SAT scores crater as more take test

County average falls well below state, national marks
Friday, Aug. 28, 2009
By GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Staff writer

Charles County Public Schools' SAT scores have dropped below state and national averages, although data reflect that participation has increased, which generally lowers average scores.
County students scored an average of 1464 of a possible 2400 on the widely used college entrance test, according to data released from the school system this week.

Data show 39.8 percent of the county's graduating seniors took the test.

Aside from dropping below state and national averages, the county dropped 47 points below its own average last year.

Read more HERE

Schools open with new programs, safety messages

Sheriff deputies joined school officials to welcome high school students back to school this morning with reminders of teen driving laws and safety messages. Officers were passing safety flyers and checking for seat belts as student drivers arrived for the start of the 2009-2010 school year. The focus on safe driving is an effort by Charles County Public Schools and the Charles County Sheriff's Office to prevent teen driving accidents and fatalities.

Charles County Public Schools opened Monday, Aug. 24 with limited enrollment increases, the addition of several new academic programs and plans for combating a possible outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus in the fall.

More than 26,800 students were expected to start the 2009-2010 school year, an enrollment prediction that includes an 80-student increase and follows a three-year trend of limited growth. This is in contrast to the triple-digit student population increases of the preceding two decades and the smallest increases since the early 1980s.

New teacher hires

The number of teacher hires decreased this year. Most teaching positions are filled, and Keith Hettel, assistant superintendent of human resources said as of Friday, Aug. 21, the system had hired 169 teachers, including 84 middle and high school, 29 elementary and 56 special education teachers.

Instructional programs

Several new academic opportunities are available to students this year. Gateway to Technology has been expanded to all middle schools, and a new program, Magic Planet, will be piloted at four elementary schools. A program called Algebraic Thinking is being implemented at all middle schools, and three schools have been selected to participate in an in-school academic support program called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).

Gateway to Technology is a middle school pre-engineering course and part of the nationally recognized Project Lead The Way high school engineering curriculum. Gateway to Technology is activity-oriented and designed to help students in grades six through eight explore math, science and technology. Units of study include Design and Modeling, Automation and Robotics, The Magic of Electrons, The Science of Technology, and Flight and Space. The course focus is on showing, not telling, students how to use engineering skills to solve everyday problems and to help students build stronger math, science and technology inquiry skills. The Magic Planet is a digital video globe and projection device that allows students to view and explore dynamic digital media of the earth. The Magic Planet, along with teacher lessons, helps to improve the way students understand and apply concepts to global systems. Magic Planet explores climate, geologic history, the biosphere and many more earth related concepts. It is being piloted at four elementary schools this school year. They are William B. Wade, Walter J. Mitchell, Malcolm and Berry elementary schools.

Middle schools are adding Algebraic Thinking, which presents math concepts using manipulatives, pictorial representations and algorithms to help students develop a better understanding of concepts and math. Earlier this month, classroom teachers received five days of training to familiarize them with the course and teaching techniques.

Three schools, General Smallwood Middle School, and Westlake and Henry E. Lackey high schools, are adding AVID to help prepare students for college eligibility and success. AVID places academically average students in advanced classes and is part of the school system's continuing efforts to eliminate achievement gaps for minority, rural, low income and other students without a college-going tradition in their families. Team members at each school received one week of training this summer to implement the program and to incorporate AVID methods throughout the school.

School bus inspections

When Charles County's 278 bus drivers started their routes this morning, all buses had undergone annual inspections, according to Santy DiSabatino, director of transportation. Inspections include under-the-hood mechanical checks as well as examination of the exterior and interior lighting, seats, floors and safety equipment. The school system inspected all buses earlier this month as required by state law. Additionally, drivers received four hours of training. All bus drivers have been hired, and there are no new bus routes. New in transportation this year is School Locator, an automated way for parents to check their child's school bus route. School Locator can be found through a link on the school system's Web page at www.ccboe.com.

Charles County's buses travel 33,996 miles daily, which adds up to 6.1 million miles per year. Most students ride a school bus at some time, and 21,000 students ride daily. In Charles County, 28 independent contractors provide the school bus services for Charles County Public Schools.

H1N1 preparations

Letters are being sent home this week with all students to update parents on preparations for the H1N1 virus, as well as announcing the availability of flu mist for seasonal flu. In October, the Charles County Department of Health will offer flu mist in all elementary schools for students with parental permission.

School-aged children are most susceptible to the H1N1 virus because they have not been exposed to seasonal flu vaccines as often as adults. Last school year, an outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus caused several Maryland schools to close for a short time; however, no Charles County schools were closed. Health officials have said schools and counties should prepare for a potentially severe outbreak this school year. No plans are being made to close schools, but plans are being made to isolate sick children and to limit exposure and the spread of germs through education of proper hand washing and respiratory etiquette. The letter and other health information can be found on the school system Web site at www.ccboe.com/health.

Mark your calendars

Parent Handbook/Calendars are being sent home with every student this week. Important dates in September are:
Sept. 7  Labor Day, schools and offices closed;
Sept. 8  First day for category 3 prekindergarten students; Board of Education meeting, 1 p.m.; Public Forum, 6 p.m.;
Sept. 16  Minority Achievement Committee meeting, 4:30 p.m., Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building; Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m., Starkey;
Sept. 18  Schools closed for students, teacher in-service day;
Sept. 23  Mid-Atlantic College Fair, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. for students; 6-8 p.m. for the public, North Point High School;
Sept. 28  Interims issued; and
Sept. 30  Two-hour early dismissal.

Your answers to 10 tricky children's questions

This week the [BBC News] Magazine posed 10 awkward questions children ask their parents. Here are suggestions, from readers and experts, on how to answer these stumpers.

Where do bees go in winter? Don't know the answer? You're not the only one.

According to a new survey, four out of five UK parents have been stumped by something their children have asked. So we posed our own question - what difficult things have children asked you?

We then threw 10 of the best back to the readers, asking for kid-level answers you would offer. Here's a selection of the best - along with suggested answers from a philosopher and from experts from the Science: So what? So everything campaign.

Read those 10 awkward questions HERE! :)

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 8/11/09

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 11 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 11 a.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Executive session  10 a.m.

Call to order  11 a.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Correspondence/Board Member updates

• MABE conference

Education Association of Charles County update

Flu update

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Capital Improvements Program (CIP)
State CIP 2011
Summer Success Academies
Bridge to Excellence
Staffing update
Recurring Resolutions

• Health Careers Month
• American Education Week
• American Freedom Week
• African American History Month
• Career and Technical Education Month
• National School Counseling Week
• Read Across America
• Women's History Month
• Fine and Performing Arts Month
• Month of the Young Child
• National Student Leadership Week
• Teacher Appreciation Week
• Administrative Professionals' Week
• Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week
• National Physical Education and Sport Week

Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leader

Charles County Teacher of the Year
Employees' Retirement
Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award

Record Retention Policy #2470

Unfinished Business

New business

Future agenda items

Public Forum  3:30 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

School system announces new principal, vice principals

Superintendent James E. Richmond has announced the appointment of Douglass Dolan as acting principal of Mattawoman Middle School, effective immediately. Dolan replaces William Wise, who retired last month after 44 years of service to Charles County Public Schools. Dolan's appointment must be approved by the Board of Education, which meets next on Aug. 11.

Dolan moves to Mattawoman from Theodore G. Davis Middle School where he has served as a vice principal for the past two years. Dolan began his career in education in 1995 as a social studies teacher at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Prince George's County. He transferred after one year to Friendly High School where he started as a social studies teacher and later served as an assistant principal during his 11 years at the school.

Dolan's appointment is the first of several administrative changes made this week for the upcoming school year. Richmond also appointed two acting vice principals pending Board approval next week. They are: Shannon Finnigan as acting vice principal at Berry Elementary School; and Jackie Couvillon as acting vice principal at William A. Diggs Elementary School.

Additionally, Richmond announced the following vice principal transfers:

• Pauline Johnson from La Plata High School to Henry E. Lackey High School;
• Veronica Crawford from Lackey to La Plata;
• Patricia Mooring from Gale-Bailey Elementary School to Arthur Middleton Elementary School;
• Tara Moore from Middleton to Gale-Bailey; and
• David Hoogerheide from Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School to William A. Diggs Elementary School.
  
  There are still three administrative openings, which Richmond hopes to fill prior to the start of the school year. Vacancies include the principal position at the F.B. Gwynn Center, vice principal at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy and vice principal at Davis.
  
  All new assignments begin immediately.
  

Schools Plan Open Houses

Charles County public schools are planning open-house events for parents in September and October. The following is a list of school open houses and back-to-school nights.

Elementary schools

C. Paul Barnhart, all students, Sept. 10, 7-8:30 p.m.;
Berry, all students, Sept. 10, 6-8 p.m.;
Dr. Gustavus Brown, all students, Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m.;
Dr. James Craik, back-to-school night, Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m.;
William A. Diggs, kindergarten  grade 2, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.; grades 3-5, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.;
Gale-Bailey, all students, Sept. 1, 6:30 p.m.;
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon, all students, Sept. 10, 6-7:30 p.m.;
Indian Head, kindergarten  grade 5, Sept. 2, 6:30-8 p.m.;
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, kindergarten  grade 2, Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m.; grades 3-5, Sept. 4, 6:30 p.m.;
Malcolm, all students, Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m.;
T.C. Martin, prekindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.; grades 3-5, Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.;
Mary H. Matula, back-to-school night, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.;
Arthur Middleton, AM prekindergarten, kindergarten, grades 1-2, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m.; PM prekindergarten and grades 3-5, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m.;
Walter J. Mitchell, back-to-school night, grades 3-5, Sept. 8, 7-8 p.m.; back-to-school night, prekindergarten  grade 2, Sept. 10, 7-8 p.m.;
Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy, all students, Sept. 3, 7-8:30 p.m.;
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, all students, Oct. 6, 6:30-8 p.m.;
Mary B. Neal, all students, Sept. 10, 7 p.m.;
J.C. Parks, all students, Sept. 3, 6:30-8 p.m.;
J.P. Ryon, all students, Sept. 10, 6:30-7:45 p.m.;
Eva Turner, all students, Sept. 1, 6:30-8 p.m.; and
William B. Wade, kindergarten  grade 2, Sept. 1, 6:30 p.m.; grades 3-5, Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m.

Middle schools
Theodore G. Davis, all students, Sept. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.;
John Hanson, all students, Sept. 17, 3:30-5:30 p.m.;
Matthew Henson, back-to-school night, Sept. 16, 7-9:00 p.m.;
Mattawoman, all students, Sept. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m.;
Piccowaxen, all students, Sept. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.;
General Smallwood, all students, Sept. 17, 6-8 p.m.;
Milton M. Somers, all students, Sept. 17, 6-8 p.m.; and
Benjamin Stoddert, all students, Sept. 16, 6-8 p.m.

High schools
Henry E. Lackey, all students, Sept. 9, 6:30-8:30 p.m.;
La Plata, all students, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.;
Maurice J. McDonough, back-to-school night, Sept. 30, 7 p.m.;
North Point, all students, Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.;
Thomas Stone, all students, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m.; and
Westlake, all students, Sept. 21, 7 p.m.

Student Orientations Planned for Schools

Charles County Public Schools has released its student orientation schedule for the 2009-10 school year. Listed below are orientation dates and times, and other activities for schools.

New student orientations

**Note: All orientations are one hour unless otherwise noted**

Elementary schools

C.Paul Barnhart, kindergarten, Aug. 20, 2:30 p.m.; meet-the-teacher, Aug. 20, 3 p.m.;
Berry, community drop in, Aug. 20, 2-4 p.m.;
Dr. Gustavus Brown, meet and greet for new and returning students, Aug. 20, 1-2:30 p.m.;
Dr. James Craik, meet the teacher, Aug. 20, 3-5 p.m.;
William A. Diggs, kindergarten, Aug. 20, 10 a.m.; prekindergarten, Aug. 20, 11:30 a.m.; meet and greet, grades 1-5, 1 p.m.;
Gale-Bailey, kindergarten orientation, Aug. 20, 1 p.m.; meet and greet, Aug. 20, 2-3:30 p.m.;
Dr. Thomas L. Higdon, meet and greet, Aug. 21, 11 a.m.  12 p.m.; new student orientation, Aug. 21, 10-11 a.m.;
Indian Head, meet and greet, Aug. 21, 11 a.m.; Terrific Three's, Aug. 28, 2 p.m.; prekindergarten, Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m.;
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, new student and kindergarten, Aug. 20, 3 p.m.;
Malcolm, kindergarten, Aug. 21, 10-10:30 a.m.; grades 1-5 meet and greet, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.;
T. C. Martin, orientation, prekindergarten-grade 5, Aug. 21, 11 a.m.;
Mary H. Matula, meet and greet, Aug. 21, 9-11 a.m.;
Arthur Middleton, new students, Aug. 20, 3 p.m.; kindergarten, Aug. 20, 3:30 p.m.; prekindergarten, Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m.;
Walter J. Mitchell, meet and greet, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.;
Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy, community drop in, Aug. 20, 1-3 p.m.; Three's program and prekindergarten orientation, Aug. 27, 5-7 p.m.;
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, meet the teacher, Aug. 20, 6-7:30 p.m.; kindergarten, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.;
Mary B. Neal, meet and greet, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.;
J. C. Parks, community drop in, Aug. 20, 2-4 p.m.;
J. P. Ryon, students new to the school, grades 1-5, Aug. 20, 1 p.m.; prekindergarten and kindergarten, Aug. 20, 2 p.m.;
Eva Turner, meet and greet, Aug. 20, 1:30-3 p.m.; and
William B. Wade, meet the teacher, Aug. 20, 3-5 p.m.; meet and greet for grades 1-5, 1 p.m.; and kindergarten, Aug. 21, 9 a.m.

Middle schools
Theodore G. Davis, new students, Aug. 19, 2-4 p.m.;
John Hanson, meet and greet, grade 6 and new students to the school, Aug. 19, 2-4 p.m.;
Matthew Henson, new students and grade 6, Aug. 20, 3:30-6 p.m.;
Mattawoman, new students and grade 6, Aug. 19, 12-2 p.m.;
Piccowaxen, new students, Aug. 19, 2:30-5 p.m.;
General Smallwood, meet and greet, Aug. 19, 2-4 p.m.;
Milton M. Somers, new students, Aug. 20, 4-6 p.m.; and
Benjamin Stoddert, new students and grade 6, Aug. 20, 4-6 p.m.

High schools
Henry E. Lackey, new students, Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m.;
La Plata, new students and grade 9, Aug. 20, 7 p.m.;
Maurice J. McDonough, new students, Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m.;
North Point, new students, Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m.;
Thomas Stone, new students, Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m.; and
Westlake, new students, Aug. 19, 7 p.m.

Bus routes, school zoning information available on School Locator

Charles County Public Schools has added a school locator feature to its Web site.

School Locator is designed to allow the public to enter an address and see which three schools  elementary, middle and high  an address is zoned for. It also indicates if the address is eligible for bus transportation to a particular school, what the bus number is and where the closest bus stop to the address is located.

School Locator can be accessed at www2.ccboe.com/schoollocator/. Click on Launch Application (Public) to access the system. No password is needed. School Locator uses mapping data from the county and filters it by the system's current school zones.

For more information about bus routes, contact your child's school, or the transportation department at ccpstransportation@ccboe.com or 301-934-7276.

This service also allows school principals to see a list of buses traveling to their school, which students are on that bus and the approximate time of each stop that bus makes before reaching the school.

The service also expedites some of the manual tasks for school system staff. It will help in the process of creating bus route packets at the beginning of the school year.

A $4 Billion Push for Better Schools

Obama Hopes Funding Will Be Powerful Incentive in 'Race to the Top'

By Michael D. Shear and Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, July 24, 2009

President Obama is leaning hard on the nation's schools, using the promise of more than $4 billion in federal aid -- and the threat of withholding it -- to strong-arm the education establishment to accept more charter schools and performance pay for teachers.

The pressure campaign has been underway for months as Education Secretary Arne Duncan travels the country delivering a blunt message to state officials who have resisted change for decades: Embrace reform or risk being shut out.

"What we're saying here is, if you can't decide to change these practices, we're not going to use precious dollars that we want to see creating better results; we're not going to send those dollars there," Obama said in an Oval Office interview Wednesday. "And we're counting on the fact that, ultimately, this is an incentive, this is a challenge for people who do want to change.

Read more HERE.

MSA Scores in Charles County Remain Steady

Schools not meeting AYP in one or more subgroups this year include are: Mattawoman (second year), Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Theodore G. Davis Middle School, John Hanson Middle School, Matthew Henson Middle School and General Smallwood Middle School.

Article from Southern Maryland Online

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) reading and mathematics scores on the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) remain steady, according to results released this week by the Maryland State Department of Education. Most schools met adequate yearly progress (AYP) and overall school goals. Six of 29 elementary and middle schools missed making AYP in one or more subgroup areas. High school data will be released later this summer.

Read more HERE

Graduation 2009-2010

The graduation dates for the 2009-2010 school year have been finalized. The dates are Monday, June 7, 2010, for H.E. Lackey, La Plata and North Point high schools. Westlake, Thomas Stone and McDonough high schools' graduations will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. All graduations will be held at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, with the exception of North Point, which will be held at the school.

Should High Schools Bar Average Students From Rigorous College-Level Courses and Tests?

"Some of them object to my methodology." YES Mr. Mathews, and I must agree, I object also.

By Jay Mathews
Monday, July 13, 2009

Fifteen years ago, when I discovered that many good high schools prevented average students from taking demanding courses, I thought it was a fluke, a mistake that would soon be rectified.

I had spent much time inside schools that did the opposite. They worked hard to persuade students to take challenging classes and tests, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge, so students would be ready for the shock of their first semester at college, which most average students attend. The results were good. Why didn't all schools do that?

I still don't have a satisfactory answer. It always comes up this time of year because of my annual rankings of public high schools for Newsweek, which is based on schools' efforts to challenge average kids as measured by participation in AP, IB and Cambridge tests.

Many school superintendents and principals who run schools that restrict access to those college-level courses and tests have disappointing results on the Newsweek list. Some of them object to my methodology. It is clear from my conversations with them that they are smart and compassionate people.

Read more HERE

Student Strip Search Illegal

School Violated Teen Girl's Rights, Supreme Court Rules

By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 26, 2009

Arizona school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old girl when they strip-searched her on the suspicion she might be hiding ibuprofen in her underwear, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday. The decision put school districts on notice that such searches are "categorically distinct" from other efforts to combat illegal drugs.

Read more HERE.

REMINDER: Board Work Session 6/22/09

The Board of Education's next work session is Monday, June 22, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. with public forum. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and rebroadcast throughout the week. Program schedules for Channel 96 are available at www2.ccboe.com/publicinfo/channel96/schedule.cfm . The agenda and reports can be found on BoardDocs.

Public Hearing on Federal Stimulus Funding

Work Session
• FY 2010 Budget
• Discussion of dates to meet with Commissioners in the fall to discuss funding for the operating costs of the new high school
• Information Item: Code of Student Conduct/sexual offenses
• Information Item: Safety in schools
• Discussion on changing Board meeting dates for April and Sept., 2010 (April 13, 2010 is
NSBA and Sept. 14, 2010 is Election Day)

Action Item
• FY2010 Budget
• Policy #5117 – Bullying
• Policy #3411-Inventories: Furniture and Equipment

REMINDER: Board Meeting, 6/9/09

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, June 9, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and recognition begins at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and rebroadcast throughout the week. Program schedules for Channel 96 are available at www2.ccboe.com/publicinfo/channel96/schedule.cfm. The agenda and reports can be found on BoardDocs

Executive session  11:30 a.m.

Call to order  1 p.m.

La Plata High School's JROTC unit
Swearing-in of new Student Board member

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Superintendent's update
Correspondence/Board member updates

Action item
EACC/AFSME contract and signing

Reports of officers/boards/committees
Education Association of Charles County update
Student Board Member update
CCPS homeless student update
New high school
Adult education
Dual and concurrent enrollment
CIP update
2010 budget
Policy 3411, inventories: furniture and equipment
Policy 5117, bullying and harassment

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

New business  contract award for Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School kindergarten addition

Future agenda items

Recognition  4:15 p.m.
Ruth Ann Hall Awards
Students
Employees
Outstanding vice principal award
Outstanding support staff awards
Resolutions  Charles County Teacher of the Year  Janet Jones, reading resource teacher, General Smallwood Middle School; Employees' retirement; and Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award  Samantha Shelton, Life Skills teacher, Milton M. Somers Middle School
Recognition of Charles County Teacher of the Year nominees  Joy Thompson, language arts teacher, Milton M. Somers Middle School; and Brenda Wagner, Special Education teacher, William A. Diggs Elementary School
Recognition of Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award nominees  Maria Arevalo, language arts teacher, General Smallwood Middle School; Charna Brooks, third-grade teacher, William A. Diggs Elementary School; Nancy Burch, physical education teacher, Thomas Stone High School; Laura Kelly, art teacher, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School; and Deborah Taylor, mathematics teacher, Mattawoman Middle School

Public Forum  6 p.m.

Action items

Minutes
Personnel
Educational Facilities Master Plan
Out-of-county tuition fees
Policy 1000 series
Superintendent's redistricting recommendation

Adjournment

Charter Schools Provide Good Model On Teacher Pay

The Washington Post
Jay Mathews
June 1, 2009

It is hard for me to find a school leader with a track record for raising student achievement who does not admire almost everything Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is doing with the D.C. schools. Yeah, I said almost. One important item on her agenda is not so popular -- merit pay for teachers.

Rhee is right when she says that the standard way of assessing and compensating teachers is a mess. It drives talented people from the field or leads them to avoid teaching in the first place. It deprives principals of vital tools for improving schools. Rhee learned this the hard way, creating the New Teacher Project to recruit and train teachers for urban schools. That nonprofit organization is releasing today a study of 12 districts that backs Rhee's point -- administrators shrink from assessing the relative quality of their teachers and tend to give nearly everybody a good evaluation.

Read more HERE.

Students Crave a Break on Cellphone Ban

Md. Teen's Idea to Allow On-Campus Use at Lunch Faces Strong Opposition

By Daniel de Vise
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 1, 2009

Juan Hendrix, an earth science teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, knows that when it comes to cellphone use in schools, looks can deceive.

"A classroom can appear quiet and orderly, but it may be abuzz with chatter," Hendrix said.

Text messaging has spawned an era of uninterrupted contact among friends, especially young people. Students often tap out silent conversations beneath their desks, even though most Washington area public schools forbid them to use cellphones on campus during school hours.

To defuse the conflict, a Montgomery County student leader has proposed a compromise: Let students text while they eat.

Read more HERE.

46 States, D.C. Plan to Draft Common Education Standards

By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 1, 2009

Forty-six states and the District of Columbia today will announce an effort to craft a single vision for what children should learn each year from kindergarten through high school graduation, an unprecedented step toward a uniform definition of success in American schools.

The push for common reading and math standards marks a turning point in a movement to judge U.S. children using one yardstick that reflects expectations set for students in countries around the world at a time of global competition. Today, each state decides what to teach in third-grade reading, fifth-grade math and every other class. Critics think some set a bar so that students can pass tests but, ultimately, are ill-prepared.

Led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the states, including Maryland and Virginia, are aiming to define a framework of content and skills that meet an overarching goal. When students get their high school diplomas, the coalition says, they should be ready to tackle college or a job. The benchmarks would be "internationally competitive."

Read more HERE.

The Depression Test

By screening all teens, doctors hope to identify those with mental disorders

By Shankar Vedantam
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Soon after her sister committed suicide, Caroline Downing started doing poorly at school. During math tests she would freeze up, and she found her mind wandering constantly. Officials at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac gently suggested that the high school sophomore get a mental health screening.

The idea of a psychiatric evaluation sent chills down the spine of Caroline's mother, Mathy Milling Downing, who believed that her younger daughter, Candace, had committed suicide because of an adverse reaction linked to a psychiatric drug -- the antidepressant Zoloft. Shortly after Candace's death, the Food and Drug Administration placed black-box warnings on several antidepressants to say they elevated suicidal thinking among some children. If Caroline were going to get the same kind of mental health care as Candace, Downing wanted no part of it.


Read more HERE.

Challenging America's Me-First Culture

By Colleen Carroll Campbell
Posted: Thursday, May 7, 2009
ARTICLE St. Louis Post Dispatch
Publication Date: May 7, 2009

When the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute of Ethics recently released its 2008 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, the results were not pretty.

The survey of nearly 30,000 high school students nationwide found that 64 percent had cheated on a test in the past year (up from 60 percent two years earlier) and 38 percent had cheated more than once. More than a third had used the Internet to plagiarize. And lest they get credit for coming clean on the anonymous survey, which also tracked rising rates of teen lying and stealing, more than a quarter confessed to lying on at least one survey question.

Read more HERE