District Administration articles from September 2008

District Administration archives from September 2008

The constant balancing act.(Editor's Letter)
September 1, 2008... EVEN THOUGH MOUNT VERNON (N.Y.) PUBLIC SCHOOLS' $187.4 MILLION contingency budget includes an $8.6 million increase over last year's budget, this summer student athletes are fundraising to help revive their district's $1.1 million athletic...

Technology debate needed.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I'm writing regarding the recent Gary Stager column article ("What's a Computer For? Part II, July 2008). I enjoyed it and agree. As director of technology at Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, N.C., I am at war with our technology. I have...

Notification beyond emergencies.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... The story about emergency notification systems by Jeanne Jackson Devoe ("The Evolution of Notification Systems", August 2008) did a great job of providing a high-level overview of the benefits and features of notification systems designed for...

Schools tighten fuel budget belt: skyrocketing costs are forcing districts to rethink standard practices.(News Update)
September 1, 2008... WITH FUEL AND ENERGY PRICES soaring but also fluctuating between high and low, school districts across the country are finding ways to cut corners to keep budgets afloat. The American Association of School Administrators' new "Fuel and Energy...

Less pain with propane.(News Update)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MANY DISTRICTS NATIONWIDE ARE switching from diesel to propane-fueled buses as a means of grappling with swelling diesel costs. Propane is cheaper than diesel and gasoline, and is an efficient, domestically produced...

High grade consequences.(STAT BLAST)
September 1, 2008... * 15% of districts are eliminating bus routes and eliminating or modifying extracurricular offerings or sports * 15% are considering moving to a four-day school week * 44% are cutting back on field trips * 29% are eliminating...

Virtual schooling keen on green.(Distance Education)
September 1, 2008... VIRTUALIZATION IN SCHOOLS IS gaining more ground nationwide as more district leaders strive to reduce their carbon fooprint and save money. Some of the virtualization measures used in schools include having more online classes and professional...

Online ed "set to surge".(Distance Education)
September 1, 2008... THE AUTHORS OF A NEW PAPER BY THE HOOVER INSTITUTE, a conservative think tank at Stanford University, predict that by 2019 half of courses in grades 9 through 12 will be delivered online. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Citing cost savings and...

N.Y. District teaches the world to students.(Curriculum)
September 1, 2008... IF TODAY'S ECONOMY AND BUSIness trends are any indication, the lesson that the world is interconnected is becoming a mainstay of the social sciences. But one high-performing Long Island school district is taking cues from globalization and also...

Integrating the arts with flair.(Curriculum)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... CHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE 7,500-STUDENT GREENVILLE (Miss.) Public Schools, the second largest district in the state, are reaping the benefits of an art-integrated education, thanks to the pedagogical stylings of Washington, D.C.-based educational...

Better communication yields success.(District Profile: MARQUARDT SCHOOL DISTRICT 15 (ILL.))
September 1, 2008... IN THE AFTERMATH OF A FAILED school funding referendum in April 2002, officials and board members from the Marquardt School District 15 in Illinois realized that a shortage of funds was not their only problem. It had been 20 years since...

Washington's bold reformer: a young school chancellor takes D.C. by storm.(PROFILE)(Michelle Rhee )
September 1, 2008... FOR MORE THAN A year, the debate, press coverage, and buzz in Washington, D.C., have swirled over whether someone so different--and so relatively inexperienced--can deliver sweeping change. And presidential hopeful Barack Obama hasn't been the...

A perfect storm: with a faltering economy, K12 districts find creative ways to cut and stretch their budget dollars.(ANNUAL SCHOOL SPENDING REPORT)
September 1, 2008... IF IT WASN'T THE worst budget cycle in decades, it was one of the worst for school district administrators trying to juggle union-negotiated salary increases, higher fuel and food prices, and federal mandates with less money, district leaders...

Welcome to Achievement Today: achievement for all children.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Dear District Administrator, Welcome to the September issue of Achievement Today. In this issue, we are focusing on the incredible opportunity we share to improve achievement for all children. Since the inception of Response to...

Questions for superintendents.
September 1, 2008... 1. Have you considered the potential of RTI to unify your school district by eliminating the silos of special and general education? 2. Are you embedding the key components of RTI into your school improvement process to maximize achievement...

About Spectrum K12 School Solutions.
September 1, 2008... Spectrum K12 School Solutions, Inc., is the leading provider of Response to Intervention (RTI) and special education IEP software serving 11% of the U.S. K-12 student population including 20 of the top 100 school districts in the United States....

Teamwork, attention to detail are keys to improving outcomes for all students: Tom Jenkins, of Wilmington, NC, runs an educational consulting firm that provides school districts with staff development in the area of Response to Intervention.(RTI in Practice)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... What are the elements of the ideal RTI process? An ideal RTI process would be one in which all students are successful. It would be one in which all staff members are involved, where there's total collaboration between administrators and...

Success with RTI requires attention to technology and staff training: are school districts doing a good job at implementing response to intervention? And how can administrators measure the success of their intervention strategies? To find out, Achievement Today interviewed David P. Riley, executive director of the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative.(RTI in Practice)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... How effectively are districts implementing RTI? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The greatest challenge districts have in implementing RTI is scaling it across all schools in a district, and being clear that this is the way in which business...

At Miami-Dade, a district-wide RTI initiative yields strong results.(RTI in Practice)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... Four years ago, under the leadership of superintendent Rudolph F. Crew, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools began an ambitious school improvement initiative that relied heavily on Response to Intervention. To find out about Miami-Dade's use of...

Training helps Texas district meet state and federal standards: Spectrum K12 provides IEP Goals and Objectives Professional Development training for large Houston district.(RTI in Practice)
September 1, 2008... The special education teachers in Houston's large Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District had a problem. They were challenged to write personalized student goals for Individual Education Plans (IEPs) that adhered to both federal and state...

Districts must adopt new procedures to cope with tighter claims scrutiny.(Medicaid Outlook)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... LIN LESLIE IS VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, BUSINESS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT for CARE Resources Inc., a staffing and special education solutions firm located in Maryland and Arizona. This article, the second of a two-part series about Medicaid...

We hate Ashley: counteracting cyberbullying inside--and outside--school grounds.
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TWO OREGON STUDENTS create a racist profile on a social networking site, with cartoons about lynching and racist language. Other students link to the profile and post ugly, racist comments. Teachers report that many...

Districts weigh obesity screening: body mass index programs strive for healthier pupils, but their effectiveness remains uncertain.(HEALTH & FITNESS)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PARENTS OF CHILDREN IN MOST elementary grades in Minnesota's Independent School District 191 receive an annual notice with potentially life-altering data for their children--and they are not state test scores,...

Boosting inclusion for students with disabilities: a look at the law when considering these students in extracurricular activities and athletics.(HEALTH & FITNESS)
September 1, 2008... ADMINISTRATORS IN PUBLIC schools are undoubtedly familiar with their duties under federal law to serve students with disabilities in the educational program. Far fewer, however, are aware of their legal obligations to these same students in...

Principal preparation programs: equipping school leaders for new pressures and challenges.(PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
September 1, 2008... A SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S JOB has never been tougher. The accountability movement--culminating with the federal No Child Left Behind law in 2001--has put pressure on principals to improve student performance, resulting in school leaders'...

Mayfield (Ohio) City School District: www.mayfieldschools.org.(How Well Does This Web Site Work? LEARN WHAT OUR WEB ANALYST SAYS IS RIGHT AND WRONG WITH THIS DISTRICT SITE)
September 1, 2008... THE MAYFIELD (OHIO) CITY School District is located in the eastern suburbs of Cleveland and has more than 4,100 students and 382 certified employees (281 of which are classroom teachers). Design This site has a straightforward design...

Animation-ish, Animation Program: FableVision/Toon Boom.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FABLEVISION/TOON BOOM Animation-ish, Animation Program Software $59.95/single-user license $499.95/10-computer license $999.95/25-computer license Best-selling children's book author and...

WA30, classroom audio components: NuVo Technologies.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... NUVO TECHNOLOGIES Wa30, Classroom Audio Components Hardware, $249 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NuVo Technologies' new WA30 is an audio system designed specifically for the classroom. The unit combines a 30-watt amplifier with a...

MPro110, projector: 3M.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... 3M MPro110, Projector Hardware, $359 The MPro110, which 3M announced at InfoComm and will introduce in the fourth quarter of 2008, is one of the first of a new class of "micro projectors" just entering the market. This tiny...

Sound Alert series, classroom audio components: Califone.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... CALIFONE Sound Alert series, Classroom Audio Components Hardware, $37, $44, $148 Califone has expanded its line of audio hardware designed to protect students from irreparable hearing damage due to excessively high volumes with...

A+nyWhere Learning System: the Sciences I-VIII Science program: American Education Corporation.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... AMERICAN EDUCATION CORPORATION A+nyWhere Learning System: The Sciences I-VIII Science Program, Software, $1,000 per title (new customers), $750 per title (existing customers) AEC has added to its A+nyWhere Learning System with...

Type to Learn 4: Agents of Information keyboarding program: Sunburst Technology.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... SUNBURST TECHNOLOGY Type to Learn 4: Agents of Information Keyboarding Program, Software, $699.95 for unlimited site license version Released this month is Sunburst's Type to Learn 4, a comprehensive instructional keyboarding...

REALiS SX80, projector: Canon.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... CANON REALiS SX80, Projector, Hardware, $3,999 At the leading edge of new projector technologies are models like Canon's new REALiS SX80, which boasts some of the most advanced technology on the market while maintaining a portable size...

CP-A100/FX Duo 77 bundle interactive whiteboard system: Hitachi.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HITACHI CP-A100/FX Duo 77 Bundle Interactive Whiteboard System Hardware, $3,995 Hitachi unveiled this interactive whiteboard package at InfoComm this year. Combining the Hitachi CP-A100 ultra...

Charging Up! Reading comprehension program: ETA/Cuisenaire.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ETA/CUISENAIRE Charging Up! Reading Comprehension Program Books and Materials, $299.95/set Combining the company's most popular fiction and nonfiction books with self-correcting activity cards,...

TeacherEvents.com, educator social networking site: Teacher Events.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... TEACHER EVENTS TeacherEvents.com, Educator Social Networking Site, Internet, free Following the trend of hugely popular social networking sites, TeacherEvents.com is a social networking Web site specifically for educators that was...

Fast ForWord language series 2, literacy program: Scientific Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... SCIENTIFIC LEARNING Fast ForWord Language Series 2, Literacy Program Software, $750-$900/single use license Scientific Learning has just launched a redesigned and updated version of its signature Fast ForWord language series....

Unifi 45, projector: Smart Technologies.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... SMART TECHNOLOGIES Unifi 45, Projector Hardware, $2,999 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SMART's new Unifi 45 is a short-throw projector designed for use with interactive whiteboards, particularly SMARTs models, even including the...

FPBBUL Series: flat panel TV carts: Bretford.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BRETFORD FPBBUL series Flat Panel TV Carts Hardware, $785 Technology and media furniture manufacturer Bretford has released new, fully UL-certified flat panel television carts. Designed...

Meaningful Movement geomats, fitness learning products: Geofitness.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... GEOFITNESS Meaningful Movement Geomats, Fitness Learning Products Books and Materials, Packages from $130 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Exercise product maker GeoFitness has recently released its Meaningful Movement series, which are...

Drive Genius 2, disk utility: Prosoft Engineering.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... PROSOFT ENGINEERING Drive Genius 2, Disk Utility Software, $99 This latest edition of Drive Genius adds new features to enable users to maintain their Mac hard drives. Classic features include disk defragmentation, directory...

EVON, professional development resource: Princeton Review/NationalTeacher.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... PRINCETON REVIEW/NATIONALTEACHER EVON, Professional Development Resource Internet, Pricing varies based on district needs The Princeton Review and NationalTeacher have partnered to offer a new series of state-specific professional...

Content Essentials for Science science program: Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... WRIGHT GROUP/MCGRAW-HILL Content Essentials for Science Science program Books and Materials, $613.92-$779.52 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Designed to help K6 students learn science content and science literacy skills, Content...

ANGEL Learning management suite 7.3 course management suite: Angel Learning.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... ANGEL LEARNING ANGEL Learning Management Suite 7.3 Course Management Suite Software, pricing varies This latest edition of ANGEL's course management suite is designed to provide an intuitive approach to managing workflow for...

PaperToolsPro online version, Writing Program: Epen&Inc./M3Designs.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(research management software )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... EPEN&INC./M3DESIGNS PaperToolsPro online version, Writing Program Software, $75 per teacher plus $1 per student PaperToolsPro, a research management software program designed to help students write research papers and combat...

BidAdvantage for Schools online bidding system: Interflex.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... INTERFLEX BidAdvantage for Schools Online Bidding System Internet, $895 annually Focused on the K12 food service sector, BidAdvantage for Schools is an online competitive bidding system that streamlines the bid process by...

Alio 8.3, administrative program: Weidenhammer.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... WEIDENHAMMER Alio 8.3, Administrative Program Software, $10,000 and up Weidenhammer has just released the latest version of alio, its scalable, complete software suite designed to run all administrative tasks including payroll,...

PD 360 v.2, professional development resource: School Improvement Network.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT NETWORK PD 360 v.2, Professional Development Resource, Internet, pricing varies School Improvement Network has updated and improved its Web-based professional development resource, PD 360, with version 2, released...

ResponseCard AnyWhere, audience response system: Turning Technologies.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... TURNING TECHNOLOGIES ResponseCard AnyWhere, Audience Response System Hardware, $199 and up Turning Technologies' new audience response system provides a highly portable, preparation-free polling solution that does not require a...

Serif Design Suite graphic design program: Serif.(New Products: THE LATEST OFFERINGS IN HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and THE INTERNET)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SERIF Serif Design Suite Graphic Design Program Software, $2,200 to $4,900 Serif, maker of graphic design software focused on the professional and consumer market, has just released a package...

The benefits of teacher collaboration.(Research Center: ESSENTIALS ON EDUCATION DATA AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2008... TEACHER COLLABORATION AND professional learning communities are frequently mentioned in articles and reports on school improvement. Schools and teachers benefit in a variety of ways when teachers work together. A small but growing body of...

Who ya gonna believe? The ongoing battle between facts and mythology.(SPEAKING OUT)(Essay)
September 1, 2008... IT HAS LONG BEEN ACCEPTED that good teaching requires a mixture of art and science. Outstanding teachers possess a solid knowledge of learning theory and human development. That content knowledge is brought to life by personal gifts, creativity...

Let's get into groups: learning together has never been easier.(ONLINE EDGE)
September 1, 2008... IF YOU WANT TO SUM UP IN ONE neat sentence all of the changes and disruptions the Web is bringing about these days, Clay Shirky would like to suggest it this way: Today it is exceedingly easy to connect with other people and create group action...

A matter of equity: ineffective schools hurt poor families most.(UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES)
September 1, 2008... THE 2003-2004 SCHOOL YEAR started like most new school years do, with high energy and high expectations for students, teachers, and school administrators. That September, according to Cities in Crisis, a new report released in April by...