Here's a round-up of some of the smaller, but still noteworthy, tidbits making news today about K-12 education:
- SETTLED: Everett Public Schools announced late last week that it had settled a lawsuit with two former student editors at Everett High. In fall 2005, the students objected to the principal's request to review the paper, The Kodak, which they believed was a public forum -- and thus not subject to review. This incident was one of several that inspired legislation this past session to remove principal oversight of student publications; the bill died but may be resurrected in the Legislature in 2008. You can read the district's press release here and the Everett Herald piece on it here. Who won in the settlement? You be the judge. Bottom line for AWSP: More must be done to help administrators, students and journalism advisers understand their respective roles in student press issues.
- ON HOLD: The issue of cell phones in schools continues to vex administrators. Today's Seattle Times takes a look at the struggle administrators and teachers find themselves in, balancing instructional needs with safety concerns and the distraction factor.
- DEBATABLE: How should teachers be graded? That's the debate shaping up in Congress right now, given the reauthorization of NCLB. As of last winter, 17 percent of U.S. school districts did not expect to meet the June 2007 deadline for highly qualified teachers, according to this story in today's Christian Science Monitor.
