Education News: July 6, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending July 6, 2007.

Candidates Vying to Be Teachers’ Pet
(Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/6/07): Eight presidential candidates, including Joseph Biden, Mike Huckabee, and Barack Obama, spoke at the Annual Meeting of the National Education Association. For the most part, candidates endorsed the ideas that teachers’ unions have traditionally favored. One exception was Barack Obama, who endorsed merit pay for teachers, a measure usually opposed by unions.

With Rise in Autism, Programs Strained
(Source: The Boston Globe, 7/5/07): In Massachusetts, the number of children diagnosed with autism has almost doubled over the last five years, from 4,080 to 7,521. Despite Massachusetts’ reputation for providing excellent services and care to autistic children, autism clinics and school autism programs across the state are now stretched to capacity.

In School Takeover, Newark Union Tries To Prove It’s Part of the Solution
(Source: The New York Times, 7/4/07): In September, officials from the Newark Teachers Union will join the governing committee of Newton Street School as a result of the school’s failure to demonstrate ‘adequate yearly progress,’ as defined by NCLB. This move contributes to a growing trend across the country of teachers’ unions becoming directly involved in the operation of specific schools.

Campaign to Hire Teachers Launched
(Source: The New Orleans Times-Picayune, 7/3/07): The Recovery School District in New Orleans has launched a $400,000 initiative to recruit teachers to fill as many as 500 positions in time for the 2007-2008 school year. The campaign, which a local ad agency is running, includes a website, advertisements on the radio and in newspapers, and outreach efforts to former educators. The district is offering bonuses, housing stipends, and payments for moving expenses as incentives.

Schools Skip Controversy with Feel-Good Names
(Source: The Washington Times, 7/3/07): A new study by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research shows that schools are increasingly foregoing presidents and civic leaders as schools’ namesakes in favor of nature references. For example, of the 3,000 schools in Florida, five are named for George Washington while 11 are named for manatees, 54 for palm trees, 91 for wooded areas, and 155 for lakes.

A More Global Way with Education
(Source: The Los Angeles Times, 7/2/07): Two education entrepreneurs, Sunny Varkey and Chris Whittle, have partnered to create Nations Academy, a network of 60 multi-million-dollar schools around the world that will cater to the children of wealthy parents who frequently relocate. Mr. Whittle is best known for founding the Edison Schools company, which caters to underserved American communities, and Mr. Varkey is known as the chairman of Global Education Management Systems, which is based in Dubai.

Small Schools Are Ahead in Graduation
(Source: The New York Times, 6/30/07): As of this spring, graduation rates at 47 new small schools in New York City are higher than the citywide average, a finding that indicates Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s small-schools approach is working as intended. The small schools had an average graduation rate of 73% in contrast to the 60% citywide graduation rate.

School Offers Chance at TAKS-free Diplomas
(Source: The Dallas Morning News, 6/30/07): T. Davis Independent School in Plano, Texas, has experienced a surge in interest and enrollment as approximately one in six Texas seniors fails the state-mandated TAKS exam, which is required for public school graduation. The non-profit, private school, which was originally created for dropouts and pregnant teenagers, has low tuition and does not utilize the exit exam.