Association of
Alaska School Boards
E-NEWS
...your dues at
work.
A weekly digest
of education news for Alaska's School Board Members.
Association of
Alaska School Boards, 1111 West 9th St., Juneau, AK 99801. Tel.
907-586-1083,
Fax 907-586-2995. Carl Rose, Executive Director,
crose@aasb.org: John Greely, Editor, jgreely@aasb.org. Review past issues of
the E-News on
the AASB Website at <http://www.aasb.org>. To unsubscribe send an email
stating the same to jgreely@aasb.org.
**********************************
Sponsored by
Alaska Public Entity Insurance Co. <http://www.akpei.com>
**********************************
AASB E-News
May 24, 2007
--SPELLINGS APPROVES ADDITONAL GROWTH
MODEL PILOTS
--JUSTICES BACK PARENTS IN SPECIAL ED
CASE
--ÔHONK FOR PEACEÕ CASE TESTS LIMITS ON
FREE SPEECH
--REPORT: STUDENTS KNOW BASIC HISTORY AND
CIVICS
--TOOLS FOR TEACHING ANCHORAGE KIDS
--FAIRBANKS SCHOOL URGING KIDS TO STAY
ACTIVE
--FUNDRAISING TAKES A HIT THANKS TO
WELLNESS RULES
SPELLINGS APPROVES
ADDITIONAL GROWTH MODEL PILOTS
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced approval
of two high-quality growth models, which follow the bright-line principles of
No Child Left Behind. Iowa is immediately approved to use the growth model for
the 2006-07 school year. OhioÕs growth model is approved with conditions. See
news release here:
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2007/05/05242007.html
******************************************************
JUSTICES BACK PARENTS
IN SPECIAL ED CASE
Parents need not hire a lawyer to sue
public school districts over their childrenÕs special education needs, the
Supreme Court ruled this week. The court held that parents, in addition to
children, have legal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities in
Education Act, the main federal special education law. See full story here:
http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=343&sid=1146190
*************************************************
ÔHONK FOR PEACEÕ
CASE TESTS LIMITS ON FREE SPEECH
When one of Deborah MayerÕs elementary
school students asked her on the eve of the Iraq war whether she would ever
take part in a peace march, the veteran teacher recalls answering, ÒI honk for
peace.Ó Soon afterward, Mayer lost her job and her home in Indiana. When she
complained in federal courts that her free-speech rights had been violated, the
courts replied, essentially, that as a public school teacher she didnÕt have
any. See full story here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/14/MNG9PPQGVV1.DTL
****************************************************
REPORT: STUDENTS
KNOW BASIC HISTORY AND CIVICS
More students are learning the basics
when it comes to history and civics, but they arenÕt rising to the next level,
national tests show. The history and civics tests were given to students
nationwide in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades last year. The
results were released last week. See full story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/16/history.and.civics.ap/index.html
****************************************************
TOOLS FOR
TEACHING ANCHORAGE KIDS
Gina Mazany really hated high school.
Then she enrolled in the seminar program at Bartlett High. For Gina, now 18,
that was a game-changing move. Classes went from blah to cool, even exciting.
The programÕs methods – deep discussion, critical thinking, profound
topics – clicked with the intense, chatty teenager. See full story here:
http://www.adn.com/news/education/story/8908440p-8808409c.html
**************************************************
FAIRBANKS
SCHOOLS URGING STUDENTS TO STAY ACTIVE
In Susan NachtigalÕs classroom at
Lathrop High School, she will often take out a childrenÕs ball, about the size
of a basketball, with parts of speech written on the side in black magic
marker. The students throw the ball to one another. Whoever catches the ball
has to give an example of the part of speech – a noun, a verb, an
adjective – that his or her hands landed on. Nachtigal is just one of the
many teachers this year trying to get movement and physical activity, even just
a little bit, into traditional sedentary classes. See full story here:
http://newsminer.com/2007/05/18/7065
*************************************************
FUNDRAISING
TAKES A HIT THANKS TO WELLNESS RULES
Instead of candy sales, one school in
Fairbanks raised $800 by getting pledges toward a teacher kissing a goat. But that has been exception as the
district weathers reduced vending machine sales in the first year of a new
policy mandating healthy snacks on campus. Some students are simply going
elsewhere for their sugar fix. See full story here:
http://newsminer.com/2007/05/17/7031
*******************************************************************************************
Association of
Alaska School Boards
...promoting BOARD STANDARDS through...
Vision Structure
Accountability Advocacy Conduct-Ethics
Association of
Alaska School Boards
1111 West 9th
Street, Juneau, Alaska 99801-1510 Tel. 907-586-1083
Fax 907-586-2995
Email: aasb@aasb.org
Website: http://www.aasb.org