Curriculum Administrator articles from June 2001

Curriculum Administrator archives from June 2001

SLEEPING IN.(advantages of starting school at a later hour)
June 1, 2001... In an issue packed with the top 100 products of the year, who would guess that the biggest change your school district could make might be for free? But there's a catch. The idea of altering the starting times of schools, especially high...

Edison Schools Struggle in New York and San Francisco.
June 1, 2001... Later this month, the Board of Education for the San Francisco Unified School District is slated to take a historic vote: It's not over forced busing or a teachers' union contract. It involves the for--profit school management company Edison...

Character to be Taught on the Coasts.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In an effort to help make well-rounded, respectful and responsible students, New York State schools, and one California school, are starting to teach "character education" as part of their curriculum, marking a move to help bring civility to...

NEW GROUP PLANS TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN NEW PRINCIPALS IN CHICAGO.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Looking for new blood to, lead some of the Windy City s beleaguered schools, a new group has been formed with $1.2 million in seed money to recruit and train people from outside the education arena to lead some of Chicago's schools. ...

Education Secretary Paige Goes After Fraud.(Rod Paige)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... In an effort to avoid the public relations nightmare of the last administration--which lost track of a whopping $450 million--Education Secretary Rod Paige recently created an eight-member financial "strike team" to uncover fraud, waste and...

MAP RESELLER SCORES A HIT AFTER "THE WEST WING".(Peters Projection map)
June 1, 2001... Publishers can't buy publicity like this: On a recent episode of NBC's White House hit, The West Wing, a subplot was introduced about an alternative map of the world that a group of lobbyists felt the U.S. should consider adopting. The map uses...

PRESIDENT BUSH PUSHES HIS $44.5 BILLION EDUCATION BUDGET.(George W. Bush)
June 1, 2001... President George W. Bush, with a $44.5 billion education budget proposal for next year, made his first concrete step toward keeping his campaign promise of making education a top priority. His proposal aims to improve school's accountability...

MR. BUSH COMES TO CONNECTICUT.(George W. Bush's first major education speech)
June 1, 2001... Before a capacity crowd this spring at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn., President George W. Bush offered his first major education speech following his proposal of a $44.5 billion education budget. Bush told the...

Casio to Break Palm's and Handspring's Stranglehold on the Handheld Market With Its Pocket PC.
June 1, 2001... Following Palm and Handspring into the competitive educational marketplace comes Casio's Pocket PC handheld computing device. Casio's new product further validates the emergence of handheld devices for K-12 education. Palm has led the pack...

Apple Introduces new iBook model and sells 23,000 units to Virginia district.(Henrico County Public Schools buy 23, 000 iBook computers)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... At Apple Computer's introduction of its latest iBook models, Virginia's Henrico County Public Schools announced its ambitious purchase of 23,000 of the sleek, new wirelessly networked laptops. Apple CEO Steve Jobs called the portable computer...

Oregon Taps Vantage Learning to Deliver Statewide Assessments in Math, Reading Online.
June 1, 2001... Oregon's Department of Education, in a move to consolidate and improve its student assessments, has selected Pennsylvania-based Vantage Learning to administer its computer-based standardized tests online in math and reading for K-12 students....

Arkansas Schools Receive $241,000 in Former Government Computers.(Russellville School District receives Federal Emergency Management Agency donation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Federal Emergency Management Agency, deeming the machines no longer adequate for its needs, recently donated 112 used computers to the Russellville School District in Arkansas. While it's not the first time FEMA has donated computers to...

SENATE BILL INCLUDES NEW MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAM.(proposed Best Education for Students and Teachers Act)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... As part of a bigger education bill, the Senate is recommending $3 billion in funding for programs to increase student achievement in math and science. Named the Best Education for Students and Teachers Act, the bill is broken into six sections,...

FINALLY, U.S. STUDENTS SCORE HIGH ON AN INTERNATIONAL TEST.(International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement shows American students excel at social studies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... While the latest International Mathematics and Science Study showed that U.S. students perform poorly in these areas compared to other countries, there is good news about social studies. U.S. students in a recent civic education study scored...

GREENSPAN URGES EARLY FINANCIAL EDUCATION EFFORTS.(Alan Greenspan recommends teaching children financial planning)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Learning the basics of personal finance at a young age can help avoid poor financial decisions later in life, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan recently pointed out at a community development conference. He stressed the need for financial...

IRA JOINS EFFORTS FOR U.S. TO REJOIN UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION.(International Reading Association)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... The International Reading Association, acting as an advocate for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is urging the U.S. rejoin the group. In 1984, the U.S. withdrew from UNESCO because of political issues...

NCTM CREATES A NEW PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Promoting algebraic thinking among students in grades K-8 is the initial goal of a five-year project being developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A Web-based system of professional development, the five-year project is...

LOW-KEY LEADERSHIP.(David F. Clune)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Wilton, Conn.'s superintendent has used trust, a long tenure and forward-thinking to create one of the country's top school districts Dashing up the highway, Virginia Benin and other school board members from Wilton, Conn., headed toward...

A BLUEPRINT FOR ECO-EDUCATION.(Roy Lee Walker Elementary School)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... A Texas school finds many benefits in being environmentally aware At first glance Roy Lee Walker Elementary School in McKinney, Texas, looks like any other new school building. But then you notice such objects as rainwater collection tanks,...

PROGRESS MADE, AND MEASURED.(closing the digital divide)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Many gaps have narrowed during the past year... but equity is still just out of reach I like to say that education technology time is measured in dog years: things change so quickly that every school year is worth seven. When it comes to...

CONNECTING WITH AUTHORS ONLINE.(influence on classroom curriculum)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 1, 2001... The Internet can allow teachers and their classes to interact with some of their favorite authors Many of my favorite experiences as an educator involve sharing books with students: reading to classes, working with groups in libraries,...

AH ... SPRING!(standardized testing season, school system)(Brief Article)(Column)
June 1, 2001... Why are No. 2 pencils synonymous with the onset of testing? As I write this column I find myself in the most wondrous time of the year--standardized testing season. All across America flowers bloom, young birds learn to fly, teachers are...

A NEW CURRICULUM FOR A NEW ERA.(schools in the information age)
June 1, 2001... Today's rapidly changing society puts more pressure on schools and their leaders, but it also presents an opportunity for change Five current social forces are likely to cause major changes in our schools and the jobs of the people who lead...

Working Together.(school boards and superintendents, United States)
June 1, 2001... An effective relationship between school boards and superintendents can lead to a variety of positive results, including better education for students A team that works together usually wins together. That is certainly the case with...

Eliminating the Snooze Button.(school classes start later, teenagers get more sleep)
June 1, 2001... Research and anecdotal evidence show that Teens naturally need to sleep later. Now some progressive school districts are reaping benefits by using this information to delay the starting times of their high schools. After a scant...

The Districts' Choice: TOP 100 PRODUCTS for 2001.(purchases by schools, United States)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... The best thing about compiling a list of the year's top 100 products for K-12 schools, besides ogling some of the cooler items, is the ability to take a step back and pick out some of the hottest trends of the year. While the glow of the...

Hardware Sales Turn to the Powerful And the Small.(purchasing by schools;)(Statistical Data Included)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... With hardware sales to schools remaining strong, educators are looking to sophisticated products to enhance instruction You might not know it from the dire stock market reports involving technology companies throughout the U.S. and abroad,...

Here Comes the Next Step.(education practice and the Internet, schools)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... With Internet access ubiquitous in schools today, the next step is to get teachers off Yahoo and into worthwhile educational practices Here's a statistic that sums up the state of Internet access in today's K-12 schools. Only seven...

Tightening Up.
June 1, 2001... Headlines from the bumpy past year in educational software To say that the last year has been a turbulent one for the world of educational software is a pretty safe understatement. The consolidation of many publishers that started in late...

What's Blooming in Books.
June 1, 2001... K-12 book buying choices plant the seed of reading, but how schools cultivate the joys of learning through books makes all the difference Raising readers. It's a job in which parents, schools, publishers and libraries play a role. From...

Bulletin Board.(school supply products, online purchasing)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... K-12 Supplemental Materials See one of the world's largest collections of supplemental materials to extend and update basal textbooks, enrich classroom instruction, and encourage reading and research. With Harcourt Brace as its parent...

WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT.(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
June 1, 2001... Customized curriculum makes more sense for all students Isaac Asimov wrote more than 250 books. Touted for his intelligence, here's what he had to say about school, as excerpted from his book, In Memory Yet Green: I couldn't very...