District Administration articles from October 2005

District Administration archives from October 2005

Students immersed in technology: Texas middle school goes back to the future wirelessly via CDW*G.
October 1, 2005... The classroom of the future, including computers for individual students, wireless Internet connectivity and wireless printing, is in place today at Post Middle School in Post, Texas. Every one of the 200-plus students in the...

Education's toughest challenge.(Editor's Letter)
October 1, 2005... It's difficult to even begin to put the disaster of Hurricane Katrina into perspective, much less make some sense of its enormous impact on the education of those displaced by the storm. But writing this letter less than two weeks after the...

Avoiding large-scale contract problems.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)
October 1, 2005... Everything that could have gone wrong seemingly did in the Apple computer contract with Cobb County School District in Georgia last summer, according to investigating firm, Kessler International, which specializes in corporate investigations....

Effective principal preparation.(educational program design and development)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Effective school leadership, which seems to be a perennial topic in education circles, comes from a variety of steps. School Leadership Study: Developing Successful Principals: Review of Research is a report from Stanford Educational Leadership...

The school bus: safest school travel.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Despite bus accidents, more students who drive to school, get rides in cars, walk, or bike die in motor vehicle crashes during school travel hours. Only about 2 percent, or 20 students a year, die in school bus crashes, according to national...

Graduation rate up for debate.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... What exactly is the graduation rate in the U.S.? Is it as elusive as the dropout rate? That would seem to make sense, but Larry Mishel, president of Economic Policy Institute, says the graduation rate of American teenagers, even black and...

One-to-one desktops In Indiana.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Linspire Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Indiana high schools are testing Linux desktop machines as part of a state plan to provide every public high school student with a computer, according to Linspire, Inc., which sells the Linux-based operating system. If successful, the...

Stat blast.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(expectatins from schools )(Illustration)
October 1, 2005... Stat Blast Key Factors to Improve Schools and Student Achievement: * Greater emphasis on experience-based learning 47% * More parental involvement 42% * Better testing and accountability ...

Internet2: Marking faster territory.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)
October 1, 2005... FAST FACTS: Internet 2 * Creates leading-edge network for national researchers. * Enables virtual laboratories, digital libraries and distance education. * Access is through regional "gigapops" usually headed by a higher education...

Creationism debate rages on.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The evolutionary debate was upped a notch recently when President Bush voiced his support for intelligent design to be explained in science classes nationwide. When asked if he believed both evolution and intelligent design should be...

Large, poor schools suspend students.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... A new national study found that large, high-poverty middle and high schools, compared to elementary and K-12 suburban and rural schools, are more likely to discipline, suspend or expel unruly or problem students. The study, Which Schools...

Ambassador Hotel to be razed.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Most of the historic Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, where the late Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated nearly 40 years ago, is set to be razed to make room for a $318 million campus for K-12 students. A Los Angeles Superior Court ruled...

Pesticides sicken school kids.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Using pesticides in or near schools sickened more than 2,500 children and school employees over five years, a national report found. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that sources include chemicals...

Financial planning for the future.(educating teachers about retirement planning)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Teachers are leaving their classrooms with retirement as the biggest factor given the aging population. Administrators can help teachers save for their retirement years and keep them abreast of changes in the IRS rules. "We've done...

Fighting back against military recruitment policies.(Inside the Law)
October 1, 2005... Two years ago, when Dave Antoon's son was a senior in high school, the family received twice-weekly calls from military recruiters. "Our phone rang off the wall," says the Dayton, Ohio, Vietnam veteran and retired United States Air Force...

Leave My Child Alone.(Inside the Law)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Leave My Child Alone is a family privacy project coordinated by Working Assets, Mainstreet Moms and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Its online campaign intends to: * Educate parents about the military recruiting...

Statistics that standout.(Inside the Law)(Illustration)
October 1, 2005... STATISTICS THAT STANDOUT How much would you say you know about NCLB? NATIONAL TOTALS 2003 2004 2005 A great deal 6% 7% 8% Very little 40% 40% 43% ...

No Child Left Behind: the movie.(Inside the Law)(Interview)
October 1, 2005... In his hour-long documentary, No Child Left Behind, Lerone Wilson looks at how the law affects schools across the country. The film takes place in New York City, where Wilson attended film school and tutored students on Roosevelt Island, and in...

New report details the growing dissatisfaction with NCLB.(No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... According to NCLB Left Behind: Understanding the Growing Grassroots Rebellion Against a Controversial Law. a report released in August, 47 states are in "some stage of rebellion" against NCLB. Published by NCLBgrassroots.org a project of the...

Year-round leader.(Administrator Profile: David Baird)(Biography)
October 1, 2005... Located smack-dab in between the larger cities of Louisville and Frankfort, the small town of Eminence, Ky., is a tight-knit community of about 2,200 people. About a quarter of the population is enrolled in the Eminence Independent School...

Reaching achievement.(District Profile: Hamilton County Schools)
October 1, 2005... Clifton Hill Elementary teacher Rebecca Harper remembers what the school was like before Jesse B. Register became Hamilton County's superintendent: unkempt buildings with no inside doors, carpeting likely laid the year Harper was born,...

Hurricane Katrina: the aftermath: following the country's greatest natural disaster, educators, politicians and everyday citizens have come together to support our nation's youth.(DISASTER RESPONSE)
October 1, 2005... Life must march on. School districts across the country have opened their doors to many of the nearly 240,000 children in K-12 that have been displaced and uprooted from their homes and neighborhood schools after Hurricane Katrina obliterated...

All alone: there are 9 million rural students in the U.S. Here's some expert advice to make sure your students aren't left ...(RURAL SCHOOLS)
October 1, 2005... Long bus rides. Teacher shortages. Poverty. Isolation and consolidation. Rural school districts in the most remote parts of the country all face similar troubles. But students in some rural states manage to do well, while in others, they...

How do you spend your money? The majority of your district's budget is locked into fixed costs, so how do you decide where to cut? We asked and you answered.(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... The president says the economy is on sound footing. And, true enough, many states across the union are experiencing budget surpluses, and spent the summer debating increases to their education budgets. So why are consumers still so wary, and...

What works? Administrators are learning that the art of teaching reading isn't fundamental.(READING/LANGUAGE ARTS)
October 1, 2005... Sherlock Holmes would develop a migraine deciphering this one: This spring, the Denver press jumped all over the fact that three years after the Denver Public Schools sank $13.5 million in the first year alone into a literacy program,...

Catalyst for change: some schools and researchers find that technology doesn't drive educational transformation; technology follows transformation.(TECHNOLOGY)
October 1, 2005... Quick, what's the one, hot topic that Seymour Papert, Susan Patrick and a host of others agree on? Surprise, it's not technology, at least technically. Of course, both the MIT professor and the former head of the DOE's Office of Educational...

The A/V revolution: district case studies show how to integrate A/V and IT.(PRESENTATION SYSTEMS, A/V)
October 1, 2005... If EduComm '05 was any indication, there's an audio/visual revolution occurring in our schools. The EduComm conference, held in June in conjunction with InfoComm, provided ample evidence of the convergence of information technology and...

School blogs: here's how to offer students and staff members in your district an online voice.(The Online Edge)
October 1, 2005... The use of Weblogs to share personal thoughts and opinions over the Internet is capturing the interest of students across the world. But because content can be irreverent and even offensive, administrators are justifiably wary about using blogs...

Laptop woes: bungling the world's easiest sale.(Speaking Out)(Column)
October 1, 2005... It's hard to believe that in 2005, the notion of a laptop for every student appears to be more controversial than ever. In fact, the proverbial laptop has hit the fan across the country. Shame on us. The Cobb County, Ga., schools were well...

Learning how to use data.(Problem/Solution)
October 1, 2005... Problem: Like other school districts, the Jersey City (N.J.) Public Schools collects comprehensive data about its students, including test scores, then stores it in electronic warehouses. Among other things, data is essential in addressing...

Mental health matters.(Research Corner: EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS FROM EDVANTIA (FORMERLY AEL))
October 1, 2005... Adults speak nostalgically about the glory days of youth, but a recent study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health strikes a different chord. "Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14," researchers report. "Three...

Brookfield public schools: Connecticut School District uses website as the primary source of communications and manage their marketing message. finalsite enhances the management of BPS's branding, essence, and content delivery via the web through their On-Demand web services for Schools including School sites, teacher sites, athletics sites and more.(CASE STUDY)
October 1, 2005... DISTRICT PROFILE Name: Brookfield Public Schools Industry: K-I 2 Public School District Locations: Brookfield, Connecticut Size: 5 Schools, approx 3,000 students, 335 Staff URL: www.brookfieldps.org finalsite...

New titles teach healthy eating.(Curriculum Update)
October 1, 2005... Since the Surgeon General declared childhood obesity as an epidemic in 2001, the problem has only gotten worse. According to the American Obesity Association, since 1976 the prevalence of childhood obesity has doubled for ages 6 to 11 and more...

Florida teaches kids better sportsmanship.(Curriculum Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... In response to recent incidents of poor sportsmanship, Florida education leaders and the interactive publisher Learning Through Sports are teaming up to teach third- through fifth-grade students in Florida how to play nicer. The STAR...

Students are taking tougher math classes earlier.(LONG-TERM TREND)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Thirteen-year-olds: In 2004, a higher percentage of students were enrolled in algebra than in any previous assessment year. The percentage in pre-algebra also increased, while the percentage in regular mathematics classes decreased since 1986....

Philadelphia grapples with history mandate.(Curriculum Update)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... Despite overwhelming agreement that high schools need to teach more African-American history, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission's decision to mandate such a history course as a graduation requirement has stirred debate inside the state....

Just the facts.(Curriculum Update)(African-American history in schools)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... The African-American history course under scrutiny was created in the 1960s in response to student-led protests demanding the school board include a class to reflect Philadelphia's growing African-American population. The in-depth course begins...

LeapTrack assessment & instruction system 4.0: LeapFrog schoolhouse.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.LeapTrack.com, Software, starts at $3,695 Now aligned with every state's content standards, this software supports thousands of teachers nationwide with formative assessment and differentiated instruction in reading, math and language...

E-series desktops: Gateway, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... www.gateway.com Hardware, ranges between $659 and $1,059 The new E-series line includes ultra-reliable BTX designs, Intel's latest dual core processors and 945 chipset, enhanced graphics fast SATA hard drives and systems that include...

U5-732 and U5-632 projectors: PLUS Vision Corp. of America.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.plus-america.com, Hardware, $1,995 to $2,195 These compact DLP projectors have a contrast ratio of 2000:1 While the 732 is 2300 lumens, the 632 is a 2200 lumen projector with 3000 lumens in bright mode and features a short focus lens...

TP-41, TP-42: Kramer Electronics, Ltd.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... www.kramerelectronics.com, Hardware, $200 The TP-41 component video and S/PDIF digital audio transmitter and TP-42 component video and S/PDIF digital audio receiver were designed to simplify the routing of component video and digital audio...

SmartHelp LIVE: Apangea Learning, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.apangealeaming.com Service, $2-$5/per student hour This combination of intelligent software and real-time support from human tutors offers a supportive environment in which students can learn a consistent, structured approach to solving...

Macromedia breeze: Macromedia.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.macromedia.com/go/breezeoverview Software, starts from $3,600 per year/license Featuring an intuitive user interface, this new release delivers rich online conferencing and collaborative Web communications for anyone with access to an...

Destiny media manager; Follet Software Company.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.fsc.follet.com Software, starts from $4,000 Designed to help districts ensure that students get the learning resources they need, this browser-based software helps teachers search for, reserve and track different types of instructional...

Pearson benchmark: Pearson School Systems.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... www.pearsonschoolsystems.com, Web-based System, $3-$6.50/per student This benchmarking testing system and reporting tool enables educators to measure and manage student achievement through testing, reporting and analytics. Educators can...

Math blaster--master the basics: Knowledge Adventure.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... www.KnowledgeAdventureSchool.com, Software, starts from $59.95/teacher edition This platform-based program, designed for students ages 6 through 12, uses intuitive math games that incorporate addition, subtraction, multiplication, division...

MY access! 6.0: Vantage Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2005... www.VantageLearning.com, Online Software, $10-$36/per license This instructional writing tool helps students practice and revise their assigned essays online. It incorporates MY Vocabulary, which lets teachers add vocabulary words and lists...

InfoCenter 2005: Sagebrush Corp.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2005... www.sagebrushcorp.com System, starts from $995 This library management system combines the best features from three of the company's other information management products and includes additional enhancements. Users now have the ability to...

TIP (Textbook Inventory Program).(Information Showcase: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... 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: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... 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: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... Since 1992, Project Wisdom has been producing a school-wide character education program that helps students make wiser choices. Join more than 12,000 licensed schools across America. It's simple. It's affordable. It works. Visit our Website for...

Rand McNally Achievement Series[TM].(Information Showcase: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... 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...

Recorded books raise reading scores 34%! Research shows it!(Information Showcase: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... You can improve comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary for all your students, even those who struggle--with help from Recorded Books. University studies and teacher research prove it. Add Recorded Books to your reading program and start...

If they aren't paying attention, they aren't learning!(Information Showcase: Free catalogs and literature)
October 1, 2005... Captain's Log[R] software can help give your students the basic skills they need before academic learning can take place --attention, reasoning, memory, listening, self-control, and processing speed. BrainTrain's powerful, easy-to-use,...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... EDUCOMM 2006 June 7-9 * Orlando, Fla. www.educommconference.com FEBRUARY 2006 AASA American Association of School Administrator's National Conference on Education February 23-26 San Diego, Calif. www.aasa.org...

100 largest districts.(By the Numbers)
October 1, 2005... The 100 largest school districts range in size from 45,738 to 1,077,381 students in the 2002-03 school year. Twenty-seven of the 100 largest districts serve more than 100,000 students. 100 LARGEST DISTRICTS ...