District Administration articles from November 2004

District Administration archives from November 2004

Mea Culpa.(Editor's Letter)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... I'm writing this column because I'm embarrassed. Two recent issues of DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION have carried columns by Gary Stager that have attacked aspects of the educational proposals/decisions of both presidential candidates. As...

Reaction to no child left behind Q&A.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I need to comment on the article Why No Child Left Behind Must Work: Q&A with one of the main architects of NCLB (September, pg. 54). First of all, I have been involved in federal programs for schools for 30 years. I am not totally against...

Debating one-sided parent contracts.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... You are exactly right in stating that the "Dear Parent or Guardian" letters (Gary Stager on One-sided Parent Contracts, September, pg. 65) are an attempt by school systems to CYA and may indeed be an overreaction to some obscure law or legal...

Ideas for leading to reading.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I was thrilled to see your article, Leading to Reading (September, pg 40). The 24 ideas you give to help students become good readers are great. In Our building, the English classes started a Silent Sustained Reading program. All students must...

Mid-level managers being left behind.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
November 1, 2004... Unless the central office staff starts communicating better with school building principals and teachers, major reform initiatives may never come to fruition, reports a new study released by the Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform. ...

Leading from the middle.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(improving mid-management support for schools)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Cross City Campaign for Urban School reform's report suggests these ways to help central administrators work better with school-level staff: * Make school issues and needs drive the district's policy agenda. Draw on the expertise of...

Philly to become biggest wireless "hot zone" in nation.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
November 1, 2004... The days of quarterly parent-teacher meetings and paper correspondence in Philadelphia may become a thing of the past. The city has taken steps to build the largest wireless network in the United States, rivaling only that of Sydney,...

Texas funding found unfair to schools.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A state judge ruled recently that Texas' "share-the-wealth" education funding system is unconstitutional under the Texas Constitution and doesn't put enough money into schools. The decision is under appeal. The judge ruled in September...

Arizona school dumps books.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Textbooks are so last year. That's what a new school in Arizona, the Vail School District's Empire High School, to open next year says. Every one of the 600 students will receive Apple iBook laptop computers with a wireless card that allows for...

A New York minute comes to school.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
November 1, 2004... Reform remains the mantra in the second full year of New York City School Chancellor Joel I. Klein's "Children First" agenda. Klein, who acts at the direction of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has announced another year's worth of...

Chancellor Joel Klein Has championed a plan to hold back fifth graders who score at the lowest levels of the city's reading and math competency tests.(Change Coming To NYC)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... * CHANCELLOR JOEL KLEIN has championed a plan to hold back fifth graders who score at the lowest levels of the city's reading and math competency tests. This comes a year after the administration implemented the same policy for third...

More $ doesn't mean better grades.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Students' test scores show that spending more taxpayer dollars on education is not cutting it. The American Legislative Exchange Council recently released the 11th edition of the Report Card on American Education: A State by State...

Bending rules to succeed.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Nearly one in three teenagers say you must "bend the rules to succeed," according to a recent Junior Achievement/Deloitte & Touche USA LLP poll conducted by Harris Interactive. But teenagers also think people who practice good business...

Diminishing data.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
November 1, 2004... Claiming expense and time constraints, the U.S. Department of Education has cut back on the information it collects on charter schools, but critics are questioning the motivation. "Most researchers are outraged, except for those with an...

Want to drive? Better attend class.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... High school students in Minnesota who skip school will have a tough time getting a driver's license this year under a new rule Governor Tim Pawlenty plans to enact. The rule will prevent 16- and 17-year-olds who violate state truancy laws...

Kentucky computers to fight cancer.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
November 1, 2004... A handful of Kentucky districts have found one more use for computers. Cancer researchers are borrowing school computers during idle periods to help develop potential cancer-fighting therapies with fewer side effects than traditional...

Poor Calif. district wins top honors.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A poor California district with many immigrant children won kudos for improving student achievement and helping to close the achievement gap. The Broad Foundation, founded by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, awarded the $500,000 top...

Pushing students to be all they can be.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Accelerating gifted and talented students is a good thing. A recent study, A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students, funded by the Templeton Foundation, strikes down previous thoughts by school administrators,...

Racial fight in Connecticut continues.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The popular Sheff vs. O'Neill court case from the 1990s that led to a historic January 2003 agreement to reduce racial and ethnic isolation in Hartford, Conn., public schools is not over, according to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. ...

Teachers nix public education for their children.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... More than a quarter of public school teachers in Washington and Baltimore send their children to private schools, a recent study claims. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that public school teachers are almost twice as likely as other...

Digital Divide still deep.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Nearly every child, or 96 percent, from age 8 to 18 has gone online at least once, but only 15 percent of those with incomes of $20,000 to $25,000 had Internet access at home, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's survey. The...

More kids being expelled.(update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... More students are being expelled from school for a wider variety of issues. Between 1998 and 2000, expulsions nationwide jumped from 87,298 to 97,177, according to the Elementary and Secondary School Survey by the U.S. Department of Education's...

Airing out old concerns.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining no child left behind)
November 1, 2004... Using grade level indicators, focusing on individual student achievement, and only targeting subgroups, and not whole schools, that miss targets are a few ideas experts recently proposed to change what they deem some of the great drawbacks of...

Proposed changes.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining no child left behind)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... * Change the timeline for proficiency of students from 14 years to 25 years. * Substitute grade-level descriptors, like below grade level, at grade level, and above grade level, for basic, proficient and advanced labels. *...

An act to make no child more appetizing.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining no child left behind)(No Child Left Behind Improvement Act of 2004)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The No Child Left Behind Improvement Act of 2004 falls short of proposing fundamental changes but does offer significant alterations. Senator Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, and other Democrats on the Senate Health, Education. Labor and...

More schools make AYP.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining no child left behind)(Adequate Yearly Progress)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Most states show gains in districts meeting adequate yearly progress from 2003 to 2004, but what it means is still up for debate. "If you look at the numbers as a nation, it's not a good indication of much," says Scott Young, policy...

Native Mexican takes setback in English test in stride.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining no child left behind)
November 1, 2004... When DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION last checked on the progress of Jose Manuel Lopez, now an eighth grader at Lorenzo Dezavala Middle School in Irving, Texas, the youngster was hoping to take a state assessment test in English last spring even though...

Winning in a man's world: motivation and empowerment are key to this superintendent's--and her students'--success.(Administrator profile: Esperanza Zendejas, East Side Union High School District (San Jose, Calif.))
November 1, 2004... Some kids dream of being a cowboy one day. Growing up in a competitive family with five brothers, Esperanza Zendejas actually became one. In a culture dominated by men, she learned to stand on her own and up for herself. "There was no such...

Saturday school a class act: Kentucky kids become university students for a sixth day of school.(District profile: Danville (Ky.) Schools)
November 1, 2004... It's 7:15 a.m. on a Saturday in January. The mercury hovers near zero. Surely the children are snuggled in front of the TV basking in the glow of cartoons. But this is Danville, Ky., and the living rooms are dark. Dozens of kids and...

Student suits: districts are spending up to $100,000 a year on insurance protection against lawsuits. Will an Ohio law giving protection to staff reach your district.
November 1, 2004... A proposed law in Ohio giving teachers and school staff immunity from lawsuits arising from discipline issues has sparked renewed controversy over how to protect students' rights and still keep teachers in control of their classrooms. ...

Playing catch-up with Hispanic students: Hispanic student achievement is low and their numbers are high. Getting to know them, their challenges, and their potential can pull them out of their holes.
November 1, 2004... Paul Ruiz, a principal partner at The Education Trust, has his own sad but inspiring story. He comes from a family of 15 whose parents emigrated from Mexico. His teachers in San Antonio, Texas, about 40 years ago did not believe he could learn....

The kindest cuts? As school districts live with the realities of maintenance cuts, more solutions--and mistakes--are finding their way into the spotlight.
November 1, 2004... With only two employees trying to keep 100 buildings and 700 acres of property looking spiffy, no one sniped when Portland (Ore.) Public Schools' groundskeeping crew fell behind. The question was more what to do about it. So in 2000,...

Giving construction curriculum a chance.(Construction dispatch: a look at real-world trends in the facilities and construction arena)
November 1, 2004... Popular with high school students--and not just the academic underachievers--vocational programs in construction across the country are providing students with a leg up toward earning a college degree or getting a job right out of high school....

School bond marketing secrets.(Construction dispatch: a look at real-world trends in the facilities and construction arena)
November 1, 2004... When large-scale school construction projects depend on a "yes" vote, a district can't take chances on a bond issue campaign that's not properly executed. From using creative strategies to simply having an organized plan, here's how three...

K-16 building sharing on the rise.(Construction dispatch: a look at real-world trends in the facilities and construction arena)
November 1, 2004... Indian River Community College and School Board of Martin County (Fla.) are developing the Advanced Learning Center, a joint-use facility on the college campus. It's envisioned as a national model for technology-based academic programs between...

Lessons from the India school fire.(Construction dispatch: a look at real-world trends in the facilities and construction arena)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The tragic fire that killed more than 90 school children in India this summer spread disastrously quick because of the school's thatched roof. Could a similar incident happen here at home? Tom Kube, executive director of Council for...

The index of education effort: there are many ways to rank education spending--by student, by technology purchases, by state and federal contributions. But there has never been an easy way to determine the effort each community makes in funding its local school district. Until now.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... One of the biggest battlegrounds in K-12 education in this country has been, and always will be, how it is funded. Arguments and lawsuits dot the country; at any one time a handful of lawsuits are threatening to topple a particular state's...

The wide world hits home.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
November 1, 2004... It doesn't take long for middle school students participating in Junior Achievement's new program on world trade to realize that it matters a whole lot more to their daily lives than they might initially think. "It affects them as consumers....

Georgia allows larger science classes.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... When it comes to class size mandates, the Georgia State Board of Education has shown that the law can be flexible in trying budget times. The board recently amended its rule about high school science class sizes having a limit of 28 students to...

Stand and deliver ... or let them discover?(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
November 1, 2004... Picture this: While using a new computer application, you're stuck. As you start experimenting with key commands, a friend looks over your shoulder and says, "Just press that button." Onward, to the task at hand. A study published in the...

ACT scores a call to action.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(American College Test)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Good news first: The average national composite score on the ACT Assessment is up from 2003, a feat that hasn't happened in seven years. Granted, it's only up a smidge, from 20.8 in 2002 and 2003 to 20.9 in 2004. The exam's highest...

Storytelling good math prep.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Youngsters who can tell a good story may end up being better mathematicians, according to a study by Daniela O'Neill, a University of Waterloo psychology professor. Kids ages three and four were shown a book containing only pictures and asked...

Odvard Egil Dyrli on web-based tutoring: online help can offer specific and effective tutoring solutions.
November 1, 2004... Tutoring used to be thought of as a private issue. While many parents nationwide choose to supply tutors for their children, the issue hasn't appeared on schools' radar screens. Until now. Because of No Child Left Behind, any school that...

Gary Stager on lifelong learning: picking up lessons for schools in three-quarter time.
November 1, 2004... Lifelong learning. I decided to try it. So, I packed up the car and drove to Palo Alto to participate in the annual Stanford Jazz Residency. This immersive institute welcomes adults and talented teens to spend a week playing, studying and...

Discipline that supports achievement.(Research corner: essentials on education data and analysis from research authority AEL)
November 1, 2004... The pursuit of learning can be derailed in schools plagued by discipline problems. This is certainly not news to principals and teachers. Research confirms their intuitions about the connection between discipline and achievement. One recent...

10 ways to recognize a learning organization.(Leadership books: an essential collection of the latest books for district-level leaders)
November 1, 2004... The absence of certain characteristics may point the way to professional development needs in a district. You know you're in the presence of a learning organization if: 1. People ask each other a lot of questions. 2. People listen to...

Hoover Press: Testing Student Learning, Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness.(Leadership books: an essential collection of the latest books for district-level leaders)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Testing Student Learning, Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness Ed. by Williamson M. Evers and Herbert J. Walberg www.hoover.org, $15 It's not the testing--it's the tests. Taking a look at the professional, technical and public policy issues...

Teachers College Press: The Culture of Education Policy.(Leadership books: an essential collection of the latest books for district-level leaders)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Teachers College Press The Culture of Education Policy by Sandra J. Stein www.teacherscollegepress.com, $26.95 Social and educational policy can shape, if not constrain, the work of educating students, argues Stein, academic dean of the New...

Heinemann: Gender in Urban Education: Strategies for Student Achievement.(Leadership books: an essential collection of the latest books for district-level leaders)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Heinemann Gender in Urban Education: Strategies for Student Achievement by Alice E. Ginsberg, Joan Poliner Shapiro and Shirley P. Brown www.heinemann. com, $21 This book focuses on the relationship between the needs of boys and girls,...

Beacon Press: Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom.(Leadership books: an essential collection of the latest books for district-level leaders)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... Beacon Press Teaching Toward Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom by William Ayers www.beacon.org, $23 An educator and activist, Ayers shares his vision that the core of teaching is ethical work. Drawing on examples...

FileMaker: FileMaker Education Starter Kit.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.filemakertrial.com, Software, Free This software bundle, which can be downloaded, includes five databases: HumanResources, which maintains demographic information for employees; iSolution's CourseTracker, which manages courses and...

Axis Communications: AXIS 206M.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.axis.com Hardware, $399 This indoor network surveillance camera delivers resolutions of up to 1280 X 1024 pixels. For image quality and detail resolution, it utilizes Axis' image processing technology and a 1.3 megapixel CMOS sensor....

ClickN' Kids: ClickN' Read.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.clicknkids.com Internet, $20 to $49 per user (depending on number of students) This online beginning reading program consists of 100 fully animated, interactive lessons for intervention and supplemental reading instruction. The...

Learning Resources: Time Tracker.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.learningresources.com, Hardware, $34.95 This lighted electronic timer and clock was designed to help teach students time management skills. Its three color-coded section--green, yellow and red--offer a quick reference as to how much...

MasterSolution: Vision.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.mastersolution.com, Software, $35 per computer Teachers, librarians and technology coordinators can use this software to monitor all student computer activity from their desktop, demo their computer screen to student screens, lock...

Lightspeed Systems: Total Traffic Control v5.0.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.lightspeedsystems.com, Software, $10,000 The security software for Windows and Mac can detect and block viruses and malware, spam and inappropriate Web content. Enhanced features include host-and network-based intrusion prevention,...

Gateway: Gateway Profile 5.5.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.gateway.com, Hardware, $1,400 and up This newest version of an all-in-one desktop line features Intel's 915G chipset, integrated Intel graphics with up to 128MB shared memory and higher-bandwidth serial ATA hard drives. It's available...

The Council of Educational Facility Planners: Creating Connections: The CEFPI Guide for Educational Facility Planning.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.cefpi.org/pubs.html, Book, $150 This guide of best practices used in educational facility planning features models, strategies and research that have been tested in communities nationwide. Among the topics addressed are the educational...

Toshiba Digital Products Division: TDP-T91U.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.toshiba.com, Hardware, $2,099 This projector, based on a DLP technology platform, offers wireless capabilities and a detachable document camera. Presenters can unclip the camera from the projector and place it almost anywhere to...

HID Corp.: iClass CP400 Smart Card Programmer.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.hidcorp.com, Hardware HID Corp., a manufacturer of contactless access control cards and readers, has released the iCLASS CP400 Contactless Smart Card Programmer. The latest addition to the company's iCLASS 13.56 MHz contactless smart...

Canon: LV-X4.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.usa.canon.com, Hardware, $1,999 This micro-portable projector weighs 6.4 pounds and comes equipped with a high-precision ultra wide-angle lens, 1.6x optical zoom and short throw distance, with the ability to display an 100-inch diagonal...

Califone International: Emergency Response Kit 2000 and ControlCom Radio.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.califone.com, Hardware, Emergency Response Kit (for urban use) $405, Emergency Response Kit (for rural use) $325, Portable Megaphone, $70 Califone International, a manufacturer of audio technology for the education market, has launched...

Corporate computer: Board Portal.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.boardportal.net Service, $100/month This service was designed to eliminate the preparation of printed documents for school board meetings. The company assembles documents into an electronic board book that's posted on its Web site....

Homework assignments online: Whatsthehomework.com.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.whatsthehomework.com Internet, $299 per middle school/ year, $499 per high school/year This Web site enables teachers to post homework assignments online without special software or hardware. Additional features include an online...

Fieldhouse: hassle free bulk ordering.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.fieldhousestore.com, Internet; Free This fund-raising tool offers schools the opportunity to access low prices often associated with ordering products in bulk. It also eliminates the need for students to take orders or collect checks....

VC3: TestView.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.testview.com, Software, Set-up fee $28,000, plus $1.75- $2.75 per student/year for 3-year agreement This Internet-based software, developed over the past five years with Richland School District 2 in Columbia, S.C., will be nationally...

Pearson Digital Learning: NovaNET 2004.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.pearsondigital.com Internet, $1,000 to $1,500/ simultaneous user license The latest version of this online standards-based curriculum and assessment system for grades 6-12 includes 79 new chemistry lessons and 50 multimedia-enhanced...

SUBE: SUBE English as a second language.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.sube.com Curriculum, $995 The multi-sensory SUBE language program is now available in an ESL version. Previously it only taught Spanish as a second language. Each kit is a self-contained, one-year curriculum including a lesson manual,...

AlphaSmart: Neo by AlphaSmart.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.alphasmart.com Hardware, $249 per unit, $7,850 and up for a classroom set of 30 This two-pound device, the latest of AlphaSmart's series of computer companions, offers twice the memory and a 50 percent larger screen than its...

Crick Software: ClozePro.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.cricksoft.com Software, Single-user license $199 Interactive activities in this program are designed to help students of all ages and abilities develop reading, comprehension and vocabulary skills. Fill-in-the-blank lessons, which help...

Mediaphor Software Entertainment AG: Plagiarism-Finder.(Focus: safety & security)
November 1, 2004... www.plagiarism-finder.com Internet, Single license $125 This online program compares any digital document-such as a presentation, final project or term paper--to billions of Web pages. After completing the scan, it highlights suspect...

Correction.(Focus: safety & security)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... In the September issue, the pricing for Biamp Systems' Audia digital audio platform was incorrect. AudiaFLEX is a customizable product sold through systems integrators. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is generally between $3,000 and...

Calendar of events.(educational conferences)(Illustration)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... National Council for the Social Studies' Annual Conference NCSS www.ncss.org November 19-21 * Baltimore, Md. JANUARY 2005 Florida Educational Technology Conference FETC ...

TIP (Textbook Inventory Program).(Information Showcase)
November 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...

Are your students making gains like these?(Information Showcase)
November 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)
November 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...

A field trip to the stars without leaving your school!(Information Showcase)
November 1, 2004... The STARLAB Portable Planetarium, "the universe in a bag," lets 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...

RFB&D's[R] Learning Through Listening[TM].(Information Showcase)
November 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...

By the numbers on Hispanic students: a data bank on education trends for district leaders.(Illustration)
November 1, 2004... In 2000, Hispanic students accounted for 17% of the public school enrollment, up by 11 percentage points from 1972. In 2003, 40% of 4th graders were eligible for the national free or reduced-price lunch program. White students ...