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May 9, 2007

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Eye on Curriculum

Oregon school finds close relationships key to success
At Oregon's Mt. Tabor Middle School, average test scores are 15 points higher than the state average for middle schools. The 630-student east Portland campus divided itself into three smaller schools to create close ties between teachers and students, to keep students on track and guide them through the ups and downs of adolescence. The Oregonian (Portland) (5/7)

City councilor calls for mandatory daily physical education
A Boston city councilor is urging the city's school committee to mandate an average 45 minutes of daily physical education in schools. Boston schools, like many schools across the country, cut physical education classes in order to preserve time and resources for core academic subjects. The Boston Globe (free registration) (5/8)

New from ESR! Connected and Respected: Lessons from the Resolving Conflict Creatively Program helps students develop SEL skills vital to academic success, building relationships and making positive connections. The books have 16 practical, ready-to-use, sequenced lessons per grade level, with easy-to-follow instructions. Click here for info.

Professional Leadership

Freed from federal oversight, some in Little Rock question progress
Fifty years after the epic desegregation battle in Little Rock, the community is still divided over educational issues. Some are questioning what progress the district has made in a half century of desegregation. NYTimes.com (5/8)

Former Detroit superintendent files lawsuit
Former Detroit superintendent William Coleman III filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging the school board, in an act of retaliation, discharged him after he reported what he believed to be financial impropriety on the part of the district's CFO. The Detroit News (5/8)

Other News

Pittsburgh district proposes cutting 203 positions
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (5/8)

How does a master teacher manage reading conferences? Take your staff into Debbie Miller's first grade classroom with the DVD The Joy of Conferring. Observe a wide range of conferences, see how to quickly check in with every student, and discover new ways of getting children to select the right books. Click here for details!

Technology Solutions

Technology, props help special educator teach to all
Crystal MacLarty uses whatever it takes for her students with varied special needs to understand her lessons: a slide presentation, felt boards with cutouts, toy props and technology. Using a teaching method called Universal Design for Learning, MacLarty adapts visual, tactile and auditory materials to her students' varied needs and skills. The Salem News (Mass.) (5/7)

Ruling: NYC schools may legally ban cellphones
A New York City rule prohibiting students from bringing cellphones into public schools is constitutional, a New York Supreme Court justice ruled this week. Some parents sought to overturn the ban, but the justice said in a 50-page decision that the rule was a reasonable way to prevent students from using cellphones in school; the parents' attorney said they are considering an appeal. NYTimes.com (5/8)

What Works Clearinghouse Gives AR the green light. The U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse has confirmed what K-12 teachers at more than 60,000 schools already know--Accelerated Reader works. Click here for more information and to read the news release.

Policy Watch

Paper: At least one Milwaukee educator assaulted daily
Milwaukee school employees are being assaulted at a rate of more than one per day with at least half of the attacks occurring in elementary and middle schools, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found in a four-part investigative report. Despite this, none of Milwaukee's schools are among the 40 nationally labeled as "persistently dangerous" under NCLB. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (5/5)

Britain asks mostly-white schools to pair up with diverse ones
In an effort to combat racial and ethnic segregation, Britain will mandate that by this fall schools with predominately white pupils pair up with ethnically-diverse schools to give pupils a chance to mix with those from different backgrounds. School leaders called the move unnecessary. BBC (5/7), The Guardian (London) (5/8), The Independent (London) (5/8)

Outsourcing homework help
India-based virtual tutors are increasingly providing tutoring for U.S. children at a discounted rate vs. the $40 to $100 an hour that southern California tutors typically charge. But a report from the Educational Policy Research Unit of Arizona State University found that, so far, schools are struggling to pay for tutoring, whether domestic or outsourced abroad. Los Angeles Times (5/6)

Other News

Utah governor now anticipates November vote on vouchers
The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) (5/8)

In the Field

Infants and toddlers watching more TV
According to research from the University of Washington, 40% of three-month old infants and 90% of 2-year-olds are watching TV on a regular basis, and there is a 24-hour network geared toward these youngsters, as well as video series like Baby Einstein providing programming. The Seattle Times (5/8), SeattlePI.com (5/8)

Study: Too much TV leads to attention, learning problems: Teens who watch TV three or more hours daily are at higher risk for attention and learning disorders, new research suggests. Forbes/HealthDay News (5/7)

Column: Standardized college exams show testing out of control
A federal commission's recommendation of mandatory standardized tests for college students, as a condition for institutions receiving federal financial aid, infuriates Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat. College-level learning is so individualized and shaped by a student's major that there's nothing standard about it, he writes. The Seattle Times (5/6)

The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)

MUSIC EDUCATION HAS NEVER BEEN SMARTER (OR EASIER!). Sibelius Groovy Music series makes teaching music to primary children easy and fun. Groovy Shapes (5-7 years), Groovy Jungle (7-9 years) and Groovy City (9-11 years) will start kids playing fast, and keep them playing for life. Come discover why Groovy is the world's most popular music education software!

Discovering New Horizons: Leadership Coaching for the 21st Century Principal. Teachers21 has authored a Leadership Coaching book, in collaboration with ATLAS Communities, which will change school-wide and district-wide leadership practices critical to ensuring large-scale improvements in student performance. Learn more and order the book at www.teachers21.org.

Attend McREL's Balanced Leadership^TM Institutes to learn from our ASCD book, School Leadership that Works, how to focus your school on the right things, build a school community committed to success, and manage change. Four 2-day sessions are offered as part of the McREL Summer 2007 Professional Development series held in Denver, Colorado.

The professional opportunity of a lifetime! The U.S. Department of State sponsored Fulbright Teacher Exchange arranges direct one-to-one international exchanges to more than twenty-five countries for teachers and administrators from K-12 schools as well as two-year and four-year colleges. For more information: www.fulbrightexchanges.org

Interested in learning more about advertising in ASCD SmartBrief? Contact Joe Riddle at (202) 407-7857 or jriddle@smartbrief.com.

Association News

From Coal to Diamonds -- 2006 OYEA Winner Sees Students as Gems
The 2006 OYEA Winner, Joris Ray, emphasizes the importance of thinking about where people are going, rather than focusing strictly on where they are. This month's Education Update examines Ray's perspective that alternative schools should be as respected as international baccalaureate programs and magnet schools, because they increase graduation rates and help students believe in themselves. Read More.
- Also Available: See other articles in the Education Update issue, Time Well Spent.

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