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Some California dropouts finish high school but don't succeed beyond, study finds Los Angeles TimesA little more than half receive a high school diploma or equivalent, but 90% never enroll in college or drop out after they do, according to the California Dropout Research Project. For most high school dropouts, reality sets in sooner or later: Without a high school diploma, their prospects in life

One in 10 white students is classified as mentally gifted; just 3 in 100 black students are. 90% of emotional disturbed are minority Data highlight achievement gap in Phila. schools Philadelphia InquirerPhiladelphia School District officials have known they had an achievement gap on their hands for years. Yesterday, they saw the raw data, and were collectively horrified.

Ark. attorney general: Schools can admit illegal immigrants Associated PressLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' colleges and universities can admit illegal immigrants, the Arkansas attorney general's office says. Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said in an advisory opinion Wednesday that schools don't have a duty to verify the citizenship status of potential students they admit.

Fenty Offers $1.3B Plan To Update Schools Washington PostBlueprint is consistent in character with other school initiatives crafted by D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee that are designed to show visible results quickly.

Hinojosa says Dallas ISD is in 'crisis mode' Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Independent School District appointed an interim chief operating officer Thursday, an indication that Superintendent Michael Hinojosa is replacing a key member of his administrative team.

Miami-Dade Schools superintendent nominee to give decision today Miami HeraldFriday will be decision day for Alberto Carvalho, the nominee for Miami-Dade school's top job, Board Chairman Agustín Barrera said late Thursday

EducationNews Commentaries and Reports

A Letter from a cold, wet, Oxford, expecting more rain overnight. (International Academy of Critical Thinking, Oxford) Colin HannafordForeign Correspondent EducationNews.orgAs per your irrecusable instructions (and wearing a splendid badge declaring that me to be the Foreign Correspondent EducationNews.org - the first word in red, the rest in black: a nice touch I thought - but I do hope you realise that I am still not being paid!), I spent four days last week at the second annual conference of the International Academy of Critical Thinking, held this year in New College, in Oxford.

Three districts: big deficits, lots more in common Detroit Public Schools (MI): $ 408 million Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL): $ 88 million Dallas Independent School District (TX): $ 64 million By Peyton Wolcott After national security at home and abroad, there is no more urgent crisis facing the United States today than to make sure our public schools remain strong, free and locally run. To do this, they're going to have to stop wasting money and learn to better educate our schoolchildren for fewer dollars.

Universal Tuition Vouchers David W. KirkpatrickColumnist EducationNews.orgFor nearly 20 years there has been a voucher program in Milwaukee public schools plus, more recently, charter schools in the district. The program's success is indicated by its longevity and steady growth, its acceptance by the general community, community leaders, and members of the school board. The latter includes a 2002 study by then-board member John Gardner.

Why Ninth Grade Is Critical for College Admission WestEd Report Demonstrates Need for Middle School Intervention with Minority, Low Income Youth San Francisco, CA -- A WestEd report finds that too many California high school seniors fail to meet college admission requirements because they fall off the college-preparatory track in ninth grade -- and can't get back on. The study suggests that school districts need better "early warning systems" for ninth graders, especially those not enrolling in the English and math courses accredited by the state's four-year colleges.

Open Letter from John Dewey to the Principal of Langley High School, McLean, Virginia For those who do not know me, I am a parent and deeply concerned with the poor state of education in the U.S. I write under the name of John Dewey in order to prevent retribution for what I say about the things I see wrong.

Educational Innovation and Standard Worldwide American Pronunciation English: A Hands On Perspective by Robert Oliphant Columnist EducationNews.orgAuthoritative calls for “educational innovation” should be taken seriously, especially when voiced by distinguished Americans like Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., John Doerr, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, and Ted Mitchell, president of the California Board of Education (LA Times, Aug. 31). The seriousness of their call, paralleling “A Nation at Risk,” is tellingly signaled by their panic-in-the-streets bubonic plague analogy, along with their echo of the “There must be More Money” theme in D.H. Lawrence’s heartbreaking classic “The Rocking Horse Winner.”

"Take this Certification and..." by Ron Isaac Columnist EducationNews.orgOne fine day a few years ago my principal summoned me for a good-natured chat about a piece I had written that some brownie-point seeker or other well-wis her had retrieved from the Internet and forwarded to her. My piece was about the "reformed" view of what currently passes as qualifications to be a school leader and how it falls short of the admittedly flawed principal-selection process of the past.

BEING AN AMERICAN By Victoria Hughes Bill of Rights InstituteFew questions seem to divide us more these days than what it means to be an American. One of the reasons this seemingly innocent question stirs such passion is because there’s really no one right answer. Despite varying definitions of citizenship, most Americans nevertheless would agree that the principles outlined in America’s founding documents—the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights—are a good place to start and are key to maintaining our national identity.

An Interview with Dan Lips: How Members of Congress Practice School Choice Michael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityDan, over the past few years, the Heritage Foundation has been monitoring where the children of Senators and Congressmen (and Congresswomen) go to school. What have you basically found out?

In Defense of Testing Series: Publications of Canada’s Technology-Assisted Student Assessment Institute Transition to Online Testing: A Return on Investment Analysis - Comparisons between Paper and Computer-based Tests - Automated Essay Scoring: A Literature Review - Comparisons between Paper- and Computer Based Tests: A Literature Review A Future in the Process of Arrival: Using Computer Technologies for the Assessment of Student Learning - Student Assessment in Canada: Improving the Learning Environment through Effective Evaluation

An Interview with Matthew Davis: Core Knowledge in New York City! Michael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityDr. Davis, I understand that you are heading up the incorporation of the Core Knowledge curriculum in New York City. How did this come about? I am heading up the development of the Core Knowledge Reading Program, which is something we at Core Knowledge have been working on for several years now. We recently got New York City public schools interested in trying the program, which is very exciting.

No Common Denominator The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America’s Education Schools National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) The nation’s higher goals for student learning in mathematics cannot be reached without improved teacher capacity. To accomplish these goals an analysis of current teacher preparation in mathematics is necessary, along with the development of an agenda for improvement. Based on groundwork laid during a meeting in Washington, D.C. in March 2007, the eight members of this study’s Mathematics Advisory Group guided the National Council on Teacher Quality’s evaluation of the mathematics preparation of elementary teachers.

Educational Problems & Solutions by Dennis Cuddy, Ph.DWith the new school year just beginning, it may be useful to examine a myriad of educational problems along with some rather simple solutions. The education establishment, especially the National Education Association (NEA), wants kindergarten to begin at an ever earlier age. This is because they know a child’s values are shaped during the earliest years of life, and they believe parents often instill “improper” (biblical or traditional) values in their children

An Interview with Barbara Oakley: Evil Genes Michael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityYour latest book is about “evil genes.” I suspect that there will be a lot of interest in the subject. What led you to investigate such a gruesome topic? The full title of my book is Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend. It’s a tongue-in-cheek title for a seriously researched book. My sister really did steal my mother’s boyfriend, though, which was one of the many incidents that made me wonder about the source of malevolent behavior.

Waiting for the Watermelons: Remembering 9/11 Tom Sticht Columnist EducationNews.orgInternational Consultant in Adult Education In my lifetime I have witnessed two major acts of war against America. The first occurred on December 7th, 1941 when the military forces of the nation of Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. "A day that will live in infamy" declared President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Four years later, the allied forces of World War II celebrated VJ Day – Victory in Japan! The war was over.

My book is called “Betrayed.” by Laurie RogersCuriosity, questions and a tape recorder: That’s what I had in January 2007 when I met with the superintendent and the curriculum director of Spokane Public Schools. I thought I’d write an article about why my daughter's 4th-grade class wasn't working. I brought my recorder because I’m a former journalist, and that’s what journalists do.

The Difficulty of School Reform David W. Kirkpatrick Columnist EducationNews.orgFew things are as difficult as reforming the public schools. Since the early beginnings of the public school system, with the enactment of the Common School Act in Pennsylvania in 1834 and Horace Mann as Commissioner of Education in Massachusetts a few years later, the schools have remained relatively unchanged in their fundamentals. Changes have essentially been of solidifying the system rather than of what could be or should be.

An Interview with Teresa Rowlison: Encounter with John McCain Michael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityTeresa, I understand that you recently had an opportunity to ask Senator Mc Cain some questions about education. Where and when did this occur? This occurred during Mc Cain’s visit to New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Basically, what were your concerns?

Commentary: World Class WritingMichael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityOver the past few weeks, much has been said by Senator Clinton, Michelle Obama and Senator Obama about “world class education”. Those three words have resounded in all of their speeches of late. I would like to acknowledge some “world class writing” which has recently appeared in The Concord Review, edited by Will Fitzhugh.
An Interview with Kevin Donnelly: Testing in Australia Michael F. ShaughnessySenior Columnist EducationNews.orgEastern New Mexico UniversityKevin, recent events in Australia have caused some commotion. Tell us a bit about it. In Australia, the left-of-centre Commonwealth Government, led by Kevin Rudd, has released a policy forcing schools to be more publicly accountable by making them release performance details. Sounding very much like an education conservative, the Prime Minister argues that parents have the right to know how well their child’s school performs in relation to other ‘like’ schools, that is, schools with a similar socio-economic profile.

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