Quick Hits

Mass. board orders closure of charter after cheating investigation: Massachusetts school board officials voted to close Springfield's Robert M. Hughes Academy charter school after a state investigation revealed teachers and staff crossed ethical lines in helping students with state tests administered last spring. Upset that none of the teachers or staff reported the cheating, the school board rejected suggestions that it allow the school to remain open with a change of leadership. The school will be closed at the end of this school year. (The Boston Globe)

New Jersey to pilot community service as a graduation requirement: New Jersey is studying whether to require high-school students to participate in community service activities to graduate. A pilot program set to begin this fall at 15 high schools across the state will require incoming freshmen to complete 20 hours of service -- in or out of school -- over four years. An official at one school that has required community service as part of the high-school social studies curriculum says the activities have been beneficial for students. "It's changed our environment," she said. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Dismissal policies are shown to affect teacher absences in Chicago: Nontenure teachers in Chicago missed fewer days of school when principals were given more authority to fire them, a study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research showed. Under the policy, teacher absences fell by 10%, while the number of teachers who had 15 or more absences in a year fell by 20%. Tim Daly, president of the group New Teacher Project, called the study noteworthy. "Teacher attendance is an overlooked aspect of performance that we know has a direct impact on students," he said. (Education Week)

Teacher creates golf course project to enhance math learning: Texas math teacher Trudy Pzynski created a yearlong project in which her eighth-grade students design a golf course as a practical application of their math skills. Students work in small groups and use linear and quadratic functions and other computations to design and build 3-D models. They also research the business of golf and develop promotional materials for fictitious potential investors. "It was all about finding ways to show the kids how they can use math in the real world," Pzynski said. (Austin American-Statesman)

NYC panel votes to close 19 schools amid concerns over public input: The panel that oversees New York City schools -- with the majority of members appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- voted to close 19 underperforming schools. The Panel for Educational Policy, which is required to take public input into account in their decision-making, approved all of Bloomberg's recommended closures, drawing criticism from students and teachers who said the vote was perfunctory. "In the end, the nature of mayoral control is that the mayor makes the tough decisions," schools Chancellor Joel Klein said. "That's what it's all about." (The New York Times)

Recess before lunch helps youths eat, behave better in school: A simple switch to allow school-children to have recess first and then lunch may help them eat healthier and behave better in class, according to this blog post. A school nurse at North Ranch Elementary in Scottsdale, Ariz., suggested the change nearly a decade ago. The school tracked the results, which included less wasted food and fewer visits to the nurse's office. (The New York Times)

School board approves agreement in Florida desegregation case: School board members in Florida's Orange County voted unanimously to approve a settlement in a desegregation case that has caused the district to be subject to federal oversight since 1962. Among the provisions of the agreement: The district will fast-track renovations to 17 schools in low-income, predominantly black neighborhoods, set new goals for recruiting minority teachers, and ensure equal access for students to extracurricular activities. The district also must hire consultants to monitor compliance with the agreement, which a federal judge must also sign off on. (Orlando Sentinel)

School considers cuts to science labs to focus on achievement gap: Some parents and educators are protesting a plan by officials at California's Berkeley High School to eliminate a number of advanced science labs -- attended primarily by white students -- to help fund programs for struggling minority students. The science courses helped students achieve high passing rates for Advanced Placement exams last year, but some say funding for the labs are needed to help narrow a wide achievement gap -- just 30.8% of Berkeley High's black students are proficient in English, compared with more than 90% of white students. (Los Angeles Times)

Do female teachers who are uneasy with math pass on anxiety to girls?: Women teachers could be passing their math anxiety on to girls, according to University of Chicago researchers who surveyed the attitudes of female first- and second-grade teachers about math. Researchers found that girls with teachers who were uneasy about the subject were more likely to believe that boys were better than girls at math. Female students who believed the stereotype scored lower than other students on math tests, the study found. (Chicago Tribune)

Audit to look at Detroit teachers' time in the classroom: Detroit school officials are planning an audit to determine if teachers are spending too much time on administrative duties and not enough time working with students. The study was prompted by complaints that principals have teachers performing administrative tasks during a time when budget cuts and other factors have caused classes to grow to as many as 50 students per class. (Detroit Free Press)