Education News: November 30, 2007

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending November 30, 2007.

Longer School Day Appears to Boost MCAS Scores
(Source: The Boston Globe, 11/30/07):  Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, 10 struggling Massachusetts schools extended their school day by at least 25% in an effort to improve student achievement.  As a result of the experiment, the students’ scores on state standardized tests (MCAS) improved across the board.  While the results are preliminary, school systems, politicians, and education experts across the country are eager to further explore the possibilities of this approach to improving student achievement.

35-Month Term in Schools Theft, and a Message
(Source: The Washington Post, 11/30/07):  Brenda Belton, the 61-year-old D.C. charter schools executive who was convicted of stealing or misdirecting over $800,000 in education funds, was sentenced to 35 months in prison—just two months less than the maximum allowable sentence.  The sentencing came amidst a rash of embezzlement by government employees in the D.C. area, and the judge wanted to send a message that such behavior will be met with severe consequences.

Dallas Schools Approve Performance Bonuses for Teachers
(Source:  The Dallas Morning News, 11/29/07):  Despite opposition from some teachers, Dallas school trustees have approved a plan that will use $22 million in federal grants to give performance-based bonuses to the most effective teachers at 59 schools.  The $10,000 bonuses will be given based on a statistical model that uses students’ standardized test scores to determine teacher effectiveness.

Short Notice on Plan to Close Schools Angers Council
(Source:  The Washington Post, 11/29/07):  D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty and schools chancellor Michelle Rhee announced a proposal to close 24 under-enrolled schools in order to pay for new academic programs.  The announcement came suddenly and without warning, prompting ire from D.C. Council members, principals, and parents. Fenty will make a final decision on whether to close the schools in January after Rhee has conducted community hearings.

Group Urges Immediate Action to Reduce Class Sizes
(Source:  The New York Times, 11/28/07):  A new report by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity said that the New York City school system is under-utilizing resources that would allow for reduced class sizes and urged education officials to take immediate action.  The report recommended that class sizes be capped at 20 in elementary school, 23 in middle school, and 24 in high school.

No Child Law May Slight the Gifted, Experts Say
(Source: The Washington Post, 11/25/07):  Some education experts have expressed concerns that No Child Left Behind is diverting valuable educational resources from gifted children.  Due to the pressure to continually increase the number of students who pass standardized tests, they say, teachers are often forced to focus the bulk of their time on the ‘middle of the pack,’ academically speaking, and any additional time they have on students who are on the cusp of success and failure.

Minority Teachers Under-Represented in Ohio Schools
(Source:  The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, 11/24/07):  A new study has found that just 6% of Ohio’s teacher force is comprised of minorities, compared to 14% of the state’s public school students.  Experts say this is a problem because all children need role models to look up to, some of whom look like them, and because an increase in minority teachers could help reverse the trend of minority students receiving a disproportionate amount of disciplinary actions and being placed in special education programs at a higher rate.