School board member sues district: Board member Susan Dunn Fangman of Cold Spring and her husband Gregory Allen Fangman, filed suit Jan. 30 on behalf of their 16-year-old son against two Campbell County High School freshman basketball team coaches alleging that during practice, the coaches instructed the freshman basketball team to participate "in a full contact drill which included activities which were inherently dangerous and subjected the participants of the freshman basketball team to serious physical injury." (NKy.com)
Union County Rejects State Help to Improve: Vowing to move his district to a top 50 ranking in one year, the superintendent of the Union County school district has made the unusual decision to turn down an offer of team assistance from the Kentucky Department of Education. (Gleaner)
Elementary teacher allegedly threatens principal, must be followed by security: A fourth grade teacher at a Louisville elementary school has been followed by a security guard for the last three weeks. Jefferson County Public Schools says the teacher allegedly made a threat against the principal of Wilt Elementary. But parents want to know why the teachers is still at Wilt with the same principal. (WHAS11)
Former Dixie principal gets five years in prison: The former principal of Dixie Elementary was sentenced to five years in prison today for his role in stealing more than $69,000 from the school. (C-J)
Draud's car sells on Ebay: It appears the controversy surrounding Jon Draud's car has finally come to an end.As I reported last week, the state was attempting to sell the car of the former education commissioner on eBay -- after no one met the reserve price the first time.The second auction ended Friday with a final bid of $24,100. So if the final bidder follows through and actually purchases the car, it appears the state will take a loss of about $6,500 on the car. (Toni Konz)
Poll: Most Minn. principals expect schools to fail under NCLB by 2014: Some 97% of about 700 Minnesota principals surveyed by think tank Minnesota 2020 say they do not think every school will reach federal NCLB standards by 2014. "This isn't just the opinion of a couple academics, it's not the opinion of a few folks who are line leadership who may have an ax to grind. These are the folks who actually have to make it work, and they're saying it doesn't," said former state lawmaker Matt Entenza, who formed the group that polled school leaders. (Minnesota Public Radio)
Group files lawsuit to prevent takeover of schools by La: Teachers and parents are suing the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, state Superintendent Paul Pastorek and the Louisiana Attorney General's Office in an effort to stop the planned state takeover of eight struggling Baton Rouge public schools. (The Advocate)
Learning with Blogs and Wikis: In a 2002 report for the Albert Shanker Institute, Richard Elmore, professor of educational leadership at Harvard, argues that school structures make learning for adults unlikely at best and nothing short of impossible at worst. In a recent article, the author examines Elmore's stance that schools are hostile to learning and how changing times and tools have changed the school landscape. (ASCD Educational Leadership)
School librarians teach 21st-century skills: Like many modern school librarians, Stephanie Rosalia, does far more than just shelve books, but some in the profession fail to get recognition for their expanded skills. Some media specialists today teach children about the reliability of Internet information, how to design PowerPoint presentations and edit digital videos. (The New York Times)
Student clickers benefit teachers, too: An Illinois teacher says student clickers -- a type of instant-response system -- are changing the way he teaches. Students use wireless devices to answer questions with a yes or no or multiple-choice answer, allowing Daniel Hile to know instantly which students are struggling and which topics he should cover more thoroughly. (The News-Gazette)
Stimulus Bill Promotes Stable, Adequate Funding: The $789 billion federal stimulus bill, which was passed by Congress last weekend, allocates roughly $100 billion for educational purposes. This figure is almost double the U.S. Department of Education’s $59.2 billion discretionary budget---and gives promise to education advocates that the Obama administration will live up to its commitment to reform and improve education in the United States. (National ACCESS Network) For specific details on the amount of funding for which each state is eligible under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, see the recent report of The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
CATS changes require careful approach: Once again, the Kentucky Senate is in a hurry to pull the rug from under the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, or CATS, Kentucky's method of determining how well schools are performing. On a vote of 36-0 earlier this week, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1, which would eliminate CATS and replace it with a testing system that relies heavily on a national test available off the shelf. (Messenger-Inquirer)
Success of Finland's schools intrigues educators: Educators in Texas are looking to Finland for ideas on how to close achievement gaps among students and improve math and science performance. School reformers in Texas are considering mirroring some steps Finland has taken, including the establishment of one curriculum for all schools, setting high standards for all students while providing help for those who need it and allowing well-trained teachers the freedom to teach. (The Dallas Morning News)
Study: Music participation can help boost student achievement: Students who take music lessons -- especially during high school -- or who attend concerts with their parents score better in math and reading than their nonmusical peers, according to a study from Ohio State University researchers. However, unequal access to music lessons may hurt blacks, Hispanics and low-income students, researchers said. (ScienceDaily)
Why aren't more minority children enrolled in advanced classes?: As more Florida middle-school students enroll in high-school classes in the hopes of getting ahead, some educators worry that black and Hispanic children are being left behind, creating de facto segregation. Most of the Florida middle-school students taking advanced classes are white, even at some schools where the total student population is overwhelmingly minority, a newspaper analysis found. (Orlando Sentinel)
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