Education News: December 28, 2007 & January 4, 2008

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending December 28, 2007 & January 4, 2008.

Evolution Book Sees No Science-Religion Gap
(Source: The New York Times, 1/4/08):  The National Academy of Sciences has published a new, evolution-themed book that outlines the distinctions between science and religion and makes the argument that accepting the theory of evolution need not conflict with a belief in God.  The book is intended for laypeople, especially teachers and school board members, according to a representative from the Academy.

Exit Exam Disability Guidelines Up in the Air
(Source: The Sacramento Bee, 1/4/08):  California education officials are struggling with the issue of how and whether to administer the high school exit exam to special education students.  Until 2008, special education students were exempt from the exam, but going forward they will have to pass it to graduate unless a settlement is reached or the policy is changed.  Most advocates of special education students believe that alternatives to the exit exam, such as turning in yearly portfolios of school work, should be available.

Teachers Clean Up Vandalized Classrooms
(Source: The Los Angeles Times, 1/3/08):  Nearly 60 incidents of vandalism over winter break have been reported by schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  At McKinley Avenue Elementary School, where the vandalism was the worst, teachers had to skip a day of planned professional development in order to clean the school.

Hearings on School Closures Multiply
(Source: The Washington Post, 12/28/07):  D.C. mayor Adrien Fenty’s administration has announced that separate community hearings will be held on January 17 at each of the 23 schools that the mayor and schools chancellor Michelle Rhee wish to close.  Many residents objected to this news, claiming that the mayor is trying to divide those who oppose him rather than allowing them to make a united stand.

DISD Tries Online Courses for Students Deficient in English
(Source:  The Dallas Morning News, 12/26/07):  Beginning in January, Spanish-speaking high school students in Dallas will have the opportunity to receive instruction in Spanish online.  This will allow the students to focus on mastering the content of their classes rather than continually struggling to understand what their teachers are saying.  Some experts say, however, that the measure does not go far enough as the students must still take their tests in English.

Fever Can Lift Fog of Autism
(Source: The Baltimore Sun, 12/26/07):  A new study from Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute indicates that fevers temporarily alleviate the symptoms of autism in children, an effect that has long been observed by parents but that had never previously been studied.  The finding suggests that autism may be more of a physiological disorder than a behavioral one and provides hope that a treatment or cure could eventually be developed.

Parents Defend School’s Use of Shock Therapy
(Source: The New York Times, 12/25/07):  The Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Massachusetts, is the only school in the nation that still uses electric shocks to curb problematic behaviors in its most troubled students.  New York State has taken an official stand against the practice and has moved to ban its use on New York students who are sent to the school.  However, parents of the children receiving the shocks generally do not support the ban, claiming that the shock therapy has allowed their children to scale back on personality-dulling medications.