Week of October 17 - 23, 2004

EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"National Panel's Research Blueprint Draws Good Reviews"
A national panel of researchers was getting high marks last week for its report sketching out ways to improve scientific studies in education. The report, issued earlier this month by the National Research Council, outlines 13 recommendations, some of them groundbreaking and others reflecting long-held, if not always practiced, principles for the field. Among its bolder statements, the report calls on education scholars to share their data so study findings can be replicated and reanalyzed. www.nap.edu/books/

EDUCATION WEEK (free registration required)
"Voters Weigh K-12 Finance at Ballot Box"
Voters in some states will cast ballots November 2 on proposals that could shape the future of school spending for years to come. Among the 32 states that will decide ballot measures in the upcoming general elections, residents in at least a dozen will take stands on whether to force their states to raise school funding, provide lottery or gambling revenues to schools, or restrict taxes that traditionally have raised money for education. www.edweek.org

Week of October 3 - 9, 2004

BALTIMORE SUN (free registration required)
"Md. Schools Refocus on Science"
In recent years, a common complaint in education circles has been that schools were giving science short shrift as they scramble to prepare for the high-stakes tests in reading and math required by No Child Left Behind. No longer. Starting in the 2007-08 school year, No Child Left Behind also will require testing in science. Baltimore County is gearing up, and other districts across Maryland will be following suit.

NEWARK STAR-LEDGER
"Fresh Faces, New Concerns for N.J. Schools"
The hiring binge filling New Jersey classrooms with thousands of new teachers whose ideas and fresh faces are invigorating schools also is raising concerns about the sudden drain of more experienced educators. Nearly a third of the state's 103,000 certified teachers last year had less than five years of experience, according to an analysis of state department of education data. Four years earlier, the proportion of relatively inexperienced teachers was one in four.

Broward Battles Teacher Loss
By Recruiting Local High School Students
From the Chicago Tribune (requires free registration): October 3. Hoping to combat a dizzying turnover rate that has sapped underprivileged elementary schools of stable teaching staffs, the Broward School District is banking on a "grow-your-own" model.