District Administration articles from May 2008

District Administration archives from May 2008

Plane truth at conferences: we love to meet DA readers on the road.(Editor's Letter)(Conference news)
May 1, 2008... WHILE WAITING FOR A FLIGHT HOME AFTER THIS YEAR'S American Association of School Administrators conference in Tampa, I happened to notice a traveler reading the current issue of DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. I tried not to be obvious as I invaded...

Reaction to Stager's column.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wow! I just read your column ("The Games Teachers Play," April 2008) and have no idea what teachers you hang out with, but you'd better find a new crowd. I use Accelerated Reader and Reading Renaissance for my...

Great suggestion.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... You ran an excellent article reviewing a district Web site (How Well Does This Web Site Work? April 2008). Have you consolidated your findings and tips into a single location for districts to use to improve their Web sites? George Frazier,...

Leading the way in technology.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I always read DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION with great interest and, as it is sitting on my desk, I want to share some cool technology projects underway at Roslyn (N.Y.) Public Schools. They include implementing: * A Sony language lab, which is a...

Impressed with DA Web site.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)(Website overview)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I just visited your Web site (www.DistrictAdministration.com) and was impressed with the content. It appears really accessible for educators and offers a lot of practical advice and solutions for administrators. ...

Book features DA story.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2008... I am currently involved in a book project with Prufrock Press that involves gifted kids and technology. I loved the story in DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION about the girl from New Jersey who created the multimedia production of "Apocalypse...

Ratting out bad teachers.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... A WASHINGTON-BASED ANTI-union group has launched a unique contest to "jump-start a conversation" about the difficulty schools have in getting rid of bad teachers--and it's doing this by paying the worst ones to quit. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Smaller classes don't close achievement gap, study says.(News Update)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... A NEW STUDY FROM A NORTHwestern University researcher is challenging the conventional wisdom that reducing class size helps to narrow the learning gap between rich and poor students. Based on a re-analysis of the Tennessee STAR project--the...

Stat blast.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 25% of the class of 2007 took at least one AP exam in high school, compared to almost 23 percent of the class of 2006. Source: 4th Annual AP Report to the Nation

Georgia County nixes single-sex plan.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... THE GREENE COUNTY (GA.) SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DECIDED TO drop its measures to adopt separate classrooms for boys and girls after waves of controversy broke out from outraged parents who were not consulted ahead of time, says district spokeswoman...

Third-world laptops come to Alabama schools.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FIRST-THROUGH EIGHTH-GRADE students in Birmingham City (Ala.) Schools will soon each have their own computer, and it will be a laptop designed for children in third-world countries. Under a purchase agreement...

Tech-empowered superintendents.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... THE CONSORTIUM FOR SCHOOL NETWORKING (CoSN) just launched a new free leadership initiative, "Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent," designed both to provide superintendents and other school leaders with the latest tools and resources to...

In Kentucky, no child left offline.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... KENTUCKY, THE FIRST STATE TO introduce broadband Internet access into every public school, is taking information technology to new heights and providing a richer educational experience for students and teachers as well as administrators through...

SAT takers at all-time high.(News Update)(Scholastic Aptitude Test/Scholastic Assessment Test)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THANKS TO THE EVER INcreasing competition for college admittance and what test-prep companies identify as the "population swell" of the echo boom and millennial generations, more U.S. high school students than ever...

Fast fact.(News Update)
May 1, 2008... The average injury rate in high school sports is 2.5 injuries per 1,000 practices or competitions. Participation in high school sports has jumped more than 16 percent over the past decade. Source: An Epidemiologic Comparison of High School...

Chicago police target troubled schools.(Security)
May 1, 2008... AS GUN VIOLENCE CLAIMS A GROWING LIST OF victims in Chicago's public schools--last month the number of students killed in gunfire hit 20 since September--new police patrols from the Chicago Police Department are in place at the 435,000-student...

Shooting survivors sue security company.(Security)
May 1, 2008... A GROUP OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE 2005 shooting at the Red Lake (Minn.) School District are suing Burnsville, Minn.-based MacNeil Environmental Inc., the company that had been hired to come up with a crisis management plan for...

Visual language for students with Autism.(Curriculum)
May 1, 2008... MANY CHILDREN WITH AUTISM have difficulty processing language verbally, but they are very good at understanding visuals. The Monarch School for Children with Autism, which opened in Cleveland in 2000, will make its teaching methods available to...

National mathematics advisory panel's final report.(Curriculum)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... THE NATIONAL MATHEMATICS Advisory Panel was formed in April 2006 by President Bush to clarify and provide mathematics' achievement instructional requirements needed in grades pre-K8. In March, the U.S. Department of Education released...

New dropout formula on the horizon.(Inside the Law)
May 1, 2008... IN A SEEMINGLY CONCERTED effort both to demystify the web of incomparable data from state to state on dropout rates and to address a major flaw in the No Child Left Behind law, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings last month announced...

Advancing women and minorities.(Inside the Law)
May 1, 2008... THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2008 DR. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award--Randall H. Collins, Terry B. Grier, Frances F. Jones and Helen C. Sobehart--were recently honored at the American Association of School Administrators' (AASA) national...

Is your school on fire or smoldering?(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS rolling out an initiative to address one of the longstanding complaints against the No Child Left Behind law: that it treats schools the same regardless of whether they're failing to meet annual benchmarks by a little...

Bible classes approved.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A NEW OPINION FROM TENNESsee attorney general Robert E. Cooper Jr. says that the state's public school students are legally safe to learn about the Bible's impact on politics, art and literature as long as the...

Achieving against the odds.(District Profile: KAYENTA (ARIZ.) UNIFIED SHOOL DISTRICT)
May 1, 2008... KAYENTA UNIFIED SCHOOL DIStrict is located in the Navajo Nation in Kayenta, Ariz., but is under Arizona Public Schools' jurisdiction. Some of its students travel as many as 48 miles by bus to school and come from homes without electricity or...

Part-time superintendent.(Administrator Profile: SUPERINTENDENT JEFFREY N. LINTON)
May 1, 2008... AFTER 35 YEARS IN EDUCATION, curriculum coordinator Jeffrey Linton faced mandatory retirement. "But I was 57, I still felt young and vital, and I thought I was too young to stop working entirely," he says. Wanting to enjoy some benefits of...

Walter Isaacson on the Einstein Myth: a recent biographer shares some of Einstein's views on education.(Book Excerpt)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] RECENTLY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WALTER ISAACSON SPEAK about the life and legacy of Albert Einstein. Isaacson is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, former chairman of CNN and former managing editor...

Addressing food allergies: clear procedures help K12 administrators deal with this escalating problem in schools.(HEALTH AND NUTRITION)(Cover story)
May 1, 2008... DAVID, NOT HIS REAL name, of Princeton, N.J., is allergic to milk products and is severely allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. The 7-year-old sits at a special table in the cafeteria. But when his elementary school science class was using milk...

Algebra: changing the equation: support programs decrease math anxiety and help students succeed.(CURRICULUM)
May 1, 2008... WHEN U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUcation Margaret Spelling announced in March the final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, created by President Bush two years ago to address concerns that many students lack essential skills to become...

Stopping MRSA: consistent simple procedures can keep this communicable disease at bay.(ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LAST FALL, A FEVER GRIPPED THE NATION-an overheating of news stories about the so-called super bug: methicitlin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, "staph," or simply "MRSA." The media fever may have subsided, but MRSA...

Resources to support disabled learners: technological advances make a difference for students with learning disabilities.(SPECIAL EDUCATION)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ALREADY UNDER PRESSURE to boost student achievement levels and rein in spending, district administrators face another challenge when it comes to educating students with learning disabilities. With 4 to 6 percent...

Web tools: the second generation: the shifting landscape of Web 2.0 technologies.(TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IMAGINE A SECURE WEB-based platform where teachers and students can create weekly news broadcasts, make spreadsheets that provide simultaneous viewing, and even tap into real-time classrooms abroad so students can...

Greenwich (N.Y.) Central School District www.greenwichcsd.org.(How Well Does This Web Site Work? LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE)
May 1, 2008... THE GREENWICH (N.Y.) CENTRAL School District is located 40 miles north of Albany and includes 1,200 students and 146 staff members in three schools. Design The opening screen has a long animation, displaying the district mission statement...

Keeping up with the future: consider these suggestions for staying informed and inspired.(SPEAKING OUT)
May 1, 2008... IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT educators and policy makers are concerned with preparing students for the future. That may explain the popularity of best sellers such as Tom Friedman's The World Is Flat or Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind. As I...

What are your staff beliefs about student learning? Establish ground rules about best practices to promote student achievement.(SUPERVISOR'S OPINION)
May 1, 2008... IF WE BELIEVE THAT reading is fundamental to school success, how do we get students to read more during the school day? This is a challenging question. Many school leaders are posing questions like this to their learning communities to...

Leadership is key to managing school safety: you must be proactive and communicative.(PROFESSIONAL OPINION)
May 1, 2008... PARENTS WILL FORGIVE SCHOOL officials if test scores go down. They are much less forgiving if something happens to their children that could have been prevented or better managed. Today, school safety is not only a "money" issue" but also a...

AG-HMC70, Panasonic professional camcorders: Panasonic Broadcast.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PANASONIC BROADCAST AG-HMC70, Panasonic Professional Camcorders Hardware, $2,495 The latest shoulder-mount Panasonic professional camcorder was released in April. Unlike HDV, the AG-HMC70 content can be...

SMART document camera: Smart Technologies.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... SMART TECHNOLOGIES Smart Document Camera Hardware, $849 With the SMART document camera, teachers can display detailed images and video of any physical object and incorporate them into digital lessons using an interactive...

XL1550U, projector: Mitsubishi Digital Electronic America.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... MITSUBISHI DIGITAL ELECTRONIC AMERICA XL1550U, Projector Hardware, $3,995 The Mitsubishi XL1550U XGA (1024x768 pixel) resolution LCD projector is designed for large auditoriums, classrooms or conference rooms. It projects 3,100...

PrimeVision line, projector screens: Elite Screens.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ELITE SCREENS PrimeVision Line, Projector Screens Hardware, Prices start at $149 Elite Screens specializes in mainstream retail projector screens. Its retail projection screen lines are also...

Notify-IP mass notification system: Notifier.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NOTIFIER Notify-IP Mass Notification System Internet, Pricing varies Notifier's mass communication system generates live, direct, global voice instructions for property-and life-preserving actions via...

SPARK Science Learning System: Pasco.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... PASCO SPARK Science Learning System Hardware, $299, Preorder price until August 1, 2008 The SPARK Science Learning System is a lightweight--21 ounces--durable science visualization system for science lab and fieldwork. It's...

GeoSafari Classroom Dinosaur Dig: Educational Insights.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS GeoSafari Classroom Dinosaur Dig Books and Materials, $149 GeoSafari's Classroom Dinosaur Dig, for grades 3 and up, includes all the tools needed to simulate a real classroom dinosaur dig, including easy...

Longitude 730R semi-rugged notebook: 3K Computers.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3K COMPUTERS Longitude 730R Semi-Rugged Notebook Hardware, Starts at $1,199 The Longitude 730R semi-rugged notebook runs on a Core 2 Duo processor, which comes with up to 4GB of memory and storage space...

Stories to Read, words to know: developing language through reading: Evan-Moor.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVAN-MOOR Stories to Read, Words to Know: Developing Language Through Reading Books and Materials, Pricing starts at $19.99 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Stories to Read series, designed for K3...

Fabulously Famous Books for building fluency: Scholastic Classroom Books.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... SCHOLASTIC CLASSROOM BOOKS Fabulously Famous Books for Building Fluency Books and Materials, $299 Fabulously Famous Books emphasizes reading with expression and oral performance using speeches, journals, letters, poetry and many...

Learning Style Assessments student assessment tools: Learning Styles.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... LEARNING STYLES Learning Style Assessments Student Assessment Tools Internet, $5 per student Learning Style Assessments are based on the original Dunn and Dunn Learning-Styles Model and are available on the Learning Styles' Web...

TeacherLine online professional development: PBS.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... PBS TeacherLine Online Professional Development Internet, Free TeacherLine's education professional development resources offer more than 100 online courses for preK-12 teachers in reading, mathematics, science, technology...

Mr. Scrambles physical activity and learning tool: Educational Insights.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS Mr. Scrambles Physical Activity and Learning Tool Hardware, $39.99 This learning tool from Educational Insights, intended for children ages 3 to 8, helps children enjoy physical...

Results Management System: Questionmark.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... QUESTIONMARK Results Management System Books and Materials, Pricing available upon request The Results Management System enables psychometricians and assessment administrators to analyze and edit results before they are finalized...

Latitude XT convertible tablet: Dell.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... DELL Latitude XT Convertible Tablet Hardware, Starting at $2,499 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Latitude XT touch screen tablet has a 12.1-inch (1280x800) screen that offers dual-mode digitizer technology. With a thickness of one...

Achieve now with Sony PlayStation Portable, education gaming: Plato Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PLATO LEARNING Achieve now with Sony PlayStation Portable, education gaming Hardware/software, Starting at $725, quantity pricing available PLATO's education gaming software is now being offered for...

Voyager Passport reading intervention program: Voyager Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... VOYAGER LEARNING Voyager Passport Reading Intervention Program Books and Materials, $1,439 Voyager Passport's reading intervention system strengthens all core, K5 reading programs. It provides students with 30 to 45 minutes of...

Latitude XFR D630, notebook: Dell.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... DELL Latitude XFR D630, Notebook Hardware, $3,899 This rugged Latitude XFR D630 laptop meets MIL-STD 810F standards from the Department of Defense for products that operate in extreme temperatures, moisture and altitude. It...

Secure Networks Solutions: Enterasys Networks.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ENTERRASYS NETWORKS Secure Networks Solutions Internet, Pricing dependent upon district needs Secure Networks Solutions' technology protects vital information, maintains business continuity and ensures...

Activity Builder classroom resources: Knowledge Adventure.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
May 1, 2008... KNOWLEDEGE ADVENTURE Activity Builder Classroom Resources Internet, $50 per year, per teacher With Activity Builder, teachers can create a large variety of classroom resources and activities, such as bingo boards, clocks,...

Interventions for students with ADHD.(Research Center: ESSENTIALS ON EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2008... NOT EVERYCHILD WHO FIDGETS and fails to follow directions has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To receive this diagnosis from a health care professional, a child must exhibit chronic, developmentally inappropriate levels of...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
May 1, 2008... MAY 2008 IRA, International Reading Association May 4-8 Atlanta, Ga. www.reading.org JUNE 2008 PTA, National Parent Teacher Association June 20-23 San Diego, Calif. www.pta.nrg AASL, American...

500,000 schools: smaller schools score higher across the board.(UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES)
May 1, 2008... LAST YEAR SOUTH DAKOTA'S Department of Education notified nine districts that under a new state law they would have to consolidate, in part at least, because they had schools with fewer than 100 students. This caught my attention because I've...