District Administration articles from August 2004

District Administration archives from August 2004

Getting a second chance.(Editor's Letter)
August 1, 2004... When life gels complicated, one of the most alluring concepts to consider is a fresh start. Wouldn't we all like a second crack at the tasks we've made harder through mistakes and inattention? In the case of No Child Left Behind, you have...

Online writing program walks the walk: MY Access! boosts scores across all categories.
August 1, 2004... There are powerful factors at work encouraging school administrators, teachers and students to improve writing and district/school proficiency levels on statewide assessments, not least of which is meeting federal mandates for improvement...

GED rates rise.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(General Education Development)
August 1, 2004... Every year, more teens attempt to join the ranks of Bill Cosby and Ruth Ann Minner, governor of Delaware, not as comedians or politicians but as GED recipients. Reasons for the rise include more lenient regulations, the changing economy...

Pressure may lead to more cheating teachers.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... A new phenomena of cheating teachers is cropping up across the nation. Given recent anxiety around state tests and the No Child Left Behind law, an increasing number of teachers are cheating to help their students, according to published...

New Orleans Superintendent gains powers but opposition intensifies.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... New Orleans Superintendent Anthony Amato got a boost from the Louisiana state legislature in his efforts to turn around the embattled district that has been plagued by low test scores and charges of financial malfeasance. In lieu of the...

Top educators: gruesome video has no validity in school.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... One Lakeside, Calif., teacher allegedly told students, "That's what we get for being in a war we shouldn't be in." Another teacher supposedly said gruesome violence is on both sides of the Iraq war. And an Orange Unified School District teacher...

E-Rate vendor to pay $20 million in Fines.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... NEC Business Network Solutions, the Texas company overseeing e-Rate, paid more than $20 million in penalties after it was shown the program was rife with malfeasance. The e-Rate program is a federal initiative that distributes billions of...

Millions donated to revamp K-12 technology.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... The Microsoft Corp.'s U.S. Partners in Learning program will invest $35 million in the next five years to work with the state of Washington to revamp the way technology is used in schools across the country. Three million dollars has been...

Robot graders.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... A new wave of robotic writers could sprout along the corn fields of middle America, according to some experts. While Indiana school officials work to fine tune a new program "allowing computers to grade English essays, some question the...

Computer toxins feared.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... Dust on many computers and monitors contains chemicals linked to reproductive and neurological disorders, according to a new study. Researchers say schools with young children and women of child-bearing age should require that future purchases...

Pledge fight over.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... The Supreme Court recently ruled that a California father could not challenge a school district's right to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited. The unanimous ruling in June reversed a lower-court decision. The father, Michael Newdow, did not...

Arkansas unveils new "healthy" report cards.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... Arkansas is the first state in the country requiring annual reports of children's health. The state began mailing health reports to families of all the 450,000 public school children in June, informing parents of their child's weight and giving...

NASA picks teachers for astronaut training.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
August 1, 2004... Three teachers are among the latest class of 11 astronauts recruited by NASA to start training this summer for a future journey into space. The teachers, who will use their experience later in the classroom, will train with a corps of more than...

Head start chief out.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... Windy Hill, the U.S. Head Start Bureau chief, has resigned after she was charged with mismanaging the program. She initially announced she would resign in November. But the National Head Start Association did not want her in office that long...

From U.K. with love: Dyslexia program hits states.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
August 1, 2004... A controversial program designed to minimized or eliminate symptoms of dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention disorders from England is now looking to make its way into U.S. public schools. An extension of Dyslexia Dyspraxia Attention Deficit...

New England's bold test: multi-state assessments.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
August 1, 2004... A better quality assessment of what every student l;earns, including special education and English language learners, is what new multi-state assessment tests are all about. In a first-of-its-kind program, Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode...

State funding lawsuits could hit NCLB next.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
August 1, 2004... Adequacy funding lawsuits have been around for years. But No Child Left Behind's demands appear to be driving more of them. "In the last couple of years, there has been an increase in litigation, and it will continue," says Steve Smith,...

Report: NCLB fails.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
August 1, 2004... After two years, No Child Left Behind has damaged education quality and equity due, in part, to its arbitrary requirements, according to a report by the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. U.S. Department of Education officials...

New bill looks to reduce failing schools.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
August 1, 2004... What if one of your schools failed NCLB requirements, but the specification it didn't meet has since been altered? Is if fair to keep that school on the the falling list'? Democrats on the education committees in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House...

Tutor successes.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
August 1, 2004... In Georgia's Forsyth County district, two schools needed tutoring services. District leaders sent letters notifying parents of the available services mad reached out to parents through a new transition center. The tutors used lesson plans...

The LeapTrack[TM] Assessment & Instruction System builds skill mastery for English Language Learners.(English for Speakers of Other Languages Center)(Limited English Profecient)
August 1, 2004... ENVISION THIS: A learning center devoted to meeting the diverse needs of 114 elementary students coming from countries ranging from El Salvador to Afghanistan. The ESOL Center of McAuliffe Elementary School in Woodbridge, Virginia, is precisely...

One connection at a time: filling a well-loved superintendent's shoes--especially when you're from out of town--is no easy feat. Here's one leader's success story.(Administrator profile: Gerald Dawkins, (Mich.) Public Schools)
August 1, 2004... One of the first things you notice about Gerald Dawkins is his ubiquitous bow tie. The second thing? This superintendent has students with him wherever he goes. Both characteristics shed light on Dawkins' educational passions and...

A little district that did: this school system's perfectionism has worked in carrying students and teachers out of a downward spiral.(District profile: Galena (Alaska) City School District)
August 1, 2004... In a village severely disadvantaged by sheer geography, it would be easy for the failure of a single student to go unnoticed. Located in the heart of Alaska, Galena is only accessible by boat (in the summer, when the river is ice-free) and by...

Universal Early Education point/counterpoint: is early childhood education outright dangerous or the pivotal path to educational glory? Two experts debate.
August 1, 2004... It's an unusual debate with a slew of evidence hailing it and then nearly vilifying it. One side claims formally teaching children before kindergarten, more commonly called early childhood education, is the heart of any good foundation for...

Ready or not: if your district is finally getting its head above water in meeting NCLB's English and math requirements, get ready for the next wave. Science requirements start next year and you may already be behind.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2004... Like an Olympic athlete training for games still three years away, Cathy Anderegg is focused. But she's not eyeing a gold medal. Rather, she'll log thousands of work horn's with the goal of meeting the impending science standards and assessment...

Creating political activists: want to find the best ways to energize students about this fall's election? Put down those textbooks and have teens volunteer, create their own mock campaigns and dissect, the media's role in today's politics.(Youth Leadership program)
August 1, 2004... With negative campaigning and voter cynicism on the rise, presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry aren't the only ones facing a tough fight this fall. The same can be said for the thousands of civics, U.S. government and American...

Curb appeal: great looks and innovative school designs aren't just about aesthetics-they can help improve learning while not breaking a district's budget.
August 1, 2004... Pity superintendent Gary Prest. Every school building in Iris district, Bloomington (Minn.) Public Schools, needed renovations. Just one of file 15 projects involved converting Oak Grove Junior High into a middle school with four distinct...

Can this school be saved? As schools age, administrators face two options: Raze and replace or renovate and restore. Here's why fixing the old may beat building anew.
August 1, 2004... With a run down, antiquated school building that's poorly built (not to mention architecturally uninteresting), the problems are obvious. There are the health and safety factors, and then there are comfort concerns. Managing today's technology...

Exploring computer guts: a national technology program is just the start of a high-tech wave coming to New York City.(DA: on location)
August 1, 2004... Upon entering a second-floor classroom at Ronald Edmonds Learning Center, a junior high school in Brooklyn late last spring, the silence peppered with intermittent hushed voices spoke volumes about the program going on. About 15 students were...

Teens think math is tops.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
August 1, 2004... "It's fun." "It's easy." "I understand it." These simple reasons are some of the most common given by students of a recent poll who named math as their favorite subject. For some, a single teacher's efforts to make math interesting vaulted...

Reasoning's role in teaching bio.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
August 1, 2004... It's known as a "choke point" subject that will either turn students off or on to taking further science courses. Biology is traditionally that first step in preparing students for chemistry and physics, as well as in encouraging them to be...

Writing process goes high-tech.(Curriculum Update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
August 1, 2004... Nearly 33,000 students in 33 middle schools across eight Los Angeles County districts will reap the benefits of $11 million in grant money starting this fall. Those are the numbers behind a two-year SouthEast Educational Technology Consortium...

Mandates boost financial ed trend.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
August 1, 2004... During Dan Iannicola Jr.'s four years on the board in St. Louis' Affton School District, situations where the district would delay taking action always annoyed him. If an effort for eighth graders was pushed aside, "I couldn't help but think,...

McREL consultant begins term as NSTA head.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning)(National Science Teachers Association)(Anne L. Tweed)
August 1, 2004... Anne L. Tweed has been busy helping school districts to improve secondary science instruction as a senior consultant for the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning. Now the 30-year teaching veteran is extending her reach as the...

Building a fast track: Memphis City Schools let its papers fly out the window when it installed a network infrastructure.(Problem/Solution * Servers: a look at how one district implemented a new IT network to save time and money)
August 1, 2004... Problem: Without a modern and efficient network infrastructure, teachers and administrators at Memphis (Tenn.) City Schools were spending excessive time completing reports, leaving less time to improve educational processes and assist students....

Odvard Egil Dyrli on virtual school tours: district Web pages can offer multimedia views of classrooms and public relations benefits.
August 1, 2004... While most K-12 schools host open-house nights each fall for parents to visit classrooms and see district facilities, Onekama schools in Michigan encourage people to drop by all year long, at any time of day. Onekama is among the growing...

Gary Stager on Kerry's education plan: raise test scores--win a prize.
August 1, 2004... I was horrified by recent news referring to U.S. Sen. John Kerry's education platform. The newsflash reported that if elected president, Kerry would reward teachers for increased student achievement. The news media may have over-simplified a...

Destination success activity books: Riverdeep.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.riverdeep.net, Books, $10 (100-495 books)-$14.99 each (1-4 books) This two-book series was created to extend and reinforce the content in the Destination Reading Course I for grades K-1 and Course II for grades 2-3. Activities cover...

Reading A-Z: ProQuest information and learning.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.readinga-z.com, Internet, $30-$49.95 per user/year This Web site offers thousands of K-5 books and materials to teach and assess guided reading, phonics, the alphabet, fluency and comprehension. Children can read or listen to a book...

FileMaker Mobile 7: FileMaker.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.filemaker.com, Software, $69 Designed for Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld devices, this application enables users to take their data on the road. Features include inventory tracking using selected Symbol Technologies bar code scanners,...

In-Out Board: Glass Bead Software.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.glassbead.com, Software, $9/per user This cross-platform employee status tracking tool runs on Windows 98, 2000 and XP, plus on Macintosh OS X and OS 8.6-9. It enables schools to know where staff is in real time by automating their...

Quick-Write Handbooks for Everyday Writers: Curriculum Associates.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.curriculum associates.com, Books, $6.95; $10.69 for 10 or more These companion books to the WRITE Foundations and Models for Proficiency series provide an overview of the main writing genres, plus help teach grammar, usage and...

Transitional reading series: LeapFrog SchoolHouse.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.leapfrogschoolhouse.com, Books, $599-$829 (includes LeapPad or Quantum Pad learning systems) This reading series contains six interactive titles and instructional materials to support students into and through the transitional reading...

Knowledge Forum 4.5: learning in motion.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.knowledgeforum.com, Software, $350 single classroom/year-$4,990 group site license/year for user-hosted server This software tool is designed to help students and educators work collaboratively in the learning process in the core...

School kits for kids: One Stop school shop.(New Products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, Internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.1stopschoolshop.com, Service, Free Districts can register a list of supplies that economically disadvantaged students will he needing by grade-level. The company then solicits organizations, such as law firms and banks, to pay schools...

ADM2000 student management software: ACE Software.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, Internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.acesoft.com, Software, $1.50-$7.50 per student/year (based on district size) This software's latest component, the WEB Parent/Student/Staff module, aims to help parents, students and staff access and input student information for K-12...

Theoretical models and processes of reading: International Reading Association.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.reading.org, Book, $129.95 In the new fifth edition of this reading research and scholarship resource, 70 percent of the article selections are new. The collection represents the most current reading research, demonstrates a variety of...

Comprehensive literacy resource for kindergarten teachers: ETA/Cuisenaire.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.etacuisenaire.com, Book, $79.95 This 580-page guide links research and assessment to instruction by explaining both the "why's" and "how's" of teaching beginning readers. The book provides strategies for teaching and scaffolding...

DXVSU 1E Manager: Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.mitsubishi-imaging.com, Software, Free This software, which is used with the DX-VS1UE video server box and DX-TL900U or DX-TL2500U digital video recorders, can allow a security manager to view multiple sites simultaneously, accessing...

iTools 7.3: Tenon Intersystems.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.tenon.com, Software, $500 for 500 users, $750 for 2,500 users, $1,500 for unlimited users This Web server package now supports WEBmail 5.2 and a companion WEBcalendar. WEBmail enables users to access e-mail via POP or IMAP from any...

Reading Comprehension Booster and Read and Respond Punch: Merit Software.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.meritsoftware.com, Software, $89 and up Reading Comprehension Booster contains 120 reading passages and 1,320 questions, emphasizing word relationships, main ideas and logical sequences of sentences. Read and Respond Punch, which...

SkillsTutor: achievement technologies.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.AchievementTech.com, Software, $4-$20 per student/year "The supplementary instruction and tutoring program has nine new accountability reports available on its online assignment tracking and management system. The reports are designed...

Computers on wheels: CDI.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.cdihomeroom.com, Hardware, $9,199 and up This lockable, mobile cart contains a built-in wireless Internet hub that includes up to 48 refurbished notebook computers. Schools can mix and match makes and models from a variety of computer...

TTS series of NTP network time servers: Spectracom.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.spectracomcorp.com, Hardware/Software, Pricing varies This server series for building, network and operational security uses a precise Global Position System, tracking up to 12 satellites simultaneously to provide a consistent and...

NewsCurrents One on One: knowledge unlimited.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.newscurrents.com, Software, $249 (site license), $79 (single-user license) This weekly online reading program for grades 5-8 uses current events to help intermediate students work on their comprehension and vocabulary skills. Students...

Bugg Books: PCI Educational Publishing.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.pcieducation.com, Books, $48/6-pack, $295/classroom set Students can build vocabulary, fluency and comprehension skills as they read about a group of characters called the Buggs and complete activities in the accompanying curriculum....

AlcoholEdu for High School: MADD, outside the classroom.(New products: the latest offerings in books, hardware, internet and software)
August 1, 2004... www.outsidetheclassroom.com, Internet, $4,000 (average price) This Web-based prevention program helps combat underage drinking by giving students the information they need to make safer and healthier decisions about alcohol. Divided into...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
August 1, 2004... SEPTEMBER 2004 School, Home & Office Products Association's Annual Conference SHOPA www.shopa.org September 20-24 * Orlando, Fla. OCTOBER 2004 Association of School Business Officials International Conference ASBO...

Are your students making gains like these?(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... New research shows a 65% increase in fluency gains when students add Recorded Books to their practice. To maximize the effectiveness of your program, try the "listen and read" strategy with Recorded Books. It's the easiest and most...

Lower your discipline referrals proven results.(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... Since 1992, Project Wisdom has been producing a school-wide character education program that helps students make wiser choices. Join more than 11,000 licensed schools across America. It's simple. It's affordable. It works. Visit our Website for...

Teacher's interactive whiteboard.(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... The Interactive Presentation Manager[TM] (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...

RFB&D's[R] Learning Through Listening[TM].(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... RFB&D's[R] Learning Through Listening[TM] memberships are a proven reading accommodation for students with learning disabilities, visual impairments or other physical disabilities. RFB&D memberships offer access to more than 90,000 recorded...

Rand McNally Achievement Series[TM].(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... Mapping a changing world for more than 147 years. All NEW in 2004 is the Rand McNally Achievement Series[TM] digital line of Maps and Globes!! Our New Map and Globe line is Larger and Brighter than ever before! As always Rand McNally still...

TIP (Textbook Inventory Program).(Information Showcase)(Advertisement)
August 1, 2004... TIP (Textbook Inventory Program) is designed to be the most comprehensive textbook inventory system available. It is a tool for recording the transactions of textbooks (as well as components, test booklets, calculators etc.), at both the...

By the numbers on early education: a data bank on education trends for district leaders.
August 1, 2004... In the early 1970s, less than 20% of all kindergartners attended a full-day program. In the 1998-99 school year, 56% of all kindergartners attended a full-day program. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of...