Education News: August 3, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending August 3, 2007.

In Alaska, School Equality Elusive
(Source: The Christian Science Monitor, 8/3/07): Alaska Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason issued a ruling in June that stated that rural school districts are not meeting educational requirements despite state-measured adequate funding. Plaintiffs in the case are frustrated as they see no means of improving education without additional funding.

Board Grants Bonus for Dade Schools Chief
(Source: The Miami Herald, 8/2/07): The Miami-Dade school board voted to give superintendent Rudy Crew a $41,000 bonus this year despite the fact that he failed to fully meet 12 of his outlined goals for the year. In a 5-4 vote, the board decided to grant him part of the $65,000 that he was eligible to earn.

Claims Filed Over ‘Enemies List’
(Source: The Los Angeles Times, 8/2/07): The former superintendent of Capistrano Unified school district in California is being sued for millions of dollars over an ‘enemies list’ that he created while serving as superintendent. The district, embroiled in disagreements the last three years over issues ranging from funding to board members, recently learned that Superintendent James Fleming kept a list of enemies of the school district that were possibly used for retaliation against students.

As Students and as Leaders, Girls are Outperforming Boys in School
(Source: The Buffalo News, 8/1/07): Girls are outperforming boys in English, math, and other subjects in New York state as well as across the country. The trend is causing educators to take a closer look at the root of this phenomenon. Creative approaches to shortening the achievement gap include, interestingly, introducing non-fiction into the curriculum (a male-favored genre) and starting single-sex classes.

Charter Schools Lead Way on LEAP
(Source: The Times-Picayune, 8/1/07): Charter schools in New Orleans have posted significant gains in testing scores in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. When measured against public schools, they overwhelmingly score higher on the state test. One possible cause of this is the fact that charter schools are not bound to take students who register late or who are failing—the selectivity may help the scores in these cases.

Slots Fail to Hit Jackpot for State Schools
(Source: The Miami Herald, 7/31/07): Projected sales at slot machines in Broward County, Florida, have been markedly lower than expected, leaving Florida lawmakers to face a $45 million gap in school funding. The crunch is expected to impact the Bright Futures program and reward-for-performance school funding, although it is not likely that lawmakers will get rid of the highly successful Bright Futures program.

Diverse Wake Schools Famous
(Source: The News & Observer, 7/31/07): The Wake County school system is making national headlines as one of the first school districts that seeks to achieve diversity based on family income rather than race. Held up as a model of integration in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision against racial integration, residents of Wake County have mixed reactions to the program and its effectiveness.

Teacher to Conduct Lessons from Space
(Source: The Miami Herald, 7/30/07): Elementary school teacher Barbara Morgan will blast off into space as a teacher and astronaut next week on the space shuttle Endeavour. A previous understudy for Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died on the Challenger, Morgan will be teaching lessons that will be broadcast to students around the world on her 14-day mission.