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News & Views - Nov,
2000 Issue (page 1).
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Page 1 of 2 - Next
RESISTING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
(September 2000) David Labaree, an education professor at Michigan State University, in a Phi
Delta Kappa article, asserts the movement for setting standards for education is a uphill fight in this country because it tends
to contradict three of this country's strongly-held beliefs: a commitment to local control of schools, a commitment to expansion of
educational opportunity, and a commitment to form over substance.
CHADD SAYS "AN ACT OF GRAVE IRRESPONSIBILITY"
(August 14, 2000) Beth Kaplanek, President of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (CHADD),
on their web site expressed: "dismay" by ABC's "choice of
Peter Breggin as an 'expert' on Ritalin use during the Aug. 9 chat on abcnews.com.
Breggin is a well-known opponent of the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health and
the Office of the Surgeon General….By offering him free reign via your website, a presumption exists that ABC News condones his views."
VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL
(September 21, 2000) The Philadelphia
Inquirer reported on Virtual High School, an online school, funded in part by the US Dept. of Ed., that has more than 200 elective
options, "VHS can help almost any high school expand its curriculum and increase scheduling flexibility…."
DIFFERENT STUDENT-TEACHER EXPECTATIONS
(October 4, 2000) Education Week,
reported in the 16th annual "Metropolitan life survey of the American Teacher," that 71% of the students "said their 'main plan' after
leaving high school was to attend a four-year college. But only 52 percent of the secondary school parents polled said they planned
for their children to go to a four-year college, and only 32 percent of the secondary school teachers cited that as the most likely
option for their students."
EDUCATION ON BALLOT
(October 10, 2000) The New York Times, "Frustrated Parents Hope Their Votes Will Change Schools' Ways," comments there
are a record number of education questions on state ballots this year, including questions about whether to: "offer private school
vouchers to parents, shut down bilingual classrooms, pay teachers based on student performance and virtually eliminate any mention
in the classroom of homosexuality." This is interpreted as a "reflection of parents' frustration with public-school performance."
ZERO-TOLERANCE PRAISED AND ATTACKED
(October 11, 2000) FoxNews.com, reviewed both sides of the issue, questioning its necessity, its standards, and whether
enforcement has in some cases become extreme and ridiculous. In a poll accompanying the October 13, 2000 article, 89% said implementation
of schools' zero-tolerance policies has gone too far.
COMPARING US & BRITISH EDUCATION
(October 12, 2000) The Economist, a British publication, in an article titled "Comparing
Notes", observed commonalities between the two countries' educational systems and results, observing that "23% of the British
population is 'functionally illiterate'-almost double the rate in Germany. Among the world's developed economies, only the United
States kept Britain company, with about one fifth of American pupils dropping out of high school without graduating. Some 29% of all
college freshmen have to take remedial courses in reading, writing and math…. As in Britain, there is a severe skills shortage, with
employers looking to immigrants to fill their gaps in high-technology posts."
YOUTH TODAY EXPANDING CIRCULATION
(October 13, 2000) Robin Weiss-Castro, General Manager of Youth
Today, info@youthtoday.org, 202-785-0764 x107, a newspaper on Youth Work, offered to
send anyone one requesting it, a free copy of their monthly magazine. Distributed nationally, this newspaper covers such issues as
"youth development, recreation, juvenile justice, gang and violence prevention, adolescent health, teen pregnancy, teen sex, teen
parenting, after-school programs, mentoring, job training, school-to-work, best practices, etc."
BLUE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS
(October 13, 2000) The Associated Press reported that the proposed northern California Blue Mountain Wilderness Program,
Inc. failed to win approval from the state Education Board, though they will reconsider again in November. There was concern about
complications from mixing state Charter School monies and Department of Social Services welfare monies. The Blue
Mountain Program, 510-533-1833 has been proposed to service youth who in the past had been sent out-of-state to places like VisionQuest
and Rite of Passage. With the passage of restrictive legislation by the California legislature, the only option left for those youth
is traditional juvenile facilities, since there are no facilities in California comparable to VisionQuest and Rite of Passage.
EBOOKS POISED FOR SCHOOL MARKET
(October 13, 2000) "eBooks begin to surface in K-12 schools" reports eschoolnews.com.
Electronic books, especially text books, that can be read on computers, palm Pilots, etc. have the advantage of being updated easily.
Copyright © 2000, Woodbury Reports, Inc. (This article may be reproduced without prior
approval if the copyright notice and proper publication and author attribution accompanies the copy.)
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