Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: July 21, 2010
Less than two months after the nation's governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.
Their support has surprised many in education circles, given states' long tradition of insisting on retaining local control over curriculum.
The quick adoption of common standards for what students should learn in English and math each year from kindergarten through high school is attributable in part to the Obama administration's Race to the Top competition. States that adopt the standards by Aug. 2 win points in the competition for a share of the $3.4 billion to be awarded in September.
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Middle school students writing a book about bullying
By Rafael A. Olmeda, Sun Sentinel
6:26 p.m. EDT, July 19, 2010
Michael learns how to be abusive from watching how his dad treats his mom. Lucina never learned to be a bully, but since she's privileged, why shouldn't she lord it over those who are not?
The two pre-teens have little in common except for their ages, their obnoxious behavior, and the fact each is the figment of the collective imagination of a group of about 50 middle schoolers collaborating on a book called "I Was a Bully ... But I Stopped."
The book, a work in progress, is on a fast track to be printed next month, in time to be distributed throughout Broward County's elementary schools as part of the school district's anti-bullying program. It will also be available online.
"Bullying really hurts everybody in school, and it takes everybody to stop it," said local author Bob Knotts, who conceived of the book and, as founder of the Dania Beach-based Humanity Project, developed the free workshop producing it.
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Now Is the Time to Support Science Teachers
By Jeniffer Harper-Taylor
There's no better time to make the case for science education than right now. For months, we've witnessed the largest ecological disaster in U.S. history unfold, creating debates among scientists and engineers about how the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can be contained. This crisis has created an opportunity for American children at every grade level to become scientists while questioning and exploring the future of the nation's energy challenges.
This is a time when we should be supporting science and mathematics teachers to help them engage our future problem-solvers, and tap into the natural curiosity and concern young people are experiencing at this moment.
This is a time when we should be supporting science and mathematics teachers to help them engage our future problem-solvers, and tap into the natural curiosity and concern young people are experiencing at this moment.
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