Connecticut, school work together to make a fifth grade special education student's transition to a mainstream class successful. 01/24/07



• District Pays Students for Reaching Proficiency
  Students in grades three to six in the Coshocton, Ohio, school district earn monetary rewards for reaching proficiency on state assessment tests. 01/23/07



• Fifth, Ninth Graders Get Mental Health Screenings
  Beginning this month, fifth and ninth graders in Cortland County, New York, schools will be screened for mental health problems. Parents must give permission for the screenings. 01/22/07



• Bedtime Stories Help Reading Skills
  Continuing to read stories to children at bedtime -- or anytime -- after they start school improves their reading skills, according to a study by the United Kingdom’s National Literacy Trust. Often parents spend less time reading to children once they enroll in school.01/19/07



• Study Raises Doubts about K-8s
  Just as many urban districts are weighing eliminating middle schools, a study by researchers at John Hopkins University concluded that expanding elementary schools to sixth, seventh, and eighth grades does not help adolescents do better academically. 01/18/07



• Call for 'Marshall Plan'for Middle Schools
  A coalition of community groups is calling for the New York City Department of Education to develop a “Marshall Plan for middle-grade schools,” saying that often the sixth through eighth grades become “pathways to failure.” 01/17/07



• Class Preps Kids in Life Skills
  Students at U.L. Light Middle School in Barberton, Ohio, learn to set goals and analyze obstacles in a life-skills character education class. 01/16/07



• H.S. Physics Enrollment at Record Level
  More U.S. high-school students are taking physics than ever before, and the number of physics bachelor's degree recipients has increased 31 percent since 2000, according to a recent report. 01/15/07



• Teens Rediscover Third-Grade Perspectives
  A group of Huntington (New York) High School seniors got a blast from the past when they read letters they had written to themselves in third grade. Their third grade teacher made a surprise visit to the high school to deliver the letters.01/12/07



• Cocoa and Cramming Eases Freshmen Into Midterms
  To help ease freshmen into midterm season, Middletown (Connecticut) High School hosted a Cocoa and Cramming event, where students snacked, studied, and met with teachers for extra help. 01/11/07



• Changes Coming to Military Database
  The Department of Defense has agreed to change the database it uses for military recruitment efforts to better protect the privacy of millions of U.S. high school students. 01/10/07



• Report Calls for Cutting Teacher Provisions
  A report from the Education Sector says that cutting provisions in teachers' contracts, such as seniority pay raises, could free up more money for student instruction. 01/09/07



• More Mayors Seek Control of Schools
  With many urban schools continuing to struggle and politicians under increasing pressure to improve them, more mayors are seeking to take control of their local school systems. 01/08/07



• Bush Seeks Talks on NCLB
  President Bush plans to meet with legislators next week to kick off talks over the renewal of the No Child Left Behind education law. The law is five years old this year. 01/05/07



• School Shooting Leaves One Dead
  A student at Foss High School in Tacoma, Washington, was shot dead Wednesday morning. Another student was arrested in connection with the shooting. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day. 01/04/07



• Punctuation Playtime Hooks Kids
  Punctuation Playtime, an interactive assembly program aimed at first- through fourth-graders, helps students learn how to use correct punctuation in sentences for their corresponding skill level.01/03/07



• Break Extended to Accommodate Immigrants
  The Santa Ana, California, district has added a week to its December break, to make it easier for the district's many Hispanic families to visit relatives over the holidays. 01/02/07




Edscoops 2006

• Teachers Train With Simulators
  A new computer simulation program allows novice teachers to try out responses to difficult classroom situations in a safe environment. 12/29/06



• Getting Creative With iPods
  Language arts teacher Crystal Combast took the traditional book report a step further when she asked her seventh graders to write scripts and record them on audio podcasts with their own background music. 12/14/06



• Celebrity Donates Money to High School
  Actress Jada Pinkett Smith donated $1 million to her alma mater, the Baltimore School for the Arts, and asked that a new theater be dedicated to classmate Tupac Shakur.12/13/06



• Schools Ban Purses
  Educators in at least three states are banning purses from classrooms for security reasons, saying students can hide weapons or drugs inside. 12/12/06



• More Students Opt for Free Breakfast
  Students from low-income families are eating more free and reduced-price breakfasts at school, according to a report from an anti-hunger group. 12/11/06



• Study: Students Should Take Tests in Metal-Lined Rooms
  Students should take exams in metal-lined rooms to block mobile phone signals and thwart a rise in technology-enabled cheating, according to a United Kingdom government study. 12/08/06



• Banking On Latin
  In an effort to get their students reading and doing math at grade level or higher, staff members at the Bronx School of Latin are betting that instruction in Latin will give students a better understanding of language. 12/07/06



• Actor Calls for Civics Curriculum
  Calling the state of U.S. civics education "dismal and startling," actor Richard Dreyfuss is urging the adoption of a national civics curriculum. 12/06/06



• High Court Weighs School Integration Plans
  The U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether voluntary school integration plans are constitutional, even though some have been in place for years. 12/05/06



• State Revamping Discipline Guidelines
  New York State school officials are weighing new restrictions on the use of shock therapy and detention rooms for special-education students, in response to complaints from parents. 12/04/06



• Come to School, Win a Car!
  Some schools now are offering students with perfect or near-perfect attendance the chance to win a car or truck. The vehicles usually are donated to the district. 12/01/06



• Schools, NEA Take NCLB to Court
  The National Education Association and school districts in Michigan, Vermont, and Texas have asked a federal appeals court to revive a lawsuit challenging NCLB. 11/30/06



• Tech-Savvy Teachers More Common
  Teachers in many Florida schools are using technology extensively, from communicating with parents to integrating it into classroom lessons. 11/29/06



• Students Enjoy “Paper-Less” Classroom
  In a “paper-less” fifth-grade classroom at Flamingo Elementary School in the Miami-Dade County (Florida) school district, students study the American Civil War and other subjects by reading text on a computer screen built into their desks. 11/28/06



• Parents Better Than Gadgets to Help Tots Learn
  A British government-funded study found that high-tech devices, aimed at infants as young as nine months, are no more effective than traditional ways of introducing basic literacy and number skills to infants and toddlers.11/27/06



• Language Immersion Proves Popular
  The popularity of a dual-language immersion program in one Seattle, Washington, school has prompted school officials to propose adding eight more immersion programs over the next five years. 11/22/06



• New Playgrounds Incorporate Nature
  Designs for new playgrounds, such as one in New Boston, New Hampshire, feature input from students and more connections to nature, such as walking trails, gardens, and slides built into hillsides. 11/21/06


Sport Stacking New Rage
About 12,000 U.S. schools and youth groups -- and 1,500 more globally -- take part in sport stacking, in which players race to create pyramids with plastic cups. 11/20/06


• Cutting School Costs Students
  Some high schools in Utah are requiring students who cut school to buy tickets to pay for being absent. The tickets fund an "attendance school" held before or after school or on Saturdays. 11/17/06



• Students Expose Poor School Conditions
  Students in several rural South Carolina school districts and the Baltimore, Maryland, district photographed deplorable conditions in some of their schools, including mold, exposed wires, and collapsing ceilings. 11/16/06



• Kids Raise Money for Sick Teacher
  Students at the Cascade School in Great Falls, Montana, launched "penny wars" to raise money for an art teacher battling several rare illnesses. 11/15/06



• Gates: Revamp Education System
  Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said the U.S. education system needs higher standards, clear accountability, flexible personnel practices, and innovation to better prepare students. 11/14/06



• Students Allowed "Text-Speak" on Exams
  New Zealand's high school students will be able to use "text-speak" -- the mobile phone text message language -- in national exams this year. Many educators are unhappy with the decision. 11/13/06



• Students Create Veterans' Wall
  Students at Haddam (Connecticut) Elementary School each interviewed a veteran and then posted their interviews on a "wall of honor" at the school. Several veterans also visited. 11/10/06



• Security Focus of New School Designs
  In an increasing number of schools, security drives decisions about everything from where to place the principal's office to what kinds of locks and windows are selected. 11/09/06



• Students Tackle Achievement Gap
  Students in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, school district are involved in the Leap the Gap project, an effort to reduce the achievement gap in their district. 11/08/06



• Grants to Reward Effective Teaching, Leadership
  The U.S. Department of Education is funding $42 million for 16 grants for educators who take on tough jobs and show results in high-need schools. 11/07/06



• Report: Seatbelts Could Reduce School Bus Injuries
  Researchers say safety belts on school buses could cut the number of injuries connected to school buses. New data shows that 17,000 children go to emergency rooms every year because of school-bus related accidents. 11/06/06



• School Clinics Keep Kids Healthy, in School
  Children who attend schools with health clinics tend to get regular checkups and comprehensive care while not missing as much class time as they would if they had to visit doctors off campus. The clinics particularly benefit children with no health insurance.11/03/06



• Lawmakers to Crack Down on Cheating
  Reacting to reports of cheating on state exams from around the country, some key lawmakers want to ensure certain test results remain credible. In some cases, teachers gave test answers to students and excluded from testing others who were low-performing. 11/02/06



• Cosby Criticizes Teachers, Parents
  Comedian Bill Cosby criticized teachers and parents at a Los Angeles-area education conference, saying they don't do enough to help kids.11/01/06



• Fathers Recruited as School 'WatchDOGS'
  More fathers are at schools as WatchDOGS (Dads of Great Students), a national program that puts fathers on school campuses daily to bolster security and act as role models. 10/31/06



• Fifth Graders Petition for Longer Recess
  A group of Melrose, Massachusetts, fifth graders plans to petition school officials to extend recess beyond the current 15 minutes. Students said they need more time to unwind. 10/30/06



• Students Travel to China
  Eight students from Lahser High School in Bloomfield, Michigan, expect to join two teachers on a scheduled trade mission to China. Students will write reports about the business opportunities in the cities they visit. 10/27/06



• Restrictions Eased on Single-Sex Schools
  The Bush administration is giving public schools wider latitude to teach boys and girls separately in what is considered the biggest change to coed classrooms in more than three decades. 10/26/06



• Teachers Get Federal Bonuses
  The first federal bonuses for teachers who raised student test scores have gone to four of Ohio’s biggest, poorest, and most academically challenged districts. 10/25/06



• Debates Arise About Virtual Science Classes
  As the number of lab science courses on the Internet grows, the College Board is questioning whether virtual lab courses measure up to the hands-on versions. 10/24/06



• Breaking Kids' Code of Silence
  Anonymous hotlines and e-mail systems that allow students to report threats, bullying, or students at risk are gaining popularity in some schools. 10/23/06



• Scientists: Video Games Can Change Education
  The Federation of American Scientists is calling for studies to determine how the appeal of video games can be connected to serious learning tools. 10/20/06



• School Bans Tag
  An Attleboro, Massachusetts, elementary school banned students from playing tag, touch football, and any other unsupervised chase game during recess out of fear they'll get hurt and hold the school responsible. 10/19/06



• League Weighs Mandating Defibrillators
  The University Interscholastic League in Texas is considering mandating that all Houston-area high schools have automated external defibrillators available after three student athletes died suddenly over a ten-day period.10/18/06



• Cameras Deter Bullying, Vandalism
  Security cameras installed at Wethersfield (Connecticut) High School have helped staff resolve student conflicts and deterred vandalism and bullying, school officials said. 10/17/06



• Hispanics Bolster School Enrollment
  Fueled by the growing Hispanic population, the number of public school children in the U.S. increased by 4.7 million from 1993 to 2003, the largest growth since the baby boomers started school. 10/16/06



• Community Offers Teachers Incentives
  TA Loudon County school employee convinced dozens of area businesses, banks, and apartment complexes to offer discounts for county educators. 10/13/06



• Some Teachers Choose Mobility Over Desks
  A small but growing number of U.S. teachers is abandoning the traditional classroom power center -- the desk at the front of the classroom. 10/12/06



• District Trains Students, Teachers to Fight Off Intruders
  The Burleson (Texas) School District is training students and teachers to fight intruders with everything from books to scissors. 10/11/06



• Bush Holds Summit on School Violence
  All school systems need a crisis response plan, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in opening a summit on school violence called by President Bush. 10/10/06



• Lawmaker: Give Teachers Guns
  In the wake of recent school shootings, a Wisconsin state legislator plans to introduce a bill that would allow teachers and other school personnel to carry concealed weapons. 10/09/06



• Bush: NCLB Priority Next Year
  Renewing the No Child Left Behind Act will be a priority for President Bush next year, but Bush noted that the law isn't working as well for parents as it should. 10/06/06



• Some Schools Reject Bonus Pay
  More than two dozen Texas schools have rejected state grants to set up a merit pay program for their teachers, deciding it was unfair to pit teachers against each other in dividing up bonus money.10/05/06



• Bush Plans Summit on School Violence
  The Bush administration plans to bring education and law enforcement experts together to discuss school violence and federal action to help communities prevent violence and deal with its aftermath. 10/04/06



• How Can We Stop School Shootings?
  While school officials have focused more on school security over the past seven years, experts say there is no way to completely secure a school -- or any other building -- from those determined to do harm. 10/03/06



• Study: Watching TV Weeknights Hurts Schoolwork
  A study shows that middle-school students who watch TV or play video games during the week do worse in school than those who don't. Weekend TV viewing had no effect on schoolwork. 10/02/06



• NCLB Lawsuit Still Alive
  A federal judge dismissed Connecticut's argument for challenging the No Child Left Behind Act, but left open one avenue for the state's lawsuit to continue. 09/29/06



• Gunman, Student Die in Hostage Crisis
  A gunman fatally shot a student hostage and then killed himself during a standoff with police at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado. The gunman only took girls hostage, a witness said. 09/28/06



• Most of NCLB "Here to Stay"
  While the bulk of NCLB will remain, some changes are needed when it comes up for renewal in 2007 to make it more effective, said the cochairman of a bipartisan commission. 09/27/06



• Going Online for Professional Development
  The Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Educational Television Network, and PBS TeacherLine are collaborating on online professional development for the state's teachers.09/26/06



• Testing Blamed for Primary School Truancy
  An increase in the truancy rate among younger students in England is being blamed by some on the stress from high-stakes government testing. 09/26/06



• Teachers Volunteer to Extend School Day
  After low test scores put Sunnyslope Elementary School in Imperial Beach, California, on a federal watch list, 12 first and second grade teachers agreed to teach an extra 25 minutes per day. 09/22/06



• Boston Named Top Urban District
  The Boston Public Schools has won this year's Broad Prize, a $500,000 award to the urban school district making the greatest strides in student achievement. 09/21/06



• Teachers Take to Blogging
  More and more teachers are writing about the joys and frustrations of daily life in the classroom in blogs, and they are attracting a wide audience. 09/20/06



• Study: Teacher Education "Chaotic"
  New teachers graduate from college woefully unprepared for their jobs, according to a study that describes most teacher education programs as deeply flawed and chaotic. 09/19/06



• Teachers Go Weightless to Study Gravity
  Science teachers throughout the U.S. are participating in the "Weightless Flights of Discovery" program, experiencing zero gravity so they can pique students' interest in math and science. 09/18/06



• More Flexibility in ESL Student Testing
  The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to let states omit the test scores of newly-enrolled, limited-English students when grading schools. 09/16/06



• Students Could Face Cell Phone Fines
  Derby (Connecticut) High School principal Michael Novia is considering fining students who defy the school's ban on using cell phones during class. A first offense could cost $3. 09/14/06



• Teacher Refuses to Shave Until Bin Laden Caught
  Science teacher Gary Weddle followed the news so closely in the days after the 9/11 attacks that he forgot to shave. Then he decided not to shave until Osama bin Laden was captured or killed. 09/13/06



• U.S. Dropouts Face Low Earnings
  U.S. adults who don't finish high school earn 65 percent of what high school graduates make, the largest income gap in the world, according to a new report comparing industrialized nations. 09/12/06



• Teachers Differ on What to Learn from 9/11
  Five years after terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, educators still debate what students should know about the attacks and their aftermath. 09/11/06



• Digital Divide Remains Wide
  A new federal study reveals that while 67 percent of white students use the Internet, fewer than half of blacks and Hispanics do, showing the digital divide remains a factor in education. 09/08/06



• Principal to Sleep on Roof, Go Bald
  Hartford (Connecticut's) Batchelder School principal John Laverty is making good on a promise to his students to sleep on the school roof and have his head shaved if the school made AYP. 09/07/06



• Fighting to Win Back Dropouts
  As a new school year gets underway, states are working harder to bring back dropouts, if not to traditional public school, then to GED programs, alternative learning centers, or other types of programs. 09/06/06



• District Weighs Extended Year
  The head of the Philadelphia public schools is proposing extending the school year by a month and a half for 60 elementary schools that are low-performing. 09/05/06



• Secretary: NCLB Close to Perfect
  U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said the No Child Left Behind Act is close to perfect and needs little change as the time for its first major update draws near. 09/01/06



• Should Kids Experience Rejection?
  While many teachers and parents strive to protect children from exclusion and failure, some critics say rejection is a reality of life that children need to learn how to handle. 08/31/06



• Principal Suspends 128 for Dress Code Violations
  Fed up with inappropriate outfits, the principal of Morton High School in Hammond, Indiana, suspended 128 students for one day on the first day of school. 08/30/06



• Teacher's Gender Affects Learning
  Boys learn more from men and girls learn more from women, so teachers of the opposite sex hurt students' academic progress, a study by an associate professor at Swarthmore College says. 08/29/06



• Graduates Tutor Student Teachers
  Recent graduates of the Philadelphia public schools talked with rookie teachers about the challenges of urban school life and how to connect with their students. 08/28/06



• Vouchers Lose Public Support
  A recent poll by Gallup and Phi Delta Kappa International indicated that among the people surveyed, those who support vouchers dropped to 36 percent this year from 50 percent just four years ago. 08/25/06



• FDA Calls for New Warnings on ADHD Drugs
  U.S. health officials announced that several drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) need new warning information about the risks of heart problems and psychotic behavior. 08/24/06



• Charter Schools' Test Scores Lower
  Fourth graders in traditional public schools score better in reading and math than students in charter schools, according to a government report. 08/23/06



• Text Messages Alert Parents to Truancy
  Three Tucson, Arizona, high schools are testing a system that allows school officials to send text messages to parents if their children are absent without permission. 08/22/06



• Teachers Suggest Fewer Report Cards
  Ontario, Canada's, elementary school teachers are proposing that the number of annual report cards be reduced from three to two. Teachers say it will give them more time to evaluate students. 08/21/06



• Students Trade Bathroom Passes for Extra Credit
  Some schools grant extra credit to students who do not use passes to go to the bathroom during class time. But some educators and parents are critical of the practice. 08/18/06



• School Uses Cash as Incentive
  When a law firm offered cash rewards to eighth graders at a California middle school for high marks on an algebra exam, the number of high-scoring students soared. 08/17/06



• Support Stalls for H.S. Graduation Tests
  The push to require high school students to pass an exam in order to graduate has stalled, and is unlikely to start up again soon, according to a report. 08/16/06



• "65 Percent Rule" Kicks In
  School officials in Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana are grappling with applying the 65 Percent Rule, which requires districts to spend 65 percent of their budgets on in-classroom expenses. 08/15/06



• Schools Lag in Distributing Qualified Teachers
  Most states are dragging their feet on the No Child Left Behind Act mandate to ensure that poor and minority students get their fair share of qualified teachers, according to a recent analysis. 08/14/06



• Using Robots to Teach Math, Science
  About 50 Pennsylvania elementary schools will get robots this year to teach math and science. The program is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University and LEGO Education. 08/11/06



• District Provides Two Weeks of Lessons for Every Class
  To get the school year off to a running start, Miami superintendent Rudy Crew instructed his staff to provide lesson plans for the first two weeks of school for every class, every subject, and every grade level. 08/10/06



• Middle Schools Told to Shape Up
  Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene G. White has told his middle school principals that they can lose their jobs if test scores and discipline do not dramatically improve this year. 08/09/06



• Raunchy Lyrics Can Lead to Early Teen Sex
  Teenagers who listen to music with raunchy, sexually-explicit lyrics are more likely to engage in sexual activity at a younger age than those who choose other music, a study says. 08/08/06



• More Double Periods of Math, English
  More secondary students are taking double periods of English and mathematics, as schools focus on preparing them for their states' high stakes tests. 08/07/06



• District Lures Kids to School With Prizes
  A plan to boost attendance on opening day in the Chicago, Illinois, public schools will mean tickets to sporting events, appearances by pro athletes, and other prizes for schools with the biggest attendance gains. 08/04/06



• Principals May Earn Bonuses
  Principals in Denver (Colorado) Public Schools may soon be eligible for annual bonuses of $750 to $30,000 if they boost student achievement or work in tough schools. Denver has a performance pay system for teachers. 08/03/06



• District Creates Haven for Homeless Kids
  The Maplewood-Richmond Heights (Missouri) School District is buying and sponsoring a group home for homeless students. About 12 students have been identified as candidates for the home.08/02/06



• Girls Sue High School Over Bullying
  Five girls have filed a joint lawsuit against their former high school in Kentucky, charging that the Casey County High School administration ignored their reports of constant bullying. 08/01/06



• Survey: Teaching is "Least Boring" Job
  According to a British survey of workers between the ages of 21 and 45, teachers and healthcare workers were those least likely to be bored at work. Teachers said the challenges and variety of their work prevented boredom. 07/31/06



• AP, IB Scores Allow Students to Skip Tests
  Maryland education officials are expected to allow students to skip one or more statewide tests required for graduation if they post high scores on Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams in those subjects. 07/28/06



• Troubles Loom for Girls With ADHD
  A long-term study of girls diagnosed with ADHD while in elementary school found they are at higher risk for substance abuse, emotional problems, and academic difficulties in adolescence than other girls. 07/27/06



• Study: Distractions Hurt Learning
  While multitasking has become common for children and adults, new research shows that distractions affect the way people learn, making the knowledge they gain harder to use later on. 07/26/06



• Sex Ed May Delay Sexual Activity
  Students who participate in comprehensive sex education programs may delay sexual activity, according to recent study of middle-school students who took part in a two-week education program. 07/25/06



• Impulsive Tots May Abuse Alcohol Later
  Preschoolers who have trouble controlling their impulses and behavior may be at a higher risk of abusing alcohol and illegal drugs when they reach adolescence, according to a study. 07/24/06



• Voucher Plan Proposed
  Republicans in the U.S. Congress have proposed a $100 million school voucher plan that would pay for poor students in struggling schools to attend other public or private schools. 07/21/06



• Student Drug-Testing Expanding
  As legal obstacles to drug-testing students have fallen, more schools are testing students, funding for it has jumped, and schools have begun to expand the categories of students who can be screened. 07/20/06



• More Schools Drop Class Ranks
  In an effort reduce stress and competition among students, many high schools are eliminating class ranks. But some colleges say evaluating students without ranks is more difficult. 07/19/06



• Older Students Struggle to Read
  Some educators are calling for renewed efforts to improve the reading skills of middle and high school students, many of whom struggle to read and understand content. 07/18/06



• Parents Sue Over Cellphone Ban
  A group of parent association leaders plans to sue the New York City Department of Education in an effort to end the 18-year ban on students carrying cellphones in public schools. 07/17/06



• School Officials: Leave Portable Music Players Home
  Several Michigan school districts are banning students from bringing portable music players and other electronic music devices to school, saying they are a distraction and students sometimes can be overheard sharing songs with inappropriate messages. 07/14/06



• Columbine Shooters' Diaries Released
  Authorities released almost 1,000 pages of essays, diary entries, computer files, and other documents belonging to Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two teens who killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999 before shooting themselves. 07/13/06



• State Senator Subpoenas College Board Records
  A New York state senator has subpoenaed College Board officials after they refused to release a report on scoring errors in the SAT. More than 4,000 students received incorrectly lower scores on the October exam. 07/12/06



• High School to Focus on Homeland Security
  The first high-school program in the U.S. focused on homeland security issues, including disaster response, high-level computer science, and law enforcement could open in the Harford County (Maryland) school system in fall 2007. 07/11/06



• Tests Fall Short in Most States
  Thirty-four states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have problems with tests that were supposed to be in place last school year, and could face sanctions from the U.S. Department of Education if the issues are not corrected this year. 07/10/06



• Study: Bullying's Effects Lasting
  A new study suggests that children who are bullied during their early school years may experience behavior problems as a result, and bullying could interfere with normal development. 07/07/06



• Training Tomorrow's Teachers
  Prince William County (Virginia) school officials plan to launch a program in the fall to provide mentoring and support to minority high school students interested in becoming teachers. 07/06/06



• Teachers Using Forensics to Spark Science Interest
  More science teachers are capitalizing on the interest in forensic science generated by television shows, and using lessons analyzing blood and DNA samples to interest students in science. 06/30/06



• Interns Fill In at Schools
  Education majors from several Connecticut universities will be interning this school year in districts across the state, gaining experience and helping schools faced with teacher and substitute shortages. 06/29/06



• Schools: Tag Is Not It
  Some elementary schools are banning traditional games, such as tag, from recess, claiming it is too dangerous. Some teachers say the games led to pushing, shoving and children getting hurt. 06/28/06



• Study Disputes "Boy Crisis"
  A new study examining long-term trends in test scores and academic success argues that widespread reports of U.S. boys being in crisis are greatly overstated and that young males in school are in many ways doing better than ever. 06/27/06



• Court: Schools Must Supervise Dismissal
  A New Jersey appellate panel has ruled that schools are responsible for ensuring that young students have supervision before they are dismissed. The ruling was prompted by the case of a 9-year-old boy who was hit by a car in 2001 near his school. 06/26/06



• Classrooms to Display Flag, Constitution
  Arizona lawmakers approved a bill that would require the American flag and copies of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution on display in every public school classroom in the state. 06/23/06



• Schools to Serve More Fruits, Vegetables
  The Ontario (Canada) government plans to launch a pilot project this fall to offer apples, carrot sticks, and other fresh fruit and vegetables to children in elementary schools in Northern Ontario. 06/22/06



• Tracking Eye Movements to Improve Reading
  Dozens of Miami-Dade, Florida, schools are diagnosing students’ reading problems by using infrared goggles that chart how students' eyes move when they read. 06/21/06



• Web, Print Reading Skills Under Study
  A University of Connecticut professor is studying whether reading online material requires different reading skills for students than reading printed text. He maintains that the skills for reading online material are not being taught in most schools. 06/20/06



• Teen Smoking Levels Off
  After years of decline, the percentage of teenagers who smoke has leveled off, according to a recent survey. Between 2003 and 2005, smoking among high school students held steady at about one in four teenagers. 06/19/06



• Young Kids Need Support to Keep Reading
  Reading for pleasure often declines among children 8 and older because they can't find books they like and parents don't help as much as they did when the child was learning to read, a study says. 06/16/06



• Play Gives Courage to Immigrant Kids
  Diana Senechal, a first-year teacher at at Brooklyn, New York, middle school, decided to build her immigrant students' confidence by having them perform the musical The Wizard of Oz. 06/15/06



• Teacher Wins $100K for Excellence
  Colorado kindergarten teacher Linda Alston is the winner of the first $100,000 Kinder Excellence in Teaching Award. It is the largest unrestricted award for a K-12 teacher in U.S. history. 06/14/06



• Teens Use Ring Tone Teachers Can't Hear
  Some students are getting around their schools' ban on cell phone use by downloading a ring tone that is too high-pitched for most adults to hear. Teens are able to receive text message alerts. 06/13/06



• Art Teacher Suspended for Murals
  A Stafford Springs, Connecticut, high school art teacher was suspended after administrators say students painted offensive murals on school walls in response to an assignment. 06/12/06



• Trading Bathroom Breaks for Grades
  To discourage students from using the restroom during class time, some schools allow students to save unused bathroom passes and turn them in for extra credit. 06/09/06



• Many Teachers Moonlighting
  About 40 percent of Clark County (Nevada) School District teachers find it necessary to work a second job during the academic year, a survey notes. A new teacher earns about $30,000. 06/08/06



• Tougher Attendance Policy Weighed
  The Waterbury (Connecticut) board of education is weighing a tougher attendance policy that would no longer consider routine illnesses excused absences, even with a doctor's note. 06/07/06



• Top Court to Review Race-Based Placements
  The U.S. Supreme Court plans to make a decision on the extent to which public schools can use race in determining how students are assigned to schools. 06/06/06



• Province Plans to Add Gay Issues to Curriculum
  British Columbia, Canada, officials plan to add a high-school course in gay and lesbian issues to the provincial curriculum by fall 2007. Educators from throughout the province will design the course. 06/05/06



• Summer Schools Shift Focus
  Schools in Wichita, Kansas, are joining a national trend of shifting the focus of summer school from remediation to enrichment, and mixing learning with recreation. 06/02/06



• H.S. Dropouts Entering College
  Some two-and four-year colleges have begun accepting students who have not completed high school. Some states may prevent students from enrolling in college without a high school diploma. 06/01/06



• Graduates to Wear Eagle Feathers
  Mesa, Arizona, school officials have agreed to allow Native American students to wear eagle feathers on their caps at graduation. Initially, school officials banned the feathers. 05/31/06



• Robots Attend Class for Sick Kids
  New robots are taking the place of hospitalized students in class, allowing children to view lessons, respond to questions, and even receive assignments. The robots also move from class to class. 05/30/06



• Students Open Time Capsules
  Just before graduation, seniors in the Forest Hills (Ohio) School District open "time capsules," manila envelopes with memorabilia from eighth grade, and reflect on how much they've changed. 05/26/06



• Non-English Speakers Continue to Struggle
  Four years after Massachusetts public schools were required to start teaching non-English speaking students in English after a year of bilingual instruction, most of those students are not fluent enough to function in a regular classroom, according to state test results. 05/25/06
  
  
• District to Monitor Students' MySpace Pages
  The board of Community High School District 128 (Illinois) voted to discipline students who might post "illegal or inappropriate" content on the Internet during in- or out-of-school time. The new rule goes into effect at the start of next school year. 05/24/06



• Balancing Internet, Book Research
  As more students automatically turn to the Internet to do research, teachers and library media specialists are working to teach students how to integrate printed material into their searches. 05/23/06



• Teacher Apologizes for "Killer" Assignment
  A Missouri high-school teacher who assigned students to write an essay about how they would carry out a murder has apologized and officials said he would likely keep his job. 05/22/06



• Grappling With School Standards
  With one of the lowest rates for college attendance in the U.S., Idaho lawmakers and educators are struggling to find a way to raise education standards. 05/19/06



• Student Swearing Continues Despite Fines
  Six months after police officers began issuing tickets to students at two Hartford, Connecticut, high schools for swearing, school officials say the impact of the fines has been mixed. 05/18/06



• Do Anti-Drug Programs Work?
  A growing number of researchers are saying that standard anti-drug education programs simplify issues and may confuse students more than help them. 05/17/06



• Teen Prescription Drug Abuse Soaring
  While fewer teens are smoking and drinking alcohol, the number who are abusing prescription drugs is soaring, and the problem often goes undetected by adults. 05/16/06



• Skateboarding Rolls Into Gym Classes
  To increase students' interest in physical activity, a Denver, Colorado, elementary school offers a physical-education course about the fundamentals of skateboarding. 05/15/06



• Half of New Teachers Quit in Five Years
  Half of all new teachers leave the profession within five years because of low salaries and poor working conditions, according to a recent study the National Education Association. 05/12/06



• Schools Face Serious Sanctions
  About 1,750 U.S. schools that have failed to show enough progress under NCLB are facing sanctions, including restructuring, mass firings, closure, and state takeover. 05/11/06



• Judge May Halt Exit Exam
  A California judge said that he may put on hold the state's requirement for high school seniors to pass an exit exam in order to graduate. The district plans to appeal any injunction. 05/10/06



• Curing Senioritis
  With too many 12th graders simply killing time in their senior year, more high schools across the U.S. are starting programs to keep students engaged and better prepare them for work or college. 05/09/06



• More Children Take Anti-Psychotic Drugs
  The number of children taking antipsychotic medicines increased by 73 percent from 2001 to 2005, a study says. The drugs are prescribed for people with serious psychosis. 05/08/06



• Students Say E-Mail Old News
  Just as more teachers are starting to use e-mail to communicate with students, youths are reporting that they find e-mail outdated, and prefer instant messaging. 05/05/06



• Diesel-Electric School Buses on the Horizon
  As fuel costs take larger chunks out of school budgets, companies are developing hybrid school buses, which would use diesel fuel and electricity. One company expects to have a prototype ready this spring. 05/04/06



• Companies Agree to End Soda Sales to Schools
  The largest beverage distributors in the U.S. have agreed to end nearly all soda sales to public schools. The companies only will sell water, unsweetened juice, and low-fat milks to elementary and middle schools. 05/03/06



• Parents Irate Over Cell Phone Crackdown
  More New York City public schools are enforcing a ban on cell phones, infuriating parents. The cell phones have been setting off metal detectors, which more schools are using. 05/02/06



• Teachers Feed Students to Improve Grades
  When Texas teacher Kayla Brown noticed that some of her students were irritable and inattentive, she learned they were hungry. Now she and other volunteers send children home with food every weekend. 05/01/06



• Teaming Approach Helps ELL Kids
  St. Paul, Minnesota, educators have shown remarkable success in closing the achievement gap for English language learners (ELLs) by pairing-up ELL teachers and regular peers to teach coordinated lessons. 04/28/06



• Police Role in School Discipline Growing
  Students who commit infractions in Texas schools more often are bypassing the principal's office and going straight to a police cruiser. Police are called for incidents such as fighting, theft, or causing a disturbance. 04/27/06



• Maryland Teacher is Teacher of the Year
  Kimberly Oliver, a kindergarten teacher in Silver Spring, Maryland, has been named the U.S. National Teacher of the Year. Oliver was cited for the gains her students made and involving parents in their children's education. 04/26/06



• School Soda Ban Moves Forward
  Ignoring strong opposition from the soda industry, Connecticut's state Senate voted to ban the sale of all soda and sports drinks in schools. The bill now moves to the House. 04/25/06



• City to Offer Teachers Housing Subsidies
  New York City plans to offer housing subsidies of up to $14,600 to entice new math, science, and special education teachers to work in its toughest schools. Teachers would get $5,000 initially and then $400 a month for two years. 04/24/06



• Five Charged in School Shooting Plot
  Five Riverton (Kansas) High School students were arrested in connection with a plot to go on a shooting spree at school. Police were notified when one of the teens talked about the plot on MySpace.com. 04/21/06



• Graduation Gender Gap Growing
  In 2003, about 72 percent of girls in U.S. high schools earned diplomas, compared with only 65 percent of the boys, said a report from the Manhattan Institute. The gaps are wider within minority groups. 04/20/06



• Districts Grapple With Spending Caps
  New Jersey school officials are struggling to craft budgets that meet a new state law limiting the annual budget increase for school districts to 2.5 percent or the increase in inflation, whichever is more. 04/19/06



• Finding Suitable School Literature
  Many schools are walking a fine line picking literature that appeals to students but does not offend parents and community members with excessive profanity and adult themes. 04/18/06



• Despite All the Tests, Hard Comparing Schools
  While the U.S. will spend about $517 million this school year to test children under the No Child Left Behind Act, every state has its own test and the results cannot be compared, according to experts. 04/17/06



• Quality Teacher Deadline Looms
  Two months before the NCLB deadline for schools to have highly qualified teachers in all major subjects, only 33 states report that most of their teachers meet the mandate. 04/14/06



• Schools Work to Expand PE
  While recognizing the immediate and lifelong benefits of daily physical education, many schools are struggling to find ways to fit more PE classes into the schedule. 04/13/06



• Students Get Credit for Immigration Protests
  The Montgomery County, Maryland, school district's decision to award community service credit to students participating in immigrant rights protests is drawing criticism. 04/12/06



• One-Quarter of Schools Fail NCLB Standards
  Although about half of the states increased the number of schools making adequate yearly progress in improving student test scores in math and reading last year, 27 percent of the schools failed to show adequate improvement. 04/11/06



• Study: Tough for Slow Readers to Catch Up
  Improving the reading skills of older elementary students is harder than originally thought. Intensive instruction was more effective for third graders than fifth graders, a study showed. 04/10/06



• Schools Must Tell Students NCLB Rights
  States risk losing federal funds if they don't inform parents that under NCLB, their children are entitled to free tutoring or to transfer out of struggling schools, federal officials said. 04/07/06



• One-Third of U.S. Kids Overweight
  One-third of U.S. children and teens -- about 25 million kids -- are either overweight or on the brink of becoming overweight, the highest number ever recorded, according to a recent government survey. 04/06/06



• Students Lobby for More Security
  About 150 Kennedy High School students in Chicago recently stayed out of school to call attention to the need for more security in the building. Some students said they would welcome police officers in classrooms. 04/05/06



• Classroom Encourages Kids to Move
  An experimental classroom in Minnesota is designed to help kids be more active during the day by replacing chairs and desks with podiums at which they can kneel or stand. Students also can sit on giant exercise balls. 04/04/06



• Drug-Free School Zones Ineffective
  Drug-free school zone laws fail to shield school children from drugs, and instead contribute to racial disparities in prison and to higher prison costs, according to a recent national report. 04/03/06



• Sharing the Hardships of Others
  After learning about Mozambique's history and challenges, including a high rate of HIV infection, students in Jeff VanKooten's Other Worlds class at Denver Christian High School founded an Africans Orphaned by AIDS Museum in the school's basement. 03/31/06



• Measuring Instructional Time in Hours, Not Days
  A bill passed by the Iowa House of Representatives sets a minimum number of instructional hours rather than days for a school year, and no longer allows recess or pep rallies to be classified as instructional time. 03/30/06



• Study: Too Many Tired Teens
  Only about 20 percent of teenagers get enough sleep, and they are paying the price by dozing off in school and driving while drowsy, according to a recent study. 03/29/06



• Longer Year Possible for Low-Scoring Schools
  School officials in New York State are considering extending the school year by four weeks in high schools with the lowest graduation rates. More than 100 schools could be affected. 03/28/06



• Math, Reading Edge Out Other Subjects
  Many schools are spending so much time on reading and math, subjects measured by NCLB, that they are spending little or no time on subjects such as history, science, and art, studies show. 03/27/06



• H.S. Students May Pick Majors
  Florida Governor Jeb Bush is proposing that high school students declare a major, so that their high school programs can be more relevant to their future plans. 03/24/06



• Schools Should Prep for Bird Flu
  Federal officials are urging school leaders to develop plans to deliver lessons and services to students in the event a bird flu outbreak forces schools to close for weeks, or students are quarantined. 03/23/06



• Preschool Push Growing
  As evidence mounts that children who attend pre-school do better in school academically and socially, more states are considering universal pre-school. 03/22/06



• Energy Tax Fuels Education
  Wyoming, flush with energy-tax money, soon could lead the nation in per-pupil spending. State officials plan to pump $2.1 billion into their public elementary and secondary schools over the next two years. 03/21/06



• Vo-Tech Programs Opening Doors to College
  While vocational programs used to be considered the place for students not going to college, many students now are finding that the skills they learn in those programs can help them get into college. 03/20/06



• More Teens Report Hearing Loss
  More than half of the high school students surveyed in a recent poll reported experiencing at least one sign of hearing loss associated with the use of portable music and DVD players. 03/17/06



• Teacher Disarms Student
  A physical education teacher at a Reno, Nevada, middle school is being hailed as a hero for persuading a 14-year-old student to drop his gun after he allegedly wounded two other pupils. 03/16/06



• Schools Use Contests, Games for Test Prep
  Many schools are turning to contests, games, prizes, and before and after school and Saturday tutoring sessions to prepare students for high stakes tests. 03/15/06



• Teacher Who Criticized Bush Reinstated
  Colorado high school teacher Jay Bennish, who was suspended for comparing President Bush to Adolph Hitler during a lecture February 1, has been reinstated. 03/14/06



• Tutors Prepping Displaced Students
  Houston Independent School District faculty, aided by tutors, are working with children from New Orleans who enrolled after Hurricane Katrina to prepare them for their first round of Texas achievement tests. 03/13/06



• Mexican Parents Read to Students
  They are known as Los Dichos Moms, and they are the mothers who come weekly to elementary schools in the South Bay area of California to read stories in Spanish to children. (Dichos are Mexican proverbs.) 03/10/06



• TV, ADHD May Not Be Linked
  A new, two-year study contradicts earlier findings that young children who watch a lot of television develop attention disorders and often have behavior problems in school. 03/09/06



• Study: Most Dropouts Have Passing Grades
  A new study shows that nine out of ten high school dropouts had passing grades when they left school, but they dropped out because classes were boring. 03/08/06



• Not Ranking Students Annoys Colleges
  While more high schools are eliminating class ranks for students, colleges say without ranks, they must weigh other factors more heavily, such as test scores. 03/07/06



• Gaps in State, Federal Test Scores
  U.S. students do much worse on a federal test than they do on state exams in reading and math, raising doubts about how much kids actually are learning. Some suggest states are setting low standards. 03/06/06



• Teens Call for Mandatory Sex Education
  More than 2,000 teenagers in the United Kingdom signed a petition calling for mandatory sex and relationships education in schools, taught by teachers trained to discuss sexuality and relationships. 03/03/06



• NEA, AFL-CIO Form Partnership
  The National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers' union in the U.S., has agreed to let local affiliates join the AFL-CIO. The NEA currently has about 2.8 million members. 03/02/06



• Looking to Industry for Math, Science Teachers
  To bolster the math and science teacher ranks, Congress may approve the Adjunct Teacher Corps, which would allow scientists and engineers to leave their jobs to teach for a few hours a week or during a leave of absence. 03/01/06



• Some Question Separate Classes for Multiples
  More parents are questioning the practice of assigning twins or triplets to different classes, saying there is no evidence that separating them is beneficial, and may even by harmful to the children. 02/28/06



• Read Across America Is March 2
  The ninth Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, is scheduled for March 2. The annual event, held on Dr. Seuss's birthday, is designed to celebrate and promote reading. 02/27/06



• More Training, Higher Pay for Teachers
  Teachers in Charlotte County, Florida, will be able to earn salary increases for taking courses at a district "academy" and demonstrating that they are using the skills they learned in the classroom. 02/24/06



• Tax Break for Educators
  Educators can deduct up to $250 on their 2005 tax returns for classroom supplies they bought with their own money. The tax break is available to K-12 teachers, instructors, counselors, principals, and aides. 02/23/06



• H.S. Gun Course Draws Fire
  A proposal to add a course on gun safety and marksmanship to Ohio's state curriculum for high schools is drawing fire from educators and community groups. 02/22/06



• Study: AP Not Same as College Course
  Students who took Advanced Placement science courses in high school only did slightly better in college introductory science courses than students who did not take AP courses, according to a study. 02/21/06



• Course Teaches Girls About Friendship
  A counselor in a Virginia elementary school started a class called "Chicks and Cliques," designed to teach girls how to choose good friends, how to cope with small slights, and how to think critically about what popularity means. 02/17/06



• H.S. Students Sue Over Exit Exam
  Twenty California high school seniors and their parents have sued the state's Department of Education and school superintendent, claiming that the state's high school exit exam is illegal and discriminatory. 02/16/06



• Few Using NCLB Tutoring
  Only a small percentage of students from underperforming schools who are eligible for free tutoring under the No Child Left Behind Act are receiving help, four years after the law was passed. 02/15/06



• Schools Try Snowshoeing for Winter PE
  In an effort to entice kids to be outside and active in colder weather, some Northeastern schools are offering snowshoeing in PE classes. An hour of snowshoeing can burn up to 1,000 calories. 02/14/06



• School Tries to Stop 'Dirty Dancing'
  In an effort to end "freak" dancing, officials at one high school started the "freeze freak project." Student council members discuss with students acceptable forms of dancing and say that freaking is degrading to women. 02/13/06



• Parents, Teachers Disagree on School Issues
  Parents and teachers disagree on basic aspects of education, an AP-AOL Learning Services Poll finds. Parents and teachers had different views on discipline, standardized tests, and the quality of high schools. 02/10/06



• Ed Budget Faces $3 Billion in Cuts
  President Bush has proposed reducing the federal education budget for fiscal year 2007 by $3 billion. The plan calls for cutting 42 existing education programs to cover the costs of new initiatives. 02/09/06



• Districts Rethinking Retiree Health Coverage
  The soaring costs of health insurance are forcing many school districts to reconsider providing retired educators with coverage for life. Some teachers are working longer than they planned because of health insurance costs. 02/08/06



• Students Refuse to Sell Junk Food
  About 12 students in a Florida elementary school class have refused to sell potato chips and chocolate bars to raise money for trips, saying they learned in class that junk food is unhealthy. 02/07/06



• Cars, Cash Rewards for Perfect Attendance
  To increase daily attendance, some schools are rewarding students with perfect attendance with money, trips, DVD players, and even cars. Low attendance can affect a school's rating and federal funding. 02/06/06



• More Public Schools Seek Private Money
  Many cash-strapped public schools are reaching out to private donors with deep pockets to fund buildings, classrooms, and even events, and offering them naming rights in exchange for their contributions. 02/03/06



• Report: NCLB Hurts Tests' Quality
  The testing requirements of No Child Left Behind are forcing standardized testing companies to hastily craft lower-quality tests that may prompt teachers to focus only on the lower-level skills being tested, a study says. 02/02/06



• Some Schools Legalizing "Cheating"
  Instead of battling high-tech cheating in the classroom, some schools are allowing students to use the Internet during tests, saying research and analysis skills are more important than memorization. 02/01/06



• NAACP Supports NCLB
  The NAACP in Connecticut is trying to block a lawsuit filed by the state that challenges the No Child Left Behind Act. NAACP officials say NCLB helps minority children. 01/31/06



• Principal Takes Down Gunman
  A San Antonio, Texas, elementary school principal is being hailed as a hero for tackling a man who entered the main office with a gun. The principal, Shannon Allen, said instinct kicked in when she saw the man reach for a gun. 01/30/06



• Marking the 20th Anniversary of the Challenger Tragedy
  NASA officials this week marked the 20th anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, whose crew included Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher-astronaut. NASA also honored other astronauts killed during missions. 01/27/06



• Ed Secretary More Flexible on NCLB
  As U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings starts her second year in office, she is getting credit for meeting her promise of showing more flexibility in administering the No Child Left Behind Act. 01/26/06



• Schools Use Video Game to Up Activity
  West Virginia school officials plan to distribute to all middle schools a video game that requires players to dance, in an effort to increase students' physical activity. 01/25/06



• Organizing High Schools by Credits
  Florida is considering replacing traditional high school classifications such as freshman with a new system that would classify students based on credits they have earned. 01/24/06



• Teacher Becomes Citizen at School
  Patricia Buckley, a teacher at St. John Notre Dame School in Folsom, California, was a living civics lesson when she became a U.S. citizen at a ceremony held at the school. Buckley was born in Great Britain. 01/23/06



• Praise Can Tame Unruly Classes
  Teachers who spend more time praising their students' good behavior than criticizing their bad behavior have more obedient pupils, according to a British study. 01/20/06



• Educators, Private Sector Providing Hurricane Relief
  Concerned with the slow response of federal relief officials, Gulf Coast educators, corporations, and charitable organizations have created their own hurricane relief programs to rebuild the area's schools. 01/19/06



• Indonesian Mayor Thanks U.S. Students
  Students at Creighton Elementary School in Arizona got a personal "thank you" for their donations after last year's tsunami from the mayor of Meulaboh, Indonesia, who recently visited the school. 01/18/06



• Good Students Skipping College
  A surprising number of Connecticut's best-performing students, about one out of ten, never attend college, according to a study of the public high school Class of 1998. 01/17/06



• Forget Dodgeball: Yoga Comes to PE
  Lifestyle sports, designed to build exercise habits, are the new trend in physical education classes, so schools in Arizona are offering activities such as dance, yoga, Pilates, and archery. 01/16/06



• Linking Teacher Pay, Test Scores
  Houston, Texas, is poised to become the largest school district in the U.S. to link teacher pay and student test scores. Teachers could earn as much as $3,000 more per year if students show gains on tests. 01/13/06



• Bush: NCLB Working
  Citing higher student test scores, President Bush marked the fourth anniversary of the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act by saying that the law is proving successful in improving student performance. 01/12/06



• Creative Ways to Battle Test Stress
  Schools in New York City are offering students pictures of "Test Monsters" to color to help them relieve stress before taking high-stakes tests. The testing has been expanded to more grades this year. 01/11/06



• Teachers Benefit from Sense of Community
  When teachers have a strong sense of professional community and support for teaching practices, their morale is better and their commitment to their job is higher, according to a study. 01/10/06



• Business Group to Rank Schools' Performance
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to start ranking the performance of school systems, as part of efforts to produce a workforce more competitive with workers from other countries. 01/09/06



• Court Blocks School Vouchers
  Florida's Supreme Court has overturned a voucher program for students attending failing public schools, saying the state's constitution bars it from using public money to finance a private alternative to public schools. 01/06/06



• Schools Serving Mental Health Needs
  According to a national survey, schools are becoming the leading providers of mental health services for children. School nurses, for example, now spend a third of their time responding to children's emotional and family issues. 01/05/06



• Too Much Computer Use Bad for Young Eyes
  Children who spend a lot of time looking at computer screens not only may be at risk for symptoms of eye strain, but also for developing premature nearsightedness, some researchers say. 01/04/06



• Student Challenges Kilt Ban
  Nathan Warmack, a Missouri high school student, and his parents, are seeking to change the district's dress code after Warmack was told he could not wear a kilt to a school dance. Warmack said he wanted to honor his Scottish heritage. 01/03/06



• Bright Colors Engage Students
  After students in some New York City schools were allowed to paint over the drab colors of their schools' interiors with brighter shades, dropout rates and discipline problems decreased and attendance increased. 01/02/06