May 20, 2009: Fifth-Graders Learn History, Chemistry By Raising Trout

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May 20, 2009: Fifth-Graders Learn History, Chemistry By Raising

Trout

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Customized Briefing for THERESA CAVANAUGHMay 20, 2009

Leading the News

In the Classroom

Law & Policy

Safety & Security

Also in the News

NEA in the News

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Leading the News

House Committee Hears About In-School Abuse Of Students With Special Needs.

CNN (5/20) reports, " The House Committee on Education and Labor heard

testimony Tuesday on a report looking at school abuse. " The committee

listened to " testimony from parents, investigators and experts who described

traumatizing punishment of special-needs children. " The punishments ranged

" from hours of isolation in locked rooms or closets to the use of handcuffs

and pinning children on the floor " and " often led to serious injuries and

even death, " according to witnesses. CNN points out that " the hearing came

on the heels of a report issued by " the Government Accountability Office

(GAO) " that documents widespread abuse of techniques use to restrain or

discipline special-education students. "

The AP (5/20) adds that " In one instance, a 4-year-old autistic girl

born with cerebral palsy was strapped to a chair for throwing tantrums when

she needed to use the bathroom, according to findings by the Government

Accountability Office. " Also according to the GAO report, " at least 20

deaths since 1990 were attributed to restricted breathing tactics used as

school discipline. " Rep. (D-CA), chairman of the House

Education and Labor Committee, " said the panel would look into ways to limit

the use of restraints and seclusion. "

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In the Classroom

Fifth-Graders Learn History, Chemistry By Raising Trout.

The sville (VA) Bulletin (5/19, Barto) reported that " students in

Joanna Griffith's science and social studies classes " at Rich Acres

Elementary School " have been feeding a tank full of brown trout since

December as part of the Trout in the Classroom program. " Griffith's " classes

raise the fish until they are fingerlings, about the size of a finger, and

then release them into the wild. " While the fish are in the classroom,

" students take turns every day changing the water and feeding the trout in

the classroom tank. " After " the fish reach 6 to 8 inches, they will be big

enough to breed in the River " and will live for about " five to seven

years. " Griffith incorporates the fish " into her history lessons. " For

instance, " when students learn about town, she mentions how the

settlers would have eaten fish. " And " testing the water for the pH and

ammonia " serves as " a hands-on chemistry lesson. "

Alabama Elementary Teacher Incorporates Singing Into Lessons.

The Tuscaloosa (AL) News (5/19, Boyd) reported, " A day doesn't go by in

which Moundville Elementary School third-grade teacher Jackie isn't

singing. " And, she incorporates " music in the classroom. " She uses songs to

" energize and motivate her students " and as learning tools. said that

" she loves to incorporate singing and hands-on activities in to her lesson

plans because her students will be more actively involved. " Moundville

Principal Ronnie Garner said, " Right now with our limited funding, we can't

offer music as a standalone program, so the teachers have to incorporate

it. " He also mentioned " that ' talent and years of personal and

professional accomplishments make her a highly requested teacher. In

addition to being named Moundville's Teacher of the Year in 2007, was

also a nominee for the Alabama Teacher of the Year. "

Students Learn About Historical Figures Through Film-Based Program.

Illinois' Pantagraph (5/20) reports that " seventy-five third-graders " at

Washington Elementary School in Bloomington " are learning about historical

figures -- like Teddy Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart -- through a program

based on the 2006 movie 'Night at the Museum.' " The sequel to the movie --

" Night at the Museum: Battle of the sonian " takes place at DC's

sonian Institute, which offers " online virtual tours " through its

website. Students took part in the online tour and will see the sequel on

Friday.

Fourth-Graders Attend Class In One-Room Schoolhouse.

The Grand Traverse (MI) Herald (5/20, South) reports that for the past two

weeks, two fourth-grade classes from Fife Lake Elementary School have spent

their Tuesday mornings " learning at the Fife Lake Area Historical Society's

one-room schoolhouse, " circa 1878. During the trips, boys and girls sit on

" opposite sides of the rooms. During lessons, they recited from McGuffey's

readers, a standard book of the era, and wrote in copybooks. " One other

" facet of the students' historical immersion was costumes " provided by the

Fife Lake Area Historical Society. " The girls buttoned on long skirts over

their clothes while boys drew dark knee socks over pant legs to mimic

knickers. " Furthermore, " the all-day event...included a visit to the

society's historical museum, a guided history walk through downtown and a

visit to the Old Fire Barn to see the exhibits there. "

Law & Policy

Supreme Court To Decide If Arizona Complies With Laws Regarding English

Learners.

The New York Times (5/20, A16, Lewin) reports, " Next month, after 17 years

of litigation, the United States Supreme Court will " decide " whether Arizona

is complying with federal laws requiring public schools to teach children to

speak English. " In the case of Miriam , ' mother claimed " that

non-English-speaking children " in Arizona " were being denied equal

educational opportunity " due to inadequately trained teachers and poor

per-pupil funding. " In 2000, a district court ruled that the state's

financing for English language learners was not 'reasonably calculated' to

cover the extra costs of educating them, and ordered the district to come up

with a better plan. " And " last year, the United States Court of Appeals for

the Ninth Circuit upheld the lower court, ruling that despite improvement,

the state was still not in compliance. " The Times notes, " With five million

school-age children nationwide who do not speak proficient English...the

Supreme Court's ruling could affect spending on English language learners in

many states. "

Baltimore School System Permanently Suspends Student Arsonists.

The Baltimore Sun (5/20, Neufeld) reports that the number of students

permanently suspended from Baltimore Public Schools " has increased

drastically over previous years because of a decision by schools chief

Andrés Alonso to impose the most severe punishment for those caught

committing arson or detonating explosives. " Families may appeal, " but if the

expulsions are upheld, " students " are never to return to a Baltimore public

school. " And in June, the district " will cut off home tutoring and

alternative school placements for those students. " According to public

school officials, " the regulation is working: The number of arsons in city

schools has dropped sharply, from 80 last academic year to 47 so far in the

school year about to end. "

New York City High Schools Must Provide Military Opt-Out Forms For

Underclassmen.

The New York Times (5/20, A24, ) reports, " Schools will be required

to provide military opt-out forms to 9th- and 10th-grade students and to

develop a plan to monitor on-campus recruiting by the armed forces,

according to new guidelines announced by the city's Department of Education

on Monday night. " The new guidelines come at the urging of " civil liberties

groups, which had pushed to curtail recruiters' access after school

officials decided last year to give military recruiters access to a central

database of students' names, addresses and telephone numbers. " Previously,

" 11th- and 12th-grade students received the forms. The Department of

Education will also add information on opting out to its instructions on

their rights and to materials for students who take an armed services

aptitude test. "

Safety & Security

USA Today Investigation Found Carbon Tet Outside 70 US Schools, Despite Ban.

USA Today (5/20, Bruggers) reports, " Thirteen years ago, carbon

tetrachloride and other chemicals that were eating up the Earth's ozone

layer were banned or restricted under the Montreal Protocol. " Nevertheless,

carbon tetrachloride, also called 'carbon tet,' -- classified by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency as a probable human carcinogen and known to

damage the liver, kidneys and brain...still shows up at elevated levels

around the world, scientists say. " An investigation by USA Today last fall

" found it outside 70 of 95 schools in 30 states...yet there were no obvious

industrial sources to explain the readings. " , " chief of the

EPA's air toxics program in its Southeast regional office in Atlanta, " said

that most remnants of carbon tet are " probably left over from the past

because carbon tetrachloride degrades so slowly. "

Also in the News

US Schools Said To Be Adequately Preparing Students For Science, Engineering

Jobs.

In an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle (5/19, A11) Walt

Gardner, a former employee of the Los Angeles Unified School District and

lecturer in the UCLA Graduate School of Education, wrote, " Repetition

doesn't make something true. The latest reminder was a piece by Financial

Times columnist Clive Crook, in which he warns that America's long-term

economic prospects are bleak because of a 'calamitous' failure of schools to

produce a high-quality workforce. " This point of view " has been echoed...by

a host of [other] organizations " as well. But, according to a study by B.

Lowell of town University and Hal Salzman of the Urban

Institute, " each year...there are more than three times as many science and

engineering four-year college graduates as employment openings. " Gardner

concludes, " It's time for Americans to admit that they've been the naive

audience of a magnificently orchestrated campaign to discredit schools. "

Graduation Rate In County, Nevada, School System Increases To 65

Percent.

The Las Vegas Sun (5/20, Richmond) reports, " County's [NV] high school

graduation rate was 65.1 percent in 2008, a gain of just over 2 percentage

points, according to the latest data obtained Tuesday by the Sun. " A

" breakdown of the latest graduation rates show a wide range of results for

individual comprehensive high schools, from 41.3 percent at Western to 89.5

percent at Coronado. " Meanwhile, all of County's magnet schools

" topped 90 percent. " The state's " overall graduation rate can vary widely,

depending on the formula used, " the Las Vegas Sun notes. " Outside

researchers have put the Silver State's graduation rate as low as 45 percent

in recent years, while the Nevada Education Department put it at 67.4

percent for the class of 2007. "

Nearly 75 Percent Of Aspiring Elementary Teachers In Massachusetts Failed

Math Test.

The Boston Globe (5/19, Vaznis) reports that " nearly three-quarters of the

aspiring elementary school teachers who took " Massachusetts' " licensing exam

this year failed the new math section, according to results being released

today that focus on the subject for the first time. " The Boston Globe

explained that " previously, elementary school teachers could potentially

receive a state license without answering a single math question correctly

on the general curriculum exam " as " math was folded in with the other

subjects -- language arts, history, social science, science, and child

development -- to generate an overall score. " Math is now " scored separately

as a subtest of that exam. " State Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary

Education Chester said that the " test is designed to ensure our

workforce, our teachers, have a strong understanding of math if they are

going to teach math. "

NEA in the News

NEA Campaigns Against Plan To Tax Employee Healthcare Benefits.

The Hill (5/20, ) reports that union groups, including the National

Education Association, the American Federation of State, County and

Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the United Food and Commercial Workers,

are " targeting " Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), " one of their close allies in

Congress, over a controversial proposal to tax employee healthcare

benefits. " The campaign urges " Oregonians to voice their displeasure to Sen.

Wyden, whose proposal may be stalled in the Senate. " In radio ads, the

unions " take Wyden to task for his Healthy Americans Act, a bill that would

provide universal coverage while removing the tax exemption employers get

when they provide health benefits to their employees. "

" The unions have previously made clear that they oppose any such

cap, " according to CQ Today (5/20, Armstrong). " But the ad buy in Oregon

takes things to a new level by targeting a key Democrat who has been one of

the Senate's loudest advocates for an overhaul. " Still, " Wyden is likely not

the only target. The ads send a signal to many other lawmakers hoping to

write a bill that will be offset with cost cuts or new revenue. "

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