Quick Hits

5 districts compete for $1 million urban-education prize: Five school districts are competing for the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education, which annually honors a large urban district doing the most to improve student achievement. The four finalists will receive $250,000 and the winner will get $1 million -- all for college scholarships. The districts being considered are: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina; Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia; Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland; and Socorro Independent School District and Ysleta Independent School district, both in El Paso, Texas. (U.S. News & World Report) (The Washington Post)

Texas works to maintain local control of education: Officials in Texas are resisting the Obama administration's federal education-reform initiatives and some residents support their stance to maintain local control. The state has chosen not to participate in the Race to the Top grant competition, is not planning to endorse national academic standards in English and math and is set to adopt a social studies curriculum that includes an emphasis on Christianity that sets it apart from most other states. "We've got a good system here, and we don't need anybody messing with it," one parent said. (The Washington Post)

Colorado mulls over applying for next round of Race to the Top: Colorado education officials are unsure about the state's chances in the second round of the federal Race to the Top grant competition. Officials did not have statewide union and district support for education reforms for the first round, and getting the groups to buy in to undefined changes to teacher evaluations and tenure promises to be difficult. "I think there is some serious discussion going on about 'Is this worth it?'" one teachers union spokeswoman said. (The Denver Post)

Budget cuts are threatening preschool programs in Louisiana: More parents are seeking spots for their children in Louisiana public preschools, but dwindling funds for early-childhood programs has many schools struggling to meet demand. Some schools are charging tuition for middle- and upper-income students to attend preschool programs, and some charter schools are eliminating early-childhood programs. "We have to be sure our commitment to serve 4-year-olds does not take resources away from our third-graders," one charter-school director said. (The Times-Picayune)

Connecticut Supreme Court Holds that the State Constitution Guarantees Students the Right to an Adequate Education: After almost two years of deliberation, the Connecticut Supreme Court held last week in Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, Inc v. Rell, that Article eighth, § 1 of the State Constitution has a qualitative dimension that guarantees all students an adequate education. In doing so, the Court reversed the trial court’s dismissal of the adequacy claims in plaintiff’s complaint and sent the case back for a trial to determine whether the state’s educational resources and standards have, in fact, provided public school students with constitutionally suitable educational opportunities. (ACCESS)

Thinking like a scientist or historian can give depth to reading: Teachers can improve reading comprehension by having students read books through a disciplinary lens, according to Connie Juel, a Stanford University professor of education, and Heather Hebard, Julie Park Haubner and Meredith Moran, who are doctoral candidates at the university. They describe the strategies that scientists, historians and writers use, showing students, for example, how to look for evidence, wrestle with contradictions and build a scene as the professionals do. (Educational Leadership)

Students spend far less time reading than using media: Students between ages 8 and 18 spend almost eight hours each day using entertainment media, such as computers, video games, cell phones and television, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study. However, students in that same age range spend an average of just 25 minutes each day reading a book.(Times Daily)

Louisiana district hopes to help at-risk students with new charter school: A charter school is set to open this August in Louisiana's Jefferson Parish, and officials hope it will reduce the district's dropout rate. The Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy -- which will be open year-round for half days to allow students to work or take care of family needs -- aims to recruit up to 80 at-risk students for its first year and will feature a self-paced curriculum, online courses, service-learning opportunities and the chance to take classes at the community college where the school will be based. (The Times-Picayune)

District uses IB program to focus on inquiry-based learning: Teachers in a Michigan district are using the International Baccalaureate program to redesign how they teach. The program relies on an inquiry-based style of learning, which allows students to ask questions to arrive at answers on their own. "They're not telling students the answers, they're pulling them out," West Ottawa Superintendent Patricia Koeze said. (The Holland Sentinel)

Movement aims to halt passage of performance-pay bill in Florida: Teachers, parents and students in Florida are protesting a legislative proposal to partially tie teacher pay to test scores and make it easier for teachers to be dismissed. Protests include a phone and e-mail campaign to legislators and Gov. Charlie Crist; a Facebook page, "Stop Senate Bill 6"; and a rally scheduled to take place today at the state Capitol in Tallahassee. The bill has received approval in the state Senate and is headed to the House. (The Miami Herald)

New teacher-licensing rules are signed into law in Indiana: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed into law rules for teacher licensing that emphasize subject expertise over teaching methods. The rules go into effect July 31 and will require all new teachers for grades 5-12 to major in their chosen subject area and minor in education. The regulations also include changes to make it easier for career-changers to earn teaching licenses and for existing teachers to be re-licensed or change subjects by passing content exams. (The Indianapolis Star) (The Journal Gazette)

Houston considers new disciplinary-transfer policy: Houston schools chief Terry Grier is proposing a plan to allow students with minor disciplinary problems to transfer to other district schools rather than the district's alternative schools. The policy would apply only to nonviolent offenders, offering them a second chance to attend a traditional school. "The feeling is, rather than expel them from the system, we will counsel them and place them in another school with an opportunity to start over," said the superintendent of New Orleans' Recovery district, which has a similar policy. (Houston Chronicle)

Education reforms become law in Washington state: A sweeping education-reform package was signed into law Monday by Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire. Officials hope the reforms, which include changes to teacher and principal evaluations and methods for the state to intervene at struggling schools, will position the state to win a share of the second round of federal Race to the Top funds. "We will compete," Gregoire said. "But win or lose Race to the Top, we're going to guarantee that our kids are successful." (The Seattle Times)

Beyond Texas: Other states grapple with history curricula: Texas has grabbed much of the attention, but other states are also grappling with changes to their history curricula. The problem, educators say, is that viewpoints vary on who should be included and how much attention certain aspects should get. In North Carolina, for example, officials are reworking a draft of new social-studies standards after critics said it shortchanged U.S. history for high-schoolers, while Ohio is being criticized for not requiring courses in modern world history. (Education Week)

Pa. elementary with "no excuses" motto named a top charter school: Propel McKeesport in Pennsylvania was selected as the nation's top charter elementary school after its students showed impressive results on state tests. The award, from the Effective Practice Incentive Community initiative, means $100,000 for Propel's staff, who will share their formula for success with other schools. Teachers say the school -- where 85% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch -- sets high learning and behavior goals for students through a "no excuses" policy and places a high priority on staff collaboration. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Technology's role in classrooms is reaching a turning point: Smartphones and other hand-held, networked devices have the ability to revolutionize the way educators teach and children learn -- and companies, government entities and organizations alike are launching programs to unlock their potential. The Education Department has set aside $5 billion for pilot technology programs, foundations have started educational-investing ventures and companies such as Google, Nokia and Sony have distributed hand-held devices to classrooms. (Fast Company)

Wyoming assessment exams is plagued by glitches: Technical problems with Wyoming's statewide assessment tests have educators and state officials questioning the validity of the exam results. Faulty protractors and computer glitches during the online portion of the test have plagued the Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students and its testing company, NCS Pearson. Teachers worry that the problems, which occur during test-taking, will hurt student scores. (Star-Tribune)

Debate over proposed common standards in Calif. revives "math wars": Educators and mathematicians in California are split over whether the state should adopt national standards for teaching mathematics, with some comparing the debate to the "math wars" of the 1990s. The proposed common standards have students spending more time on in-depth study before moving to new concepts, but critics say the curriculum would be a step back for California's students. (San Jose Mercury News)

Survey: More teachers are career-changers, taking on "hybrid" roles: A growing number of teachers are career-changers, and many are taking on more varied roles at their schools, according to a recent survey conducted by MetLife. About one-third of teachers surveyed reported having other careers before entering teaching, and more than half of educators reported holding "hybrid" positions, where teaching is combined with other responsibilities in a school or district. The survey also found that close to 60% of teachers were satisfied with their jobs, down from 62% the year before. (Teacher Magazine)

How large should classes be?: Some experts say there's little evidence to support the theory that smaller class sizes determine academic success, with some saying modest increases in class size should not make a significant difference -- particularly among older students. But educators say larger class sizes and reductions in support staff make it difficult to help individual students who are struggling or who have special needs. "It will be much more difficult to differentiate learning in a classroom," one Illinois teachers' union leader said of layoffs that could result in class sizes of up to 31 students. (Chicago Tribune)

Attention called to ESEA's impact on rural schools, special education: Proposed changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act could harm schools in rural districts and should guarantee more resources for English-language learners and students with disabilities, a House panel was told. The superintendent of a small Delaware district said a shift toward competitive funding could be unfair to smaller, rural schools, which have fewer administrators to complete grant applications. Another administrator stressed the need for more funding for special-education services to deal with a rise in students needing such services.(Education Week)

Schools' focus on test-taking has hurt reading: No Child Left Behind's focus on test preparation over critical thinking and reading has caused a decline in critical-reading skills and enjoyment among students, writes high-school English teacher Kelly Gallagher. He lists four ways that schools contribute to the decline of reading: overemphasizing test-taking skills, limiting authentic reading experiences, overteaching books and underteaching books. (Educational Leadership)