Fast Report

10/14/03 -- Teachers don't give too much homework

• Despite some complaints by students and their parents, teachers are not overloading students with homework.

The great majority of students at all grade levels spend less than one hour studying on a typical day, and that has not changed substantially in at least 20 years, reports a study released Oct. 1 by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution and the RAND Corporation.

The report finds that, even at the high school level, only a third of 17-year-olds spend an hour or more a day on homework.

Recent media reports about onerous homework sparking a backlash by parents who complain that children don't have time to play are "misleading," says author Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center. "They do not reflect the experiences of a majority -- or even a significant minority -- of American schoolchildren. Excessive homework is not a common problem."

Hiring practices hurt urban districts

• Urban school districts have plenty of qualified teacher applicants, but often must scramble to fill vacancies with lesser-qualified teachers because of slow hiring practices, delays in state budget timetables, and teacher union seniority rules.

A report released Sept. 15 by the New Teacher Project, Missed Opportunities: How We Keep High Quality Teachers Out of Urban Classrooms, analyzes the hiring practices at four urban districts.

All of the districts received many times more applications than they had teaching vacancies.

Nonetheless, because each district failed to make job offers until mid to late summer, between 31 to almost 60 percent of applicants had already withdrawn from the hiring process. Many had opted for jobs in suburban districts that made earlier offers.

Those who had withdrawn tended to have higher grade point averages than those eventually hired and also were 40 percent more likely to have a degree in their teaching field.

The report also finds that retiring or resigning teachers don't have to give notice of their intent to depart until late in the year, which makes it difficult to accurately forecast vacancies for the next school year.

Barriers cleared for faith-based groups

• The U.S. Education Department is drafting proposed regulations to make it easier for religious organizations to participate in federal education programs.

The rules will clarify that "faith-based organizations" can retain their religious identify, including the display of icons, symbols, and the selection of board members on a religious basis. The rules would allow these organizations to contract with states and other grantees or subgrantees on the same basis as other private organizations.

The rules are part of a governmentwide strategy to clear barriers for faith-based groups to participate in federal funding, which began with the creation of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

EPA issues guidelines on mercury safety

• Following an incident involving mercury contamination at a Washington, D.C., high school, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency urged teachers and school administrators to be aware of the correct methods for storing and handling mercury and clean up spills.

Ballou High School might be closed for weeks, after a student reportedly stole the toxic metal from an unlocked science laboratory and spread it throughout the school. Students are being taught at alternate locations.

History standards called weak

• A study released Sept. 22 by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute gives 31 states a grade of D or F for their "ineffective" K-12 standards in U.S. history.

Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card grades state history standards on comprehensive content, sequential development, and balance. The report gives an A to Indiana, New York, Arizona, California, Alabama, and Massachusetts.

The report says effective U.S. history standards should:

• identify and discuss real people, have a clear chronology, and coherent structure;

• emphasize America's European origins but also recognize the important contributions of non-Western people; and

• discuss the origins and development of democratic ideas.

Youths disengaged from political process

• More young Americans know Ruben Studdard won the "American Idol" competition and that the Simpsons live in Springfield than know the party of their state's governor, a new report finds.

Citizenship: A Challenge for All Generations says 15 to 26-year-olds don't understand the ideals of citizenship, lack the knowledge necessary for effective self-government, and have limited appreciation of American democracy. Only 66 percent of respondents believe it is necessary to vote to be a good citizen, compared to 83 percent of those over 26.