Tuesday Tidbits - Jan. 29, 2008

It's late on a Tuesday, but it's not too late for some tidbits. Here's a couple from today:

• What about education? That's what the National Association of Secondary School Principals wondered in their post today about President Bush's State of the Union Address Monday night. Education had a fleeting mention in the speech, which seems odd given the administration's landmark rewrite of the ESEA (No Child Left Behind).
  

• Is MySpace Overrated? According to Veronica Lim, a student at Heritage High in Vancouver, Wash., teens could be spending their time more wisely making real world connections. Check out her guest column in The Columbian.
  
  
• Should there be more money for teachers in high-need areas (like mathematics, science and special education)? No, according to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. A contributor to the USA Today's editorial pages, though, begs to differ.
  

Is WASL the Real Graduation Hang Up?

That's the question Everett Herald reporter Eric Stevick tackled in today's paper, and the answer may surprise some.

Apparently the real hang up when it comes to the class of 2008 is not passing the WASL, but rather, getting enough seat time. Credits are the single biggest threat to graduation in the districts within his readership (like Granite Falls, Everett Public Schools and the Edmonds School District). Take the seniors at Everett's Cascade High for example. According to Stevick:

As of Friday, the Everett school had 386 students in its class of 2008, but 63 were behind on credits they need in order to graduate on time.

Of the 323 students on track to earn enough credits to graduate, seven have not passed the WASL's reading mark, five have not passed writing and 15 have not passed both reading and writing portions of the 10th-grade WASL. Of the 27 students with WASL problems, about 40 percent have either not taken the tests or not had their WASL scores recorded.

Of 63 Cascade students behind on credits, seven haven't passed the reading test, nine haven't passed the writing and 11 have not passed either exams.

Are credits a bigger barrier to graduation for students in your high school than the WASL?

Tuesday Tidbits on Wednesday

It's just been that kind of week!

Here, in no particular order, are a few education items of note:

• U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings took time to visit with Gov. Gregoire, legislators, members of the State Board of Education and representatives from various education groups (including AWSP) today at Roosevelt Elementary here in Olympia to discuss No Child Left Behind. According to Jerry Bender, AWSP's director of governmental relations, the meeting did not afford a lot of opportunities for input, but he was able to underscore the importance of support for principals given the workings of NCLB. You can read more about the meeting---and other legislative happenings--in Jerry's blog, From Olympia and Beyond.
  
• Speaking of NCLB, you can view Washington state's achievement "dashboard" online. This PDF gives a snapshot of our progress toward the goals of the act.
  
• True Confessions: The Tacoma News Tribune reprinted this column from a senior at Puyallup (pron. Pew-AL-up) who admits he may not have given it his all as an underclassman. In the column, which originally appeared in the school's student newspaper, he encourages his fellow classmates to get more involved while they're still in school (while the support is there).
  
• Recess is big news again this year in the Legislature. Two bills have been introduced on the topic, aiming to give kids across all grades more fresh air and time to move. Our Association supports the concept, but has trouble with the implementation. You can read about one of the bills in today's Seattle Times. Has your school cut back on recess? If so, let us know. (If you've added more free time, let us know that, too!)

Tuesday Tidbits - Jan. 8, 2008

It's Tuesday, so it's time for a fresh batch of 2008 tidbits:

• Are gifted students being shorted under No Child Left Behind? That's what one former California educator asserts in this thoughtful piece about the Advanced Placement programs.
  
• The National Association of Secondary School Principals wants your input on what would best improve boys' academic performance. Check out their online survey here. Interestingly, teaching boys better organizational skills is one of the multiple choice options in the online poll -- something we recently posted about.
  
• More on the health of today's students: A study appearing in this month's Archive of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggests that a teen girl's view of herself in the school social scene has health consequences. The study of 4,000 girls (average age was 15) found that girls who did not think of themselves as popular were 69 percent more likely than other girls to gain weight -- an equivalent of about 11 extra pounds over their target body mass index.
  

Cooties!

Unfortunately, we're not talking about the fun plastic toy game from Hasbro.

Check out this funny video--a phony public service announcement about that dreaded louse.

And to further add to the randomness of this post, there's apparently a software program (the aptly named Cooties - see logo at right) designed to help teach students about the spread of disease.

In the words of humor columnist Dave Barry, we are not making this up!

Ed on the Campaign Trail

Welcome back to The Comp Book and to a new year!

For the last few days, the national media have been camping out in Iowa to cover the landmark "First in the Nation" caucuses. And while there continues to be a lot of talk about Iraq and the economy, the one major issue none of the candidates are really talking about is education.

One place to scope out the candidates' views is a Education Election, a great blog written by education reporters from around the country. They've posted links to all of the candidates and their education platforms. It's worth a couple of clicks to see just what the candidates are--and aren't--saying. Today's Ed Election post discusses a Bloomberg News story on Microsoft's Bill Gates--who is NOT running for president--but has spent $30 million on his Ed in 08 campaign.

Thirty million dollars and still no traction on the national scene?

Here in Washington state, 2008 is also an important year because this is the first class to graduate under the state's new graduation standards. This includes passage of the state test in reading and writing, as well as completing a culminating project and 13th year plan. For lawmakers up for re-election next fall, it could mean more scrutiny of their position on this key issue. Stay tuned: session starts Monday, Jan. 14.

How are you keeping pace with the presidential candidates and their stances on education?

Why Are Boys So Disorganized?

That's the question posited by researchers and educators in this recent New York Times article by Alan Finder. Why are boys more likely to bring home backpacks that resemble black holes, while their female classmates quickly adopt filing systems?

Some educators think the tutors are on the right track, whether or not there is science to back them up. “The guys just don’t seem to develop the skills that involve organization as early,” said Judith Kleinfeld, a psychology professor at the University of Alaska and founder of the Boys Project, a coalition of researchers, educators and parents to address boys’ problems.

What's your sense of things? Do male students have a harder time staying on track and keeping organized? Or is this another gender stereotype? What do your teachers do to help students stay on track organizationally?