School Integration

NJ school districts work to combat racial disproportionality in special education with an early focus on literacy and behavioral issues in typical classrooms
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/NEWS/712020508/1001

Other News

U.S. Supreme Court asks the Bush administration for its views on a long-running lawsuit that contends that a NY teacher-certification exam has a disparate impact on black and Latino teachers in the NYC school system
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/12/15scotus.h27.html

School Funding Litigation/Policy

Analysts expect a continued slowdown in the growth of revenue collections and spending in fiscal 2008, but they say school budgets will likely be spared from harm unless economic conditions worsen considerably
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/15fiscal_web.h27.html

State Roundup

CO governor lays out specifics on how to get more at-risk kids in preschool, send 22,000 students to full-day kindergarten and hire dozens more guidance counselors to keep high schoolers from dropping out
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7645721

CT endorses proposal under a plan designed to capture public input and to take people's best ideas for school reform
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-cthighgrad1206.artdec06,0,3573607.story

Report says common methods used by MD to improve test scores in underperforming schools have had little effect, but other approaches could lead to better results
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/05/AR2007120502352.html?nav=rss_education

SC bill would require districts to explore choice options, but districts would have the final say
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/NEWS01/712060324/1012

Unusual instructional approach, which includes mixing students at various levels of English proficiency, may yield gains for English language learners
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/14brooklyn.h27.html

U.S. ranks 29^th in science education according to survey results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – Why this information could be a useful tool in improving education
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1205/p02s01-usgn.html

State Roundup

Plans to expand AL.'s Pre-K program incorporate Head Start sites, and officials say the move “will make sure quality isn't sacrificed for growth”
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20071204/APN/712040918

AZ English language instruction case goes to federal court, and judge suggests that factions hold their own peace talks
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1205flores1205.html

Angry parents and community leaders question D.C. school closings in a town hall meeting
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/04/AR2007120400022.html?nav=rss_education

D.C. school-redistricting forum draws 2000 people, and most parents say they oppose any move to uproot their children
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301879.html?nav=rss_education

FL is ranked number one in the nation for a distinction that is widely seen as the gold seal for good teaching, but its lucrative bonus program that has spurred so many teachers to get certified is coming under increasing scrutiny
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/05/State/Florida_teachers_earn.shtml

Boston public schools battle with stalled reform measures and falling enrollment; while pilot schools should be playing a larger role in the school system, the pipeline has been frozen
http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2007/12/05/clipped_wings_for_pilot_schools/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News+%2F+Education+news+-+Boston+Globe+-+MCAS+results+-+latest+education+news

NYC names six schools that will be shut down after earning poor grades
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/education/05schools.html?ex=1354510800&en=42d0de8b6ab2370b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Report says PA laptop program is making students more engaged in class but questions whether school districts will be able to keep up with maintenance costs
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/state/all-a5_5laptops.6168829dec05,0,88651.story

Gov. Kaine says VA’s budget troubles won't stop him from pursuing expansion of pre-kindergarten programs because “there can be no better long-term investment”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071205/METRO/112050075/1004

Federal/NCLB

Title I formula is no NCLB barrier – Amid the reauthorization debate, no one has brought up the question of how best to give out billions of dollars a year under the law
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/14title1.h27.html

Commentary – With NCLB reauthorization on hold, we should move toward common standards and fewer excuses
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/14merrow.h27.html

Analysts find little evidence that ED in ’08, an attempt to make K-12 education a top issue in the presidential election, is succeeding in giving education issues a high profile
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/14ed.h27.html

U.S. students fall short in math and science scores in a leading international exam
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/04/14pisa_web.h27.html

School Funding Litigation/Policy

GA school administrators who sued the state over education funding remain determined despite growing impatience over waiting more than three years for the case to come to court
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/120407/met_175410.shtml

Gov. Corzine reveals that preliminary estimates indicate up to two-thirds of NJ districts would get a marked increase in funding under his upcoming school funding plan
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1196574835255970.xml&coll=1

NJ funding proposal would expand preschool, but education advocate warns that the new formula is being crafted to control other costs, not to meet the real expenses for teaching children
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071201/NEWS02/712010331/1123/multimedia

UT task force supports a draft bill that would equalize the tax-collection effort by the state and counties for capital projects in school districts
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695233131,00.html

State Roundup

AZ’s protracted legal battle over public-school policies for teaching English to non-native speakers has been cast in a variety of ways, but it’s really all about the money
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1204flores1204.html

SC Superintendent of Education asks for grass-roots support for his fast paced education reform agenda
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/NEWS01/712040355/1012

VT Commissioner of Education proposes consolidation of school districts, claiming that many districts are too small to be able to provide the opportunities that students deserve
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071204/NEWS04/712040369/1004/NEWS03

WA report says that teacher experience, and not advanced degrees, has a greater effect on how well students succeed
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/342178_education04.html

Federal/NCLB

NCLB is at a crossroads as overhaul stalls in Congress and proposals draw rancor amid calls for change
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/535803.html

UT Rep. Cannon and Education Advisory Committee offer recommendation to improve NCLB: “keep kids the focus”
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695232758,00.html

Opinion – Quality education gets lost in translation: One teacher explains how NCLB requirements hurt schools that have influx of immigrants
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/02/INLSTK7BD.DTL&feed=rss.education

School Funding Litigation/Policy

Top GA lawmaker pushes to replace local property taxes for education with a statewide sales tax; court battle looms and education advocate says a “perfect storm” over school finance is brewing in the state
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/12/05/14georgia.h27.html

MT’s financial support of rural schools lags behind other states
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071203/NEWS01/712030301

Poor non-urban NJ districts await Gov. Corzine’s revised school aid plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/nyregion/01jersey.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1196698888-LR3Haiye10UNr28/6OcSmQ

NY stands to fight a court order to stop making "unconstitutional" payments – The judgment would require the state to choose between wounding municipalities getting the payments or creating a uniform policy that might be extremely expensive for the state
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=643545&category=STATE&newsdate=12/1/2007

SD democratic leader calls for additional state spending on school districts and says he hopes for a budget that “returns to common sense”
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SD_XGR_BUDGET_SDOL-?SITE=SDSIO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

State Roundup

CA public schools dominate in national ranking of high schools with 23 campuses in the list of the top 100
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-usnews1dec01,1,493422.story?track=rss

Percentage of credentialed teachers has risen dramatically in CA, according to report
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/03/BAPCTLCG9.DTL&feed=rss.education

CA teacher union's proposal calls for local, grass roots control over schools and gives instructors more breathing room to formulate curricula
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-teachers3dec03,1,6018033.story?track=rss

FL’s high-school graduation rate is still on the rise and the dropout rate is down, giving the state its rosiest graduation outlook in nearly a decade
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-graduation0107dec01,0,7017209.story

OK task force considers pre-K funding options in its push to boost early education
http://www.idahostatesman.com/politics/story/225881.html

Analysis shows that OR schools whose students are behind in reading and math have turned down federal aid intended to help those students in order to dodge NCLB consequences and pressures
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1196474195111930.xml&coll=7

Unusually high rate of TN children in special education classes has some experts concerned children are being pushed out of regular classes to help improve test scores
http://knoxnews.com/news/2007/dec/01/officials-question-number-tennessee-special-ed-stu/

Published Monday, Dec. 10, 2007