Thompson: Broken School Discipline System Lacks Discretion
Should we worry about the New York Times' chart showing that 15% of students receive eleven or more disciplinary actions during six years of secondary school? Or should we concentrate on the "half of those students who ended up in juvenile-justice facilities or programs for an average of 73 schooldays?" As explained in the Washington Post, suspension numbers do not tell us "whether some schools might be more tolerant of misbehavior, or better at classroom management or using alternative approaches." This is just another data-driven nostrums, another silver bullet for classroom management, which simply reduces discretionary methods for fighting and classroom disruptions.
AM News: US Students Still Lost On Geography
Geography Report Card Finds Students Lagging NYT: Even as schools aim to better prepare students for a global work force, fewer than one in three American students are proficient in geography. PLUS: US Students Make Scant Geography Progress WSJ.
54 New Jersey Schools Found Above-Average Answer Erasures Asbury Park Press: The Asbury Park Press and New Jersey Press Media Group successfully sued to get the reports from the state Department of Education.
Teacher turnover much higher at LA charters than public schools KPCC: Turnover is also higher among white teachers compared to minority teachers.
LAUSD Fights Summer Brain Drain Amid Budget Cuts NPR: Los Angeles' summer school budget was reduced from $8 million last year to $3 million this year.
New Approach Proposed for Science Curriculums NYT: A new approach for improving American science education includes focusing on core ideas and problem-solving.
36 States, D.C. to Apply for Race Early Ed. Money EdWeek: Governors in 36 states, along with District of Columbia officials, have told the U.S. Department of Education that they want to compete for $500 million in new Race to the Top money.
Fla. Education Chief: Give Miami-Dade, Duval More Time to Fix Failing Schools: Six chronically failing public schools will have yet another year to get their act together under a waiver recommended by state Education Commissioner John Winn.
One District Has No Instances Of Bullying, But Another Has 4,000 HuffED: The increasing focus on cyberbullying has also become controversial, raising questions on whether a school is responsible for what happens beyond school grounds.