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| ASCD SmartBrief |
| September 16, 2008 |
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Spellings aims to keep NCLB at the forefront
As the major presidential candidates distance themselves from NCLB, U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings is urging greater support for the law's underlying principles. "We must resist pressure to weaken or water down accountability," she said. "I have yet to meet a parent who doesn't want their child on grade level right now, today, not 2014." The Washington Post (9/16)
Texas scientists want to apply brain research to middle schools
As young people's brains mature, it's critical for them to learn and practice higher reasoning and critical-thinking skills, say University of Texas at Dallas researchers. Some 98% of teenagers with attention deficit problems who were trained to filter out unimportant details and focus on main concepts improved their overall reasoning skills. The brain-health researchers want to see the program implemented in all Texas middle schools. The Dallas Morning News (9/14)
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Superintendent cuts own pay to help schools
An Ohio district superintendent, Dan Bennett, wants district residents to approve a 1% tax increase to pay for the operation of new schools to ease overcrowding. So Bennett -- who does not live in the district and thus would not be taxed -- has arranged to donate 1% of his yearly $118,014 salary to the district, meaning his annual donation to the schools will be $1,180.14. The Cincinnati Enquirer (9/13)
School nurse role expands, but some districts consider cuts
School nurses are being called upon to do a wider range of health care tasks, including giving medicines to chronically ill children or monitoring respirators, feeding tubes and catheters. Some school districts, however, are looking at reducing the number of nurses and having secretaries, teachers or health aides help out instead. USA TODAY (9/15)
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Brit parents to schools: Text, e-mail us updates
More than two-thirds of British parents want schools to keep them better informed about their child's education through such methods as text messages and e-mails, according to a new survey from Becta, which oversees education technology in the U.K. Only 8% of parents said the schools had kept them in the loop using those technologies. cellular-news (U.K.) (9/14)
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California lawmakers get closer to solving budget impasse
California legislative leaders on Sunday said they had hammered out a compromise on the state's budget, putting forth a plan that among other things would restore some education funding, although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had not yet signed on. Los Angeles Times (9/15)
District to bring more parents to court over children's truancy
A Connecticut district that during the 2007-08 school year brought to court the parents of 87 chronically truant students from two schools will expand the program to two more buildings after drastically reducing unexcused absences. The district found parental mental-health and poverty played a role as did extended vacations, but the most frequent cause for absences was found to be children's asthma attacks, so the judge worked with the district to put parents in touch with clinics and other medical resources to help address their children's condition. Republican-American (Waterbury, Conn.) (9/14)
Maine students want packs back
Some 50 Maine students who want to bring backpacks to school failed to convince school administration after a Friday sit-in to protest a policy barring the bags' use during school hours. Superintendent Jeffrey Bearden said the rule -- implemented to increase safety after the 1999 Columbine High School shootings -- also reduces classroom clutter and eases strain on students' backs. The Boston Globe/Associated Press (9/13)
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Opinion: Welcome parents into schools, policy debates
Parents tend to rank far behind school officials, politicians, unions, policy wonks and newspaper columnists when it comes to shaping national and local education policy, writes parent, author and radio commentator Sandra Tsing Loh. Activist parents are increasingly playing a role in raising funds to help cash-strapped schools, and they also deserve a voice in shaping educational policy, she writes. The Washington Post (9/14)
Moving Beyond "Horserace and Gotcha Politics"
Donna Brazile, political strategist and CNN political commentator, came out swinging during Sunday night's kickoff session with participants at ASCD's LEAP Institute, the Association's annual advocacy conference. An ASCD blog post describes how Brazile charged attendees to elevate education as a national priority during this presidential election cycle. She said education should not be a partisan issue and added that politicians need to stop the "blame game" and, instead, sit down to broker solutions to problems affecting our education system. The post asks readers what educators can do to convince politicians to work together on improving this country's education system. View the post
Luntz on Being Heard on the Hill
Yesterday morning, author and Fox News political commentator Frank Luntz shared with 2008 LEAP attendees pointers on getting your message heard on Capitol Hill. An ASCD blog post details Luntz's advice to the attendees, including his belief that the most effective messages are individualized, personalized, and humanized. Luntz said that if you can't physically bring your students with you to talk to legislators about improving the state of education, "then bring their voices." Luntz also urged education advocates to carry the message to Congress -- "If you help us in the classroom, we'll help you by creating a great generation." The blog post asks readers, "If you could deliver one line to Congress, what would you say?" View the post
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