District Administration articles from February 2009

District Administration archives from February 2009

What's on your not-to-do list for 2009?(Editor's Letter)
February 1, 2009... IT'S ALMOST FEBRUARY, BUT THERE IS STILL TIME FOR REFLECTION ON THE year just passed and for reminding ourselves of what not to do in the coming year. When I read the DA Daily articles each weekday morning, especially the ones about the...

U.S. students move up in math and science.(BRIEFINGS: News Update)
February 1, 2009... CRITICS WHO ARGUE THAT THE UNITED STATES LAGS BEHIND ITS international peers in the education rankings might find some evidence to the contrary in the recent results of a major international assessment, which shows fourth- and eighth-graders...

Newark schools' learning revolution.(BRIEFINGS: News Update)
February 1, 2009... BIG CHANGES ARE AFOOT IN NEWARK (N.J.) Public Schools, where a new initiative to curb the dropout rate will develop and open ten new schools and programs over the next two years. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Through the Newark-Alternative...

Moving up.(PEOPLE WATCH)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennett has been named to fill a Senate vacancy by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter that was created by the nomination of Sen. Ken Salazar to be Obama's interior secretary.

Ruffling feathers.(PEOPLE WATCH)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tony Bennett, Indiana's new superintendent of public instruction, supports vouchers that force public and private schools to compete for state money, as well as small school district consolidation.

Money woes.(PEOPLE WATCH)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Connie Calloway has been dismissed as superintendent of Detroit Public Schools after less than 18 months. The school board attributes their decision to her alleged mismanagement of the district's budget.

Road to recovery.(PEOPLE WATCH)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ramon Cortines took over Los Angeles schools as superintendent on January 1 under a three-year contract. Educators say he can help the district recover from a financial crisis and improve graduation rates.

Effecting change.(PEOPLE WATCH)
February 1, 2009... Anne Keehn is new VP of sales and business development at eCollege, a Pearson company and top provider of e-learning solutions and services. She has more than 25 years of experience in education technology.

N.Y. District pioneers a different kind of advanced placement.(BRIEFINGS: News Update)
February 1, 2009... SINCE OUR APRIL 2007 ARTICLE, "Certifying AP Courses," in which Scarsdale (N.Y.) Public Schools Superintendent Michael McGill offered his thoughts--and concerns--regarding the merits of phasing out College Board-sponsored Advanced Placement...

Arne Duncan in the spotlight.(BRIEFINGS: News Update)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HERE'S THE SCOOP ON THE NEWLY APPOINTED U.S. education secretary: * In Chicago's public schools, where 85 percent of the 400,000-plus students live below the poverty line, test scores, attendance and teacher...

The legacy of educator Jim Tice.(BRIEFINGS: News Update)
February 1, 2009... JAMES "JIM" KNOX TICE OF Stratford, Mo., passed away on December 8, 2008, at the age of 74 years. Those close to him and education experts say his passing may hit hardest for the children of Missouri, where Tice--a former superintendent of both...

School security plans skirt law.(BRIEFINGS: Security)
February 1, 2009... ALL OF GEORGIA'S 184 PUBLIC school districts may have a security plan, but not all districts can say their plan has the approval of the state, according to a recent Associated Press review of state data. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nearly...

Rhee takes heat for D.C. school violence.(BRIEFINGS: Security)
February 1, 2009... IT'S NO SMALL SECRET THAT MICHELLE RHEE, chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, has an aggressive plan to address and reorganize the nearly 50,000-student district. Her "renew, revitalize, and reorganize" (RRR) plan has already led to the closing...

Student authors publish work through Web.(BRIEFINGS: Curriculum)
February 1, 2009... CHRIS WILCOX, A FIFTH-GRADE teacher at Lakeview Elementary School in Provo, Utah, feels that there is no greater inspiration to write than having one's own stories published, but classroom projects to self-publish student work are often too...

Texas students learn via phone.(BRIEFINGS: Curriculum)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN A NOVEL APPROACH TO BRINGING INTO THE classroom a 21st-century technology with which nearly all students are all-too-familiar, the Keller (Texas) Independent School District is rolling out what is usually ordered...

Fast fact.(BRIEFINGS: Curriculum)
February 1, 2009... Teacher video Web site TeacherTube now boasts 220,000 regular users and more than 54,000 videos and is averaging 800,000 visitors every month. Source: The Dallas Morning News [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

School shooting threat: a quick and well-planned response from the principal and threat assessment team is key to resolving a potentially violent situation.(CRISIS RESPONSE)
February 1, 2009... MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT JULIE received a worrisome e-mail on her computer. Ben, an eighth-grader from her school, was warning her not to ride the bus the next day, as Ben planned to bring a gun and shoot several students. The threat specifically...

Are one-to-one laptop programs worth the investment? Administrators are learning that a successful program requires more than financing.(SUPERVISOR'S OPINION)
February 1, 2009... I OPENED THE DOORS OF A brand new, state-of-the-art K8 school in Orange County, Calif., in September 2003. As principal, I spearheaded an initiative to place as many laptop computers in the hands of students in grades 3-8 as possible. The goal...

The rise of the virtual teacher: online instructors--and their special skills--are becoming increasingly important to 21st-century schooling.(TECHNOLOGY)(Cover story)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE GROWING USE OF ONLINE teaching in the nation's public schools has placed a related burden on district administrators to ensure that they use high quality and highly qualified instructors. Half the school...

Speaking their language: a variety of new technologies are available to teach language more effectively.(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TAPPING INTO TECHNOLOGY FOR foreign language learning is important, given that such learning is increasingly being seen as vital to the nation's economic and...

Alternate transportation routes: districts help the environment while saving money.(SUSTAINABILITY)
February 1, 2009... FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR to this one, the St. Lucie County (Fla.) Public Schools reduced the number of buses it operates from 399 to 362, despite opening two new schools. Add in some other smart changes in policy, and the district lowered its...

When 21st-century schooling just isn't good enough: a modest proposal: if we're serious about educating for the global economy, let's stop worrying about what kids need!(OPINION)
February 1, 2009... QUITE A FEW SCHOOL DISTRICT administrators, and even more people who aren't educators but are kind enough to offer their advice about how our field can be improved, have emphasized the need for "21st-century schools" that teach "21st-century...

The aftermath of the new 403(b) regulations: your questions answered regarding the newest retirement regulations.(HUMAN RESOURCES)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN LATE JULY 2007, THE INTERNAL Revenue Service dropped a bombshell in the form of new 403(b) regulations, which present great challenges for public school districts and community colleges. The challenge for...

Ogden City (Utah) School District: www.ogdensd.org.(How Well Does This Web Site Work? LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE)
February 1, 2009... THE OGDEN CITY (UTAH) School District, located south of Sah Lake City, comprises 23 schools. This inner-city school district was established in 1849. Design The design and layout of this site is uncluttered and straightforward. On the...

California district cleans up its waste.(Problem Solution: SUCCESS STORIES FROM DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NATION)
February 1, 2009... PROBLEM THIS YEAR THE UNION SCHOOL District in San Jose, Calif., was looking to save some money by going green. The 4,500-student district sought to cut down on waste disposal costs and surplus property storage while also helping to...

VideoStudio Pro X2: Corel.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] COREL VideoStudio Pro X2 Video Editing Program Software, $99 This latest version of Corel's video editing software is a complete HD solution, enabling users to capture, edit, author and output...

CP-WX410: Hitachi.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... HITACHI CP-WX410 Projector Hardware, $2,995 This new LCD projector from Hitachi offers full widescreen capability at a 16:10 aspect ratio, native WX6A (1280x800) resolution and 3,000 lumens of image brightness. This model...

Spanish I A: American Education Corporation.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMERICAN EDUCATION CORPORATION Spanish I A Language Program Software, $1,000 per installed site AEC's Spanish I A is a new software course in the company's A+nyWhere Learning System. It is the first...

IdeaPad S10e: Lenovo.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LENOVO IdeaPad S10e Netbook Hardware, Starting at $400 Lenovo has recently released this education edition of its S10 ultraportable netbook. This model is designed to be an introductory computer...

BlazeCast: Benbria.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BENBRIA BlazeCast Mass Notification System Internet, Contact manufacturer for pricing BlazeCast is the new mass notification system from Benbria. A fully hosted, IP-based solution, BlazeCast...

Notebook SE: Smart Technologies.(New Products: THE LATEST IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, BOOKS & MATERIALS, FACILITIES, AND THE INTERNET)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SMART TECHNOLOGIES Notebook SE Collaborative Learning Program Software, $34.99 SMART Technologies' Notebook SE is the student edition of the company's lesson delivery application. The program is...

Student video cameras.(Product Focus: A GUIDE TO ONE SEGMENT OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2009... THE IMMENSE POPULARITY OF YOUTUBE, HIGH-SPEED INTERNET, AND USER-CREATED VIDEO HAS affected everything from politics to entertainment to popular culture; the phrase "in the age of YouTube" has become a cliche. This trend has also contributed to...

America's true investment advisors: today's bailouts may be vital, but, for our future's sake, Congress should also consider investing in and harnessing educators on the front line.(PROFESSIONAL OPINION)
February 1, 2009... AS OUR SCHOOLS FACE DRACONIAN budgets cuts, there are two critical ways in which Washington can help: by investing in our schools and by harnessing the insight and will of our educators. According to the Center on Budget and Policy...