Educational Policy, Ethics, & Leadership

Distance Learning in the Valley

The Associated Press reports that the University of Texas and the government of Mexico are collaborating on a distance learning program in South Texas.  LINK

Spanish-speaking students in South Texas will be able to take Mexican high school courses online under a program devised by the University of Texas and Mexican education agencies.

The program will be piloted this fall in the Donna and Edcouch-Elsa school districts in Hidalgo County. It will enable students to use computers to study math and science courses in Spanish, while learning English and social studies in their Texas schools.

Proponents say the program could help reduce the dropout rate among high school students who become frustrated with the language barrier.

Bob Ray Sanders

"Substitute teachers get praise instead of pranks," is the headline of a recent Bob Ray Sanders column in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  LINK

Substitute teaching, although a crucial job in our school systems, has to be one of the more thankless professions I can imagine.

For the past two years, however, the Fort Worth school district has staged a program to honor those who are sent to unfamiliar classrooms to contribute to the education of our children rather than just baby-sit them.

Whew! They Made It

That's the title of an editorial in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram on the special legislative session's school funding fix.  LINK

Still, in a lengthy filing of their own, the attorneys for the school districts made it clear that they still are not happy with the amount of money that the state devotes to education.

That's the part that probably means it's only a matter of time before all of this goes back to court again.

The Hutch School, Seattle

Today's New York Times reports on the Hutch School in Seattle Washington, the only hospital-sponsored academy in the U.S.  LINK

The school, which costs about $400,000 a year to run and is free to all students, was started 25 years ago in an effort to make it easier for families. It has three teachers and a math tutor who rarely assign homework and a social worker who suggests relaxation techniques for anxious moments.

In the competitive world of cancer treatment, the Hutch School gives a marketing edge to the two transplant centers in Seattle that are affiliated with the Hutchinson research center. And it gives an extra layer of protection for patients whose immune systems are severely compromised. Students and staff members wipe tables and computers with disinfectant and stay away from school if they have the slightest sniffle, all in an effort to keep them from spreading germs among one another and back to their sick relatives.

More on California Testing

"Shock and ahhh no!" is the title of a story in today's Los Angeles Times focusing on student reaction to the exit exams.  LINK

Of the 46,700 seniors statewide who have failed, 20,600 have limited English skills and 28,300 come from low-income households.

Olga Duran, an administrator at Roosevelt High School who guides academically at-risk students, said the school has offered tutoring, but the students are discouraged. At least 67 Roosevelt seniors have fulfilled all of their graduation requirements except the exit exam, Duran said. But the number is probably higher.

School Finance Mandate Dissolved

That's the title of the report in today's Houston Chronicle regarding the lawsuit that forced the legislature to deal with public school finance funding.  LINK

A state district judge Thursday dissolved an injunction in a five-year-old school finance case, removing the threat that schools could lose funding June 1.

Judge John Dietz of Travis County signed the order in response to a motion filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. The motion said the Legislature fixed constitutional deficiencies in the school finance system during the special session that ended this month.

This may not be the end of the story, however, according to an attorney representing a group of school districts that sued the state over funding allocations.

The districts did not oppose the motion to halt the injunction. But they warned that their position "should not be construed as a wholehearted endorsement of the legislation or an admission that the school finance system is on firm constitutional footing going forward."

Dallas Morning News coverage is here.

Tests Show Drop in Science Achievement for 12th Graders

That's the title of another article in today's New York Times examining national science test scores.  LINK

The drop in science proficiency appeared to reflect a broader trend in which some academic gains made in elementary grades and middle school have been seen to fade during the high school years.

The science results came from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a comprehensive examination administered in early 2005 by the Department of Education to more than 300,000 students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and on military bases around the world.

California

High stakes exit exams are the big issue in California, especially for graduating seniors.  This is the first year students have to pass to obtain their degree.  We have links to several news stories.

The Los Angeles Times', "Justices restore exit exams" is here.

Thousands of struggling high school seniors are likely to be denied a diploma after the state Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated California's exit exam, a hotly debated gauge of competency in math and English.

For the nearly 47,000 seniors — about one in 10 — who haven't passed the test, the high court's decision came as a whipsaw. Nearly two weeks ago, a lower court judge threw out the exam, seeming to give students a last-minute reprieve and the opportunity to receive diplomas in graduation ceremonies.

A New York Times article is here.

The Sacramento Bee report is here

In the San Francisco Chronicle, "Some students feel left in the lurch" is here.

Consequences for Cheating

Is the title of an editorial in today's Dallas Morning News.  It's commenting on a Morning News analysis that suggests some organized cheating in as many as one in 12 schools to achieve better TAKS scores. LINK

The TEA could never be accused of zealotry in pursuing indications of cheating. It generally has relied on districts to police themselves, a questionable approach considering the natural disincentives. The state agency commissioned its statewide study of TAKS scores only after The Dallas Morning News did its own analysis in 2004 and found suspicious outcomes in nearly 400 schools statewide.

Easier Said Than Done

That's the title of today's lead editorial in the Houston Chronicle on the school funding fix passed by the legislature.  LINK

In a visit with the Chronicle editorial board this week, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst devoted much of his presentation to touting the improvements to public education to be funded by the new state school finance plan, which includes an expanded business tax and reductions in school property taxes.

Dewhurst acknowledged the predictions of Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and the Legislative Budget Board that the revamped business tax and one-dollar hike in the levy on cigarettes may leave the state confronting shortfalls of nearly $25 billion over five years. According to the lieutenant governor, the plan will consume the current state surplus of $8 billion.