Fast Report
Philadelphia reform plan off to a slow start
• Pennsylvania state officials are expressing frustration with the pace of school reform in the financially troubled Philadelphia school system.
The School Reform Commission, appointed to take control of the city schools, has come under increasing criticism from Gov. Mark Schweiker and key lawmakers for failing to move quickly on contracts to turn over operation of as many as 100 schools to private management firms and charter-school groups.
Impatience is so high that some leaders suggest $75 million in proposed new state funding is at risk–at the same time the commission is looking to borrow $300 million through a bond issue to pay off a growing deficit. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by Philadelphia City Council members opposed to the state's plan has asked the courts to stop the commission from signing contracts.
Despite recent dramatic events, the commission is moving at a deliberate pace, says commission spokesperson Maureen Garrity. Last week, the commission announced nine semifinalists for various school district consulting contracts, including Edison Schools Inc.
Test prep does not interfere with learning
• While most teachers are concerned that test preparation could reduce the amount of class time available for learning, that has not happened in their schools, reports the fifth annual Reality Check study, a joint project by Public Agenda and Education Week.
According to the study, released March 5, majorities of teachers (79 percent), parents (66 percent), and employers (64 percent) expressed concerns that test preparation could take time away from classroom learning.
But 73 percent of teachers say they have not neglected regular teaching duties to make time for test preparation.
Among other findings:
• Eighty-four percent of teachers, 60 percent of parents, 52 percent of employers, and 45 percent of students say "far too much emphasis" is placed on test scores.
• But only 2 percent of parents, 1 percent of teachers, and 2 percent of employers support turning back the clock and stopping the standards movement.
• Only 12 percent of parents and 20 percent of teachers oppose high school exit exams.
• Seventy-three percent of secondary school students said they can handle the pressure of taking standardized tests, while 23 percent said they don't get nervous at all.
• Virtually all students say they take the tests seriously, and 56 percent say they take them "very seriously."
Tuition tax credits fail in Utah
• For the second year in a row, the Utah legislature failed to pass a tuition tax credit bill. The measure would have provided a $2,100 tax credit to parents, other citizens, or businesses who pay for tuition at a religious or other private school.
The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Chris Buttars, a Republican from West Jordan, withdrew the bill on the final day of the session because there were not enough votes in the House to pass it. He plans to reintroduce it again next year.
The Utah School Boards Association (USBA), which campaigned against the bill, estimates it would have cost the state $90 million in lost revenue over the next 10 years. "We spent a lot of time and money to educate the public on this," says USBA Executive Director Winston Gleave.
CDC studying rash outbreaks in 14 states
• Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are investigating outbreaks of rashes among schoolchildren in 14 states. So far, the CDC does not know what causes these rashes or whether the outbreaks are related.
According to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report issued March 1, the first incidents were reported in Indiana Oct. 4, affecting 18 third graders in one school.
Since then, outbreaks have affected thousands of students in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
Initial studies show the rashes do not seem to be allergic reactions to environmental factors and do not appear to result from parovirus B19, also known as fifth disease, a common cause of rashes in children.
Early literacy skills pay off in school
• Children who demonstrate early literacy skills and who come from a home where literacy is actively encouraged do better in reading and mathematics after first grade than children who do not have these resources, states a report from the U.S. Education Department study.
By the spring of first grade, girls are more likely to be reading, and boys are more likely to be proficient at multiplication and division, states Children's Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Kindergarten and First Grade.
The study shows that children begin kindergarten with different levels of knowledge and skills, depending on child, family, and school characteristics. Preschool-age children who know letters, numbers, and shapes; are read to frequently; and demonstrate a positive approach to learning perform better in school.