Education News: February 29, 2008

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending February 29, 2008.

Puzzling Sickness at Des Moines School Sends 24 to Emergency Room
(Source:  The Des Moines Register, 2/29/08):  A flu-like illness swept through a fifth-grade classroom in a matter of minutes, landing 22 students and two teachers in the emergency room.  Officials are still searching for the cause of the mysterious illness at the Des Moines, Iowa, elementary school, though they have ruled out food poisoning and carbon monoxide poisoning.  One student was admitted to the hospital for observation, but the other victims were treated and sent home.

Auditors: Fragmented, Decentralized System Is Swamping Seattle District
(Source:  The Seattle Times, 2/28/08):  An audit by Phi Beta Kappa International has found that the Seattle school district is seriously beleaguered by old plans and policies and its own fragmented state.  The audit found, among other things, a lack of centralized authority and accountability, unequal educational opportunities for underprivileged children, unrealistic plans and policies that aren’t in use, and facilities in disrepair.  The school district has hired the consulting firm McKinsey and Co. to help it turn the information from this and other reviews into a strategic plan.

Mohawk Gets Ohio Child Cut Off from Kindergarten
(Source: The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, 2/28/08):  A kindergarten student in Parma, Ohio, has received a school suspension for sporting a Mohawk.  The boy’s mother was warned twice previously that the haircut was not acceptable, but the mother countered that nothing in the charter school’s handbook forbids Mohawks.  In response to the suspension, the mother says she will be transferring her son to another school.

Survey Finds Teenagers Ignorant on Basic History and Literature Questions
(Source: The New York Times, 2/27/08):  The results of a recent phone survey indicate a startling degree of ignorance about history and literature amongst American teenagers.  Fewer than half knew when the Civil War was fought, and a quarter thought Columbus came to the Americas after 1750.  The survey was commissioned by Common Core, a politically diverse group of educators and activists who would like to see public school curricula broadened after the standardized testing of NCLB caused them to narrow.

Teachers Strike Back at Students’ Online Pranks
(Source: The Christian Science Monitor, 2/25/08):  A 2006 report by the National School Boards Association found that 26 percent of teachers and principals are targeted with inappropriate language, false statements, or manipulated images posted by students online.  In response, educators are increasingly turning to civil suits, suspensions and expulsions, and some local governments are increasing penalties for cyberbullying.

Despite IB Growth, College Credit Is Elusive
(Source:  The Washington Post, 2/25/08):  Despite its growing popularity in the Washington area, International Baccalaureate (IB) classes generally do not translate into college credits for students, though Advance Placement (AP) classes often do.  Similar to AP classes, IB classes are college-level courses for high school students that culminate in a rigorous exam.  A new study by the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute showing that AP and IB curricula are similar in content and difficulty is prompting some colleges to reconsider their policies on IB classes.

1,400 Miss School in Anaheim
(Source:  The Los Angeles Times, 2/23/08):  Following a threat in the classified section of the student newspaper, over half of Savanna High’s student body stayed home from school one day last week.  The threat began, “To Metal Destroyer Militia.  Remember guys --  We all go down 2/22!!”  The Anaheim, California, school increased security and encouraged attendance on February 22nd, but 1400 of its 2200 students stayed home anyway.  No incident occurred at the school on that day.