District Administration articles from April 2006

District Administration archives from April 2006

Real-life budget decisions.
April 1, 2006... Close readers of this magazine will remember that in addition to being editor-in-chief here, I'm also a member of the school board in my town of Brookfield, Conn. So as I write this near the ides of March, I'm immersed in the same thing a lot...

The Great Debate.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... After reading "The Great Debate" (March, p. 75), which is an excellent article, I am struck by some comments made by Nick Matzke. He claims "the Constitution prohibits the states from endorsing or promoting a religious view." This is...

More on The World is Flat.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I was relieved to read your Speaking Out piece ("Reading Fads," December 2005, p. 77) in DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. I thought I was the only one who didn't see any point in the book you discussed. I went into a local bookstore to look through The...

Michigan attempts to mandate online learning.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Lawmakers in Michigan are working on a state Board of Education proposal to revamp the state's outdated high school graduation requirements, in part to recommend that every student complete an online educational experience. It would be a first...

First of its kind charter school.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The University of Arizona and a non-profit school are joining forces to create the state's first university-affiliated charter school. UA's Wildcat School, will open in Tucson for low-income junior high and high school students and will...

NEA partners with AFL-CIO.(National Education Association)(American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The National Education Association partnered recently with the AFL-CIO to allow local affiliates of both organizations to work together to meet the needs of working families. The partnership brings together 2.8 million teachers and education...

Parents try to reclaim summer.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Save our summers! 'Tis the rallying cry heard round the nation as districts push school start dates into early August. The outcry is particularly loud in Florida where the state legislature is weighing two proposals that would prevent schools...

Summer school = success in sunshine state.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... While most kids spend their summers far removed from learning, students at Hallandale (Fla.) Elementary School are hard at work. The school is among 3,000 in the U.S. with a year-round calendar. Kids attend school 180 days, but the year is...

Florida joins performance-based pay.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... First it was Denver, then Houston and now Florida will tie public school teachers' pay to student performance on standardized tests. Beginning next year, both the base salaries and annual bonuses will be partially linked to student improvement...

Partnership.(National Education Association and American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in partnership)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Reg Weaver, left, president of the NEA, embraces AFL-CIO president John J. Sweeney when they announced a partnership that will allow local affiliates of both organizations to work together.

2006 sizzles with learning tech.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Low-cost learning technology systems and Open Source are the top two learning technology trends this year. Ambient Insight, a vendor-independent R&D firm specializing in performance management technology, recently held a Webinar, Hottest...

Healthy schools program launched.(Healthy School Project)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Healthy School Project, an $8 million initiative to fight childhood obesity by promoting healthier food and more exercise for school children will start next fall. Former President Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation say...

New D.O.E. technology office leader.(Department of Education)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Timothy J. Magner was recently appointed director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. Magner, formerly the deputy executive director for technology at the Council of Chief State School Officers, will...

Interactive job board launched.(Consortium for School Networking Career Center )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Consortium for School Networking Career Center is a new interactive job board to match employers and recruiters with education technologists across the nation. The new job board will be valuable for the education technology community as the...

Federal program draws record numbers.(Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Record numbers of educators were drawn last year to the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative--a comprehensive program that offers professional development, research-based classroom strategies and other support. Tens of...

Entrepreneurial education program helps students.(by Smeal College of Business)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Penn State's Smeal College of Business launched a landmark education program designed to give school teachers skills they need to teach entrepreneurship to high school students. Smeal's Center for Entrepreneurship Learning "Teaching the...

Anonymous reporting technology.(school safety reporting tool )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A school safety reporting tool recently found a new use: fraud detection. Report it.com was conceived after Columbine's 1999 shooting tragedy as a safety net to protect students. Now districts are using the system to uncover financial misdeeds...

Tutoring concerns lurk.(Supplemental Educational Services)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Only about 12 percent of American students eligible for Supplemental Educational Services under the No Child Left Behind law are actually receiving the services. SES gives low-income parents real options to get free tutoring for their children....

Growth models under review.(Inside the Law)
April 1, 2006... Outside peers, including representatives of academia, private organizations, and state and local education agencies, will evaluate the growth-based accountability models under No Child Left Behind that 20 states recently submitted to the U.S....

America can speak out.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Anew bi-partisan independent commission has been created to recommend ideas to Congress and the Bush administration in preparation for the 2007 reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law. Commission on No Child Left Behind will host...

New reports, similar conclusions: NCLB needs work.(No Child Left Behind)
April 1, 2006... Administrators and teacher organizations have been complaining for three years now. But this time, two studies have come to similar conclusions: No Child Left Behind needs some tweaking when it comes to state accountability plans. States...

Innovative program gets students reading.(National Association of Basketball Coaches' four-year-old Ticketing to Reading Rewards program)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Want to encourage your middle-school students to pick up a book outside of the classroom? That's the goal behind the National Association of Basketball Coaches' four-year-old Ticketing to Reading Rewards program. By this June, the more than...

Real-life civics lessons.(Curriculum Update)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In March, Our Education-a two-year-old nonprofit founded by a couple of 2005 Yale graduates-launched a campaign to improve public education. The organization intends to collect one million signatures on its national youth petition and present...

Business acumen.
April 1, 2006... Last November, 1,000 8- to 18-year olds took a survey about business history. In most cases, the boys outscored the girls. Here are some of the results. Correctly answered this question: Who introduced the factory assembly...

The importance of early science education.
April 1, 2006... In the mid-'90s, there were few science textbooks or programs for the K-3 set, and none were hands on. In the last several years, however, companies have begun targeting this group. "Have educators, communities and parents done all they can to...

Geography puts districts on the map.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Four years ago, Roger Andresen was a fiber-optic engineer who hated his job. Today, he helps teachers educate students about geography. "I wanted to reach and inspire people who had no interest in geography," says the creator of the Geography...

Rochester's leader, take 2.(Administrator Profile: Manuel Rivera)
April 1, 2006... Sometimes even the smartest people can outthink themselves. That's what happened to Rochester (N.Y.) City School District Superintendent Manuel Rivera. When Rivera went to Washington, D.C., earlier this year as one of four finalists for the...

Dual-language immersion.(District Profile: Seattle (Wash.) Public Schools)
April 1, 2006... Seattle's students are called "scholars" by the district's administration. And to complement the compliment, the district's enrollment guide features this mission statement by Superintendent Raj Manhas: that "every student--regardless of race,...

Measuring value: education leaders ask: what are the results of using technology in the classroom?(ON LOCATION: ARLINGTON, VA)
April 1, 2006... Buying a laptop computer for every student: About $1,000 Hiring a consultant to teach teachers how to use laptops in lessons: Roughly $1,500/day Watching students use technology to draw conclusions--something they wouldn't normally be able...

Budget talk: a proposed $3.1 billion cut to the national education budget has educators, associations and politicians talking.
April 1, 2006... ANOTHER YEAR, another budget, another fight. Educators are saying, and congressmen are agreeing, that the federal education budget proposal of $54.4 billion for 2007 is just not good enough. The Bush administration's fiscal year 2007 budget...

Underfunded: educators speak out on latest federal budget cuts.(FEDERAL BUDGET)
April 1, 2006... THERE'S NO QUESTION the raw numbers pouring out of President Bush's fiscal year 2007 budget look bleak for education. It cuts total education funding by 3.8 percent from FY 2006. It proposes to eliminate 42 education programs, including all...

Are your schools competitive? That may be the $790 million question this summer. A new federal grant program doesn't have application rules yet, but it does offer students a windfall if their districts qualify.(RIGOUROUS PROGRAMS)
April 1, 2006... EDUCATORS still trying to come to grips with No Child Left Behind will soon face another challenge. Although this new program will start in four months, no one knows the rules yet, but everyone knows what's at stake--S790 million in grants. ...

Back from the brink: stuck on NCLB's Needs Improvement list? Here's a primer for Swift and effective school reform.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... Teachers at Oakwood Elementary School in Lakewood, Wash., outside of Seattle, watched TV at their first staff meeting last fall, and the dial was turned to the local news. "They were talking about Oakwood being one of six Washington...

Rigorous expectations: U.S. faces world competition and bolsters Advanced Placement in part to boost student success.(ADVANCED PLACEMENT)
April 1, 2006... Nearly 50 years ago, the U.S. faced a hot scare in the cold war. The Soviet Union launched in 1957 the first satellite, Sputnik, into space, sending the U.S. into a tizzy of fear. So the government poured billions of dollars into the space...

Getting connected: how technology improves communication among teachers, staff and parents.(TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATIONS)
April 1, 2006... At Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Ore., blog posts and e-mails have replaced paper notes stuffed in teachers' mailboxes. Staff meetings, now devoid of the exchange of routine information, are done in half the time and focus solely on best...

How to get your bond passed: here's some expert advice to consider when a ballot initiative is on your district's horizon.
April 1, 2006... Few mornings are as nerve-wracking at district headquarters than an election day when a bond measure is on the ballot. By the time the sun goes down, you learn whether or not your schools will have the resources to tackle some of the district's...

Web-tagging technologies: "social bookmarking" sites like del.icio.us and Technorati are going mainstream.(The Online Edge)
April 1, 2006... When teachers in Oregon's Meriwether Lewis Elementary school want to review resources on emerging Internet technologies earmarked by tech-savvy principal Tim Laner, they can visit his page on the free del.icio.us Web site. At this "social...

Stop the curriculum, there's a chance to learn: the measurable learning outcomes of Coretta Scott King.(Speaking Out)
April 1, 2006... I remember a high school parent's night where my son's 11th grade U.S. history teacher explained how they need to "cover" the Civil War through Vietnam by the end of the year. I asked, "Do you do anything to connect history to events occurring...

Laptop studies.(Research Corner: ESSENTIALS ON EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS FROM EDVANTIA)
April 1, 2006... Surveys show that most teachers, students and parents positively perceive laptop initiatives, but few controlled studies have examined the relationship between various laptop programs and student achievement. As district officials weigh options...

Keeping time.(Problem/Solution)
April 1, 2006... Problem: Faced with a federal lawsuit filed by hourly employees for failure to pay accurate overtime, the Grenada School District, located in north central Mississippi, had to find a better way to keep track of employee hours. The problem...

Flipping the Switch--Unleash the Power of Personal Accountability Using the QBQ!(Leadership Books)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... www.qbq.com, $19.95 Author John G. Miller addresses how the debilitating circle of blame--from politics to the workplace has infiltrated the nation's school system. Instead of blaming each other, the author stresses the real path to...

The Spiritual Dimension of Leadership: 8 Key Principles to Leading More Effectively.(Leadership Books)
April 1, 2006... www.corwinpress.com, $32.95 Read up on the core values, beliefs and principles that can guide, sustain and inspire leaders during difficult times. These values and principles have underlying spiritual roots. The more people are aware of...

Tough Love for Schools: Essays on Competition, Accountability, and Excellence.
April 1, 2006... www.aei.org, $25 Author Frederick M. Hess argues that real school reform requires new policies to enable public and private entrepreneurs to create new systems and new schools, improve school management, reward excellence, harness advances...

Power, Politics, and Ethics in School Districts: Dynamic Leadership for Systemic Change.(Leadership Books)
April 1, 2006... www.rowmaneducation.com, $34.95 Readers will learn about the context for change in school districts, including a compendious description of a methodology specifically designed to create and sustain who e-system change. Seven essays written...

Lessons for Tomorrow: Bringing America's Schools Back from the Brink.(Leadership Books)
April 1, 2006... www.atlasbooks.com. $17.95 This handbook which was designed for teachers and parents, encourages them to take a comprehensive look at the design of education and address the questions. "What is wrong?" and "What do the solutions look...

Leadership and the School Librarian: Essays from Leaders in the Field.(Leadership Books)
April 1, 2006... www.linworth.com. $44.95 This collection of essays from library leaders offers real-life examples and practical leadership strategies that can be applied by school librarians today. It identifies the librarian's leadership role and...

Adobe Production Studio: Adobe.
April 1, 2006... www.adobe.com, Software, $649 This post-production software combines full new versions of After Effects 7.0, Premiere Pro 2.0, Audition 2.0, Encore 2.0 and the latest versions of Photoshop CS2 and Illustrator CS2. Dynamic Link, which...

Durability 15T: Seneca Data.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.senecadata.com, Hardware, $1,200-$1,500 This notebook computer is encased in a lightweight, magnesium alloy shell that's 20 times stronger than typical plastic computer cases. With the addition of a spill-resistant keyboard and shock...

Sunburst Learning Solutions: Sunburst Technology.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.sunburst.com, Program, starts from $4,999 Focusing on student improvement in grades K-12, the program assists schools in assessing their students' specific needs through diagnostic or prescriptive assessments and then customizes an...

Treo 700w Smartphone: Today Palm, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.palm.com Hardware, $399 (after $100 instant rebate)--other conditions apply The Smartphone runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system and takes advantage of Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess service on its EV-DO network,...

BookDrive: Atiz Innovation, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... wwvv.atizcom, Hardware, $35,000 This desktop-sized, automatic page-turning scanner eliminates the need to manually copy and scan documents. Unlike traditional flatbed scanners, it enables people to digitize content, scan bound documents,...

P.E.T., Learning Styles Solution: Learning Station.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.learningstation.com, Online Tool, $1,875/per school P.E.T., an acronym for personal empowerment through type, is a teaching and learning style assessment and management tool based on the psychological type work of Carl Jung. Delivered...

United States History and World Geography: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.hrw.com, Books, $60.95, $64.95/full survey This standards-based program for middle grade students provides content that is accessible through integrated research-based reading instruction. Multiple audio, visual and technology resources...

Video Conference Program Database: Polycom.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.polycom.com, Database, Free Polycom's searchable content database offers educators worldwide access to more than 1,500 content providers, making available both ISDN- and IP-based video conferencing programs for the classroom. Updated...

ST Math: MIND Institute.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.mindinstitute.net Software, first year annual subscription averages $90/student Targeting K-5 students, this non-language-based program offers a simple, direct visual understanding of difficult math concepts. This approach enables...

Express Series: Triumph Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.triumphlearning.com, Books, $1.50/per student This supplemental series was designed to enhance student mastery of on-level, standards-based vocabulary across the elementary curriculum. Word Express targets grades 1-8 and supports the...

Total Traffic Control 6.0: Lightspeed Systems.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.lightspeedsystems.com Software, annual subscription/$10 per workstation with $5,000 minimum This security software eliminates known and unknown threats on school networks, at the gateway and directly on the desktop. Features include...

EPS Phonics PLUS: Educators Publishing Service.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... wwvc.epsbooks.com/PhonicsPLUS, Book, starts from $8/student The five pillars of reading--phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension--are incorporated into this program in a broad-spectrum, differentiated instruction...

SMART Board Software 9.5: SMART Technologies, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.smarttech.com, Software, Free customer download This software, which was designed for the Mac OS X operating system, introduces new features to help educators create, organize and implement interactive lessons using the company's...

HOBOware: iScienceProject.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.iscienceproject.com, Software, $139/Intro Data Logger Kit iScienceProject is a new graphing software package which was designed for use with HOBO data loggers, the portable electronic recording devices that monitor temperature, light,...

Science Diagrams: Tool Factory, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... wwvv.too/factory.com, Program, starts from $79.95/single user By using this program, teachers and students can access an assortment of predesigned science diagrams in addition to creating their own to save to the clipart library. Subjects...

Rigby ELL Assessment Kit: Harcourt Achieve.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.hamourtachieve.com, Kit, $239.99/Primary kit Typically used three or four times during the school year in K-6 classrooms, this kit assists educators in assessing the progress of English-language learners in the four domains of language...

Pinnacle Plus single-user gradebook: Excelsior.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.excelsiorsoftware.com Software, $80 In addition to electronic data-entry and recordkeeping, this new version enables teachers to assess student performance with multiple grading methods and weighting schemes and simultaneously link...

Justice Visions JV-850-K camera: Alliance International.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.alliance-intl.com/AV, Hardware, $2,495 This digital document camera features a new camera element with a refresh rate approaching 30 frames per second. It incorporates a progressive scan CCD camera with 850,000 pixels, 16X optical zoom,...

BuildYourOwnAssessment: School Software Group.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2006... www.schoolsoftwaregroup.com Software, $1,000/setup fee, $1,000/annual subscription and $2/per student With this assessment-development tool, teachers can create assessments in multiple question formats including yes/no, true/false,...

Calendar of events.
April 1, 2006... MAY 2006 ASCD Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's Conference May 4-6 Chicago, Ill. www.ascd.org JUNE 2006 3rd Annual EduComm Conference Professional Media Group District Administration...

Education landscape.(By the Numbers)
April 1, 2006... PROGRAMS Percentage of public school students participating in selected programs, 2003-04 Students with IEPs 14% Students receiving ELL services 11% Students eligible for free...