May 06, 2008

Principal's Poll (5/6 - 5/13) - Schools for Pregnant Teens

Comment on the poll.

The future is up in the air for some special schools catering to pregnant teens, reports the Christian Science Monitor. Funding constraints, along with a trend toward "mainstreaming" pregnant girls into regular public schools, have put the alternative schools in jeopardy. One such school in Boise, ID, offers services that traditional public schools just aren’t equipped to provide—day care, government aid, parenting classes, an onsite baby supply store, and even relationship advice. The debate raises the perenniel issues of equity, though even the stauchest supporters of such schools will bend if there's evidence that the services such students require are available to the students as they're mainstreamed.

So where do principals fall in the debate? If you haven't done so already, take this week's Principal's Poll at www.principals.org and leave your comments below.

April 30, 2008

ED Announces Public Meetings to Discuss Title I Regulations

U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION MARGARET SPELLINGS ANNOUNCES PUBLIC MEETINGS TO DISCUSS NEW TITLE I REGULATIONS

 

FOR NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

 

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced in the Federal Register a series of upcoming public meetings being held around the country to discuss the proposed changes to regulations for Title I under No Child Left Behind.  On  April 23, Secretary Spellings announced the proposed regulations in the Federal Register (73 FR 22020) www.ed.gov/news/fedregister   The meetings will seek comments from the public on the proposed regulations at the following dates, times and locations:

 

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
                Hilton Boston Back Bay Hotel
                40 Dalton Street
                Boston, Mass. 02115
                Time:  9 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. EDT
                Meeting Room:  Fenway Room

 

                Thursday, May 15, 2008
                Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody Campus
                2101 Womack Road
                Dunwoody, Ga. 30338
                Time:  9 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. EDT
                Meeting Room:  Auditorium, C1100, North Campus

 

                Monday, May 19, 2008
                Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel
                9103 East 39th Street
                Kansas City, MO. 64133
                Time:  9 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. EDT
                Meeting Room:  Royal Ballroom

 

                Thursday, May 22, 2008
                W Hotel
                1112 4th Avenue
                Seattle, WA 98101
                Time: 9 a.m. - noon and 2 - 5 p.m. EDT
                Meeting Room:  Great Room 1

 

        The purpose of these proposed regulations is to build on the advancements states have made in accountability and assessment systems under No Child Left Behind in the past six years, while incorporating key feedback from the field into a more clear vision of what it takes to educate each and every student.  Issuing regulations that strengthen Title I implementation will help bring about higher-quality assessments and stronger accountability for results, as well as provide parents with the information they need to make informed decisions about public school choice and Supplemental Educational Services.  A copy of the proposed regulations (NPRM) is available at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/reg/proposal/index.html.

 

The Department is accepting public comments on the NPRM through June 23, 2008.  Comments must be submitted in writing to the Department in accordance with the instructions in the NPRM.  We look forward to receiving your comments on these proposed regulations to ensure that they accomplish our intended objectives.

 

Individuals who wish to present comments during a public meeting should register at Special.Events@ed.gov , at least one week before the public meeting.  Any meeting time that remains after the Web site registrations are processed will be made available on the day of the meeting.  Individuals who have not registered on the Web site and who wish to present comments should do so at the on-site registration desk on the day of the meeting.  We will process Web-site and on-site registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

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April 29, 2008

Principal's Poll (4/29 - 5/6) - Young Teachers' Online Profiles

Have you had to address a teacher about inappropriate content in his/her online profile?
Final results

46% Yes
54% No

Total Votes: 152

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Probably more clueless than careless, many young teachers are entering the ranks of professional life and failing to consider how their collegiate online profiles continue to follow them. A Washington Post article highlights the issue and offers an anecdote of one administrator who reviews the teacher candidate's Facebook profile with the candidate during an interview.

The words of one young teacher probably sums it up best: "I never thought about parents and students seeing [my Facebook profile]." And more and more principals are making it their jobs to get teachers to think about it. This poll is now closed, but we invite you to leave your comments on the results below.

April 24, 2008

NASSP Responds to 25th Anniversary of A Nation at Risk

Twenty five years ago A Nation at Risk sought to change the course of education in the United States. Today, while some gains have been made, there is still far to go to meet the challenges outlined in the 1983 report.

As one example, while 9 and 13-year-olds have made steady gains in math since the 1970s, reading scores for 9, 13, and 17-year-olds have remained essentially unchanged for over 20 years, according to long-term trend data for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “Nation’s Report Card”. 

In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) sought to draw attention to and remedy this stagnant achievement by requiring schools to disaggregate student achievement data to pinpoint which students were succeeding, and which needed additional help. Yet six years after NCLB was enacted, the achievement gap remains, and many of the “Indicators of Risk” documented in A Nation at Risk, such as the need for remedial education for some college students and low U.S. rankings on international comparison tests, are still present, prompting us to ponder the question: what have we missed?

The 1983 report itself answered that question when it stated,

Our society and its educational institutions seem to have lost sight of the basic purposes of schooling, and of the high expectations and disciplined effort needed to attain them. … That we have compromised this commitment is, upon reflection, hardly surprising, given the multitude of often conflicting demands we have placed on our Nation’s schools and colleges. They are routinely called on to provide solutions to personal, social, and political problems that the home and other institutions either will not or cannot resolve. We must understand that these demands on our schools and colleges often exact an educational cost as well as a financial one.

Public schools have unfairly taken the blame for the ills of the society that surrounds them. Unless this changes, 25 years from now, we will be pondering the same question of why students are not always adequately prepared for the challenges that await them in college and the workforce. And by then, it may truly be too late.

There is reason to be hopeful however. By encouraging states to adopt national standards, Congress and the president can make significant inroads in the reform movement. By appointing an independent, diverse group of researchers, practitioners, advocates, and experts, to develop a set of common standards and authentic, reliable assessments beginning with Language Arts and mathematics in grades K-12, the federal government can help increase transparency in cross state comparisons while simultaneously providing more equal educational opportunities for all children.

As the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act looms, NASSP is hopeful that Congress, the president, states, advocacy groups, and educators will all work together to enact education reforms that build on the lessons learned from previous efforts, and which heed the warnings of A Nation at Risk so that all students are prepared to success in college and the 21st century workforce.