Education News: October 24, 2008

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending October 24, 2008.

Effect on Schools Becomes an Issue Regarding California’s Proposition 8
(LA Times, October 18th, 2008)  As Election Day draws near, a new issue has arisen in the debate over Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment in California that would ban same sex marriage.  With strong feelings on both sides, the law’s supporters recently rallied behind the notion that failure to pass the law would result in widespread discussions of same sex marriages in schools.  They claim that this would teach students that such marriages are moral, pointing to a Massachusetts school where students were read a story about two princes marrying.  Those who oppose the bill say this is just a fear tactic, reminding that there is no mention of schools or curriculum in the amendment.

Absenteeism Out of Control in NYC Elementary Schools
(New York Times, October 20th, 2008)  According to a report released on Tuesday, about 20% of all NYC elementary school students, 24% of middle school students and 40% of high school students missed at least a month of school last year.  Truancy is more of a problem for poor and minority students, hindering their ability to succeed in school which widens the achievement gap between them and middle-class students.  The report focuses on elementary school students as their truancy is discussed less often, but is believed to worsen over time and lead to dropouts.  While the study doesn’t offer comparable historical data, absenteeism is believed to have improved under mayor Bloomberg.

Experts Call “Time-Out” Rooms Abuse and Ineffective
(USA Today, October 20th, 2008)  A lawsuit was recently filed by parents in Des Moines, Iowa after their daughter, an 8-year old girl with autism, was given a “time-out” for failing to finish a reading assignment by being left in a converted storage area for three hours until she wet herself and was allowed to leave.  Some educators believe that similar “time-out” rooms are being used with increased frequency for kids with behavioral disorders, often doing more harm than good if the child prefers to be alone and because it removes the child from the positive atmosphere of learning.  Others believe “time-out” rooms can be very effective if used properly, giving the student time to calm down and think about appropriate behavior.

First Maryland School Goes Green
(USA Today, October 20th, 2008)  Great Seneca Elementary School became the first school in Maryland to receive certification as “eco-friendly” by implementing eco-friendly practices, such as waterless urinals and partitions made of recycled bottles, and educating students about the environment.  Certification was given by the U.S. Green Building Council, who, along with the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, is one of the two most active organizations in certification of schools.  States are jumping on the green bandwagon as well, with Florida and Maryland joining Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington in requiring their schools to meet green building standards, with many more offering incentives for green practices. 

Federal Judge Upholds NYC Ban on Teacher Buttons
(USA Today, October 20th, 2008)  Last Friday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that NYC is allowed to ban teachers from wearing politically charged buttons, but stated that teachers were allowed to post on union bulletin boards and distribute materials in teachers’ mailboxes.  Schools Chancellor Joel Klein was happy with the result, and Union Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said the Union will probably wait until after the election to decide what further action is needed.

College Board Unveils New Test for 8th Graders to Prepare for High School
(New York Times, October 22nd, 2008)  The College Board, who owns the SAT and PSAT tests, announced its plan to begin offering a new test called ReadiStep next fall intended for 8th graders as a diagnostic tool to help identify the students’ strengths and weaknesses.  The new test may be a way for The College Board to combat the growing percentage of students taking the ACT and criticisms against the SAT and other standardized tests in college admissions.  Some see this as just another pre-college standardized exam with little purpose.  The test will cost $10 dollars per student (paid for by schools and districts), take two hours, and be divided into three multiple-choice sections of critical reading, writing skills and mathematics.  Research suggests that there will be strong interest in the new test.

Increased Sexually Aggressive Behavior Among Students Prompts LA Conference
(New York Times, October 23rd, 2008)  A recent conference in LA brought educators together with police in order better recognize abuse and harassment, and how to respond to such behavior.  The event was sponsored by the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and the Los Angeles Unified School District, and was put on in response to an increase in the last year sexual assaults on students by both teachers and other students.  The conference advocated vigilance on the parts of students and teachers, increased coordination in the district and the concept that a teacher should never hesitate to turn in a colleague.

Rutland, VT Teacher Dismissed for Testifying Against Sex Offenders
(Boston Globe, October 23, 2008)  Chuck Laramie, an English and History teacher at an alternative school who has worked with juvenile sex offenders for sixteen years, lost his job in September only a few weeks after to a legislative committee on the likelihood of offenders to commit new crimes.  After the Howard Center for Human Services, the funding source for the school, asked for his dismissal, Laramie had the choice of taking a position at an affiliated school with a substantial pay cut, or leaving.  Laramie feels that this was in response to his testimony of increased likelihood of committing another offense and opinion that records should be made public to police and prosecutors if problems arise later in life, despite his repeated insistence that these were personal views and not those of the school.  School officials claim that the dismissal was based on an incident in June regarding Laramie and another teacher restraining a student.  Laramie claims no disciplinary action was taken against the other teacher.