Quick Hits

Calif. district makes gains using RTI with English-language learners: California's Chula Vista Elementary School District has seen a dramatic increase in the reading and math test scores of English-language learners since it began using a response-to-intervention approach with those students. The RTI process involves three tiers of progressively intensive individualized instruction, with the third tier reserved for the students who are struggling the most. With ELL students in Chula Vista, third-tier instruction is aimed at ensuring a language barrier is not being mistaken for a learning disability, which would result in a special-education placement. (Education Week)

Video series teaches science of the Olympic Winter Games: A free video series from NBC and the National Science Foundation uses the Winter Olympics and athletes to explain scientific principles and could be used as a resource for teachers interested in incorporating the games in Vancouver, Canada -- broadcast from Feb. 12 to 28 -- into their lessons. The videos include a look at how angular momentum allows figure skaters to perform, the role of Newton's Three Laws of Motion in speedskating and other principles. (eSchool News)

Charter-school bills face resistance in Alabama legislature: Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is facing resistance in the legislature over his proposal for allowing charter schools in the state. Bills in both chambers of the legislature have stalled and could face long delays before being considered by lawmakers. "With the drought of money already, I have difficulty doing something that would split the money any further," said the chairman of the state Senate's education budget committee. (Montgomery Advertiser)

Massachusetts school takes whole-child approach to learning: A nationally recognized Massachusetts elementary school has an Open Circle curriculum that focuses on communication, cooperation, respect, responsibility and assertiveness as keys to educating the whole child. Developed by Wellesley College, Open Circle includes lessons on coping with teasing, deciphering body language and learning how to be a good listener as part of a premise that these skills help prepare students to lead productive and fulfilling lives. The school is being profiled for the Department of Education's Web site. (Daily Gazette)

Students build digital cameras to learn science, engineering concepts: Students in New York are among the first to participate in a pilot program spearheaded by Columbia University to learn science and engineering concepts by building a fully functioning digital camera from a kit. Students from India, Vietnam and Japan were also given kits, and all students are being asked to share pictures taken with their cameras on BigShotCamera.org. (Video at NY1)

Mississippi students visit Reality Town for financial education: Ninth-graders in a Mississippi county will make a three-day visit to Reality Town, a life-skills workshop meant to teach them how their achievement in high school will likely affect their futures. Students receive an amount of virtual money that is based on their first-semester grades and use it to purchase cars, insurance, utilities and other necessities, while facing surprise expenses such as medical bills and car repairs. "We want our kids to graduate as informed consumers and informed citizens," one superintendent said. (The Daily Leader)

Online school enrolls at-risk students in suburban Detroit: An online high-school program in a suburban Detroit school district is drawing a growing number of students who dropped out of or were expelled from traditional schools, and it is also being credited with increasing enrollment for the district. The Cyber School offers students an iMac laptop, a home Internet connection and the flexibility to work at their own pace -- though they must log on daily -- toward earning a high-school diploma by following a Web-based curriculum. (The Detroit News)

Indiana bill to end social promotion is in danger due to funding: An Indiana bill to end the social promotion of third-graders who are not proficient in reading may not become law because of a lack of funding to implement it, some lawmakers said. State officials estimate the initiative would cost about $49 million per year for additional testing and intervention programs, money that the state does not have. Indiana education chief Tony Bennett pledged to fight for the legislation, but a top state senator said that "with our current fiscal condition, we can't pile on the liabilities down the road." (The Indianapolis Star)

Unionized charter schools are becoming more common: Unionized charter schools have become more common over the past year and a half -- with some teachers unionizing over work conditions and some charter operators insisting on working with union teachers. Supporters say the movement can make charters a leader in innovative education and labor agreements. Union leaders say it is a "new path" for charters, but critics worry that unions are a distraction to such schools. (Harvard Education Letter)

Resilience training helps students fight depression, manage stress: A curriculum designed by behavioral therapy researchers is providing middle-school students with resilience training to help them think more positively and ward off depression and anxiety that can affect achievement. At the KIPP Infinity Charter School in New York City's West Harlem, students take "Emotional Health 101" to help them develop reality-based skills for coping with challenging situations. "The evidence is starting to accumulate that these skills can help prevent depression, and they have powerful effects," the program's creator said. (National Public Radio)

Innovative programs draw students, funding in Minnesota: Language-immersion schools, gifted-and-talented programs and a multi-age classroom for students whose IQ is higher than 145 are among the programs available to students across Minnesota, where open enrollment has districts competing to attract students and funding. "There is a sense throughout Minnesota that we need to innovate," said a spokeswoman for the Minnetonka district, which was losing students but now attracts more students than it loses to open enrollment by a ratio of almost 6-to-1. (Star Tribune)

Opinion: States need new incentives to raise academic standards: The upcoming revision to No Child Left Behind provides an opportunity to remove incentives for states to lower their standards for student proficiency in math and reading, writes Manhattan Institute senior fellow Marcus Winters. School quality should be measured in not only proficiency levels but in how much progress students make from year to year, he argues. A system should also be developed to compare and reward the difficulty of states' exams as a way to encourage the adoption of tougher standards, Winters writes. (Los Angeles Times)

Professional learning communities help teachers improve lessons, school: Professional learning communities -- made up of educators and members of the community -- offer teachers resources for making improvements in the classroom as well as changes to the culture of their schools. "We need to let go of the idea that heroic individuals will change schools," says an education consultant who helps schools establish PLCs. "Instead of looking for superheroes, we need to work collectively to help everyone be successful." (Edutopia magazine)

Massachusetts governor signs sweeping education reforms into law: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law a comprehensive education-reform bill that allows for an increase in the number of charter schools and grants superintendents more authority to dismiss ineffective teachers and make sweeping changes in struggling districts. The reforms are designed to position the state to qualify for $250 million in federal Race to the Top money. (The Boston Globe)

San Francisco charter teaches leadership skills using "four R's": Four-fifths of the seniors at San Francisco's City Arts and Technology High School -- part of the Envision Schools charter network -- enroll in four-year colleges. The school relies on "four R's -- rigor, relevance, relationships and results" -- to guide its teaching methodology. Educators create team projects that build academic and leadership skills while keeping lessons relevant to the lives of students -- 60% of whom come from low-income households. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Dismissal policy based on testing wins support of Houston school board: School board members in Houston gave preliminary approval to a policy giving administrators the authority to dismiss teachers whose students consistently perform poorly on standardized tests. Officials said the goal of the policy is not to fire more teachers, but to help improve teacher effectiveness as well as student achievement. "Quite frankly, if we were that good, why do 100,000 of our kids read below grade level?" district Superintendent Terry Grier said. (Houston Chronicle)

Alabama legislators block teacher ethics code: Alabama state lawmakers have passed a resolution rejecting a teacher code of ethics that had been approved by the state school board. A state teachers union official said the code should be a policy -- not a law -- and that the change would leave the code open to legal interpretation. A spokesman for Gov. Bob Riley said the governor supports the code and plans to veto the attempt to block it. "These standards aren't vague. They are common sense and something all parents, teachers and legislators should support," Riley said in a statement. (The Birmingham News)