QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“The charter movement is putting itself at risk by allowing too many second- and third-rate schools to exist.”
Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
(see related item below)

TENNIS ANYONE?

Life skills and values rose to the top of Singapore’s education goals, equal to academic fundamentals, according to the Primary Education Review and Implementation Committee report whose results were published in early 2009. Students will receive instruction in sports, outdoor education, and performing and visual arts. Officials believe that holding nonacademic areas alongside academic subjects will expose students to a broad range of experiences that will contribute toward the development of life skills and values such as resilience, tenacity, confidence, and perseverance—qualities that will help young Singaporeans adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world.

RTI—NOT ONLY FOR READING

A new federal practice guide, produced by an expert panel convened by the U.S. Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse, offers eight recommendations for providing remediation in math through the RTI process to students in elementary and middle school.

LET THE DEBATE BEGIN—THE NEW TEXAS SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

The Texas State Board of Education is preparing to write new social studies curriculum standards for public schools, that once in place will be used for the next 10 years. The education board appointed a panel of six experts to help guide the writing teams. Three were appointed by Republican social conservatives on the board, while the other three were appointed by the remaining Republicans and Democrats. Controversy is already brewing—the social conservative appointees think that names such as Cesar Chavez, Thurgood Marshall, and Anne Hutchinson have been given too much attention in current social studies classes. The other members of the panel vehemently disagree. Debate is expected to be as intense as that on the new science standards which were adapted in March where evolution was a flashpoint. Vote on the new social studies standards will take place in January and March of 2010.

GOING TO THE DOGS

In an effort to raise literacy levels at a Dorset, U.K., primary school, pupils are being encouraged to read to dogs. Each child is paired with a dog (supervised by its owner) for 45 minutes. The child reads a classroom book to the dog, who listens to every word, never points out mistakes, and only asks for its tummy to be tickled at the end of the session. Teachers claim that the experiment has made a “significant impact” on the students’ confidence and self-esteem. Arf. Arf.

CHARTER SCHOOLS—TWO SOBERING REPORTS

Just when it seems like charter schools are gaining traction—
thanks in part to ringing endorsements from President Obama
and Education Secretary Duncan—two not-so-positive reports question the viability of such schools. In March, the Rand Corporation delivered what most considered a mixed report card on charter performance, concluding that elementary students in charter schools perform no better than students in traditional public schools. And as included in our June blog, a new report on charters in 16 states released by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that while 17 percent of the charter schools delivered better academic gains than the traditional schools, 37 percent of the charters showed gains worse than the traditional schools, and 46 percent showed no difference.

MAC AND MAINE

Maine has purchased Mac Books for all of its students in grades 7-12. 64,000 Mac Books have been bought to add to the roughly 37,000 already in circulation, with another 7,000 expected to be ordered in a few weeks. Apple will include educational software, professional development, and technical support in exchange for approximately $25 million per year for the next four years.

MCGRAW-HILL CUTS 550 JOBS

McGraw-Hill hit, by declines in its education, financial services, and media properties, has eliminated 550 jobs. The deepest cuts were in the education unit, which lost 340 positions, followed by the information and media units with 125 and financial services with 85. Major publishers like Pearson and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt experienced similar downsizings in recent months.