Education News: June 15, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 15, 2007.

Fort Worth Charter School in Trouble Over TAKS Cheating
(Source: The Dallas Morning News, 6/15/07): Following a state investigation, Texas education officials announced that suspected cheating at Theresa B. Lee Academy in Fort Worth has been confirmed. The Texas Education Agency is considering its response to this finding and may decide to close the school permanently.

New York Official to Lead [Baltimore] City Schools
(Source: The Baltimore Sun, 6/14/07): The Baltimore school board has recruited Andres Alonso, who was the second highest education official in New York, as their new chief executive officer. Alonso signed a four-year contract, the longest allowed by law, and told a crowd of politicians, administrators, and activists that he’s “here to stay.”

Teacher Who Talked Peace Appeals Firing
(Source: The Washington Post, 6/14/07): An elementary school teacher who says she was fired for discussing peace activism with her students is appealing her case to the Supreme Court. The attorney for the Bloomington, Indiana, educator said he wants the Supreme Court to clarify the degree to which free speech protects teachers in the classroom.

Georgia Faces Drastic Shortage of Science, Math Teachers
(Source: The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, 6/13/07): A new report indicates that the colleges and universities of Georgia are not producing an adequate number of science and math teachers. The report recommended that potential science and math teachers receive financial incentives to enter the field and that good grades in introductory college science courses be made more attainable to increase the number of students majoring in the sciences.

Drafters of Schools’ Future Are Selected
(Source: The New Orleans Times-Picayune, 6/13/07): Two companies, the architecture firm Concordia and the construction firm Parsons Corp., have been selected to develop a plan to rebuild New Orleans’ public schools. FEMA will reimburse the school district for the $3.8 million it is spending on the plan.

A Losing Battle So Far
(Source: The Hartford Courant, 6/13/07): A new report by researchers at Trinity College indicates that a plan implemented four years ago to decrease racial isolation in Hartford, Connecticut, schools has failed. The plan hinged on magnet schools, which were intended to attract white suburban students into the city but instead drew predominantly black and Hispanic suburban students.

A Plan to Pay for Top Scores on Some Tests Gains Ground
(Source: The New York Times, 6/9/07): New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein are showing tentative interest in a controversial plan to give cash rewards to students for high scores on select standardized tests. The plan was developed by Roland Fryer, an economist at Harvard.