February 9, 2009: California District May Lower Graduation Requirements

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February 9, 2009: California District May Lower Graduation

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Customized Briefing for THERESA CAVANAUGHFebruary 9, 2009

Leading the News

In the Classroom

On the Job

Law & Policy

NEA in the News

Leading the News

California District Officials Suggest Lower Graduation Requirements To

Reduce Dropouts.

The Los Angeles Times (2/8, Barboza) reports that in the Santa Ana Unified

School District, " the current requirement of 240 credits, one of the

toughest in the state, leaves [high school] students little room to retake

failed courses. Officials hope lowering it to 220 will decrease the dropout

rate. " The proposal " would cut out health, college and career planning,

world geography and earth science as required courses. " While other

California districts impose " stiffer requirements meant to challenge more

students and propel them toward college and successful careers, " Santa Ana

school officials say that " students' schedules are so packed with required

courses that if they fail a class or two, they can lose hope of graduating. "

And, cutting the number of credits students need to graduate " will not

diminish academic standards, " they insist. According to the Times, " School

counselors support the plan, " arguing that it will " give more latitude to

students taking remedial and technical classes, English language learners

who require specialized courses, and honors students taking advanced

classes. "

In the Classroom

Virginia Museum Course Helps Teachers Prepare Lessons On Holocaust.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (2/9, Lizama) reports on a course offered by the

Virginia Holocaust Museum that helps teachers prepare Holocaust-centered

lessons, as required by the Virginia Standards of Learning. Manchester

Middle School band director Peggy R. Moncure, who attended the course,

" found the music connection, and it profoundly changed her teaching focus.

.... She embarked on a cross-curricular project involving her students and

chorus, drama, art, technical education, English and JROTC. " Moncure's

" students study about musicians banned by the Nazi regime, such as Felix

Mendelssohn and Strauss. " Meanwhile art teacher Brent Tharp " got his

class involved in the project by making paper dolls representing people of

the Holocaust. " Other teachers implemented Holocaust-themed class projects,

as well. Their combined efforts will culminate in " a two-night 'Holocaust

Night of Remembrance' event filled with music, drama, literary works, art

and a memorial to the 1.5 million children who lost their lives. "

Animation Club Teaches Middle School Students College-Level Skills.

The St. sburg Times (2/9, Solochek) reports on the animation club at

Crews Lake Elementary School in Florida. The club, sponsored by "

Naples, an artist trained at Ringling College of Art and Design, and Joe

Groppe, an animator who runs a private graphic arts company, " is currently

in the process of " making a movie using some of the most advanced animation

software around. " Last week, some students created figures using " modeling

clay -- a project designed to have [them] understand the dimensions and

perspective of a character before creating a three-dimensional computer

version. " The Times points out that instruction in animation is " practically

college-level material, something rarely offered in high schools, much less

middle schools. " Crews Lake " Principal Christoff sees possibilities in

eventually turning the club into a class, while [Pasco County Schools]

superintendent Fiorentino suggested that it could evolve into a

career academy linked to a nearby high school. "

Learning Labs Seen As Key In Florida District's Dropout Prevention Effort.

The St. sburg Times (2/9, Solochek) reports, " Learning labs are almost

deceptively simple: Certified teachers spend time in a large room filled

with tables, comfortable chairs, computers, and books, waiting for students

who need help to come and ask for it. " Students in need of assistance can

seek help at any time throughout the school day -- including during class.

" During the 2007-08 academic year, 8,578 of the 14,224 student visits to

Wesley Chapel High's lab came with classroom teacher passes. " The labs,

which have been used in the Pasco school system for two years, have proven

to be " a top tool in the district's dropout prevention effort. " According to

Ramon Suarez, " who oversees graduation enhancement programs, " learning labs

have been " key to getting Pasco off the state's watch list for too many

dropouts among special needs students, " and have contributes to a " 40

percent decrease in the overall dropout rate. " Suarez said that " one of the

primary reasons for [the labs'] success " is that " students get assistance

when they need it, rather than having to wait hours, days or perhaps weeks

for a remedial lesson. "

Some Parents Object To Wisconsin District's Bilingual Social Studies

Program.

The Wisconsin State Journal (2/9, Kittner) reports that " being taught about

famous people and events in Wisconsin history in Spanish is not how some

Waunakee parents want their fourth-graders learning social studies at

school. " Students in the Waunakee School District's " elementary language

program...learn Spanish by having the language integrated into social

studies lessons for 30 minutes three days a week in first through fourth

grades. " The program has been in the district for three years, and " has

added one grade a year since 2006 and is designed to continue until fifth

grade. " According to Superintendent Randy Guttenberg, " research shows

teaching a language within the context of a subject students are studying is

an effective way for children to learn. " But some parents say the program

forces students to learn in Spanish, and many are particularly concerned

that the topics taught in fourth grade are so complex that students may not

be able to understand them in Spanish.

Targeted Math Lessons Help Improve Test Scores In New Jersey District.

The Press of Atlantic City (2/9) reports that Ray , " the math

supervisor for Atlantic City schools, used...three-dimensional boxes for a

live spatial geometry demonstration, tossing boxes around to show students

that a square that may seem to have only one or two sides in a drawing

actually has six sides in all. " The fourth-graders each had before them " a

two-dimensional drawing of the same figure, and had to decide how many boxes

there were in all: 9, 14, 18 or 21. " According to the Press of Atlantic

City, " the problem, taken from a past state test, is one of the most

commonly missed by students, who tended to count the number of squares they

can see on the two-dimensional paper (21) rather than calculating how many

cubes there are in the drawing. " uses past data to identify

" district-wide weaknesses and develops targeted lessons to reach every

student. " Test scores throughout the district are increasing " as the process

spreads through the schools. "

New Jersey District Seeks To Implement Tools For Teaching.

New Jersey's Today's Sunbeam (2/9, Dunn) reports that " educators at Valley

Park Elementary School are looking to implement a new teaching technique to

aid in classroom management. " Tools for Teaching is " a method of positive

teaching in which discipline problems decline and responsibility is taught. "

One aspect of the technique called Preferred Activity Time (PAT) " gives

children incentives to learn by reward systems. In this program, PAT can be

anything from parties to educational games. " According to Bobbie-Ann Jordan,

principal of Valley Park Elementary, Tools for Teaching " is very researched

based and can get parents involved with training sessions. " Today's Sunbeam

notes that " a workshop for the program was held this past summer, led by

Jordan. Teachers who volunteered to attend were able to bring that knowledge

into their classrooms. "

DC Chancellor's Reforms Tested In Troubled School.

The Washington Post (2/9, B2, Mathews) profiles Betts, new principal

of Shaw Middle School at Garnet-, located in one of D.C.'s " most

troubled neighborhoods. " According to the Post, Betts " excitedly displayed

his school's latest reading test results " recently, which showed " that in

some classes a majority of students were proficient " as opposed a long

history at the school where " failure had been the norm. ... He had not felt

so giddy the week before, when his unit tests -- written by his teachers --

showed that students were still struggling in the mid-to-low-C range. "

According to Mathews, " Most of Shaw's faculty members are new to the school,

and many are new to teaching. That makes the school a crucial experiment for

D.C. Schools Chancellor A. Rhee. "

On the Job

land's County Education Association Postpones Salary Negotiations

For Stimulus.

The Baltimore Sun (2/9) reports, " The County Education Association,

which represents teachers and support workers, says it has postponed further

salary negotiations with the school system until it gets a sense of

President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package. " So far, the school

system's proposed $658.9 million for fiscal 2010 " does not include money for

increasing salaries. " According to Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin, the

salary negotiations are expected to " resume by the end of the month. "

Some Education Reformers In Texas Look To Finland For Ideas.

The Dallas Morning News (2/9, Landers) reports that " Even though Dallas

reformers played key roles in the federal legislation named for the goal of

bringing everyone a quality education, there are still great disparities in

academic achievement between city and suburbs, and in DISD itself between

quality schools and poor ones. " Now, those reformers are looking at

Finland's education system to gather ideas for improving school-quality.

They are " especially intrigued with how Finland gets positive results from

all of its schools and nearly all of its students -- an equality that has

been a chronic problem in Texas since the days of racial segregation.

Finland also intrigues with its success in math and science. " Even though

" Finland has a much smaller and much more homogenous school population " than

Texas does, the country's " battles to improve education offer ideas for

success in Texas. " They include " establishing a single, straightforward

curriculum for all schools " and " giving well-trained teachers respect and

freedom to teach. "

DC Schools Chancellor Outlines Provisions Of Proposed Teacher Contract.

D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Rhee writes in an op-ed in the

Washington Post (2/9), " I often speak of our district's performance data

with sadness and outrage. The situation for our city's children is dire. "

However, " I do not blame teachers for the low achievement levels. ...

Rather, teachers are the solution to the vexing problems facing urban

education. " Rhee goes on to outline key elements in her proposed teacher

contract, including individual choice, measuring excellence, protection from

arbitrary firings and professional development and support. According to

Rhee, " All teachers -- especially those in one of this country's most

challenging districts -- deserve the best professional development

available. My hope is that a new agreement will support teachers to continue

to love this hard work, to keep doing it and to become even better. "

Virginia District Holds Summit To Engage Parents In Education.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (2/9, Slayton) reports that in order " to engage

parents in the education of their children, " the sburg, VA, " school

system is hosting a Parent-Community Summit " this month " to inform parents

about services offered by the school system and community organizations. "

School officials aim to " improve the children's achievement in the classroom

and build contributing members of society. " The first such summit " held in

September and drew about 300 people. This time, the goal is 400 people. " The

Richmond Times-Dispatch notes that " the keynote speaker will be April

Tucker, a graduate of sburg schools and mother of award-winning R & B

singer Trey Songz. "

Law & Policy

Hawaii Schools Superintendent Wants Authority To Replace Staff At Failing

Schools.

The Honolulu Advertiser (2/8, Moreno) reported that Hawaii state schools

" Superintendent Hamamoto wants the authority to replace the

principals, most teachers, and other staffers at public schools that have

consistently failed to meet federal No Child Left Behind requirements. " She

" is currently prevented from reassigning a school's entire staff because no

state law grants her the authority to do so and the process has not been

negotiated with unions. " The labor unions that represent teachers and

principals, meanwhile, " argue that giving the DOE the authority to overhaul

a school would circumvent the collective bargaining process. "

Federal Court Upholds Florida District's Decision To Remove Book From

Library.

The Miami Herald (2/9, McGrory, Weaver) reports that a federal court has

ruled that " the Miami-Dade School Board did nothing unconstitutional when it

removed Vamos a Cuba from library shelves. " According to " the 11th Circuit

Court of Appeals in Atlanta...the board did not breach the First Amendment. "

Appeals court Judge Ed Carnes wrote in the majority opinion that " the

bilingual book, part of a library series on 24 nations, presented an

'inaccurate' view of life in Cuba under its former leader, Fidel Castro. " He

also wrote, " The record shows that the board did not simply dislike the

ideas in the Vamos a Cuba book. ... Instead, everyone, including both sides'

experts, agreed that the book contained factual inaccuracies. " As such, the

court " ordered a Miami federal judge to lift a preliminary injunction that

had allowed Vamos a Cuba to be checked out from school libraries. "

NEA in the News

New Mexico NEA Executive Proposes Income Tax Increase For Additional School

Funding.

The AP (2/9) reports that New Mexico " lawmakers are trying to spare public

schools from deep cuts in the coming year but a leader of an educational

group says the Legislature should select another option: finding new

revenues to fund schools. " On Friday, the House Education Committee

" recommended spending almost $2.6 billion on public schools, the Public

Education Department and related educational programs in the next budget

year. " But " the committee's proposal provides no money to pay for the

expected higher costs of health insurance next year or for salary increases

for teachers and other educational workers. " Bowyer, executive

director of the National Education Association-New Mexico, " said lawmakers

should stop focusing on budget cuts and consider a proposal to raise sales

and income taxes to provide additional money for public school

improvements. " Furthermore, " a coalition of educational groups has endorsed

the tax proposal to provide almost $400 million a year for schools. "

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