Education News: May 14, 2010

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending May 14, 2010.

Law Could End Arizona’s Ethnic Studies Program
(New York Times, May 14th) On Tuesday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that could end ethnic studies in Tucson schools. Through finance cuts, the law would punish districts that offer ethnic curriculums which advocate racial solidarity. With Hispanic students making up 56% of Tucson schools, Mexican-American history and literature classes have become popular electives. However, recent fears that such classes advocate “destructive ethnic chauvinism” set the stage for this strict ethnic studies policy.

Maryland Stops Releasing Test Scores to Military
(USA Today, May 13th) A new Maryland law prevents the state’s high schools from automatically sending student scores to the military. The law, pushed for by the Maryland Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, is intended to limit the military’s use of students’ scores in their recruitment campaigns. While individual schools in California have used similar regulations in the past, Maryland is the first state to apply such regulations on a wide scale.

Obama Administration Urges Congress to Increase School Funding
(Washington Post, May 13th) On Thursday, the Obama administration urged congress to support a $23 billion spending bill to help schools’ financial struggles. The $23 billion would be included in a larger spending bill that lawmakers are currently drafting in order to fund wartime costs. Education Secretary Arne Duncan argued that such funding was necessary in order to avoid large scale teacher layoffs.

Michigan Entices Teachers to Retire
(Education Week, May 14th) A bill passed by the Michigan House on Friday, could save more than $670 million by enticing older teachers to retire. Governor Jennifer Granholm praised the bill as a possible solution to the state’s school funding troubles. The bill will offer increased pension for older teachers who retire this summer.

Report: One in Ten Hispanic Dropouts Receive GED
(Education Week, May 13th) Earlier this week a Pew Hispanic Center report revealed that only one in ten Hispanic high school dropouts earn a GED. With nearly 41% of Hispanics above the age of twenty without high school diplomas, the organization has stressed the importance of finding a solution. Senior research associate Richard Fry admitted that while the organization has yet to find the reason behind the disappointing figures, it is speculated that communities do not do enough to promote GED preparation courses to the Hispanic population.

Los Angeles Bill Could Allow Schools to Wave Education Laws
(USA Today, May 13th) On Thursday, the California Senate passed a bill that could punish parents if their children are habitually absent from school. The bill would consider irresponsible parenting a misdemeanor that could result in a $2,000 fine or up to a year in prison.