District Administration articles from October 2006

District Administration archives from October 2006

Extreme makeover.(Editor's Letter)
October 1, 2006... It is an enormous privilege for me to greet the readers of DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION as interim editor-in-chief and update you on the continuing development of this publication and its related online resources. The Pulse Perhaps the...

Striking in Detroit.(Snapshots: TRENDS AND INSIGHTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Detroit public school teachers march in front of Spain Elementary School in Detroit. In mid-September, teachers voted to end their more than two-week strike. The district initially sought a 5.5 percent pay cut over two years to help balance the...

Bullying.(Snapshots: TRENDS AND INSIGHTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION)(Rockstar Games launches video game)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... This month, Rockstar Games, the maker of the video game series Grand Theft Auto, launched Bully, a game with themes of school fighting. The game's 15-year-old main character must defend himself against school bullies at a fictional boarding...

NOLA: first day back.(Snapshots: TRENDS AND INSIGHTS FROM ACROSS THE NATION)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... U.S. Navy Musician 1st Class Jonathan Martin plays Reveille as students walk into Fischer Elementary School for the first day of school in New Orleans. During the first week of August, education officials opened eight public schools, giving...

Local university rescues Baltimore school.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Coppin State University helps out Rosemont Elementary/Middle School )
October 1, 2006... What was once a struggling Baltimore school is now riding high after the district turned to a local university for help. Rosemont Elementary/Middle School in the Baltimore City Public School System was on the state's "take-over" list in 1998...

Safety and security measures.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
October 1, 2006... Nationally, 30 percent of schools attended by 10th-graders use security guards, 4 percent use metal detectors, 18 percent have security cameras, and 18 percent have fencing around the entire school. Source: National Center for Education...

Is the exit exam movement losing steam?(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)
October 1, 2006... Despite strong support for high school exit exams among some parents of minority students, a recent study shows that no states adopted new exit exam requirements last school year, breaking a trend. The Center on Education Policy in its...

Charter vs. traditional schools: snapshot sheds little light.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Despite recent test scores that show charter school fourth-graders faring slightly lower than their traditional public school counterparts in reading and math, a few educators and experts agree that it doesn't mean all that much. The...

High stress for teachers.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... As demands and testing grow in schools nationwide, teachers are still feeling the repercussions, according to a recent survey. The survey, released by CompassLearning, an education software company, shows that the top three stressors among...

Iconic publication makes changes.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Weekly Reader)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... In September, Weekly Reader announced a sweeping set of changes to the 104-year-old publication. Updates include the addition of electronic "Classroom NewsBreaks," fully developed lesson plans designed around breaking news stories, delivered...

Survey: internet ills fester.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... More than half of educators and administrators. or 58 percent, recently surveyed cite criminal acts such as threatening others or attempting to hack into the school network as the most common student offenses. The survey was conducted at...

Upcoming documentary unveils urban urgency.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(National Urban Alliance for Effective Education)
October 1, 2006... It is reminiscent of many urban school stories: Indianapolis, 1997. Test scores were dismal and the minority-to-white achievement gap was gaping. But since the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education came along, student reading...

Fast fact.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(teachers found to be most truthful)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... 83% of those in the general public surveyed found teachers to be among the most truthful professionals in the U.S. up three percentage points since 2002. Source: Harris Poll

Running and playing vital for children.(Update: NEWS, STATS AND FAST FACTS)(Alliance for a Healthier Generation)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Swinging on swings and running in circles is good for children's health, according to former President Bill Clinton. So he recently announced a plan to build playgrounds in several pilot schools across the U.S. through the Alliance for a...

States gain ground with quality teachers--or do they? Highly qualified teachers nine states--Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and South Dakota--had plans that were accepted by the peers.(Inside the Law)
October 1, 2006... Most states are making serious strides in having experienced, well-trained teachers in classrooms, particularly low-performing and disadvantaged schools. That's according to the U.S. Department of Education. "We're seeing some progress and...

Determining learning disabilities.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... In the latest changes under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the U.S. Dept. of Ed. is making sure students are identified at a younger age so they can benefit from interventions and work to be proficient in reading and math by...

Helping states create better content assessment.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A Pilot program aims to ensure that limited English proficient students are getting a fair shake under the No Child Left Behind law. The U.S. Department of Education recently partnered with 20 states--though all states can participate--and...

Districts join push to improve tutoring.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Two urban districts--Memphis City Schools and Anchorage School District--will join Boston and Chicago schools in a pilot program this year to improve the quality and delivery of free tutoring to struggling students. A second pilot program...

Title I funding.(Inside the Law)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... About two-thirds of school districts that receive federal Title I funds, or 8,800 districts, will receive fewer funds this school year compared to last year to serve disadvantaged children. About 4,400 districts will see more Title I funds. ...

Getting serious with the world.(Curriculum Update)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... It's not uncommon for Latin Americans to have up to 15 family members, across generations, living under one roof, according to Martin Davis, a senior writer/ editor at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. But most American students are not...

Just read.(Curriculum Update)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Since the Just Read, Florida! Initiative was launched in 2001, more Florida students are reading at or above grade level than ever before. This year, 75 percent of third-graders are reading at or above grade level compared to 57 percent in...

Report: students challenged by math and science.(Curriculum Update)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... High school students in the U.S. are consistently outperformed by those from Asian and some European countries on international assessments of mathematics and science, according to The Condition of Education 2006 report released today by the...

Board approves controversial sex-ed.(Curriculum Update)(sex education)(Kyrene School District Governing Board)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A unanimous decision by the Kyrene School District Governing Board in Tempe, Ariz., to adopt an expanded health education program means that middle school students in the Kyrene Elementary School District will now learn about specific sexual...

Flag display leads to suspension.(Curriculum Update)(Eric Hamlin )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A seventh-grade geography teacher in Lakewood, Colorado's Carmody Middle School was recently suspended with pay for refusing to remove flags displayed in his classroom. Eric Hamlin said that the flags of China, Mexico and the United Nations...

Diving deep.(Curriculum Update)(Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation explores coral reef)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Curious students who might be the next marine biologists or ocean explorers couldn't get enough of a coral reef off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea recently. High school science students from the U.S., as well as from Great...

Curriculum eases transition for Spanish-speaking students.(Curriculum Update)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A curriculum from Mexico has come to Palm Beach County Fla. classrooms this year, thanks to a cooperative program with Mexico's Education Ministry to enable Spanish-speaking students in the county to take more than 600 courses in their native...

The perfect equation.(Administrator Profile * Tim Kanold)(Biography)
October 1, 2006... At the age of 14, Tim Kanold knew he wanted to be a math teacher. "It never occurred to me to do anything else," he says. In his early years as a math teacher in Chicago, Kanold developed math teams and created calculus classes. Merrill...

Partners for life.(District Profile * Cleveland (Ohio) Municipal School District)(Organization overview)
October 1, 2006... Businesses in Cleveland have always been involved with the Cleveland Municipal School District. Three years ago, however, the Greater Cleveland Partnership helped to turn casual relationships into an unprecedented partnership program called the...

Disaster recovery: students in a Gulf Coast community service program get a chance to make a difference after last year's hurricanes.(COMMUNITY RELATIONS)
October 1, 2006... HURRICANES RITA AND KATRINA left many on the Gulf Coast struggling to regain a sense of normalcy and forward momentum. But they also gave students at a number of school districts the opportunity to get involved with their communities and learn...

Tech trends: here are five creative uses of technology that should be implemented in your district.(TECHNOLOGY)
October 1, 2006... FROM VIDEO CONFERENCING AROUND THE GLOBE TO GAME-BASED LEARNING, technology is finding a very comfortable fit in K-12 schools across the country. More schools are using computers as a tool to teach core curriculum and less to teach how to use...

The Chicago team: distributed leadership, nontraditional partnerships and innovative alternatives are transforming the Chicago Public Schools.
October 1, 2006... WHILE BALLROOM DANCING might be a tough sell in some urban school environments, the Chicago Public Schools offered just such a course for fifth-graders at 18 pilot schools across the city last spring. The idea was to build self-confidence and...

Out is in: more districts are hiring outside firms for everything from after-school tutoring to writing curricula.(OUTSOURCING)
October 1, 2006... NEARLY HALF OF THE STUDENTS at the McDonald County R-1 School District went to optional summer school for most of June this year--kids who were falling behind, kids at the top of their class and kids in between. Six years ago, the 3,800-student...

Algebra's at-risk solution: districts deploy software to enhance and accelerate algebra instruction.(AT-RISK STUDENTS)
October 1, 2006... Algebra wields an incredible amount of power in U.S. schools. It's the gatekeeper to higher math classes that commonly opens the door to postsecondary education and greater lifetime earnings. It's also one of the most frequently failed courses,...

Rural quality: small districts are focusing on recruitment strategies and distance education to employ highly qualified teachers.(RURAL SCHOOLS)
October 1, 2006... The highly qualified teacher requirement of No Child Left Behind is one tenet that everyone agrees sounds good on paper, yet no state was able to meet the 2005-2006 deadline to have a highly qualified teacher in every core course by the end of...

Struggling readers: skilled readers emerge where reading in the content areas is taught and practiced.(READING/LANGUAGE ARTS)
October 1, 2006... AN OLD SAYING IN EDUCATION GOES, "Students learn to read in elementary school, and read to learn in secondary school." But what if students arrive in middle school without having mastered simple vocabulary, decoding skills and comprehension,...

Online fundraising: districts are turning to the Internet for creative fundraising.(The Online Edge)
October 1, 2006... School districts and parent-teacher organizations have traditionally used various programs to raise supplementary funds for school activities, such as selling products, collecting soup labels and cereal box tops for rewards, and getting rebates...

Reinventing the square wheel: is your district choking the potential out of exciting new technologies?(Speaking Out)
October 1, 2006... The issues, questions and controversies regarding the use of technology continue to slow its successful classroom implementation. Kids blog, contribute to Wikipedia and collaborate with others from the computers in their bedrooms, but not their...

How to stay out of court: balancing school safety with individual rights.(Principal Opinion)
October 1, 2006... We've all seen the pictures--frightened students running from campus, frantic parents milling about the school parking lot, and law enforcement sweeping classrooms. Parents of school-age children distill these events to a basic question-Can...

Nutritious outsourcing.(Problem/Solution)
October 1, 2006... Problem: Duval County (Fla.) Public Schools wanted to continue providing high quality, nutritious meals to its students without raising lunch prices. Solution: The district teamed with Aramark, its food service provider, to design a...

The arts in education.(Research Corner: ESSENTIAL ON EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS FROM EDVANTIA)
October 1, 2006... NCLB classifies the arts as a core academic subject to be taught by highly qualified teachers. K-12 standards for dance, music, theater and visual arts education were developed in 1994 by the Consortium of National Arts Education Association. A...

Corwin Press: Implementing NCLB: Creating a Knowledge Framework to Support School Improvement.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... CORWIN PRESS Implementing NCLB: Creating a Knowledge Framework to Support School Improvement www.corwinpress.com, $29.95 This guide focuses on how to create the infrastructure to support sustained school improvement. Key features include a...

Harvard Education Press: Educational Entrepreneurship: Realities, Challenges, Possibilities.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... HARVARD EDUCATION PRESS Educational Entrepreneurship: Realities, Challenges, Possibilities www.gse.harvard.edu, $29.95 This book answers questions about educational entrepreneurship, such as: What does it look like? Who are the...

Teachers College Press: Balanced Leadership: How Effective Principals Manage Their Work.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... TEACHERS COLLEGE PRESS Balanced Leadership: How Effective Principals Manage Their Work www.store.tcpress.com, $22.95 More than 200 school principals from around the country were interviewed about why so many are leaving the profession and...

Iuniverse: Fearless Public Speaking.(Book review)
October 1, 2006... IUNIVERSE Fearless Public Speaking www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/index.asp, $10.95 Public speaking is a universal phobia, but with the preparation, practice and presentation advice covered in this book, presenters should find their next...

R & L Education: Preparing School Leaders: Defining a Research and Action Agenda.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... R & L EDUCATION Preparing School Leaders: Defining a Research and Action Agenda www.rowmaneducation.com, $19.95 Written for professors of school administration, this book provides an overview of the three key dimensions of leadership...

Advanced Learning Press: Ready for Anything: Supporting New Teachers for Success.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... ADVANCED LEARNING PRESS Ready for Anything: Supporting New Teachers for Success www.advancedlearningpress.com, $29.95 This book provides school districts with a yearlong, month-by-month school-based model that includes skills and strategies...

Tower and 2U rack servers: Gateway.
October 1, 2006... www.gateway.com Hardware, prices start at $1,849 The company introduced three servers. The E-9525R is a 2U dense, dual Xeon high performance rack server featuring Intel's Blackford Chipset and processor technology. Six hot-plug SATA and SAS...

CorelDRAW graphics suite X3: Corel Corp.
October 1, 2006... www.corel.com/k-12 Software. $75/individual license, $1,750/site license Designed to teach middle school and high school students how to integrate graphics and images into their schoolwork, each program includes practice sheets containing...

ii3 IP speaker series: Digital Acoustics.
October 1, 2006... www.digitalacoustic.com Hardware, $410-$485 This product line allows facilities to utilize existing local area or wide area network connectivity, both wired and wireless, to enhance daily or safety-oriented communication for classrooms,...

C770 series: Lexmark International, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.lexmark.com Hardware, starts from $999 These color laser printers include the C770n ($999), C772n,($1,499), and X772e ($4,499). The first two print up to 25 pages per minute in monochrome and color, include a 800 MHz processor, come...

Destination success: Riverdeep.
October 1, 2006... www.riverdeep.net, Software, $250 per course, per license Existing customers can now play this courseware on an iPod, allowing for anywhere, anytime access to its educational content. Earlier this year, the company also announced that the...

Straight curve mathematics series 2: PLATO Learning.
October 1, 2006... www.plato.com, Curriculum. $20 per student Designed as a supplemental curriculum for students in grades 3-5. these online and offline support materials feature student-led games and quizzes and teacher-led activities, including...

Corefx: Core Learning.
October 1, 2006... www.core-learning.com, Software, $59.95 Students can draw, paint, animate, photo edit and work with images from a wide variety of sources using this software. Three preconfigured interfaces tailor the software to the needs of basic, junior...

ReflexAuto 3 and ReflexAuto8: Disc Makers.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.discmakers.com Hardware, $1,890 and $4,790 DVD and CD duplication is less labor intensive with these automated towers that hold 100 and 1,000 discs, respectively. The systems' robotic arm means operators don't have to change the discs...

Books by you: Knowledge Adventure.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.knowledgeadventureschoo.com Software, $59.95/teacher edition This make-your-own book software program allows students ages 8 and up to craft, edit, illustrate and personalize their own literary creations. Students select from four...

Sharepoint Learning Kit/Sharepoint Community Kit: Microsoft Corp.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.microsoft.com, Software, free download with Microsoft community license Both programs are designed to extend Learning Gateway and e-learning opportunities. The Learning Kit is a standards compliant e-learning tool that makes it easy...

Portege M400: Toshiba.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.toshiba.com, Hardware, $1,699 This tablet PC is powered by Intel Centrino mobile technology and incorporates a 12.1-inch diagonal XGA or SXGA+ display featuring wide-view angle technology. The framing around the display has six buttons...

K-12 starter edition: Blackboard, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.blackboard.com/k12/startor_edition.htm, Software, Marts at $19.000 annually K-12 districts that are in the early stages of establishing an e-Learning strategy will find a variety of resources in this software. It enables districts to...

QiWave: QI systems.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.quisystems.ca Vending solution, starts at $100 per unit This new cashless vending system can be retrofitted to existing machines, including snack machines and photocopiers. The company offers both custom and off-the-shelf models, which...

Versatility notebooks: SenecaData.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.senecadata.com, Hardware, starts at $1,300 This line of notebooks is part of the Verified by Intel program, which takes a multi-layered approach to providing quality hardware, technical service and support. These VBI units are built...

Captivate 2: Adobe.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.adobe.com Software, $199 (education price) Training programs, demonstrations and interesting presentations are just a point and click away with this software. The program allows users to set up software simulations by capturing on...

Odyssey reading comprehension and vocabulary 3-8: Compass Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.compasslearningodyssey.com Software, $120 per subject/per grade This curriculum is based on the latest brain research about how students learn and retain information. It uses artificial intelligence to engage students in reading and...

Microsoft student with Encarta premium 2007: Microsoft Corp.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.microsoft.com/student Software, $69.95 ($20 mail-in rebate) Encarta provides comprehensive resources to help students complete homework assignments in math, science, language arts, foreign language and social studies. It includes...

Inspire data: Inspiration Software, Inc.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.inspiration.com, Software, $79 Developed by TERC, an education research and development organization, this program enables students to collect, explore and interact with data in a visual, dynamic inquiry process. They learn new ways to...

Starboard FX-63 and FX-77: Hitachi.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.hitachi.us Hardware, $1,119 to $1,599 Hitachi has expanded its interactive whiteboard line with these new models. The series offers screen sizes of 63" and 77" respectively, faster tracking speed, fully customizable function buttons...

MPR-SEQ: Middle Atlantic Products.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.middleatlantic.com, Hardware, $197 Ideal for installations involving large power amplifiers on a common circuit, the UL-Listed MPR-SEQ is a six-step controller that sequentially powers on components, while saving space within an...

Commercial ID product suite: Polaroid.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.polaroid-id.com, System, average package $7,790 To start or update an ID card system, take a look at this system, which encompasses multiple software options, a direct camera interface, and printers with enhanced security features. The...

Solo wireless microphone system: Revolabs.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.rovolabs.com Hardware, $495 to $7,995 Background noise during conference calls or distance learning sessions can be reduced with the use of these microphones. The Executive system includes eight wearable duplex microphones, while the...

One place: Discovery Education.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.discoveryeducation.com Software, license fees start at $6,000 Access to online digital media from one integrated access point is the hallmark of this technology. Educators use a single user-name and password for all digital resources....

XL H1 HD camcorder: Canon.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN BOOKS, HARDWARE, INTERNET AND SOFTWARE)
October 1, 2006... www.usa.canon.com, Hardware, $9,000 Media departments can record events in HD with this camcorder. In addition to recording HDV format to tape, it can output uncompressed 1080i HD-SDI (SMPTE 292M) or SD-SDI (SMPTE 259M) video via its...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
October 1, 2006... OCTOBER 2006 ASBO INTL 92nd Annual Meeting & Exhibits October 13-16 Pittsburgh, Penn www.asbointl.org ISC East International Security Conference East October 24-25 New York, NY www.isceast.com ...

ACT scores.(By the Numbers)(American College Test)(Statistical table)
October 1, 2006... Academic Achievement National average ACT composite and subject area scores. 5-year trends 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 English 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.4 20.6 Math 20.6 20.6 10.7 20.7 20.8...