Fast Report
University of California might drop SAT
• The University of California is moving closer to dropping the SAT as an admissions requirement and relying instead on new tests with more of an emphasis on academic achievement.
The Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, an advisory panel, issued a report Jan. 30 questioning the value of the SAT, which measures aptitude rather than achievement. The panel called for a new test that measures what is taught in California schools. A final decision will be made by the University of California Board of Regents.
A year ago, UC President Richard Atkinson announced that SAT preparation distracts students from their primary studies.
Vouchers used for religious schools
• A new study of the Cleveland voucher program, released Jan. 23 by a group called Policy Matters Ohio, shows that 99.4 percent of students receiving vouchers this year were enrolled in religious schools.
Cleveland's voucher program was the first in the nation to permit the use of public money for private, religious education.
According to Policy Matters Ohio, "The predominance of nonsecular enrollment in the voucher program has grown steadily since its inception in 1996-97."
In December 2000, when a federal appeals court ruled the Cleveland voucher program unconstitutional, 96 percent of the city's voucher students were enrolled in religious schools. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case later this month.
Of the 4,202 students who were using vouchers in December, only 25 were enrolled in non-religious schools. Only three private, nonsectarian schools remain in the program.
Schools built near toxic land
• Many public schools are located near land contaminated with toxic chemicals, reports a new study by the Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign.
Creating Safe Learning Zones, released Jan. 21, finds that more than 600,000 students in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and California attend nearly 1,200 public schools within a half-mile of a federal Superfund site or a contaminated site identified by a state.
Massachusetts has the largest number of these schools with 818.
Increasing numbers of children "are afflicted with asthma, cancers, lower IQs, and learning disabilities that impede their ability to develop their full potential," the report states. And "public schools built on or near contaminated land are one potential source of chemical exposure." According to the report, children are especially vulnerable to exposure to toxic chemicals.
The Child Proofing Our Communities Campaign urges states to enact laws to ban schools from being built on contaminated sites and to clean up contaminated property where schools already exist.
Educators recognized for response to 9/11
• The Families and Work Institute has launched a new initiative to honor educators who have gone to extraordinary lengths to find ways to help children cope with the new realities of the post-Sept. 11 world.
The Salute to Educators program will collect stories documenting how educators helped young people find ways to express concern and encouragement to those affected by tragedy and the war on terrorism and found innovative ways to teach lessons about peace, understanding, and diversity.
The effort is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the MetLife Foundation, and Avaya.
Teacher skills tied to student performance
• Students are more likely to achieve at higher levels in English classes when they have highly skilled teachers, concludes a study by the American Educational Research Association.
A research team led by Judith Langer of the University at Albany, State University of New York evaluated 88 English classes in Florida, New York, California, and Texas over two years.
They found that the most effective teachers:
• use multiple, well-orchestrated approaches for targeted skills and knowledge;
• focus on students' overall literacy learning in preparing for tests;
• teach strategies for planning, organizing, completing, and reflecting on the content or activity;
• view an initial understanding of a concept as the beginning of the learning process; and
• connect texts, tests, and life, resulting in more integrated experiences for students.
Toledo peer review program honored
• The Toledo, Ohio, school district has received the Innovations in American Government Award for its Toledo Plan, a peer review process in which veteran teachers mentor new or failing teachers to ensure that students receive a top-quality education.
The award is sponsored by the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
The Toledo school district participates in NSBA's National Affiliate program and the Public Sector Labor Management Committee, of which NSBA is a member.