District Administration articles from October 2004

District Administration archives from October 2004

Delaware schools meet NCLB requirements with eSchoolPLUS solution; new student information system and IS capability improves accountability and accessibility.(No Child Left Behind)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Getting--and using--data in real time by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) is crucial to meeting federal regulatory requirements and boosting revenues from programs such as the free and reduced-cost lunch program. "Knowing where every...

Five is the loneliest number.(Editor's Letter)
October 1, 2004... Everyone knows education is one of the key issues in this country today. It's consistently in the top five items voters say they will consider when picking a president next month. To back this up, each candidate has spent a fair amount of time...

Rocky start for first federal voucher plan.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
October 1, 2004... The nation's first federally funded school voucher program is off to a shaky start in Washington, D.C. As the city's schools opened last month, 1,359 of the 1,613 vouchers that Congress funded were awarded to students. But about 20 percent...

Spying on a complex planet.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Now that NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun releasing images of Saturn, Earthly astronomy lessons have a striking new visual aid. Scientists have anticipated a closer look at the planet since Pioneer 11 did a fly by in 1979. The current four...

Can't fire Amato.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... With the school year under way, embattled New Orleans Parish Superintendent Anthony Amato has one issue settled. A U.S. District judge permanently enjoined the school board from firing him without due cause. In June, board members Jimmy...

Give us your math and science whizzes.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
October 1, 2004... For years, school officials in the United States have racked their brains over how to improve student performance in math and science. The answer, it seems, may not be found in some new curriculum or teaching technique, but in the homes of...

Illinois nixes writing and social studies tests.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
October 1, 2004... In a cost-cutting measure that some fear is becoming a national trend, Illinois will no longer require state writing and social studies tests for its students. Legislators who approved the move as part of the state's $46 billion budget...

Education $$ rises.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... Despite attacks by Democrats and teacher unions who say schools are underfunded, President Bush's administration claims U.S. taxpayers spent $501.3 billion for public schools in 2003-04 school year. State and local spending for K-12...

FCC adopts new E-rate rules.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Federal Communications Commission)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Federal Communications Commission will put $420 million in unused funds to provide Internet access and other telecommunication services to libraries and schools, according to Reuters news service. The $2.25 billion E-rate fund offers...

No mandate to say pledge.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Pledge of Allegiance)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... In the latest saga over the Pledge of Allegiance, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled this summer that requiring school officials to contact parents when their children refuse to devote their allegiance violates the students'...

Arizona's $12m student system going forward.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)
October 1, 2004... Despite some deafening complaints coming in from the local level, state education officials in Arizona are pushing forward with a $12 million computerized system designed to keep track of each of its 900,000 students. The software, known...

Voting in terrorist times.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... With Election Day only a month away, school security is vital. Increased focus on potential terrorist attacks around this year's presidential election has left some questioning security in the nation's schools, where many are open to the public...

Kids too scared for school.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that school violence has decreased overall but the number of students not going to school due to feeling unsafe has increased significantly in the past decade. In...

Houston served its time.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Houston's school district reinstated after false dropout count reports)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Texas lifted the probation on Houston's public schools and restored the district's ranking this summer, citing the district's progress toward more accurate reporting of students who quit high school. About a year ago, Texas education...

Scary tests make for scary novel.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Novelist Edward Bloor has the perfect story to scare the dickens out of teenagers: A murderous poltergeist lives in a magnet school where the students just take standardized tests all day long. Story Time, Bloor's third novel, is not just a...

Focus for learning disabled.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... A new device that taps into brain waves is helping children with autism and other learning disabilities stay focused in school, according to published reports. Play Attention, offered by Unique Logic and Technology in North Carolina, taps...

Parents targeted to take brunt of truants; when students don't show up to school, the district loses funding. So far the San Francisco Unified School District has invested about $500,000 to the Stay in School Coalition with another $400,000 coming.(Update: education news from schools, businesses, research and government agencies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... San Francisco Unified School District's Stay in School Coalition will kick it up a notch this year to reduce the number of unexcused absences. Parents may face rather harsh penalties if their child is a repeat ditcher including a $100 fine and...

Glimmers of hope in No Child.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
October 1, 2004... Something good is coming out of adequate yearly progress reports. In pockets across the nation, such as in North Carolina and Mississippi, great gains are happening. "What we're seeing and what we track at the school district and state...

Philly schools above the crowd.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... The Philadelphia school district nearly tripled the number of schools this past school year that met adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind act. Of the district's 264 schools, 160 met adequate yearly progress based on test...

Summer school for teachers.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... At seven sites, the U.S. DOE hired veteran teachers to visit 1,400 K-12 teachers and principals this past summer to achieve No Child Left Behind's mission. "We wanted to make sure teachers were equipped with the tools to achieve [NCLB's]...

The comeback kid.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
October 1, 2004... Dylan Morin is among several students DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION is featuring over the next few months to put a face on the federal No Child Left Behind law, and to gauge how it is working. Dylan Morin of Palm Bay, Fla., was held back in...

How the south was lost.(Inside the law: analyzing, debating and explaining No Child Left Behind)
October 1, 2004... The No Child Left Behind act is taking another hit. This time, an education watchdog group has issued a report saying the federal law is forcing Southeastern states to lower the bar for teacher qualifications. Although No Child Left Behind...

Georgia's peach: the other Michael Moore says faith fuels his strength for school leadership.(Administrator Profile)
October 1, 2004... It must be tough being named Georgia's top administrator in 2004, having a Georgia General Assembly resolution in 2002 claiming you're the best thing since sliced bread for children, and still having to explain you're not that Michael Moore....

Raising fundraising to lofty levels: Florida students raise more money thinking charitably than peddling products.(District Profile)
October 1, 2004... When the girls' basketball team at Winter Springs High School in central Florida needed to raise $1,600 last spring for new lockers, the teens trashed the time-honored car wash plan. Instead, they manned a water station at an Orlando marathon,...

The next four years: what educators can expect from November's winner.
October 1, 2004... They both want the youth of today to be great leaders of tomorrow. They both support the ideas behind the revised Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which strives to close the achievement gap between whites and minorities and ensure every...

Charter schools: waste, wonder or solution? A national report shows charter students lag behind traditional school students, but critics say that's not the whole story.
October 1, 2004... Controversy is swirling in education circles after results of national test scores show charter schools, considered an alternative to public schools in the No Child Left Behind act, may not be what they are cracked up to be. The National...

Super salaries: 4th annual salary report.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... * Public scrutiny of administrator compensation is intensifying * Individual and district reactions to that pressure are varied * With every action there clearly comes a reaction Pedro Garcia wants to be sure his school district is...

Talking about a [silent] revolution: PC makers haven't realized the widespread adoption of tablet PCs trumpeted two years ago. But if the small group of early users have their way, tablets will be the next big thing in educational technology.
October 1, 2004... When Microsoft introduced its Tablet PCs two years ago, and promised a revolution in education technology, expectations were high. But revolutions aren't spontaneous, and two years later K-12 adoption of tablets has been minimal, held back by...

The pain of pink slips: district budget crises are leading to fewer teachers, less staff and more problems. But there are ways to minimize the damage, and even to use budget cutbacks to improve what you do. Here's some advice from administrators on the front lines.
October 1, 2004... As the red ink continues to rise in school districts around the country, it's coloring more and more pink slips. The Columbus, Ohio, public schools began the school year with 600 fewer employees than last year. Baltimore schools are missing...

Outsourcing 101: imagine a system where you can hire a team of experts and save your district money. If managed right, that's outsouring.
October 1, 2004... The purpose of a school is simple: to educate children. A school district's purpose, however, involves not only the education of children, but getting the children to and from school, maintaining the school buildings, and feeding the students,...

The rural road: a look at when tiny rural schools in the middle of no man's land rule over consolidation.
October 1, 2004... Eight years ago, administrators of a rural school in northeastern Minnesota faced a big decision. Birch Grove Elementary School in Tofte, Minn., was too small to be cost effective in the Cook County Independent School District 166. Birch Grove...

Picture books worth a thousand words.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)
October 1, 2004... You really can judge a book by its cover--a picture book, that is, says Keith Younker, an English teacher at Southridge High School, part of Indiana's Southwest Dubois County School Corp. Today's visually intriguing picture books can help...

Long-term plans for teacher shortage.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... In California, students in low-income areas are nearly three times more likely to be taught by under-prepared teachers than students from more affluent areas. A new science and math teacher education initiative at California Polytechnic State...

An American president, up close.(Curriculum update: the latest developments in math, science, language arts and social studies)(Teddy Roosevelt)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Nick Sheldon's seventh graders got to meet Teddy Roosevelt this year. Well, a Roosevelt re-enactor anyway. Through a Web cam, the students from Schenectady City (N.Y.) School District's Mont Pleasant Middle School asked the former president...

On online robots: bots offer lively ways to dole out information.
October 1, 2004... When a 13-year-old student recently tried to discuss the presidential election with AOL's online conversational robot SmarterChild, she became upset that the service seemed to favor John Kerry over George Bush. When she asked "Do you like...

On direct instruction: perhaps it's time to end political social promotion.(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... Michael Moore got it wrong. In his film, Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore shows President Bush in a Florida classroom on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The film's narration said that while America was being attacked, the president read the book, My Pet...

Point of view on technology driver's licenses: districts should teach their students digital smarts.
October 1, 2004... You need a driver's license to drive. You need a pilot's license to fly. Why don't you need a license to navigate digital technology? Consider the following scenarios: 1. A cell phone rings in class. 2. Students "flame" other...

Does spending lead to better education?(Research corner: essentials on education data and analysis from research authority AEL)
October 1, 2004... Imagine being commissioned to make a 30-minute documentary about the yield on investments in U.S. public education. You sift through piles of data and find some gold nuggets. Each one reveals a different perspective. As you dig deeper, you find...

TechYES: Generation YES Corp.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.genyes.org/products/techyes, Program (Books/Software), $495 for 30 students Designed for students in grades 6-9, this technology training and certification program can be offered during the day or afterschool. Students assume the...

STIassessment: Software Technology.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.sti-k12.com, Internet, $12 per student/year This Web-based assessment solution links student information systems with curriculum and assessment. Teachers can archive and align student data to assessment data and create a living...

NBOR: NBOR Corp.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.nbor.com, Software, $129-$299 per copy (volume discounts available) NBOR, which stands for No Boundaries or Rules, enables individual students or entire classrooms to collaborate in real time over the Internet. Instead of using...

Axis Officebasic USB wireless print server: Axis Communications.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.axis.com, Hardware, $139 Excluding host-based printers, this print server connects to any printer with a USB port, enabling the printer to be shared among multiple computer users. Its wireless capability allows for flexible placement...

Version3 simple sign-on: Version3.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.ver3.com, Software, $1-$3 per student This identity management tool was designed to help educators and students log on once to their computer accounts via a single authentication and to access authorized applications, information and...

BD-X200U: JVC Professional Products Company.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.jvc.com/pro, Hardware, $3,495 This DVD authoring decoder creates DVDs in real time. Its features include one-time creation of customized menus, a comprehensive range of digital and analog input/outputs, chapter-by-chapter creation and...

Teacher training courses: PBS TeacherLine.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.pbs.org/teacherline, Internet, $150 per course This online professional development program for pre-K-12 educators offers 80 courses designed to enhance teacher quality and address competency requirements under No Child Left Behind. The...

SmartDraw education solution: SmartDraw.com.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.smartdraw.com, Software, $267 (educational discounts available) This pre-packaged set of templates and tutorials was designed to help teachers create forms, quizzes, worksheets, calendars, seating charts, awards and other classroom...

Sounds sensible: Educators Publishing Service.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.epsbooks.com, Program, $225 The second edition of this beginning phonics program for grades Pre-K-1 includes a Teacher's Manual providing instructions and scripts for addressing five skill areas: listening, rhyming, segmenting,...

Virtual laser keyboard: iBIZ Technology Corp.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.ibizcorp.com, Hardware, $99 This product is actually a laser that projects a full-size keyboard onto any flat surface. Weighing two ounces and about the same size as a disposable cigarette lighter, it can be used as a portable input...

ScribeStudio: Distance Learning.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.scribestudio.com, Internet, $99 and up per classroom/month (up to 25 students) This Web site was designed to help nontechnical users create, offer and manage courses and training material online. Educators can leverage 15 built-in...

Odyssey for English language learners: CompassLearning.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.compasslearning.com, Software, $48 per user This software is offered in two versions based on student age group. The elementary level is designed for children ages 5-12 with limited or no previous knowledge of English. It addresses...

Breeze K-12 school edition: Macromedia.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.macromedia.com/breeze, Software, License $3,600/year This tool enables educators, staff and students to develop online class content, academic programs and deliver time-sensitive information. They can use programs like Microsoft...

Pupil Pages: online solutions for educators.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.pupilpages.com, Internet, $800/year, plus $5 per student/ year for portfolio sites This application provides students with an organized way of presenting their achievements on the Web along with opportunities to reflect on their...

Wireless Powered Learning Center (3432IR-PLC): Califone.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.califone.com, Hardware, $255 This portable wireless listening center uses patented infrared technology to deliver a full range of high fidelity audio from up to 15 feet away. It can adapt to use with larger groups because the technology...

FrameWorks: Lucid Data Corp.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.lucid-data.com, Software, $2,495 and up This peer-coaching and performance assessment system provides school districts with an electronic information-gathering and analysis system. Staff and teacher coaches can complete district-created...

Failure is not an option: Corwin Press.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.corwinpress.com, Book, $32.95 This resource, subtitled Six Principles that Guide Student Achievement in High-Performing Schools, offers case studies and techniques for addressing difficult issues, such as establishing systems for...

TransACT Compliance & Communication Center: TransACT Communications.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.transact.com, Service, District license $400 and up/year This online subscription service was designed to help educators comply with the parental communication requirements mandated by No Child Left Behind and other federal and state...

Padres a Bordo (Parents on Board): Active Parenting Publishers.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.activeparenting.com, Videos, $129.95 This series of three Spanish-language videos aims to help build student academic success through parental involvement. It features scenes of parents helping with homework, working with teachers and...

Project cam: Cable in the Classroom.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.ciconline.org, Internet, Free Developed by the cable industry's education foundation, this broadband and Web-based technology service is part of a suite of interactive educational tools created to help classes in distant locations...

AirPort Express: Apple.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.apple.com, Hardware, $129 This 802.11g mobile base station can be plugged directly into the wall to create a wireless network. With no separate power cord or power supply required, it works for up to 10 users at a time, enabling them to...

Walk-and-Talk: Polyvision Corp.(Focus: technology)
October 1, 2004... www.polyvision.com, Hardware, $6,299 Walk-and-Talk features an interactive flat panel display and a battery-powered, mobile lectern that can be adjusted to different heights. The display acts as an extension of a computer, enabling...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... OCTOBER 2004 Association of School Business Officials International Conference ASBO asbointl.org October 15-19 * Cincinnati, Ohio The School Building Association's Annual Conference CEFPI www.cefpi.org October 22-23 *...

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

Teacher's Interactive Whiteboard.(Information Showcase)
October 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...

Lower your discipline referrals proven results.(Information Showcase)
October 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)
October 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...

Pitsco's 2004 Big Book of Ideas and Solutions!(Information Showcase)
October 1, 2004... With more than 250 new products spread throughout our 2004 Big Book of Ideas and Solutions catalog, we guarantee the best selection of math, science, and technology education products. Explore 392 pages of relevant activities, kits, and...

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

The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition.(Information Showcase)
October 1, 2004... The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition is a monthly newspaper dedicated to preparing students for the decisions that will shape their economic future, using business news and trends to convey meaningful lessons that they can practice in...

RFB&D's[R] Learning Through Listening[TM].(Information Showcase)
October 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 NAEP/Math & reading: a data bank on education trends for district leaders.(Illustration)
October 1, 2004... By the Number on NAEP/Math & Reading A data bank on education trends for district leaders Student Performance ADV PROFICIENT BASIC BELOW BASIC Mathematics Grade 4 4 29 45 23 ...