District Administration articles from April 2002

District Administration archives from April 2002

Getting expert help. (editor's letter).(Editorial)
April 1, 2002... It's funny how practices that we know work in the classroom are sometimes the last concept we use when trying to solve a problem in the "real world." Take the notion of Piaget that people learn by "scaffolding" new information onto what they...

Rethinking school board membership. (letters to the editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2002... I just read your editorial (See "Holding School Boards More Accountable," DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, March 2002, p. 7) referencing the shameful events that took place in Unified School District in Kansas City, Kansas. As a current Kansas...

Include the board in district decisions. (letters to the editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2002... I read with interest your discussion of using political consultants in bond votes (See "District Politics" DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, March 2002, p. 43). What I found interesting and disturbing was the apparent attitude of superintendents that...

Getting the public involved. (letters to the editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2002... I enjoyed the cover story "Public School Pillars," (January 2002, p. 28). My experience parallels the story's contention that parents and other community members not only like to be informed and involved--they expect it. In 1994, after a...

Distill the rumor mill. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Allegations that the district was not treating a girls' sports team equally to a boys' team. Safety concerns about a telecommunications tower being built on the intermediate school campus. Talk that the first day of school will be delayed. At...

Teachers' guide collects stories from Sept. 11. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).(Families and Work Institute guide)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The problem of how to deal with the emotional aftermath of the Sept. 11th disaster is one that will plague educators for years to come. In an effort to assist educators in supporting children through recovery, Families and Work Institute will...

Lo-Jack for laptops. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).(ComputracePlus from Absolute Software )(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2002... Trusting teenagers with their own $2,500 laptop computer can be a little less stressful with an anti-theft device. Just ask the folks at Episcopal High School, a private school of about 600 students in Houston. Every student has their own...

Cell phone recycling. (District plus: tips and ideas for successful district leadership).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Some statistics suggest more than 30 million cell phones will be retired in the U.S. this year. Through the FundingFactory's Cell Phone Recycling Program, schools can exchange cell phones donated by family and friends for school equipment...

Can districts meet the new federal teacher goal? (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(No Child Left Behind Act )
April 1, 2002... President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act mandates that by 2005 only highly qualified teachers be employed in the public school system. It's a noble goal, but is it realistic? Administrators began debating the question before the bill was...

The new way to integrate: by income, not race. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).
April 1, 2002... School districts in Cambridge, Mass., and LaCrosse, Wis., are integrating. But the factor these districts will use to integrate is not race, but income. Administrators in both districts say socioeconomic status--and not race--should be the...

Maryland school board power struggle. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Who has the right to fire a superintendent of schools? If you think it is the district's board of education, you're probably not aware of the recent power struggle n Maryland. After the board of Prince George's County voted in February to fire...

K-12 market trends. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(2002 Education Market Report: K-12, Understanding the Education Market )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Software & Information Industry Association's 2002 Education Market Report: K-12, Understanding the Education Market sheds light on a number of trends in K-12 education. Following is a look at some of the key areas. www.siia.net

Education technology spending. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Technology spending has been on a steep incline during the past decade. A simple comparison of 2000-01 spending, which totaled $5.8 billion, with spending during the 1993-94 school year, $2.8 billion, shows the dramatic rise. The steady...

Effects of no child left behind. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... SIIA's market report notes that the total for direct federal technology grants was increased under the No Child Left Behind Act to $920 million, up from $870 million in 2001. Federal money allocated for state technology grants is up from...

State budget cuts. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The recession is affecting state funding, according to SIIA, which reports that 36 states are expected to cut their budgets. All but 19 are expected to exempt education spending. The states expected to cut education funding include Arizona,...

Technology expenditures by category 2000-01. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).
April 1, 2002... NETWORKS $1.2 BILLION HARDWARE $2.0 BILLION INTERNET SERVICES $700 MILLION SOFTWARE $500 MILLION SERVICE/SUPPORT $500 MILLION SUPPLIES $200...

Late-breaking news from FETC. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Florida Educational Technology Conference)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Amid the talk of new technologies at the Florida Educational Technology Conference, held in Orlando, Fla., March 6-8, administrators and teachers pondered their expanding roles in meeting new federal and state K-12 education standards and in...

NSBA report: urban superintendents' short tenure is exaggerated. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(National School Boards Association)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Superintendents in urban school districts stay on the job longer than is widely believed, according to a study by the National School Boards Association. Those who recently left their posts were superintendents for an average of five years....

New Orleans initiates iBook program. (Notebook: usable education information from schools, business, research and professional organizations).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Administrators in New Orleans are banking on Apple iBooks to improve student performance in the district's most troubled schools. All 2,000 eighth grade students in the 11 learning academy middle schools in the New Orleans district will have...

Microsoft donates $50 million for teachers, technology.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Microsoft Corp. will give $50 million in software grants to help educators develop online learning communities. The grant money will help schools of education and regional training centers create online networks between in-service teachers and...

Questions linger about Columbine tragedy.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The teen shootout at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., continues to spark a host of legal problems. In mid-February the state's top prosecutor and district attorney promised to create a task force to further investigate the shooting....

Bush, Kennedy work on pre-school plan.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... On the heels of their success in getting both parties to embrace the No Child Left Behind Act, President Bush and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., are teaming up for a pre-school education plan. The two politicians have already met to discuss...

Tech group tabs new CEO.(International Society of Technology in Education and the National Education Computing Association names Don Knezek)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Don Knezek has been named CEO of the International Society of Technology in Education and the National Education Computing Association. The two organizations merged this spring. Knezek, who holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the...

FCC oks use of advanced wireless technology.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The Federal Trade Commission will allow limited use of a wireless technology known as ultrawideband. Proponents claim that ultrawideband boosts the speed and accuracy of wireless transmissions by broadening the airwave transmission channels....

Abolish the school board?(New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants authority )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Like his predecessor Rudy Giuliani, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants mayoral control of the board of education. Ed Koch, former mayor, is supportive of the plan. He told the council the only way Bloomberg will be able to change the system...

Penn. gives grants for after-school tutoring.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Pennsylvania has enhanced its Classroom Plus program with payments for tutoring services. Parents who pay for their children to attend any of 300 profit and not-for-profit learning centers can receive a one-time, $500 grant. To be eligible,...

Bush's 2003 budget proposal includes provision for private education. (Government spotlight: the latest news from and about education from the U.S. government).
April 1, 2002... Debate about tuition reimbursement for private school instruction began anew in February when President Bush released his proposed federal education budget for 2003. The new budget includes a proposal for a "tuition tax credit program"...

Court unanimously oks peer grading. (Legal Brief).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The U.S. Supreme Court decided that teachers could continue the age-old practice of asking students to swap papers and grade one another's work. The justices unanimously voted in favor of peer grading, providing it is under a teacher's...

Teachers as learners and leaders. (Mathematics & Science).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The latest science and mathematics education standards call for teachers to be treated as professionals--respected for their expertise, allowed to exercise their judgment and given opportunities for peer collaboration. But are administrators...

Planting the roots of reading sophistication. (Language Arts).
April 1, 2002... It's probably not an accident that most writing for the general public has a middle school reading level. "Reading instruction gets a great deal of attention in elementary schools, [but] it seems to be overlooked for students in the middle...

Calculating the gender gap. (Mathematics).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Educators have long recognized that math gender differences emerge by junior high school, with boys outperforming girls. Not so fast. According to a new study reported in the journal Social Forces, there may be no gender gap at all. The...

Geography education: it's a small world. (Social Studies).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... `War is God's way of teaching geography to Americans," quipped American satirist Ambrose Bierce. Sure enough, after the initial "shock on Sept. 11, almost every American had the same question: "Where is Afghanistan?" For students of geography,...

4 1/2 day school week: this district uses a two-pronged approach to improve its offerings: high-tech tools for the students and lots of professional development for the staff. (district profile).
April 1, 2002... In a few short years, the Frontier School District in Red Rocks, Okla., has more than doubled the percentage of its students pursuing a college education. Not coincidentally, at the same time the rural district has nurtured a commitment to...

Leading sensibly: this California superintendent uses a measured approach to education while creating high-performing students. The result has netted her the AASA's Superintendent of the Year award. (administrator Profile).(Gail Anderson Uilkema)
April 1, 2002... Gail Anderson Uilkema knew when she took her job as superintendent of the 2,600-student Piedmont (Calif.) School District in 1987 that this job would different from those she held previously. For one, her son began in kindergarten that same...

Opening the web for disabled users: federal accessibility regulations bring spin-off benefits to K-12 schools. (The Online Edge).
April 1, 2002... Up until now, the explosive development of integrated multimedia on the Web for K-12 teaching, learning and administrative applications tragically made the Internet even less accessible to disabled students and staff. Barriers for people with...

Cash cows or marketing mania? Here's a framework on how to craft a school-business partnership that benefits both parties. (Public Opinion).
April 1, 2002... Have you ever read about a hot, new technology-based program, then turned sour because you knew you'd never find the money to do it? Anyway you look at it, technology costs money. But a common approach to technology funding, school-business...

Numbers game: sick of hearing about poor scores, non-existent retention and student apathy when it comes to mathematics? Overhauling your curriculum by basing it in the real-world could be the jolt that your district needs. (Focus: math).
April 1, 2002... In 1992, Mattel Toys put the first talking Barbie doll on the market The first words out of her perpetually smiling plastic mouth were, "Math class is tough." Mattel designers thought they were just expressing the feelings of most school-age...

Tying the knot: from curriculum planning to teacher collaboration across and within grade levels, articulation keeps a district foreign language program together. (Focus: foreign language)(Cover Story).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The foreign language steering committee at Chartiers Valley School District in suburban Pittsburgh has a lot to talk about. In fact, to describe a typical monthly meeting agenda as ambitious would be an understatement. A recent meeting...

Independence day: with an increase in the depth and breadth of technology products to help the country's 2.8 million learning disabled students succeed, districts have more choices than ever. (Focus: how technology can help the learning disabled).
April 1, 2002... She was a gentle girl-taller than other fifth-graders at Winston Churchill Elementary School in Schaumburg, Ill., and incredibly shy and withdrawn. Worst of all, Sandra couldn't read a word. Three years ago, the girl moved with her...

Service learning in action: could your district use a program that can increase student's interest and their grades, while at the same time benefiting the community?
April 1, 2002... Welcome to service learning At the official unveiling the kids had snacks and apple juice to celebrate. Toasts were proposed. One student suggested a toast to the artist. Another proposed thanking the school volunteers. Then one boy raised...

HyperStudio and Microsoft PowerPoint 2002.(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
April 1, 2002... A Pink starfish on a bright blue background on a computer screen introduces a special creation from a bunch of third-graders in Tennessee. "Animals in the Coral Reef" is spelled out colorfully on another screen and written as if a child...

HyperStudio Step by Step for HyperTeachers.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... HyperStudio Step By Step for HyperTeachers, FTC Publishing, $34.95 (volume discounts available) This book was designed to open up windows of creativity and problem solving for teachers and students. Organized for either classroom use or as the...

Teacher Discovering HyperStudio: Concepts and Integration.(Book Review)
April 1, 2002... Teachers Discovering HyperStudio: Concepts and Integration, Course Technology, $53.95 The three projects in this book introduce educators to the fundamentals of creating multimedia projects using basic and advanced features of HyperStudio....

HyperStudio Animation from A to Zoom!(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... HyperStudio Animation from A to Zoom!, FTC Publishing, $29.95 (volume discounts available) Experienced HyperStudio users can make animations by creating or locating picture series and then setting the pictures to motion. For use with grades 3...

Using PowerPoint in the Classroom.(Book Review)
April 1, 2002... Using PowerPoint In the Classroom, Corwin Press, $16.95 (paperback), $39.95 (library edition) Written by technology experts and experienced educators, this book features a number of PowerPoint projects for beginners to more advanced users....

Microsoft PowerPoint 2002: Complete Concepts and Techniques.
April 1, 2002... Microsoft PowerPoint 2002: Complete Concepts and Techniques, Course Technology, $38.66 Ideal for educators preparing for a PowerPoint certification exam, this book features screen shots that show what happens as each step is completed....

Microsoft PowerPoint 2002: 10 Minute Guide.
April 1, 2002... Microsoft PowerPoint 2002: 10 Minute Guide, Que, $14.99 From "What's New in PowerPoint 2002" to the basics of presentation development, this book offers 18, 10-minute lessons on how to use the application. More advanced skills, such as...

STAR gazing: standardized tests as instructional tools. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Enterprise Computing Services, www.ecsinc.net, Software, $4,995/year With the emphasis on student assessment today, administrators need a way to ensure test scores are actually being used to improve learning. Part of the problem is in the...

Painless network admin. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... NetSupport, www.netsupportinc. com, Software, One-time average license cost: $40 and up per computer for 100 users (volume discounts available) NetSupport Total Cost of Ownership was designed to make it easier to deploy and maintain...

Projecting test results. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... NCS Learn, www.ncslearn.com, Software/Service, $12,000 (for full package for five schools, two grades and two subjects) and up Educators today need more than a mapping of curriculum content to state standards. The real-time relationship...

Community of readers. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement, www.cela.albany.edu, Television/ Video series, airs on public television in June, Videos: $199 People read differently depending on whether they're reading literary or expository...

Algebra learning online. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... McDougal Littell, www. mcdougallittell.com, e-books, $48.60-$50.16 each for e-book only (6-year license), or $6.99 each when at least 30 print versions are purchased ($48.60-$50.16 each) ExploreLearning has partnered with McDougal Littell...

Summer school basics. (new products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Curriculum Associates, www. curriculumassociates.com, Book series, $19.90/10-pack of student books, $4.95 each teacher's guide The Reading & Writing Camp and Math Camp book series, designed for students in grades 1 to 8 participating in...

Speak to me. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... NextUP.com, www.nextup.com, Software, $24.95 TextAloud MP3, a text-to-voice program with natural sounding computer speech in 27 voices and seven languages, was designed to mirror the sound quality of server-based systems. Users can listen...

Squirreling though the Web. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Software, Webseeker 5.0, Blue Squirrel, www. bluesquirrel.com, $29.95 This edition of Webseeker, a meta-search tool that leverages the power of many search engines at once, includes several new features. You can schedule or instantly...

Haystack search made easy. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Follett Software, www.fsc.follett.com, Software, $1,200 initial cost per school/year for entire collection ($1,398 renewal cost) The Find-It-All Collection combines Follett's One Search and Knowledge Links programs. One Search offers one...

Meet the tutoring challenge. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... National Tutoring Resource Center, www.tutorlink.com, Program, $1,494 The TutorLink Peer Tutoring Program is the result of 20 years of tutoring research by founder Thom Redicks. Components of the program include: an administrative guide,...

Computer, read to me. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... ByteCool, www.bytecool.com, Software, $29.95 This Windows program, CoolSpeech, converts text to sound, allowing users to "listen" to text or save it to a .wav file. Similar to VCR controls, the program includes play, pause, rewind, fast...

Le camera chic. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Canon, www.usa.canon.com, Hardware, $1,499 The Canon Elura 20MC can complement DV-ready computers, television and VCRs for editing, printing and sharing images in classrooms or over the Internet. The camera has three shooting modes: normal...

Middle school curriculum guidance. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Heinemann, www.heinemann.com, Books, $18 each The Guiding Curriculum Decisions for Middle-Grades series helps administrators choose curricula that will sustain the interest of middle-grades students and meet state standards. The books...

Education greats. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... ASCD, www.ascd.org, Book, $22.95 Lessons from Exceptional School Leaders presents specific ways to handle five broad challenges: forming beliefs about school excellence; supporting a strong staff development program; broadening the school...

Web sites without worries. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Tom Snyder Productions, www. tomsnyder.com, Internet, custom pricing starting at $459 for 10 users When educators think of a school or classroom Web site, two things may come to mind: "I don't know HTML" and "I don't have the time." The...

HP's new laptop for K-12. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Hewlett-Packard, www.hp.com, Hardware, $1,119 (license deals avaiable) Hewlett-Packard's computers have been used in school settings before, but the company has now introduced a laptop specifically targeted for the K-12 market. The...

Community of readers. (New Products).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... National Research Center on English Learning & Achievement, www.cela.albany.edu, Television/ Video series, airs on public television in June, Videos: $199 A collaboration of Annenberg/CPB, Maryland Public Television and CELA, Conversations...

K-12 supplemental materials. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... See one of the world's largest collections of supplemental materials to extend and update basal textbooks, enrich classroom instruction, and encourage reading and research. With Harcourt Brace as its parent company, Steck-Vaughn is introducing...

Special education software 3 free CD-Demos! (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Laureate offers over 80 programs for Early Intervention Autism/PDD, Developmental Disabilities, Language-Learning Disabilities, Title 1, ESL, and Reading Difficulties. We've created three CD Demos to help you choose software quickly and easily....

The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Each month the Classroom Edition covers the business and financial scene expressly for teens. It's coverage that connects with their world and their interests. Thirty copies of the colorful monthly student newspaper, teacher guide with...

How can listening lead to independent reading? (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Recorded Books[TM] increase reading skills dramatically, raise reading scores by multiple grade levels, and motivate struggling readers to keep on reading! With over 4,000 unabridged audiobooks for the "listen and read" approach, Recorded...

We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century briefing papers for students. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... This book from the United Nations is for students and educators engaged in discussions and hands-on activities on such issues as health, environment, human rights and peace. Grades K-12 Call (800) 253-9646 or visit us at www.un.org/publications...

Free Perma-Bound 2002 new title catalog! (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Now with over 40,000 titles, Perma-Bound has the strongest title selections, teaching materials, educational software, and books on the market. We offer novel units, student packets, and exclusive Perma-Guides. We also offer Accelerated Reader...

WGBH Boston Video has the videos and DVDs that will complement any lesson plan. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... With public television series such as Between the Lions, NOVA, ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre, Frontline, ZOOM, and American Experience, WGBH has the programs kids want to watch and that teachers want to use. For a free copy of our new catalog,...

The bookstore for today's educators. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... The NEA Professional Library is the nation's leading book publisher devoted exclusively to professional development resources for the education community. Each title is designed to inspire, guide and inform teachers and other educators on...

A world of science and technology teaching tools at your fingertips! (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... New, 2002 Pitsco LEGO Dacta catalog is brimming with hundreds of hands-on, minds-on, mechanisms, interactive CD-ROMs, and stimulating books that introduce young learners to elementary engineering, programming, mechanics and mechanical design,...

Career assessment software. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Now career planning is easy, accurate and affordable with CareerScope[R] career assessment software. An aptitude battery and interest inventory in one, CareerScope provides a self-administered personal career assessment within 60 minutes....

Digital interactive whiteboard. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Interactive Presentation Manager (IPM) brings your multimedia classroom presentations to life with powerful and easy to use "Softkeys" that link to computer files for "on command launch." Using your PC and an LCD projector, the IPM provides...

You've invested in graphing calculators. Now reap the rewards for you and your students. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... You've invested in graphing calculators. Now reap the rewards for you and your students. Discovering Algebra: An Investigative Approach is the first text that fully integrates the benefits of graphing calculator technology in all aspects of the...

Supplemental math software for grades 7-12. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Improve student math skills with our award-winning, standards-based, integrated software programs. Students will enjoy interactive self-paced lessons, readings, and activities. Enrich classroom instruction with Math & Music or Math & the...

Take a field trip to the stars without leaving your school! (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... With a STARLAB Portable Planetarium, the stars come to you saving the expense, hassle and worry of field trips. In the exciting environment of STARLAB, treat students to interactive, interdisciplinary lessons and activities for topics ranging...

Fully automated Windows software solution. (Bulletin board: free catalogs and literature).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Fully automated Windows software solution for integrated, easy-to-use, customizable test creation, scoring, analysis, and comprehensive reporting. Tests can be administered via scannable form, LAN or Internet. District Reporting feature allows...

Word of the day: it's a simple idea that has multiple meanings. (Speaking Out).
April 1, 2002... A literate citizen has command of a large and expressive vocabulary. Schools "do vocabulary" presumably in the hopes of creating thoughtful thinkers and articulate communicators. Vocabulary is developed by immersion in a social culture rich...