Curriculum Administrator articles from August 2000

Curriculum Administrator archives from August 2000

WHEN EDUCATION AND POLITICS MEET.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... I think the more attention an important issue gets, the better things usually are. Call me naive, but I still believe that a variety of informed opinions will lead to a smart, sensible decision. Months ago in this space, I favored the debate...

AOL LANDS AN INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHT, THERESE CRANE, TO RUN AOL@SCHOOL.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Al Branch Up-to-date and usable education information from schools, government, business, research and professional organizations Therese Crane, most recently the president of the educational software company CompassLearning (formerly...

Bush Proposes a National $400 Million School Internet Plan.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is campaigning with a proposal to spend $400 million during five years to help K-12 schools nationwide make better use of the Internet for instruction. The proposal was...

AAAS Says Algebra Textbooks Don't Add Up.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... In a recent report, the American Association for the Advancement of Science condemned the nation's algebra textbooks as being barely adequate to teach students. Officials from the AAAS claim that after review, they found seven of the 12 major...

Cheating Scandals Rock Two Towns, Pointing to a Potential Widespread Problem.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... With calls for greater accountability ringing in the ears of educators during the past two years, two disparate communities--among others--are grappling with the aftershocks of testing scandals this summer. In Birmingham, Ala., Board of...

PRAYER FOUND UNCONSTITUTIONAL BY SUPREME COURT.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling concerning the right of students to lead prayers before school activities upheld earlier rulings that squashed the encroachment of religion on school grounds. At press time in June, the nation's highest...

McGraw-Hill Buys Tribune Education for $635 Million.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... In a bid to overtake its rival Pearson Education as the nation's largest educational publisher, McGraw-Hill plunked down $635 million earlier this summer to buy the nation's largest K-12 supplementary materials publisher, Tribune Education. ...

Wisconsin Minority Test Scores Show Slight Improvement, WDPI Still Worried.(Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... (AP) -- Minority students showed some improvement this year on state proficiency exams, but state education officials say they're still concerned about the gap between minorities and whites. Test results released in June show as many as 30...

GLOBE FEARON PRESIDENT BETH WRAY TAKES OVER COMPUTER CURRICULUM CORP.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Al Branch The latest technology news from business, schools and government, and how it affects administrators, schools and students. Looking to capitalize on education's move to the Internet with someone who has had some success there,...

Networking Company Lands $1.2 Million New Jersey Contract.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... TransNet, a networking company that counts Cisco Systems, Compaq and Microsoft among its technology partners, recently signed a $1.2 million contract with the New Jersey Department of Education to provide wiring services to more than 20 K-12...

Report: Students and Teachers Don't Spend Much Time on Brand-Name Search Engines.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... While major Web sites such as Yahoo! and AltaVista warrant repeated use and page views, an Internet filtering company is claiming that K-12 students and teachers don't actually spend much time on those sites, instead opting to move on directly...

New Cyber High School Gains Notice in Pennsylvania.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... With home schooling on the rise, a new computer-based, home-schooling program, called the Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, is expecting to have at least three times the number of students it originally planned for when it goes live...

Iowa School District Lets Parents Track their Children's Homework on the 'Net.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... (AP) - When parents in part of Iowa ask their kids what they did in school today, and the response is "nothing," they may soon be able to check the Internet to see if that's true. Several teachers in the Wayne school district in Corydon,...

Boys Likely to Spend More Time on Computers Than Girls, says Deloitte & Touche Study.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Backing up what most educators suspected, a recent survey shows that boys are more likely to spend time on a computer than girls. A survey of about 150 boys and girls age six to 17 in Costa Mesa, Calif., revealed that more than 60 percent of...

Sunburst Technology Names a New VP of Sales and Marketing.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Houghton Mifflin's school software and video division, Sunburst Technology, recently named Vincent Vezza vice president of sales and marketing. He will report to Conall Ryan, Sunburst's president and publisher. Prior to joining Sunburst,...

Lightspan Buys Edutest.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Looking to expand beyond just providing K-12 curriculum products, Internet-based education company Lightspan recently bought the online testing firm Edutest for an undisclosed sum. Like Lightspan, Edutest offers subscription-based products,...

NSTA Teacher Survey lists Teachers' Dissatisfactions.(National Science Teachers Association)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... The latest developments in the curriculum areas of math, science, language arts and social studies. Alarming numbers of teachers, especially those who have more than 20 years of experience, are leaving the profession. The National Science...

Report: Technology Can Be Essential in Teaching Math.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Based on 10 years of research, the National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics' updated standards explain that the most important messages of Principles and Standards are that students must be fluent in arithmetic computation and...

New African-American Education Portal.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... In keeping with its commitment to enhance educational opportunities for members of the international black community, Africana.com created Blackboard. It is an expanding interactive catalog of lesson plans designed to help educators teach the...

Book Shows How Art and Music Can Help Teach Literacy.(Review)
August 1, 2000... The National Council of Teachers of English's new book, Beyond Reading and Writing: Inquiry, Curriculum, and Multiple Ways of Knowing is a part of its whole language umbrella series. It is based on the belief that children learn to read and...

Web Sites Offer Art Projects and More.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Art teachers can keep their lessons fresh throughout the school year with Crayola's new Web site. Educators, students and parents can access a plethora of art information at the site, ranging from the latest discussions surrounding the art...

EVERYONE A LEARNER.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Herman K. Gaither narrowed his district's digital divide by offering computer access to students and staff. Beaufort County, located at the southeastern corner of South Carolina, is known for its old southern tradition. But its...

COMMUNICATION IS KEY.
August 1, 2000... In the country's second fastest growing county, educators continually look for new ways to integrate technology into all aspects of their schools. When Forsyth County, Georgia, put phones equipped with voice mail in every classroom,...

BUILD BRIDGES, FLATTEN BARRIERS.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Don't allow your students to suffer due to the digital divide. Begin here and make changes for the better. By the time you read this, the term "digital divide" may have worn out its welcome. The phrase hit just a little more than a year...

THE CONTINUING COOKIES CONTROVERSY.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Online privacy is an illusion, but there are ways to make sure your tracks aren't being watched. I remember how jarring it was when I visited a Web site I hadn't seen for a long time, and I was welcomed by name. While it is easy to think...

Texas' TAAS Miracle or Mirage?(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2000... Opponents say the rising test results are deceiving; state educators say the tests reflect the state standards. AT THE NEXUS of education and politics is the debate about standards and testing. And, with the presidential race heating up,...

The Move Against High-Stakes Testing.
August 1, 2000... As test scores continue to gain importance, parents, children and even educators are protesting the way these scores are being used. Standardized tests in public schools are nothing new, but the proliferation of high-stakes tests, ones that...

How to Best Evaluate Schools.
August 1, 2000... An overreliance on test scores has educators trying to create a more balanced system to judge their schools. In Los Angeles, high test scores could mean extra bucks for 40,000 teachers. Under contract negotiations on the table, teachers...

MOVING BEYOND THE "SHOPPING-CART" MENTALITY.
August 1, 2000... School districts need to plan, not only for HARDWARE and SOFTWARE, but also how to train TEACHERS and keep EQUIPMENT running when breakdowns occur. The fast pace of technology's change has had a whirlwind effect on education in the past...

TECHNOLOGY LITE.
August 1, 2000... Are the days of multimedia PCs over? Pocket computers and thin clients can fill some school needs for a fraction of the of traditional computers. For the past several years, educators have been focused on adding technology equipment to...

View from the Top.
August 1, 2000... Industry leaders discuss the trends and advances that will affect the future of technology in education. LEADING VIEWS ON EDUCATION TRENDS, ISSUES, RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY From the Publisher CURRICULUM ADMINISTRATOR magazine...

SPACE ACADEMY GX-1.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... SPACE ACADEMY GX-1 EDMARK 2000, ***** www.edmark.com, 800-362-2890 Grade: 3 through 7 Teaches: science, astronomy, planets Win 95, 98; Mac OS $59.95 Teachers, take note of this excellent program that lets children...

THE WRITING TREK GRADES 4-6.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... THE WRITING TREK GRADES 4-6 SUNBURST COMMUNICATIONS 1999, **** 800-338-3457, www.sunburst.com Grade: 4, 5, 6, Teaches: writing, creativity, Win 95, 98; Mac OS $79.95 If you're looking for a nice collection of lessons dealing...

GEOSAFARI: KNOWLEDGE PAD THE PLATO COLLECTION.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... GEOSAFARI: KNOWLEDGE PAD THE PLATO COLLECTION EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS 2000, **** 800-995-4436, www.edin.com Grade: 2 through high school Teaches: science, art and history Win 95, 98; Mac OS, $24.95 A total hit with the...

ONLINENOW.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Reading Rainbow Joins Online Service LeVar Burton, host of the popular PBS television series Reading Rainbow has brought his popular materials onto the Internet. Through an agreement with JuniorNet, an online service that provides students with...

INFOLINE.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Garden Grants to Grow On Educators who are looking to incorporate gardening into their curriculum will want to check out The National Gardening Association's 18th annual Youth Garden Grants Program. The non-profit organization will award...

new products.
August 1, 2000... TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS AMERICA ONLINE LAUNCHES AOL@SCHOOL The world's largest online provider debuts a free online learning portal for students, teachers and administrators. Educators will have a new Internet option from a familiar name...

PRODUCT literature.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... ALFRED A. KNOPF CROWN The Alfred A. Knopf Crown catalog offers a wide range of titles for young readers. Each book includes a detailed description that includes author, price, number of pages, age appropriateness and a cover photo. It also...

Bulletin Board.
August 1, 2000... free catalogs and literature Improving Student Performance AGS publishes a complete line of test preparation material for K-12. Our diagnostic-prescriptive format has proven effective in schools around the country. We publish...

A SUMMERTIME SOLUTION.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Kids may need the summer off, but do teachers? Don't vote for Barry Goldwater; he's going to make us go to school on Saturdays!" Such was the political mud slinging at my elementary school playground--and it was effective. I remember well...

Leaping Forward.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Take a close look at the graphic we present on pages six and seven this issue. In it, News Editor A1 Branch examines five ways schools are using new technology in their classrooms today. I know that for many districts, buying computers and...

Net Working.
August 1, 2000... online resources for educators, administrators and parents MINING FOR GEMS ON GOVERNMENT SITES How to unearth valuable education resources quickly. Getting something--anything--from the government can be a tough assignment. Take,...

On the Edge.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... Here's a sample of real ways schools are taking advantage of today's technology. PALM PILOTS IN THE HALLWAYS It's a small, simple tool, but in at least one district in Long Island, N.Y., it is striking fear in the hearts of students....

Growing Up With Technology.
August 1, 2000... This elementary school is at a crossroads after nearly a decade of being a tech showcase. When the Fairfax (Virg.) County neighborhood was sopping with oil from leaking storage tanks eight years ago, things looked grim for the K-6 Mantua...

Building the VIRTUAL Classrom.
August 1, 2000... Education has always taken place inside and outside the classroom. Now, the Internet and portable computers are blurring whatever line was left. It brings American education to the children of ambassadors and missionaries, helps students...

Ebooks' Educational Promise.
August 1, 2000... The portable, hand-held units can carry a whole year's coursework. Will this finally mean the end of the textbook? Witness the flurry of excitement surrounding the recent releases of Stephen King's Riding the Bullet and various Mary Higgins...

Hollowed Out.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2000... The power of the thin classroom The Internet will not make classrooms less important, but it will change their nature and functionality. Until the Internet brought wide-area networking to the masses, personal computing was just that,...