Education World's Headlines Newsletter, Volume 7, Issue 30

Dear Education Professionals, Welcome to Education World's News Headlines of the Week Newsletter. This EDlines newsletter is published weekly as a free service by Education World®. You are receiving this newsletter because you have signed up to receive updates of EDlines of the Week. If you enjoy this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to other teachers. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, you may sign up at http://www.educationworld.com/maillist.shtml. To unsubscribe, see instructions at the bottom of this newsletter. Education World is the largest *free* resource on the Web for teachers and school administrators. We remain a free resource thanks to the support of our advertisers -- so please click on ads of interest and visit our advertisers' sites. The news stories referenced in this newsletter are collected by Education World news editor Ellen "Scoop" Delisio. They are gathered from Education World and a wide variety of other education news sources. Some of the headlines also appear in Ellen's daily column, EDscoops.   ============================================================================ This week's newsletter is sponsored by Online Degree Directory. What do curriculum developers, education consultants and course developers have in common? Their skills are attainable 100% online. Explore their latest theories and practices – with an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, Higher Education Affairs, Special Education or Leadership. Be all you can be – and help your students and faculty become all they can be. And discover more available programs with FREE Information from Online Universities - Online Degree Directory. http://www.educationworld.com/OnlineDegree2.shtml   =========================================================================== Volume 7, Issue 30 July 24, 2008 Grants to Help Middle-Schoolers Prep for College The U.S. Department of Education approved 24 new grants under the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) to help disadvantaged middle school students prepare for and pursue a college education. Source: U.S. Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/07/07012008a.html Parents Secretly Teaching Kids 'Old' Math Concerned that their children are missing out on certain critical skills, some parents are teaching their children "old" math procedures -- such as long division -- to supplement new, concept-based curricula. Source: USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-07-15-old-math_N.htm Working With Hands Aids Brain Development British children's brain development is being threatened by their failure to work with their hands in school and at home, a study said. Schools offer fewer hands-on classes, and at home kids play computer games, rather than working on crafts. Source: MSNBC.com http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25677952 Students Taking Lead in Green Initiatives Increasing numbers of environmentally-aware students are leading green initiatives at their schools. A graduate of a Virginia high school got approval for solar panels and raised money for the project. Source: The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/15/AR2008071503282.html   School Board Bans Student-Teacher Texting, Online Social Networking The Lamar County (Mississippi)school board recently approved a policy prohibited teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace. Source: CBS News.com http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/21/tech/main4279632.shtml Students Discuss Asian, Hispanic Students' Performance Students at Lincoln High School in California have participated in candid discussions about the differences in Hispanic and Asian-American students' academic performance in an effort to close the achievement gap. Source: Los Angeles Times http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-lincoln16-2008jul16,0,3130880.story State Calls NCLB Goals Unrealistic While more Hawaiian students scored higher on standardized tests this year, 60 percent of public schools failed to make adequate yearly progress due to what education officials called unrealistic NCLB expectations. Source: The Honolulu Advertiser http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/NEWS07/807180372 Camp Helps Struggling Readers A free day camp in northern Kentucky aims to help struggling third- and fourth-graders develop a love of reading. Counselors also focus on growing skills for effective reading and instilling self-confidence in students. Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080713/NEWS0103/807130384/1056/NEWS01   During June and July, Education World will highlight some of the best of its archived stories. We will be back with all new content on August 1. Cooking with Joy Teacher's Stash How many times have you left home without breakfast or lunch and longingly eyed the kids' snacks during the day? You never have to go hungry again if you follow these tips for creating a mini-pantry in a desk drawer or filing cabinet. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/joy/joy009.shtml Starr Points Are You a Bully? A Connecticut school administrator, commenting on his district's decision to include teacher behavior in its anti-bullying policy, complained that it would be difficult to distinguish between bullying behavior and classroom management strategies. What about you? Can you tell the difference between behavior management and bullying? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/starr/starr056.shtml Wire Side Chat Author Makes Science Readable, Enjoyable Finding the textbooks her children brought home uninspiring, Joy Hakim combined her skills as an educator and journalist and began writing texts. Her book, The Story of Science, is a flowing narrative of the evolution of science. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat118.shtml School Issues Article Reaching Out to Illiterate Teens After third grade, reading is less of a subject and more of a tool, as students begin reading for content. But many students enter middle and high school without basic reading skills, dooming their academic careers. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues408.shtml Soapbox Standing Up for Average Students Teacher/coach Tom Krause worries that real learning and the average student's needs are getting lost in the pressures of greater accountability and assessments. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/soapbox/soapbox011.shtml Healthy Kids Learn Better Check out our Fit To Be Taught archive for ideas and the latest stories about school wellness, nutrition, and exercise programs. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/fittobetaught.shtml Education Humor With Regina Barreca National columnist Regina Barreca brings her timely, insightful humor to Ed World. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/columnists/barreca/barreca.shtml Wire Side Chat Not Your Mother's Grammar Lesson If you find diagramming sentences an ordeal to learn and teach, you are not alone. English teacher Les Parsons in his book Grammarama! offers new strategies for teaching grammar that are more engaging for everyone. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat127.shtml Education World in the Classroom Click to read Lessons from Our Nation's Schools, Whatever It Takes, In A Sub's Shoes, and Teaming Up to Achieve series. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/schools.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/WIT.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/subshoes.shtml http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/teamingup.shtml NCLB Updates Wondering what's going on with the No Child Left Behind Act? Peruse our list of news and feature stories about the federal law. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/NCLBupdates.shtml News for Kids See our archive of 100 news stories -- "ripped from the headlines" -- written with your students in mind. Each comes with a complete Teacher's Guide. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/newsforyou.shtml Administrator's Desk Articles Recess Before Lunch Can Mean Happier, Healthier Kids Recess follows lunch almost as predictably as four follows three, because it always has been that way. Principals who have put recess first, though, have noticed children eat more and behave better after lunch. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin389.shtml 50 Great Questions for Teacher Interviews Whether you need to fill five teaching positions or 25, the questions you ask during interviews will be the key to drawing out the personalities of applicants and ultimately selecting the right educators to join your staff. Find your next new hire with a few of these great interview questions. http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin396.shtml Archive Selection Check out the stories in the School Issues School-to-Work section. http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/sch_to_work.shtml School Issues Spotlights Issues Spotlight 1 Online Social Networking Issues Spotlight 2 Juvenile Justice System http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/o.shtml#socialnet http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/j.shtml#juvenile   Each week, we ask readers to cast their votes in The Weekly Survey. Cast your vote in this week's question of interest to all educators. This Week's Survey Question Should parents have a say in choosing to which teachers their children are assigned? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey001.shtml Last Week's Survey Results Should school officials have the right to regulate content on a teacher's personal Web page? http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey131.shtml   ******************************************************************* Education World now incorporates www.SchoolNotes.com "everybody on the same page!" The leading school-to-home communications platform, with FREE pages for teachers and automatic notification of parents and students when new homework is posted! For a modest $24.95 PER YEAR, upgrade to Personal Edition, "Super SchoolNotes," with thousands of resources linked to your state's standards! Click here for more information.   Welcome to LifeStyle Teachers are people too! Visit Education World's LifeStyle section for practical information about travel, cooking, wellness, shopping, financial planning, and having a life! http://www.educationworld.com/a_lifestyle We hope you enjoy receiving this Education World e-newsletter. Did you know that Education World offers eight other FREE weekly newsletters? Have you signed up to receive the... Education World LESSON PLANNING NEWSLETTER? The weekly Lesson Planning Newsletter offers links to all new lesson plan content posted to the Education World Web site in the previous week. You will find all our regular features there, as well as links to new tutorials, timely holiday lesson planning ideas, and great lesson plans from our archives. Would you like to see a sample of the Lesson Planning Newsletter? 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