In this edition of In the News:
- Thank You Bob Schieffer!
- Comment on Pastorek’s School Governance Plan
- National School Reform Highlights
- Strengthening the Pipeline from School to College
- Local Education News
- Announcing 3 Winners of Educate Now!’s Share to Win Competition
Thank You Bob Schieffer!
Schieffer on New Orleans’ Progress
CBS News – October 24, 2010
Advertising you can’t buy: Bob Schieffer talks about one of his favorite cities – New Orleans.
Comment on Pastorek’s School Governance Plan
BESE is Accepting Online Comments on School Governance
The Times-Picayune – October 22, 2010
Between now and November 22, anyone who wants to comment on Superintendent Pastorek’s plan to return RSD schools to local OPSB control can do so on BESE’s website. Educate Now! encourages everyone to review the plan and weigh in on this important issue.
View Pastorek’s plan.
View comments or submit your own.
National School Reform Highlights
Early Grades Become the New Front in Absenteeism Wars
Education Week – October 14, 2010
Research is beginning to show that the start of elementary school is the critical time to prevent truancy. An average of one in ten students younger than grade 3 nationwide is considered chronically absent, with the problem being particularly acute with poor students.
Study of Montgomery County Schools Shows Benefits of Economic Integration
The Washington Post – October 14, 2010
Low-income students perform better when they attended affluent elementary schools instead of ones with higher concentrations of poverty, which suggests economic integration might be a powerful but neglected school-reform tool.
Seven Popular Social and Character Development Programs Show No Impact
National Center for Education Research – October 2010
A new study looks at seven popular social and character development programs and finds no overall improvement in students’ social and emotional competence, behaviors, academic performance, or student and teacher perceptions of school climate.
Strengthening the Pipeline from School to College
College Success for All: How the Hidalgo Independent School District Is Adopting Early College as a District-Wide Strategy
Jobs for the Future – October 2010
The Hidalgo Independent School District is located in one of the most economically depressed areas of the country with one of the lowest numbers of college-educated adults. But this past June, 95% of the district’s class of 2010 graduated high school with college credits.
Getting a Kid from Newark to Oberlin
The Wall Street Journal – October 30, 2010
Three lessons from a high-performing charter school network for low-income students: 1) great teaching trumps demography; 2) urban school districts must act like Silicon Valley, not the car industry; and 3) mindset matters most.
South Must Build New Economy Through Education, Report Says
Education Week – October 26, 2010
The percentage of young adults obtaining at least a two-year degree in many southern states lags behind not only U.S. averages, but also behind those of many foreign nations. A new report called “State of the South 2010” examines where students in different southern states fall out of the pipeline from high school to college.
Local Education News
Surveying the Public High School Landscape in New Orleans
The Cowen Institute – October 28, 2010
Tulane’s Cowen Institute has released a detailed report on the current state of public high schools in New Orleans. It compares the performance of OPSB charters, OPSB direct-run schools, RSD charters and RSD direct run schools, and it looks at the extent to which they are preparing our students for college and careers.
School Board to Sue Over Control Of Charters
The Times-Picayune – October 27, 2010
The Orleans Parish School Board says it should be allowed to authorize and oversee new charters, but the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education disagrees, saying OPSB is still a district in Academic Crisis.
New Orleans Special Needs Students File Federal Lawsuit Against Louisiana Department of Education
The Times-Picayune – October 29, 2010
Ten special needs students have filed a class action lawsuit in federal court alleging that the New Orleans public schools are discriminating against them because of their disabilities. They are not asking for financial compensation, just that schools comply with federal law.
Announcing 3 Winners of Educate Now!’s Share to Win Competition
Three schools to receive $1,000 each from Educate Now!
Educate Now! is pleased to announce the three schools chosen by the winners of the Share to Win competition are: Edward Hynes Charter School, Langston Hughes Academy and Lusher Charter Elementary School. Each school will receive a $1,000 donation from Educate Now! Read more about the contest winners and why they chose to support these schools.