EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"Scoring Error Clouds Hiring of Teachers"
An incorrectly graded licensing exam for prospective teachers has stalled hiring in some places, sent school districts rummaging through employment records and spawned at least one lawsuit so far. The mistakes made by the Educational Testing Service that led thousands of teacher candidates to believe they had failed the Praxis II test also have added to the debate over how much reliance educators and policymakers should place on standardized exams to make high-stakes decisions.

USA TODAY (free registration required)
"It's as Simple as ABC: Preschool Teachers Should Have a B.A."
Preschool teachers should have at least a bachelor's degree -- and get salaries that match those of public elementary, middle and high school teachers, an influential education group says. A report issued by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) calls for what amounts to a complete makeover of the nation's early childhood education system, urging both private and public systems to raise standards and salaries with the aid of taxpayers, colleges and private enterprise.

LOS ANGELES TIMES (free registration required)
"Teachers Get Lessons on No Child Left Behind"
Tired of criticism about No Child Left Behind, federal education officials are making an unusual effort to talk directly to teachers about how to best meet the law's standards. They have hired veteran teachers to offer other teachers a series of workshops on classroom strategies. Critics dismiss the seven-city tour as a token gesture in the face of what they say are No Child's fundamental flaws. Organizers counter that it is an overdue response to misinformation and confusion surrounding the law.

OKLAHOMAN (free registration required)
"Bring Technology into Classrooms, Educators Urged"
Avoiding "antiquated" and "irrelevant" means of educating students, Oklahoma School Superintendent Sandy Garrett called for high school reform and more technology in the classroom. Online testing, hand-held computers and electronic textbooks are among the items necessary to prepare today's students for the 21st century workforce, she said.

EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"State Chiefs, Businesses Forge $45 Million Data Venture"
The demand on states to collect, analyze and report data on education has never been greater. Now, a three-year, $45-million collaborative project is gearing up to help states use the data to inform education policy. The proposed Data Partnership builds on the School Information Partnership, a project to design a Web site that would provide information about school and district performance called for by No Child Left Behind. The Data Partnership will provide technical help to states as they try to build or improve their education data systems and use those systems to craft policy.

WASHINGTON POST (free registration required)
"Two Top Contenders for D.C. Schools"
Two veteran urban educators have emerged as the top contenders among four finalists to lead the District's public schools. The state superintendent in Illinois and the superintendent in Toledo, were ranked the highest of seven candidates interviewed by the committee. The former superintendent in Rochester, New York, and the superintendent in Pittsburgh also were selected as finalists.

ARIZONA REPUBLIC (free registration required)
"A Lesson Plan for 'Failing' Schools"
Around the country, state takeovers of failing schools have been unpopular and expensive. So, Arizona schools chief Tom Horne and the State Board of Education have worked to sharply limit the number of Arizona schools that could be ranked "failing" and to soften their approach to intervention. For example, if a school remains on the failing list, the state will work with parents and neighbors, and provide most of the schools with help and extra time to turn around.

ARKANSAS NEWS BUREAU
"Benchmark Exam Scores Rise"
The latest Arkansas Benchmark Exam results showed continued improvement for 4th, 6th and 8th graders, according to the state Department of Education. The percentage of proficient scores -- the goal for all students -- rose in one year by double digits in 8th-grade literacy and 6th-grade literacy.

EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"States Dicker Over Changes to AYP Plans"
Just weeks before states release their lists of schools that have not met "adequate yearly progress" targets under No Child Left Behind, many states are still negotiating with federal officials over changes to their accountability plans designed to reduce those numbers. But whether the proposed changes are common-sense measures that would better and more reliably identify needy schools or attempts to duck accountability is largely in the eye of the beholder. Moreover, the sheer volume of last-minute revisions could make it harder to tell if schools have really improved or if the rules of the game have simply changed.

Week of July 4th - 10th, 2004

EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"Symposium Tackles Politics of Education"
Even though the public is growing more aware of the federal government's efforts at school improvement, education is unlikely to take center stage during the 2004 presidential campaign, politicians and education policy experts said at a recent symposium. The panelists said the public was likely to see a continuation of arguments over funding for the No Child Left Behind Act. But international issues -- such as the situation in Iraq -- and the state of the domestic economy will likely overshadow education during the campaign, they said.

Data Driven:
An Occasional Series
Across the United States, educators are beginning to recognize the power of data to improve public education. By knitting together the thousands of data elements now collected by schools, districts, and states into a centralized repository, educators can look for patterns that could help enhance both the management and productivity of schools.

LEADERSHIP
There is wide recognition that school leaders exert a powerful, if indirect, influence on teaching quality and student learning. In a review of literature for the American Educational Research Association, Leithwood and Riehl (2003) conclude that school leadership has significant effects on student learning, second only to the effects of the quality of curriculum and teachers’ instruction.