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Special Certification Signals Good Teachers
Tweet Share on Facebook June 13, 2008 Comment (6)What is the mark of a good teacher? While top teachers can be hard to identify, those certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards are a good bet, according to a new report. Students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers make greater gains on achievement tests than students taught by teachers who are not board certified, according to the report "Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs."
The analysis, done by a committee of the National Research Council, looked at student performance on standardized tests in reading and math (as an aside, the critics grumble that such tests are not an adequate measurement of achievement). While the report clearly signals that students taught by board certified teachers outperform their peers in these subjects, it remains unclear whether the certification process itself results in better teaching, or if better teachers are drawn to the certification process initially. The findings were based on academic studies of students in Florida, North Carolina, and California from the years 1994 though 2005 and were part of a larger report from the National Research Council.
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In Oklahoma and Maine, Babies Get Funds for College Savings Plans
Tweet Share on Facebook June 12, 2008 CommentCould giving babies college funds encourage parents to take an early interest in their children's educations? To find out, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis's Center for Social Development have started college savings for more than 1,300 infants in Oklahoma. As part of a seven-year study called SEED OK, the families, randomly selected, received $1,000 in state-administered college savings plans, plus commitments, depending on income eligibility, to match additional family deposits up to $250 per year for up to four years.
Michael Sherraden, founder and director of the CSD, says the study will monitor how the funds influence the way parents view college opportunities for their children. The theory goes that parents might be more inclined to add to college funds that already exist and pay more attention to their children's educational development, he says.
In Maine, the Harold Alfond Foundation has offered similar $500 grants for any child born at MaineGeneral Medical Center since the beginning of 2008. The program could cost more than $7 million a year when it launches statewide next January. The foundation hopes families will make additional contributions to the savings; the Financial Authority of Maine estimates that with an added $50 per month, the fund would grow to more than $25,000 by the child's 18th birthday.
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Sharpton and Klein, Education's Odd Couple
Tweet Share on Facebook June 12, 2008 Comment (2)There they were, standing next to each other in a room full of television cameras and reporters, about to announce their recent engagement: New York City public schools chancellor Joel Klein and the Rev. Al Sharpton, two men who have clashed on issues of education equity and access in the past, now announcing that they will work together to fix the nation's troubled schools. Call us the odd couple, Klein said. Or the necessary couple, Sharpton quipped moments later. Both men were in Washington, D.C., this week to kick off a campaign to make education a top priority during the general election and beyond. Together, they will spearhead the Education Equality Project, a new coalition of elected officials, civil rights leaders, and education reformers.
Not to be snide, but how many new coalitions and campaigns do we need to get the presidential candidates to talk about education? There's the Ed in 08 crowd, Colin Powell and his America's Promise Alliance campaign to raise graduation rates, and other groups that have emerged in the past year. They all promised to start a national dialogue about the most pressing issues in education, mostly centered on closing the achievement gap between white and minority children. So far, the results have been disappointing. U.S. News has addressed why it has been difficult to get the candidates to talk about education. Sharpton and Klein were asked the same question this week. Sharpton, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2004, answered that candidates running for office are often beholden to special interests. "Kids don't vote," he said matter-of-factly.
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High School Pranks and Punishment
Tweet Share on Facebook June 11, 2008 Comment (8)Pulling off a prank on a high school campus is a rite of passage for graduating seniors. Most pranks are harmless and innocent, but some can be dangerous and costly. Pranksters who cross the line face serious consequences, ranging from suspension to jail time. Here is a look at some senior pranks this year that some people found amusing and others found shocking and offensive. You decide if the punishment fits the crime.
Staff members at Hernando High School in Brooksville, Fla., spent several days fielding phones calls from angry parents who had received letters saying the school was giving up on teaching sex education because "let's be honest, ALL of our students are sexually active." The letters, which were printed on official school letterhead, told parents that it was now their responsibility to teach their kids about sex. Each letter came with a wrapped condom. "After numerous years of educating students about the principles of benefits of abstinence we have found it to be unsuccessful. Our very own Little Leopard Land is overflowing with little leopard cubs. Obviously, our attempts have proved futile," it said. It turns out that the letters were sent by two seniors who had stolen the school letterhead and gained access to mailing labels for the families of about 400 sophomores enrolled at the school. Many parents believed that the letters were real until they read the closing remarks, which instructed parents to contact school officials with raunchy names similar to those of characters in an Austin Powers movie. The two culprits are now looking at a suspension—except that school already has let out for the summer.
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Asian-Americans Struggle, Too, Study Says
Tweet Share on Facebook June 10, 2008 Comment (3)Are Asian-Americans outperforming all other ethnic and racial groups? Are they taking over the nation's most elite universities and claiming the majority of degrees in math, science, and engineering? These questions are obviously based on stereotypes. Yet, according to a new report, the view of Asian-Americans as high achievers is so entrenched in the public's mind that it threatens to deepen ethnic and racial divisions and to undermine the contributions that Asian-Americans can make to society.
The report, which was released this week by the College Board and New York University, debunks three major myths by offering evidence that shows not all Asian-Americans are stellar students who go to the best colleges and universities to become doctors and engineers. People may joke that UCLA really stands for "United Caucasians Lost Among Asians" and that MIT means "Made in Taiwan," but, in reality, only a small percentage of Asian-American and Pacific Islander students are enrolled at the most selective schools, the report says. The study points out that the number of Asian-Americans at these schools is inflated by the presence of international students from Asian countries who disproportionately pursue doctorate degrees in math, science, and engineering. The majority of U.S.-born Asian students, the report says, attend two-year and four-year public schools, with nearly half of those enrolled at colleges in just three states: California, New York, and Texas.
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States Take Aim at Abusive Teachers
Tweet Share on Facebook June 9, 2008 Comment (5)There have been several news reports in recent weeks about a growing number of states that are trying to combat the problem of sex abuse in schools. From Florida to Colorado, state lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties against teachers who abuse students and administrators who fail to report such cases. Florida, for example, no longer allows "backroom deals" or confidential agreements that can result in a sexually abusive teacher quietly moving to another district or state to teach. Kentucky is cracking down on administrators who don't report abuse cases by threatening them with 90 days of jail time for the first offense. South Carolina is training thousands of teachers this summer on how to spot sexually abusive behavior by colleagues.
The push for tougher measures comes after the Associated Press reported last fall that 2,570 educators had lost their teaching credentials or received a reprimand from 2001 through 2005 after being accused of sexual misconduct. Are these new measures enough, or are they going too far?
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European-Language Programs Face Cuts
Tweet Share on Facebook June 5, 2008 Comment (4)"What do we want? Language!" a group of Oregon State University students demanded in May as they carried a petition-filled coffin across campus to oppose an administrative decision to ax all entry-level Italian classes next fall and phase out all sections by fall 2009.
OSU's Italian department joins a string of struggling European-language programs. The German departments at the University of Southern California and Humboldt State University are being shut down, and the College Board's Advanced Placement tests in Italian, French literature, and Latin literature are all being eliminated because of low interest, possibly as students are attracted to Arabic and Chinese programs.
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Video Gives Tips for Surviving Campus Attacks
Tweet Share on Facebook June 5, 2008 Comment (2)There's been much debate over campus security measures in the aftermath of the shooting at Northern Illinois University, but there's been little talk about what students should actually do in the event that bullets fly. Now Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville has posted an instructional video for students, Shots Fired, on how to survive a shooter incident.
University officials say the video, produced by Corner Booth Productions and the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, may help students' chances of surviving ashooter incident on campus. The video suggests, among other things, that students take a more active role in escaping, or in some cases even attacking, the gunman.
The video is built around the idea of what students might do if the proverbial "lightning does strike," underscoring that such an event is unlikely. Indeed, with such long odds, one might question whether this is a productive use of a college's time and resources. Still, in a storm, it's good to know not to grab the metal pole.
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High School Flunks in Florida But Aces the Ivy League
Tweet Share on Facebook June 4, 2008 Comment (2)If these were graduates of Boston Latin, Thomas Jefferson, or another top public high school in the nation, the announcement would not be much of a surprise. But the 17 seniors who are going to Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and other Ivy League schools in the fall are graduates of Hialeah High School, a school in south Florida that received an F rating from the state for its dismal test scores.
Check out this news story that shows the students celebrating and the school's principal pointing out a major inconsistency of test-driven state accountability systems. His point seems to be that you can't judge a school on test scores alone. Instead, a better way of measuring success should be how well a school's graduates perform in college. Maybe Harvard, Yale, and the other Ivy Leagues should answer that question for Hialeah High next year.
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Arkansas School Considers a 4-Day School Week
Tweet Share on Facebook June 3, 2008 Comment (17)It sounds like a plan hatched by a high school senior class: To save the school district money, students should no longer be required to come to school every weekday. But adults, not students, are the ones who conceived this plan. Money is so tight in parts of Arkansas that several school districts are asking their school boards to consider a switch to a four-day school week. They say the switch would save money on transportation, food, and utilities. Most parents, perhaps still too shocked by the news, have yet to weigh in.
In other ironic developments, a 17-year-old high school valedictorian from Fresno, Calif., is being deported after he collects his diploma at a commencement ceremony on June 10. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say Arthur Mkoyan and his mother must return to Armenia, a country they fled when it was part of the old Soviet Union. The family has been seeking asylum since 1992, but their requests have been denied. Now, the student, who had plans to attend the University of California-Davis in the fall, is asking a local congressman for help. But, short of federal legislation that creates a path to legalization for students like him, it appears unlikely that Arthur will get to stay.
When Florida students return to classes in the fall, they will be sweating a lot more than usual. Florida Gov. Charlie Christ signed a bill this week that requires elementary and middle schools to offer 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Despite a bill that lawmakers passed last year ordering elementary schools to offer 150 minutes of physical activity a week, too many kids apparently were not getting enough exercise. Will vending machines come under legislative assault next?