January 2008: Education Updates
printer friendly >
Political Landscape Archives >
Political Landscape section is a collection of news items, updates, and essays on policy issues, state and federal legislation, academic standards, testing issues, the politics of funding, and other issues.
Following are snippets of interest to principals provided by Joan Platz of the League of Women Voters.
Blue Ribbon Schools
Before adjourning for the evening, the board recognized the following Ohio schools for receiving national recognition as Blue Ribbon Schools:
- Parkside Elementary School, Solon City School District
- St. Michael School, Cuyahoga County
- Grandview Heights High School, Grandview Heights City School District
- Addaville Elementary School, Gallia County Local School District
- Elm Avenue Elementary School, Wyoming City School District
- Guardian Angels Elementary School, Hamilton County
- Hilltop Elementary School, Wyoming City School District
- Indian Hill High School, Indian Hill Exempted Village School District
- Our Lady of the Visitation School, Hamilton County
- St. James-White Oak, Hamilton County
- Burlington Elementary School, South Point Local School District
- Ellsworth Elementary School, Western Reserve Local School District
- Oakwood High School, Oakwood City School District
- Aurora High School, Aurora Local School District
- Longcoy Elementary School, Kent City School District
- Eastport Avenue Elementary School, Claymont City School District
- Dalton Local High School, Dalton Local School District
- Parkview Elementary School, Wooster City School District
The Arts Are More than Electives
The December 2007 issue of District Administrator includes an article by Gary Stager titled “Arts Should Be for All!” There should be nothing elective about “arts education.” The article describes the important concepts and skills that students learn through the arts, including the courage to perform in public and respond to criticism. According to the author, students who participate in the arts “experience what it feels like to succeed while struggling to improve upon their personal best. They develop discipline while gaining self-awareness, precision, attention to detail and setting personal goals. Students immersed in the arts develop a healthy respect for the contributions and accomplishments of others and the majesty of culture, while they themselves add to that artistic continuum. That builds a bridge between generations and inspires a more fluid reciprocal relationship between mentor and apprentice, teacher and student.” Full article >
Code for Professional Conduct for Teachers per HB 190
The Educator Standards Board, Mickie Sebenoler chair and Julia Simmerer director, has drafted a code for professional conduct for teachers per HB 190 (Hite). This draft code of conduct is designed to ensure that Ohio teachers and administrators follow high standards for professional conduct throughout their teaching careers. The most recent draft is available at the ODE website at http://esb.ode.state.oh.us. The public is urged to participate in public meetings at the end of January. The code of conduct will be presented to the State Board of Education for action at its February 11-12, 2008 meeting.
High School Online Database
The Education Commission of the States website includes the High School Online Database, which contains information about state graduation requirements, college readiness standards, advanced placement, graduation rates, assessments, International Baccalaureate, student accountability, and more. Read more >
Changes for NCLB?
An article published in the Washington Post on December 16, 2007 (“Calls Grow for a Broader Yardstick for Schools” by Maria Glod), describes some of the “multiple measures" that are being proposed to define school success in a reauthorized No Child Left Behind Act. Currently the federal law has defined school success based on student scores on state reading and math tests. But some educators, policy makers, and lawmakers believe that student learning is too complex to be measured in just two areas. The focus on math and reading has limited instruction in other content areas as well. Some want to assess learning in science, history, and the arts, or count how well students are doing on Advanced Placement exams and in physical education. The use of local plus state assessments could provide a more comprehensive overview of student performance in a school.
According to the article, “‘There ought to be more in determining students’ success than just one test score,’ said Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union. ‘Preparing a child for the 21st century means reading and math. But it also means science; it means civics; it means art.’”
“The fear is you have this narrowing of the breadth and depth” of the curriculum, said Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin’s state superintendent. Burmaster, president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and a former music and drama teacher, supports using local assessments together with state tests. “It’s much more complicated,” she said. “But it’s more accurate.”
