Zorg

Sen. Al Franken writes in an op-ed for Minnesota's Hometown Source (1/27) that to fulfill the promise of the "American Dream" to "our children, we must close the school achievement gap that is leaving so many of our children behind. Yet reversing decades of educational inequality is no easy task." According to Franken, "One of the most common features of successful schools in high-needs communities is the presence of an effective school principal. ... That's why I've introduced the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act." This bill "will create a pipeline of effective principals for high-need schools by providing high-quality programs with funding to recruit and train principals to take on the challenge of leading those schools."

The Washington Post (1/27, Anderson) reports that in a letter to the DC Council, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said, regarding her comments "about laid-off teachers" published in the magazine Fast Company, that "only one of the 266 employees the school system dismissed last fall had been accused of sexual misconduct." She also explained that "six of the laid-off employees had been suspended for using corporal punishment and two for being absent without leave 'on multiple occasions.'" Rhee "declined to apologize for telling the magazine "that some of the teachers laid off in October's budget cuts 'had sex with children,' hit them or were chronically absent without authorization."

        Rhee Urged To Be More Apologetic. Jay Mathews wrote in a "Class Struggle" blog for the Washington Post (1/26), "I think Rhee needs to be more apologetic. Her comments were over the line." Mathews writes that he fears "any political battle over this might get bad enough to get her fired, or more likely convince her to leave," adding, "I think that would have terrible consequences for D.C. schools."

        The Washington Post (1/26) editorialized, "Members of the D.C. Council had zero interest last fall in hearing from Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee about some of the bad teachers who were terminated as a result of a budgetary reduction in force. ... So, even though their interest is a little late and their motives somewhat suspect, council members are right to want to know more about the troubling circumstances Ms. Rhee recently referred to." According to the Post, Rhee "owes an apology to the dedicated teachers her words may have inadvertently hurt, but so does" the Washington Teachers Union "for its hand in enabling some of these unfit teachers to stay in the classroom."

In an article for Canada's Kelowna Capital News (1/27), HR professional and certified coach Laurie Mills writes about "the benefits of having older employees in the workforce." The changing face of the workforce, Mills writes, particularly in terms of technology needs, has created "a new breed of younger, differently educated workers whose specialized technical skills often lead them into management positions at much earlier ages. If you're an older worker, that means you could now find yourself reporting to someone the age of your son or daughter." While this "can be a bitter pill to swallow" for some older workers, Mills notes that workplace plans to bridge "generational differences in technical skills and workplace wisdom can create wonderful opportunities for mutual mentorship." Mills urges business leaders to "recognize the need for these complementary talents and...build a team culture around them to draw out the best in everyone."

Columnist Danny Westneat writes in the Seattle Times (1/27, 225K) that the Seattle Public School District's choice last year of replacing its math curriculum with the "Discovering series of math textbooks" has brought criticism that the books "are harmful enough to racial and other minorities that they violate the state constitution's guarantee of an equal education." An "appeal was brought by a handful of Seattle residents, including UW atmospheric-sciences professor Cliff Mass," who also said that the textbooks "will widen the achievement gap between whites...blacks and students with limited English skills." Said Mass "This inquiry-based math is very verbal. ... Kids who couldn't speak English at all used to be able to do math here. Now, anyone who has problems with English will not be able to learn it." Westneat asserts, "There's no doubt we need more math rigor. Less than half of 10th-graders pass the math WASL." But, he adds, "The race angle? Seems to me if the textbooks are lousy then the textbooks are lousy."

The AP (1/27) reported, "Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced Tuesday that the much-maligned Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills will be replaced with the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. The new testing system, which was mandated by the Legislature, will replace the TAKS beginning in the 2011-2012 school year." The tests are still in development, but are expected to "debut in 2013, according to the Texas Education Agency."

The Greenville News (1/26, Barnett) reported that South Carolina's Education Oversight Committee has "approved a new grading scale that widens the level schools have to reach to make Excellent and lowers the range for schools on the bottom end of the scale." Committee Executive Director Jo Anne Anderson said that "the new criteria were put in place to go along with a new standardized test the state is using" called the Palmetto Achievement Challenge. "Using a simulation based on the 2009 PASS scores, 14.7 percent of the state's elementary and middle schools would rate Excellent, with 15.8 percent rating Good, 47.3 percent rating Average, 15.9 percent Below Average, and 6.2 percent At Risk" with the new scale.

California's Press Enterprise (1/26, Straehley) reported, "The best teachers don't like the effects of the No Child Left Behind act, saying it hampers creativity in the classroom and makes it harder to teach students to love learning," according to a UC Riverside study published in Policy Matters today. Researchers "surveyed 740 national board certified teachers in California" and "found that 84 percent reported overall unfavorable attitudes about the" law. Many teachers said that "too much class time is devoted to teaching what's on the state tests, and there's little time left for creative and fun lessons." Titled, "Does the No Child Left Behind Act Help or Hinder K-12 Education," the reports also says that "teachers did see value in the focus and high expectations set by the act, but" did not see NCLB as helping students reach those standards.

        Op-Ed: Education Reform Efforts Should Focus On Bolstering Veteran Teachers' Skills. Illinois Institute of Technology science professor Leon Lederman writes in an op-ed for Education Week (1/27), "While many in government, nonprofits, and the foundation world have focused their reform ideas on attracting new blood to the teaching profession," the Illinois Teachers Academy for Mathematics and Science "experience shows that working teachers, including the most senior classroom veterans, are eager to learn new strategies to help their students master the math and science they will need to succeed in further education and in life." According to Lederman, "With modeling and in-class support, working teachers can successfully change their instructional practices. Their classrooms can become more open to the inquiry and hands-on experimentation that breed true scientific thought and understanding."

MSNBC (1/26, Carroll) reported that even though some adults "can sometimes find a positive outcome to the bullying they endured as children, there is now mounting evidence that many are left with scars - in terms of poorer mental and physical health - that can last a lifetime. A study just published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry found that adults who were bullied as children were more likely than others to suffer from depression and anxiety, as well as a host of physical ills, including fatigue, pain and a greater susceptibility to colds." According to MSNBC, "No one knows exactly how bullying might lead to future physical health problems, says the study's lead author, Dr. Stephen Allison, a researcher in the department of psychiatry at Flinders University of South Australia. But, he adds, scientists suspect that the daily stress of being bullied can translate into long-term damage to your body."

The Toronto Sun (1/27, Lem) reports that according to a report by the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, "Toronto elementary teachers say they're overworked" and "bogged down by administrative matters and unrealistic curriculum requirements, which hinder their ability to teach." The report is based on interviews with 81 teachers, and "found that while teachers are satisfied with the opportunity to work with children and colleagues in a positive, wider school community, and the salary and benefits of the job, there are a number of issues they're not happy with." For instance, several teachers said that there are not enough "resources available" at their schools "to serve the growing number of students with special needs." They also "said they're obliged to give undue priority to forcing information on students and teaching too quickly under unreasonable pressure."

California's Southwest Riverside News Network (1/26, Arballo) reported that students at Oak Meadows Elementary School in the Menifee Union School District "will have the option of using an alternative dictionary rather than one that was temporarily removed from the classroom because of language a parent found objectionable." The Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition and the McGraw-Hill School Dictionary have been approved by a review committee for use by fourth and fifth graders at the school. However, the McGraw Hill Dictionary requires parental consent. Southwest Riverside News Network notes that Menifee "had been at the center of a growing controversy since word of the dictionary's removal became public." A district spokeswoman "said she had been busy fielding many media calls and that some had wrongly believed the district had removed all dictionaries from classrooms."

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