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Sub-Topics Achievement Scores School Prayer Also Try Education Current Events Archives No Child Left Behind Lists Voucher Systems (Awesome Library) Provides sources of arguments for and against vouchers regarding the Supreme Court case of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. Justice O'Connor is believed to hold the deciding vote. This case may be the most important finding of the Supreme Court regarding education in decades. 2-02 Multimedia -09-20-06 Bindi, Steve Irwin's 8-Year-Old Daughter, Pays Tribute (CBS News) "The Australian prime minister was there to pay tribute. On video came speeches by Hollywood stars such as Russell Crowe and Cameron Diaz. But at the public memorial in Australia on Sept. 20 for 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, the most memorable voice was that of his 8-year-old daughter, Bindi...." 09-06 News -01-03-07 For Longevity, Other Factors Pale in Comparison to "Education" (New York Times) "The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income." "And, health economists say, those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial — money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison." 01-07 -02-08-07 Study: Autism More Common Than Expected (ABC News) "Autism is more common in the United States than anyone had estimated, affecting about one in every 150 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday." 02-07 -02-09-06 Schools May Not Be Teaching Black History (ABC News) "New Jersey's 2002 law created an Amistad Commission whose members write lesson plans, organize educational events and train teachers all focused on black history. The law says each school board 'shall incorporate' black history at all grade levels. Two other states, New York and Illinois, have since passed similar laws and several others are either considering them or have passed statutes that encourage, but do not require, teachers to address black history." 02-06 -02-13-07 Kansas Rewrites Science Standards (MSNBC News) "The Kansas state Board of Education on Tuesday repealed science guidelines questioning evolution that had made the state an object of ridicule." "The new guidelines reflect mainstream scientific views of evolution and represent a political defeat for advocates of 'intelligent design,' who had helped write the standards that are being jettisoned." 02-07 -02-18-06 Science Project Reveals Toilet Water Cleaner than Fast Food Ice (MSNBC News) "Those ice-cold drinks from favorite fast food restaurants may not seem as refreshing after a seventh-grader's science project reveals what may lurk inside the cup." 02-06 -02-20-06 Scientists Rally for Evolution (ABC News) "Many at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the nation's largest gathering of scientists, spoke out over the weekend against what they called religious pressure in public schools." 02-06 -02-20-08 Florida Includes "Scientific Theory of Evolution" (ABC News) "Florida's State Board of Education has voted to use the term "scientific theory of evolution" in new science standards, the first time the word "evolution" has been included." 2-08 -02-23-06 Student Deactivates Anthrax (MSNBC News) "Seventeen-year-old, Marc Roberge won first place in a science contest for discovering a way to deactivate anthrax in mail." " 'Well, just simply put the iron on the envelope and iron it back and forth for five minutes in the high temperature range, and it killed all the bacillus spores that I used.' " 02-06 -02-23-07 "Energy" Drink Banned at a Colorado School (CNN News) " A high school banned a caffeine-packed energy drink after students complained that it made them sick and shaky and caused their hearts to race." 02-07 -02-25-07 Schools Considering More Hours for Students (ABC News) "While Massachusetts is leading in putting in place the longer-day model, lawmakers in Minnesota, New Mexico, New York and Washington, D.C., also have debated whether to lengthen the school day or year." "On average, U.S. students go to school 6.5 hours a day, 180 days a year, fewer than in many other industrialized countries, according to a report by the Education Sector, a Washington-based think tank." 02-07 -02-27-06 Babies Learn Sign Language First (ABC News) "At 18 months old, Aiden now knows how to sign more than 150 words, allowing him to manually communicate what he can't say, Briant said." " 'Really, a baby's brain is capable. They're capable of communicating by signing long before they can talk,' said Briant." 02-06 -03-17-07 High School Student Wins Award for Spectograph (ABC News) "Mary, a senior at Westmore High School in Oklahoma City, won first place in the 2007 Intel Science talent search competition, beating out 40 other contestants and winning a $100,000 college scholarship." "While these devices already exist, there is one key difference between Masterman's spectrograph and those being used today. Spectrographs can cost a hundred thousand dollars to build, but Mary built hers for $300 out of household parts, and hopes that it might help make research cheaper and easier in the future." 03-07 -03-17-07 Support for "No Child Left Behind" May Not Hold (USNews.com) "Today, Bush's signature education law is up for renewal, but Republican loyalty like DeLay's will be harder to come by. Rep. Roy Blunt, the new No. 2 Republican in the House, yesterday joined a group of 57 GOP lawmakers in a revolt. Sens. Mel Martinez and Jon Kyl, the chairs of the Republican National Committee and the Senate Republican Conference, also signed on. Like DeLay, both Blunt and Kyl had supported the law in 2001." 03-07 -03-23-06 Sharp Criticism of College Board for SAT Errors (ABC News) "Another revelation about scoring errors on last October's SAT exam has the College Board, the test's owner, under heavy criticism even from admissions officers a group that relies on the SAT and typically supports it." "A growing number of schools, including Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, do not require the SAT. Dennis Trotter, the college's vice president for enrollment and marketing and dean of admission, said the latest errors call into question the test's 'relevancy and dependability in the admissions process.' " 03-06 -03-24-06 Instilling a Love for Reading (MSN) "A great way to help your child become a lifelong reader is to start early. If a young child doesn't like reading, he may have a hard time comprehending what he reads later in life." 03-06 -03-25-07 College Rankings (USNews.com) Provides rankings conducted by US News and World Report. "Princeton tops the annual list of the national universities, while the California Institute of Technology was named the best national value among more than 1,900 schools ranked and reviewed." 03-07 -03-29-08 Million Dollar Babies (Time.com) "On Tuesday, the annual Expenditures on Children by Families report, which tracks how much it costs to raise a child in America, was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (yes, that's the government bureaucracy charged with this particular tally). According to its latest estimate, a child born in 2007 costs $204,060 to watch over, feed, cart around, educate and house from birth to the age of 18." 03-08 -04-16-07 Worst Mass Shooting in Modern Ameridan History (ABC News) "A tranquil college campus in Virgina became a killing field Monday morning. At least 33 people are dead in the worst mass shooting in modern American history." "Police at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Va., said that the shootings happened at a dormitory and then at a classroom on opposite sides of the university campus." 04-07 -04-20-07 Hero at Virginia Tech Buried (ABC News) "A Holocaust survivor gunned down trying to save his students from the Virginia Tech shooting rampage was buried in Israel Friday to the sobs of his grieving family." 04-07 -04-20-07 Hero at Virginia Tech Buried (ABC News) "A Holocaust survivor gunned down trying to save his students from the Virginia Tech shooting rampage was buried in Israel Friday to the sobs of his grieving family." 04-07 -04-20-07 Schools Struggle With Security Versus Privacy Rights (ABC News) "When it comes to issues of mental health on campus, lawyers, psychologists and university administrators all agree on one thing: Striking an appropriate balance between protecting an individual's privacy and the community's security is not easy." 04-07 -05-03-06 Soda Companies to End Most School Sales (ABC News) "Non-diet sodas will be yanked from schools, and other drinks will be downsized under a deal announced Wednesday by former President Bill Clinton and the nation's largest beverage distributors." " 'This is a truly bold step forward in the struggle to help 35 million young people lead healthier lives," said Clinton, whose foundation has targeted obesity in children for the past year. 'This one policy can add years and years and years to the lives of a very large number of young people.' " 05-06 -05-12-06 Judge Suspends California High School Exam Results (LATimes.com) "An Alameda County superior court judge has granted a preliminary injunction suspending California's high school exit exam for the class of 2006, potentially allowing thousands of students who have failed the test to graduate." 05-06 -05-18-06 Senate Votes to Make English the National Language (Bloomberg.org) "The Senate voted to make English the 'national language' of the U.S. as part of legislation overhauling immigration policy." "The measure, approved by a vote of 63-34, directs the government to 'preserve and enhance' the role of English, without altering current laws that require some government documents and services be provided in other languages." 05-06 -05-22-07 Newsweek's Rating of the Top High Schools (MSNBC News) "Public schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews: the number of Advanced Placement, Intl. Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2006 divided by the number of graduating seniors. All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way." 05-07 -05-30-07 Alternative for "No Child Left Behind" (Time Magazine) "Most state education officials grumble that the pressure-packed annual tests and rigid adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets engendered by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law are flawed means of measuring student proficiency, raising academic standards, holding schools accountable and fostering learning. But since the penalty for defying the law is loss of federal funds, most treat NCLB's prescriptives like bitter medicine they can't afford to spit out. All, that is, except the iconoclasts who run the public schools in Nebraska." 05-07 -05-30-07 Narrowing the Standards Gap in "No Child Left Behind" (CBS News) "Georgia is not alone, Wallace reports. Mississippi, Tennessee and Oklahoma are among the states in which students scored high on their state tests but significantly lower on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam, according to the non-partisan Hoover Institution." "The problem, say experts, is one word: proficiency." 05-07 -05-30-07 No National Testing Standards "No Child Left Behind" (CBS News) "As much as I've heard and read about "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) — the landmark education bill President Bush signed into law five years ago, I had no idea that every state uses a different test and standard to determine whether its schools are making the required progress under the law." "It is an issue, we learned, that is debated sharply in education circles — with some states accusing others of lowering the bar by using easier tests and lower standards to make their schools look more successful." 05-07 -06-01-06 Year-Round Schools (ABC News) "According to the National Association for Year-Round Education, more than 2.1 million children in 47 states are enrolled in year-round schools in 2006. The majority are public schools, though some charter schools and private schools also are adopting the calendars. California, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas and Kentucky have the most districts using what's also known as a 'balanced calendar.' " "Typically, students on a balanced calendar spend something like 45 days in class followed by 15 days off throughout the year for the required 180 days of instruction." 06-06 -06-13-06 Harvard Study: Bush Administration Education Goals to Miss Targets (Yahoo News) "U.S. President George W. Bush's signature No Child Left Behind education policy is failing to close racial achievement gaps and will miss its goals by 2014 according to recent trends, a Harvard study said on Wednesday." "It said the policy has had no significant impact on improving reading and math achievement since it was introduced in 2001, contradicting White House claims and potentially adding to concerns over America's academic competitiveness." 06-06 -06-21-06 Harvard Still Awaits Donation from Oracle's CEO (Bloomberg.com) "Oracle Corp. Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison hasn't delivered a $115 million donation to Harvard University more than a year after he first promised it." "The Financial Times reported today that the planned Ellison Institute for World Health, which was to employ 130 people by next summer, has been put on hold and three senior managerial staff who had been hired have been discharged." 06-06 -06-29-06 Has Noah's Ark Been Found? (ABC News) "A team of Texas archaeologists believe they may have located the remains of Noah's Ark in Iran's Elburz mountain range.'' 06-06 -07-01-07 Study: Five Types of Alcoholics (CBS News) "New alcoholism research identifies five types of alcoholics and shows that young adults account for more than half of U.S. alcoholics." 07-07 -07-03-07 Gestering May Improve Learning (MSNBC News) "Children taught to gesture with their hands as they learn new concepts perform far better at solving similar problems weeks later than children who don't gesture, a new study finds." 07-07 -07-26-07 Finished Potter? Rowling Tells What Is Next (USA Today) "Spoiler alert: This story reveals some key plot points in the final Harry Potter book. So if you've haven't finished the book, J.K. Rowling asks that you not read this story." 07-07 -08-08-07 Shuttle Endeavor Blasts Off (MSNBC News) "The space shuttle Endeavour blasted into orbit Wednesday carrying teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who after more than two decades is finally carrying out the dream of Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the fallen Challenger crew." 8-07 -08-12-07 Baby Einsteins Not So Smart (Time.com) "Led by Frederick Zimmerman and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both at the University of Washington, the research team found that with every hour per day spent watching baby DVDs and videos, infants learned six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who never watched the videos. These products had the strongest detrimental effect on babies 8 to 16 months old, the age at which language skills are starting to form. 'The more videos they watched, the fewer words they knew,' says Christakis. 'These babies scored about 10% lower on language skills than infants who had not watched these videos.' " 08-07 -08-12-07 Hottest Colleges (MSNBC News) "We've been particularly influenced by the views of high-school counselors, the people most in tune with what matters to the latest wave of college applicants." "Some of these schools are large. Some are tiny. Some charge more than $40,000 a year and some only a tenth that amount. Some are celebrated, but one was completely unknown to us and several experts we consulted until a well-traveled counselor pointed it out. All the schools have strong programs that can change young lives for the better. Being hot for the moment is as good an excuse as any for applicants to see if one of them might be just right for them." 08-07 -08-21-07 Exercise and Brain Power (New York Times) "Scientists have suspected for decades that exercise, particularly regular aerobic exercise, can affect the brain. But they could only speculate as to how. Now an expanding body of research shows that exercise can improve the performance of the brain by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed. Exercise can, in fact, create a stronger, faster brain." 08-07 -08-30-06 SAT Scores Take Biggest Drop in 31 Years (ABC News) "The high school class of 2006, the first to take the new SAT that now includes a writing test, recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years." 08-06 -09-04-06 Girls Gain Higher Writing Scores Than Boys on SAT (ABC News) "While the average reading and math scores on the SAT fell again this year, the test results showed a new gain for girls." "For the first time in a generation, girls outperformed boys on one section of the exam, edging them out by 11 points on the writing portion of the test. The results raise new questions about gender, learning and a test that has become an American rite of passage." 09-06 -09-07-07 Kids Need More Sleep (USNew.com) "Now that school has started, many parents find themselves struggling to shift their kids back to a working routine. As they shave off time for TV and the Internet to make way for schoolwork, parents may want to add extra for that other big contributor to success at school: sleep. Recent research on kids has connected the importance of sleep not only to cognition, but to behavior and mood as well." 09-07 -09-08-07 Senate Passs Bill to Boost Student Aid (CBS News) "Congress sent President Bush legislation Friday to boost financial aid for college students by cutting some $20 billion in government subsidies to banks that make student loans." 09-07 -09-10-06 Research: Boys and Girls React Differently (ABC News) "Do boys and girls really deal with people in very different ways? Yes, say researchers like Campbell Leaper of the University of California." 09-10-06. -09-22-06 Bush Administration Reading First Program Trashed (MSNBC News) "A scorching internal review of the Bush administration’s reading program says the Education Department ignored the law and ethical standards to steer money how it wanted." "The government audit is unsparing in its review of how Reading First, a billion-dollar program each year, that it says has been beset by conflicts of interest and willful mismanagement." 09-06 -10-07-06 Experts: Schools Need to Rethink Security (MSNBC News) "Schools should focus more on listening to kids to deter school attacks, experts say, instead of relying only on physical security." 10-06 -10-07-06 Myths About School Shootings (MSNBC News) "Here are 10 myths about school shootings, compiled by MSNBC.com from a 2002 study by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education. The researchers studied case files and other primary sources for 37 attacks by current or former students, and also interviewed 10 of the perpetrators." 10-06 -10-29-07 Pediatricians: New Guidelines for Detection and Treatment of Autism (US News) "In an effort to make it easier for pediatricians to spot and begin early treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders, the American Academy of Pediatrics has released two new reports with recommendations for identifying and managing these conditions." 10-07 -11-09-06 Earth from Space: Science and Art Merge (MSNBC News) "Science and art merge in a stunning new Smithsonian exhibition featuring planet Earth as seen from above. Some of the satellite images show the home planet as only astronauts can see it, others taken with special instruments show things even they can't see." 11-06 -11-20-06 Student Dropout Rate Now a National Epidemic (ABC News) "A recent study by the Department of Education found that 31 percent of American students were dropping out or failing to graduate in the nation's largest 100 public school districts." 11-06 -11-26-06 Online Tutors Gain Popularity (ABC News) "Students from elementary to graduate school can get help any time of the day or night, from the comfort of their homes. Subjects range from math to English." "It's the outsourcing of education. Just like manufacturing or service jobs, the task of teaching America's youth is no longer limited by borders." 11-06 -11-29-06 Best Education Toys--According to Children (MSNBC News) "This year we tested 100 different toys, all new for 2006, including dolls, board games, drawing toys, construction sets, and remote-control vehicles. All were donated by the manufacturers." "The test was open to all toy makers who had products that fit our two categories —educational and bargains (toys for $25 or less). But I chose which ones to accept for testing based on 25 years of experience rating toys." 11-06 -11-29-06 Great Toys on a Budget (MSNBC News) "As any parent knows, toys can cost a small fortune. But you don't have to spend an arm and a leg to get fun toys your kids will like. In fact, some of the bargain toys in this year's MSNBC.com Toy Test rated the highest." 11-06 -11-29-06 Study: This Is Your Brain on Violent Videogames (MSNBC News) "The important thing is that parents should be aware that there are at least short-term effects on brain functioning that we show. The fact that we’re showing this in experimental fashion should raise concern that exposure to this could result in some longer-term changes." 11-06 -12-10-06 Congress Passes First Ever Autism Act (MSNBC News) "Autism is as disturbing and distressing as it is mystifying. It's a diagnosis with no known cause, no known cure." 12-06 -12-10-06 Selective Mutism (ABC News) "Imagine a world where anyone and anyplace outside the comforts of home elicit fear and anxiety so paralyzing that you shut down and cannot speak." "What causes this disorder is not exactly known. What is known is that it has a genetic factor and usually appears when a child is first introduced into the social situation of preschool or school. It is, however, very different than everyday shyness." 12-06 -12-10-06 Study: Don't Let Babies Sleep in Car Seats (ABC News) "Newborn babies should not sleep in car seats and be left alone, according to a new study in the British Medical Journal. The consequences could be fatal." 12-06 -12-15-06 Commission: Students Not Prepared for Global Economy (ABC News) "Education and business leaders urged an overhaul of the U.S. school system, including ending high school at the 10th grade for many students. Current teaching is failing to prepare young Americans for the global economy, members of a bipartisan panel said Thursday." 12-06 -Editorial: Our Overlooked Assets (MSNBC News) "But while Americans are waking up to the idea that we need to sharpen our competitive edge in the world, many still overlook our system of community and junior colleges. The truth is, these schools can be the solution for what our K-12 programs might not be getting done." 05-06 -Editorial: Pass the Bread (CommonDreams.org - Bill Moyers) "Bread is life. But if you're like me you have a thousand and more times repeated the ordinary experience of eating bread without a thought for the process that brings it to your table. The reality is physical: I need this bread to live. But the reality is also social: I need others to provide the bread. I depend for bread on hundreds of people I don't know and will never meet. If they fail me, I go hungry. If I offer them nothing of value in exchange for their loaf, I betray them. The people who grow the wheat, process and store the grain, and transport it from farm to city; who bake it, package it, and market it--these people and I are bound together in an intricate reciprocal bargain. We exchange value." "This reciprocity sustains us." 06-06 01-27-07 One School's Fight Against Obesity (CBS News) "While most of the country is failing the grade on obesity, Nurse Scully says Long Pond students are getting the message." 01-07 10-14-07 Wealthy Colleges Questioned About Costs (ABC News) "Colleges and universities raked in money by the billions last year. But their investing success now has a price a movement in Congress to force the wealthiest schools to spend more of their money to keep down tuition." 10-07 Current Events for Educators (Education Week) Provides news for teachers and school administrators. 03-06 Current Society and Community Issues in Depth (NOW with Bill Moyers) "When PBS and Bill Moyers launched NOW, it was to illuminate stories that weren't being covered on any other public affairs broadcast, and under Moyers' leadership, NOW has pursued the truth behind the headlines. 'We are continuing to take a thoughtful look at the events shaping our world,' says Moyers, who has received every major broadcast journalisim award including more than 30 Emmy Awards." 12-03 Papers -07-21-07 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Released (CBS News) "On Day 1 of the A.H. (After Harry) Era, reviewers and readers mourned the end of a historic series that proved young people can still crave the written word like the crispiest French fry. It was a day for the sleepless and the sleepy to enjoy and to recall one last, fresh taste of Potter." 07-07 -07-22-07 Everything Harry Potter (USA Today) USA Today provides a variety of resources on Harry Potter. 07-07 -07-22-07 Rowling Finishes With Harry Potter (USA Today) "Harry Potter's life hangs in the balance. Millions of fans are holding their breath. Meanwhile, his creator is baking a cake — and keeping her secret." 07-07 -09-12-07 Cities Where Largest Percentage Have Degrees (CNN News) "If you equate education with intelligence, then the smartest city in the United States is Seattle - 52.7 percent of its residents age 25 or older have completed a bachelor's degree or higher." Editor's Note: Awesome Library staff do not equate education with intelligence. 09-07 Are We Failing Our Geniuses? (Time.com) "Earlier this year, Patrick Gonzales of the U.S. Department of Education presented a paper showing that the highest-achieving students in six other countries, including Japan, Hungary and Singapore, scored significantly higher in math than their bright U.S. counterparts, who scored about the same as the Estonians. Which all suggests we may be squandering a national resource: our best young minds." "Squandered potential is always unfortunate, but presumably it is these powerful young minds that, if nourished, could one day cure leukemia or stop global warming or become the next James Joyce--or at least J.K. Rowling." "In a no-child-left-behind conception of public education, lifting everyone up to a minimum level is more important than allowing students to excel to their limit. It has become more important for schools to identify deficiencies than to cultivate gifts." 08-07 Are We Failing Our Geniuses? (Time.com) "Earlier this year, Patrick Gonzales of the U.S. Department of Education presented a paper showing that the highest-achieving students in six other countries, including Japan, Hungary and Singapore, scored significantly higher in math than their bright U.S. counterparts, who scored about the same as the Estonians. Which all suggests we may be squandering a national resource: our best young minds." "Squandered potential is always unfortunate, but presumably it is these powerful young minds that, if nourished, could one day cure leukemia or stop global warming or become the next James Joyce--or at least J.K. Rowling." "In a no-child-left-behind conception of public education, lifting everyone up to a minimum level is more important than allowing students to excel to their limit. It has become more important for schools to identify deficiencies than to cultivate gifts." 08-07 Biology, Boys, and Instructional Strategies (ABC News) "In the complaint that he lodged with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, [Doug] Anglin, 17, claimed that girls faced fewer restrictions from teachers at Milton High School in Milton, Mass., and that boys were more likely to be punished." "The complaint comes at a time when boys' struggles in school are getting close examination. According to a 2005 report by the Educational Equity Center of the Academy for Educational Development in Washington D.C., boys around the country are increasingly falling behind girls academically, and are more likely to get suspended. And experts told ABC News that Anglin's assessment has merit and describes what prevails in most American classrooms." 01-06 Boy Brains, Girl Brains (MSNBC News) "Gray is part of a new crop of educators with a radical idea—that boys and girls are so biologically different they need to be separated into single-sex classes and taught in different ways. In the last five years, brain researchers using sophisticated MRI and PET technology have gathered new information about the ways male and female brains develop and process information. Studies show that girls, for instance, have more active frontal lobes, stronger connections between brain hemispheres and "language centers" that mature earlier than their male counterparts. Critics of gender-based schooling charge that curricula designed to exploit such differences reinforce the most narrow cultural stereotypes. But proponents say that unless neurological, hormonal and cognitive differences between boys and girls are incorporated in the classroom, boys are at a disadvantage." "Others say basing new teaching methods on raw brain research is misguided. While it's true that brain scans show differences between boys and girls, says David Sadker, education professor at American University, no one is exactly sure what those differences mean. Differences between boys and girls, says Sadker, are dwarfed by brain differences within each gender. 'If you want to make schools a better place,' says Sadker, 'you have to strive to see kids as individuals.' " 9-05 Bush Education Program a Disappointment (New York Times) "The first nationwide test to permit an appraisal of President Bush's signature education law rendered mixed results on Wednesday, with even some supporters of the law expressing disappointment." "From 2000 to 2003, before the federal law took full effect in classrooms, the percentage of fourth graders scoring proficient in math rose eight percentage points, compared with four points this year, Mr. Jennings said, and the percentage of eighth graders proficient in math rose three points before the law, compared with the one-point rise this year." 'The rate of improvement was faster before the law,' Mr. Jennings said. 'There's a question as to whether No Child is slowing down our progress nationwide.' " 10-05 Connecting Schools With Communities (American Association of School Administrators - Hill) "The key in many communities is connecting public schools to the resources in their communities." Describes six forces that hurt school performance and suggests directions for solutions. The title of the article is "Breaking the Hermetic Seal." 3-01 Ethics and Character Development (Mining Co. - Walker) Provides links to articles and lessons related to ethics and character development. Federal Court to Make a Landmark Ruling on Science (MSNBC News) "The Pennsylvania case is probably the most important legal situation of creation and evolution in the last 18 years,' said Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, which opposes challenges to the standard model of evolution." " 'This will be the first legal challenge to intelligent design, and we’ll see whether they have been able to mask the creationist underpinnings and basic orientation of intelligent design,' she said. Regardless who wins, 'it will have quite a significant impact on what happens in American public school education.' ” "This is where things get sticky, because it all boils down to a basic argument over just what is evolution and what is religion." 9-05 House Votes to Cut Education (CBS News) "Lawmakers voted Wednesday to cut federal aid to education for the first time in a decade as the House narrowly passed a spending bill that would freeze or cut back a wide variety of domestic programs." "Programs funded under President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law would face a 4 percent cut, while aid for special education and Title I funding for disadvantaged children would be frozen at last year's levels, assuming the across-the-board cut is imposed." "The 215-213 vote caps a successful drive by Mr. Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill to trim the budgets of most domestic agencies below prior-year levels. And, after years of bundling appropriations bills into omnibus measures, Republicans managed to get the process back on track and pass the 11 annual spending bills as stand-alone measures." 12-05 How One Town Will Fund College (CSMonitor.com) "Kalamazoo is only the second US city, after Washington, to offer full-tuition scholarships to its graduates." 11-05 Motivating Students - Research Points to Solutions (Catalyst-Chicago.org - Duffrin) "Factors such as race, the percentage of low-income students at the school and the poverty level of the neighborhood had no bearing on students’ effort or interest in school work, the study found." 3-01 Newsweek's Best American School in Dallas (ABC News) "The School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, known as TAG, has a student-teacher ratio of 13-to-1, and Newsweek has ranked it as the nation's top school, based on a formula of test scores and graduation rates. The students, 60 percent of whom are minorities, are committed to education and give up the traditional high school activities like sports and cheerleading to go to TAG. Some travel an hour or more each way to attend class." 05-06 One Laptop Per Child (Laptopical.com) "Thanks to the vision of Nicholas Negroponte, founder of MIT's Media Lab, and the innovative design and structure ideas of a handful of his colleagues, a lightweight, $100 laptop with WiFi wireless networking is set to arrive in Third World countries -- soon." "This cheap laptop will be light; have no disk drives, but a gigabyte of main memory, using flash memory for storage; and be battery-free, using a crank to get your information loaded. Oh, and mesh networking capability is also in the works." "The folks at E Ink in Cambridge, Mass., plan to make a plastic, tough, flexible video screen; Linux is offering its operating system for free; and Advanced Micro Devices has agreed to provide a microprocessor." 11-05 One Laptop Per Child (PBS.org) "It offers word processing and Web browsing, along with a video camera and microphone. And while hopes were sky high at the beginning, getting governments to sign on has turned out to be a slow process." 11-07 Online Gym Classes (Fox News) "Web-based physical education classes are cropping up across the country — and they're getting rave reviews from educators, parents and students." "Minneapolis' school system is one of the first school districts in the country to offer online gym classes. The program requires students to pick physical activities they enjoy and do each one for 30 minutes, three times a week." "Arizona's Primavera Online High School has a different approach to accountability: At the end of each day, it requires students to upload readings from a heart monitor to instructors." 02-06 Phonics Help With Reading (Washington Times) "A study has confirmed the premise of the Bush administration's 'Reading First' initiative that systematic phonics instruction is essential in teaching young children of all backgrounds to read successfully." 6-03 Poll: Teachers and Parents Divided on Views (USNews.com) "Considering they share responsibility for 50 million children, parents and teachers sure have some different views about what goes on in school." "From discipline to standardized tests to the quality of high schools, parents and teachers disagree on basic aspects of education, an AP-AOL Learning Services Poll finds." 02-06 Remembering the 11 Planets (CNN News) "Those having trouble remembering the newly assigned 11 planets, including three dwarfs, are getting help from a fourth-grader." " Her award-winning phrase is: My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants." "The 11 recognized planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Ceres, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Eris." 02-08 Schools Moving Toward a K-8 Model (ABC News) "Philadelphia eighth-graders at the K-8 schools scored significantly higher on state tests than their middle school counterparts, studies by the Philadelphia Education Fund show. And nationally, crime takes off in middle schools, where it's 30 percent higher than in elementary schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics." " 'Middle-grades children in K-8 schools do far better than they do in middle schools,' Vallas said, 'both academically and behaviorally.' " 8-05 Staying Safe During an Attack at School (ABC News) "With the help of ABC News safety consultant Bob Stuber and dozens of student volunteers, 'Primetime' set out to see just how effective the lockdown method is." "The school staff and students were asked to behave just as they would if there were an armed intruder in the school. The students filed calmly to their designated classrooms where the teachers locked the doors, turned off the lights and waited for the all-clear signal." "To get an idea of how well the lockdown would work in a real-life situation, Stuber and his assistant Daniel Bauman acted as simulated gunmen the second time around — without telling the students beforehand." "Many of the students made it to their designated classrooms — where again, the teachers locked the doors and turned out the lights." "Stuber says that could be a big mistake during a real crisis." " 'In real life, normal life, the rule is you don't break things,' he said. 'But what they have to be taught is that in a situation like this, where it's life or death, there are no rules.' " "According to Stuber, the key to survival is always to be alert, creative and aware of your environment." 11-05 Teen Choking Game Has Fatal Consequences (ABC News) "In the choking game, also known as the flatliner or the pass-out game, adolescents attempt to experience a quick high — a high that lasts only a second — by strangling themselves. Kids commonly use belts, ropes, towels or their own hands to cut off oxygen. If the kids hold on for too long their organs begin to shut down or they are strangled to death. Some kids have reported experiencing seizures when they play.'' 06-06 Trend: Kindergarten Much Harder (CBS News) "Across the country, the accountability movement in education and near obsession with academic excellence is filtering down to the level of the jungle gym and nap-time rug. School districts are pushing students to new levels as a growing body of research indicates the importance of early learning and the demands of a competitive world close in on the American classroom." "To many, the emphasis on academic performance at very young ages is a positive trend that will boost the nation's educational system. But others worry it ratchets up the academic arms race and places too much responsibility on the backs of America's youngest students, at a time when many still put their coats on inside out." "The Duke University pilot program is as much about teaching the capability of learning as it is the nuts-and-bolts of subjects. The idea is to get kids to follow their curiosity toward real knowledge. 'One of our problems nationally ... is that we don't have high expectations for our children,' says Margaret Gayle of the American Association of Gifted Children in Durham, N.C. 'This curriculum is immersing them in essential questions, high concepts, outstanding vocabulary, and also intelligent behavior and habits of mind.' " 12-05 UN to Supply World's Rural Poor with Internet Access (Christian Science Monitor) "Effort to link the world's rural poor to the Internet with a $100 computer gets a boost from the United Nations." The program is called "One Laptop per Child." 11-05 USA Slips in International Standing in Education (CBS News) "The United States is losing ground in education, as peers across the globe zoom by with bigger gains in student achievement and school graduations, a study shows." "Among adults age 25 to 34, the U.S. is ninth among industrialized nations in the share of its population that has at least a high school degree. In the same age group, the United States ranks seventh, with Belgium, in the share of people who hold a college degree." "By both measures, the United States was first in the world as recently as 20 years ago, said Barry McGaw, director of education for the Paris-based Organization for Cooperation and Development. The 30-nation organization develops the yearly rankings as a way for countries to evaluate their education systems and determine whether to change their policies." "Given what the United States spends on education, its relatively low student achievement through high school shows its school system is 'clearly inefficient,' McGaw said." 9-05 Vocational Classes Dropped (Fox News) "In high schools across the country vocational classes (search) — auto shop, wood shop, metal shop — are being phased out." "The problem, say critics, is that 38 percent of kids don’t go to college — and a high percentage of them may end up being mechanics, carpenters and machinists." 9-04 Women Now 57 Percent of Graduates (USA Today) "In May, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education posted the inevitable culmination of a trend: Last year for the first time, women earned more than half the degrees granted statewide in every category, be it associate, bachelor, master, doctoral or professional." 10-05 Periodicals Events - Media Search for Kids, Families and Educators (KidsNet) Searches for television programs appropriate for kids, families or educators. Search by network, title, grade level, curriculum area, special needs, keywords and more. Events - Media for Kids, Families and Educators (KidsNet) Provides a monthly listing of television programs appropriate for kids, families or educators. Identifies the appropriate audience for each event, including the grade level of children. Notes if the program has supporting materials for education and the types of materials. Also identifies if the program is available in Spanish or closed captions. Events in Education (KidsNet) Projects Current Events and News (BBC Schools Online) Provides articles to help students get involved with current events. 1-02

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