Fenger students who sued Chicago Public Schools may transfer to Lincoln Par
2009-12-02 08:50:00 Lincoln Park High School might provide a safe haven for Fenger High School students who sued Chicago Public Schools for the right to be allowed to transfer.According to an article on Chicago Breaking News, a plan was approved in court on Tuesday that would allow the ten Fenger students who sued CPS to transfer to Morgan Park High School, Julian High School, Lincoln Park Academy, or the selective enrollment school, Carver Military Academy.A Medill report on Tuesday said that it is unclear why school officials selected these schools or why only students listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit would be granted immediate transfers.Lincoln Park Academy is the only one of the four schools that is not located on the far...
Magnet Schools : Education Next
2009-11-15 04:05:00 http://educationnext.org/magnet-schools/The idea was simple enough: draw white students to predominantly black schools by offering a special education with a focus on a particular aspect of the curriculum, such as performing arts, or Montessori, or advanced math, science, and technology. Federal and state agencies, anxious to avoid the growing messiness of coercive integration measures like forced busing, directed new resources toward these magnets, encouraging their pioneering academic programs and giving grants for new facilities. Glossy brochures were mailed to parents and press releases to local media. The hope was that these well-funded, themed schools would ignite a passion for learning as well as spark a movement to voluntarily integrate schools....
Huberman's SuperSecret™ Magnet Schools Plan [corrected]
2009-11-11 18:40:00 Yesterday Ron Huberman et al rolled out the outline of the proposed new magnet / selective enrollment plan. But, as with the infamous violence prevention plan, there are no details being provided. No briefing memo. No backgrounder. Not the research that was conducted to come to the final recommendation to the Board. Not even a PowerPoint presentation.*It makes a lot of sense for them not to give anything out. Why give out specifics when you can get the reporters to cover your plan without them? Why get into details when they'll only lead to complicated questions from parents and the public and maybe even the Board? This is Huberman's SuperSecret™ Magnet Schools Plan. Shhhhh!*Click below for the link to the...
Not Testing Some Kids Makes Schools Look Better
2009-11-10 05:55:00 I thought knew all the gimmicks and schemes that schools (and districts and states) try and hide low-performing kids and make themselves look better. But I learned a new one recently from Rod Estvan having to do with reclassifying special education kids so that their scores are excluded. Tricky tricky tricky. What I don't know is how widespread the manipulation is, whether the district and state are monitoring it, and whether schools in other states are using it. The gist is that schools can reclassify SPED kids so that they take a version of the state test (the IAA) that doesn't get included in the school's special education subgroup score. A Calumet City elementary school profiled in this recent WBEZ...
IL Schools Are Pretty Lame, Conservatives & Liberals Agree
2009-11-09 23:23:00 Illinois does a pretty mediocre job educating its kids according to this new report from the unholy alliance of the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce and the left-leaning Center for American Progress. No surprises there, I guess. Two Bs and the rest are Cs. Illinois-report-card (PDF). In it's defense, the state is developing a longitudinal data system, is a founding member of the common core / national standards thing, requires (?) that 11th graders take the ACT, is active on early learning / universal preschool front, and lifted the charter cap. Fair enough. Still, I can't tell you how strange it is that IL is involved in the common core movement when its proficiency standards and pass rates on...
The End Of The New Schools Era
2009-11-09 16:25:00 I'm not against new schools. I'm not even against closing and reopening existing schools if it's done without displacing kids (as it has been in recent years). But as I said from the start, new schools themselves are just a drop in the bucket given the size of CPS.
Testing Teachers, Shared Schools, Fenger 100, & More
2009-11-09 14:34:00 School districts retooling how they evaluate teachers TribuneTeachers in Evanston- Skokie School District 65 used to be judged on what they did in the classroom. Now their evaluations -- and their pay -- will also depend on what their students do. Shared Chicago Public Schools: Saving Space or Creating Chaos? ChicagoTalksSince 2008, North Lawndale College Preparatory High School and Collins Academy High School have shared the same campus. And while Chicago Public Schools combined the schools to save space and funds, the dual school has caused an ongoing controversy in North Lawndale.Praise and criticism in Fenger brawl case TribuneChicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis praised witnesses who identified a 14-year-old boy as taking part in the infamous fatal beating of a...
Schools: Unsafe Buses, Charter Roadblocks, H1N1 Death
2009-11-06 14:15:00 14-year-old boy charged with murder in Fenger death TribuneOne source said the boy has since been expelled from the Far South Side high school, but Chicago Public Schools officials could not immediately confirm that.Unsafe school buses still on road TribuneAs many as 2,000 school buses with potentially serious safety problems are still transporting students even though a bus manufacturer and government safety regulators have known about some of the recalled parts for as many as eight years, the Tribune has found. Charter school group sees roadblock PJ StarThe Chicago charter school pushes college preparatory education, even claiming 100 percent of the last graduating class were college bound and receiving a combined $1.2 million in scholarship money. School closings had little...
Everybody's Got Something To Say About Chicago Schools
2009-11-06 04:53:00 A sampling of recent blog posts from around the city let me know if I'm missing any other sites you like:The wall of death VocaloWhen you visit a neighborhood, you really don't expect to find a "wall of death." Especially not in a breezeway, next to the only grocery store and fast food restaurant in the whole neighborhood. A terrible loss Small TalkValencia also was a role model to his younger siblings. He volunteered at Chicago public schools and for the Barack Obama campaign. Arne Duncan will stop urban teachers from behaving badly? Examiner Never, not even once, did the person who signed the evaluation, ever come into my classroom to see what I was doing, either formally or otherwise. Elementary School...
School News: New Schools, New Hires, Doughnuts For Breakfast
2009-11-05 15:17:00 Chicago may open charter school near Altgeld Gardens TribuneChicago Public Schools is seeking to place a new charter school near the Altgeld Gardens housing complex for sixth- to 12th-grade students, a move that could quell tension in a community that has been vocal about wanting a neighborhood option for its high...Snapshot of Altgeld Gardens: From Community Organizing to Crisis WBEZLinda Paul and photographer Richard Cahan visit Altgeld Gardens a year after President Obama was elected.State probes errors in stimulus money used for school jobs TribuneMatt Vanover, a spokesman for board of education, said the flawed database actually had been washed of some glaring errors before being included in the official tabulation, which claimed that 14,330 local school jobs in Illinois had...
SuperSecret ™ CPS Might Announce New Schools Today
2009-11-04 14:23:00 Later today Ron Huberman will announce which of the dozen or so new school finalists is being recommended to the Board for opening next year or the following. But no one is saying when or where. It might be at 1:00. It might be at a school. But there's no press advisory, much less a press release. Why not? Perhaps it's simple disorganization. Perhaps it's a desire to avoid giving anyone except a handpicked few time to respond / ask questions / be there. Perhaps -- this is my current notion -- it's because everything that CPS does these days is not just secret. It's Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;...
Slain LPHS Grad, Missing Juniors, Odds-Beating Schools
2009-11-02 14:39:00 Man slain in Logan Square was DePaul 'standout' TribuneThe graduate of Lincoln Park High School gained notice for both his stellar grades and his commitment to volunteering. Case of the missing juniors TribuneSo 34,000 students -- about 20 percent of the original sophomore class -- either dropped out, transferred out of state or, most likely, simply were not counted as juniors. Forget the tests. What about the junior prom? TribuneAbout 150 third-year students did not meet those credit requirements and could not take the PSAE. But the school allowed these students to advance to the district's junior-senior campus, attend the junior prom and enjoy other benefits of becoming upperclassmen.H1N1 virus kills 19 more kids: CDC Health officials say swine flu has...
Tidbits, Rumors, Loose Ends: Chicago Schools
2009-10-22 18:36:00 Tidbits, rumors, and loose ends: -More layoffs Friday at 125 S. Clark St.?-Gadfly Jerry Bracey died a few days ago.-Lawsuits over SE clout in the works?-Three CAO jobs still open-Over 300 skuls could get appointed principals?-Innovative union deal inked in New Haven.-New HR person coming from Sears Co.?-Broadie Monica Rosen heads principal support-Nichole Pinkard moving from UofC to DePaul-National Louis now working with AUSL-David Pickens still at CPS -- assistant to M. Scott-Anyone besides Bacillieri come out of UIC EdD?...
In the wake of Derrion Albert's murder, consider all-male high schools
2009-10-06 18:24:00 What in blazes is wrong with men? Seems like every time you turn around, a man, or a man-child, is fighting, maiming, stalking, raping or killing somebody. On a street outside Fenger High School, thugs beat a student to death. Punks used to wait for darkness to do their killing, but a fatal beating in front of an audience in broad daylight isn't something you see very often, even in Chicago....
Safe Schools Korea and tonight…
2009-09-22 16:11:00 Safe Schools Korea and tonight’s episode of KBS’s “Ssam.” http://bit.ly/3uMTZT Related posts:SMOE says schools may ask you … SMOE says schools may ask you to stay in-country http://bit.ly/183BdC...SMOE says schools may ask you … SMOE says schools may ask you to stay in-country http://bit.ly/183BdC...Baffling- Safe Sex Poster [PIC]… Baffling Safe Sex Poster [PIC] http://tinyurl.com/mbl9uk ... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
By: ZenKimchi
Twista releases new mixtape dedicated to Chicago public schools
2009-09-21 05:42:00 Twista - S.O.S. (Save Our Students) [MIXTAPE]"Dedicated to the students of Chicago. Stop the violence and get educated."- TwistaTwista has just dropped a new mixtape with the special dedication going to today's Chicago youth, as the city still has much room to improve in its school system and violence in general. It's always a great thing to see a Chicago artist give back for a positive cause and Twista will be doing so even more by distributing physical copies of the mixtape to Chicago Public School students on Tuesday, according to Andrew. The previously released "Problems" is an appropriate start to the mixtape, which also features NEW songs featuring fellow Chicago talent and GMG mates Skooda Chose, Liffy Strokes, &...
Questions About Chicago Schools' First-Day Attendance Claims
2009-09-17 14:42:00 Most folks reported what CPS said without question... CPS sees record turnout on 1st day WLSChicago Public Schools students turned out in record numbers for the first day of school. This year, an all time high ... CPS sets record for first-day attendance Sun Times Chicago Public Schools students this year posted record attendance figures on the first day of school -- an all-time high of 94.1 percent showed up. New Record Attendance for First Day of School NBC Chicago ... principals, faith leaders and corporate leaders to underscore the important message of going to school on the first day," said Schools CEO Ron Huberman, ... ...But WBEZ had some other thoughts:CPS First-Day Attendance May Be Exaggerated WBEZ Rhey're counting...
What Everyone Else Is Saying About Chicago Schools
2009-09-16 14:38:00 Sorry about the horrible job I've been doing lately keeping track of what other blogs are saying about CPS. Here's a roundup of some of the best I can find -- if you know of other blogs run by teachers, parents, or insiders let the rest of us know. Thanks!New web site for Office of Academic Enhancement CPSObsessedOne cool feature is that they have a calendar of Open Houses (at least for the month of September.) Ron Huberman finally comes out from under Arne Duncan's shallow shadow ExaminerRon Huberman and Arne Duncan Rookie Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO, Ron Huberman has finally stepped up to the plate and taken an official 'at bat.' More intriguing detail from charter school minutes PUREThe...
How Can High Schools Better Prepare Students?
2009-09-16 13:00:00 This week, I'm taking The Whiteboard Jungle in a bit of a different direction. Specifically, I'm looking to stimulate discussion. CR4ers come from a wide range of backgrounds, education levels, and experiences. I'd like to draw upon this diversity in order to pose a question. What could your h
Schools as Important as Health Reform?
2009-09-15 16:05:00 I know that medical reform is necessary to save lives, but as a retired educator I am as worried about the gutting of American education by our current economic crisis. Education ultimately saves lives as well — those who most need it if deprived are likely to end up criminals and jailbirds whose lives are ...
Schools Wrestle With Pledge Policy in Classroom
2009-09-15 02:38:00 Schools Wrestle With Pledge Policy in Classroom It’s a new school year, but an old fight is brewing in American classrooms. Teachers and administrators around the country are scratching their heads once again over the Pledge of Allegiance. The courts have consistently ruled that students have the right not to recite the pledge in public schools. ...
By: TexasFred's
Local High Schools Penalized For Football Brawl
2009-09-10 21:36:00 "Earlier today the IHSA announced that penalties have been handed down to both North Chicago and Simeon following a bench clearing brawl which happened last Friday night in North Chicago. Hurray for the IHSA. This was a prime example of the IHSA literally taking control of an important situation and not backing off or going soft." (Edgy Tim's Prep Football Blog)...
Obama Speech Will Be Voluntary For Schools
2009-09-04 16:00:00 Obama webcast optional at some area schools ABC7 "It's going to be a voluntary thing. Certainly from our perspective we're going to encourage students to be involved and understand what's going on in the greater world all the time," said Ron Huberman, Chicago Public Schools CEO. Chicago Public Schools announce plan to combat violence Tribune About 80 percent of the shootings involved students at 38 of the district's 89 high schools. And schools with the lowest number of victims spent more money on social workers, counselors and training for security officers. These schools also were far less likely to call police when students fought or brought drugs and alcohol to campus. Schools Chief Rolls Out Plan to Stop Violence....
New taxes to support churches and parochial schools take effect today
2009-09-01 08:10:00 A series of new State taxes to support houses of worship, parochial schools and religious ministries go into effect today (Tuesday, September 1, 2009). Saint Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church, 5112 West Washington Boulevard, Chicago, where State Representative LaShawn Ford is on the Finance Council. A provision on page 342 of the Capital Bill, at Article 10, Section 1805, forces taxpayers to donate $140,000 to Representative Ford's church for "general infrastructure." These unconstitutional taxes are part of the legislative package surrounding the 996-page Capital Bill, which was sponsored by Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Michael Madigan. The new tax revenue will not be distributed equally to all churches, religious schools and ministries. Rather, the General Assembly has designated a preference for...
Legislative crime spree devastates Illinois public schools
2009-08-31 00:33:00 Many people have asked me, "So, what's the big deal, if the General Assembly gives millions of dollars to parochial schools, even if the State Constitution does prohibit such a thing?" The big deal is that the State Legislature is cutting a huge amount of money from essential public school programs, such as textbooks, to pay for it. I've told you, in previous blog posts, about how the Springfield Capital Bill is donating millions of your tax dollars to parochial schools, in clear violation of Article X, Section 3, of the Illinois Constitution. Now comes word, in this article from Friday's (August 28, 2009) Chicago Tribune, that the Legislature is eliminating a state fund to buy textbooks for public schools. Last year, according to...
Six Things To Note About Chicago Schools Clout Investigation
2009-08-07 21:08:00 There's lots of news about the clout investigations surrounding CPS and it's easy to get lost, but here are some key things to note about where things stand right now:1. Arne Duncan is probably off the hook in terms of the Federal investigation, because the subpoena only asks for information going back to January 2008. (Unless they slam him for expanding principal discretion in February 2008 or for things that happened that first year.)2. Everyone else might be in deep doo-doo, however, since the Assistant US Attorney whose name is on the subpoena, Brandon Fox, appears to be on the criminal side of the USA's office, not the civil side. That means they're looking for bribery, corruption, fraud types of...
USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll Released: Three Big Ten Schools Ranked
2009-08-07 15:23:00 The USA Today coaches' poll came out this morning, and of the many Big Ten schools who hope to have special football seasons in 2009, only three cracked the Top 25. Ohio State and Penn State, last year's league co-champions, are both in the Top Ten at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively, while Iowa is the conference's only other representative at No. 21....
Will Greg Paulus Continue To Dominate Big Ten Schools In 2009?
2009-08-07 14:18:00 Without question, the most famous member of Syracuse University's 2009 football team is the third-string quarterback. Of course, this isn't any ordinary third-string quarterback we're talking about.This is Greg Paulus.The same Greg Paulus who started 100 games at point guard for the Duke Blue Devils basketball team.The Greg Paulus who was widely considered the best high school quarterback (if not the best high school football player period) in the country five short years ago....
Magnet schools attracting scrutiny
2009-08-06 20:30:00 How hard is it to get into a magnet school? Very! Especially if you don't have the scores to garner a bid or a lottery placement. As the Tribune article states, some parents beg to get their children in, offer donations, and use name dropping to gain influence. To get into a magnet school, officials have to carefully comb through middle school scores, elementary grades, attendance and entrance exams. But principals may admit 5% of a school's students by looking at extracurricular activities, leadership, family hardship, or sibling attendance. Is this 5% a breeding ground for unfair subjective selection? Just ask Gregory Minniefield. ...
Weekend Schools Twitters
2009-08-02 04:52:00 Here are some of my recent Twitter posts -- small stuff that doesn't make it into a regular post or that comes up over the weekend. {Hit the reload button to get the most recent updates]: follow me on Twitter...
AKAs Too Powerful In Chicago Schools?
2009-07-28 17:44:00 I don't want to make any overly broad generalizations but there are at least some folks in Chicago who see arrogance and elitism from the members of sororities like AKA who work in the Chicago Public Schools -- many of whom are in positions of power and authority. These comments come in light of the recent accusations made against one CPS official, Karen Saffold, alleging that she demanded payment from a vendor (see here). How many of the city's top bureaucrats come from one of these sororities and fraternities? Do they act as exclusively and imperiously as some commenters say they do? I have lots of questions and not many answers. What do you know?...
Chicago Schools Star In DC Reform Event
2009-07-24 22:17:00 The President and the Secretary rolled out the new draft regulations for a so-called "race to the top" fund today.It's not clear whether llinois is in the running, given it's funding inequity problem. But it did raise its charter cap, which is considered helpful.The event included remarks from Jarvis Sanford from AUSL, which are excerpted below.File pic....
Improving schools is a shared responsibility!
2009-07-24 20:47:00 Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Richard Elmore is a highly a highly respected author and visionary for educational improvement. Elmore believes that lasting improvement in schools is a result of “distributed leadership.” In School Reform from the Inside Out, Elmore redefines the role of leaders to be “primarily about enhancing the skills and knowledge of people in the organization, creating a common culture of expectations around those skills and knowledge, holding the various pieces of the organization together in a productive relationship with each other, and holding individuals accountable for their contributions to the collective accounts.” Elmore describes five foundational principles for a model of successful distributed leadership: 1. All leaders, regardless of role, should be working at the improvement of instructional practice and performance, rather than working to shield their institutions from outside interference.2. All educat...
Connected Kids At Elite High Schools
2009-07-17 16:01:00 I've been ignoring the UofI clout story for weeks now, feeling like it was more of a higher ed thing than something about local high schools, but this latest story from the Tribune really caught my eye: Half of the 616 Illinois students who received preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009 graduated from just 22 high schools, all but one in the metro area. Highland Park High had the most kids on the list, with Loyola Academy coming in second. There were only 25 kids on the clout list from CPS schools. What do you think of the clout list scandal, and the implications for kids who attend elite high schools but may not have connected parents?...
Governor asked to veto tax donations to churches, parochial schools
2009-06-30 19:40:00 A letter has been sent today by me to Jay Stewart, a top aide to Governor Quinn, asking that the Governor veto the line items in the Pork Bill that constitute forced donations of money by taxpayers to numerous churches and parochial schools across Illinois. I had reported on this issue in several previous posts, including Illinois General Assembly donates your tax dollars to their favorite churches and Governor's office responds regarding pork bill. Here's a copy of the letter that I sent to the office of Governor Quinn, with hyperlinks added for your convenience:...
CPS plans to cut teachers at city schools
2009-06-25 19:02:00 CPS officials plan to lay off teachers from several schools, but insist these cuts have to do with reduction in enrollment and not the budget according to Chi-Town Daily News. Members of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators (C.O.R.E.) questioned how cuts are related to reduced enrollment if they were happening at schools where enrollment decline is minimal. CPS spokesperson Malon Edwards said many of these teachers were invited to reapply for positions in developing departments. Twitterers are disappointed by the teacher cuts. jayilla CPS is so confusing at times *sigh* coreteachers Carol Caref- when they privatized custodial services in cps, wages went down dramatically, they're trying to do this to teachrs. #arneduncan coreteachers Teacher from Field ES asks...
I blame the schools for this. And maybe the Rotary Club. (Commutation 13)
2009-06-11 15:41:00 Today, just before I got to the parking garage, I got behind a car that had this bumper sticker:Evolution is a theory. Kind of like gravity.That's a dumb bumper sticker. I believe in evolution; I'm not some flat-earther who's offended by the idea that there were fish that became humans. But that bumper sticker shows why "scientists" have made a huge error in deciding to just make things up: people no longer understand science.In real science -- sans quotation marks, a theory is something that has not yet been proven. It's a hypothesis-- an idea you have that you hope to prove through experimentation.Evolution is a theory because it hasn't been proven. While Darwin's finches are a compelling case for evolution, they are a compelling circumstantial case -- meaning more than one inference is available from the facts.That's what "circumstantial" evidence is -- you can draw more than one conclusion from it. If you hear a gun shot and run into the room and I'm standing ther...
Study MBA in China in English Medium at top MBA schools
2009-06-11 06:06:00 MBA programs studies in China in English Medium with affordable fees at Top business schools and MBA universities in China, details please visit http://www.chinauniversitystudy-.com
Schools out for summer…or not
2009-06-09 03:35:00 It’s been an exhausting week. Between class field trips, track & field days, a little nagging about grades, packing up Justis for his move, final dance recitals and soccer games…I’m beat. The end of the school year is tiring. Today was the last day of school. My baby is now a 2nd grader. My twins are now ruling the school as 4th graders (as 5th & 6th graders move up to the Intermediate school). And my oldest is a sophomore. When did these kids get so dang old? Speaking of getting old, I’m on the verge of my 35th birthday. My birthday is Thursday. And my mom’s birthday is Saturday. We are celebrating with a mother/daughter trip to Vegas. I haven’t really had any time to get excited about the trip yet since I’ve been taking care of the family. But four days in Vegas will be a nice relaxing time. And maybe I’ll win a bunch of money and get to quit my job. A girl can dream. But before I go to Vegas I need to start summer school. T...
By: The Bean Blog
Social Media Taught In Schools
2009-05-13 18:15:00 What if you could go to school to become famous? Where a curriculum was built around your individuality! Where you were measured and graded on your sphere of influence? Today, in the Age of the Individual, we are all learning to market our own brand. In this new world of commerce, both online and off, your reputation is indeed becoming an accepted form of currency. If you ever thought you were too cool for school before, think again... you just might be able to enroll in an institution of higher learning that puts a whole new spin on socializing!
Isn’t it already tough enough keeping cell phones out of schools?
2009-03-26 21:44:00 Cellular News (www.cellular-news.com/story/36-648.php) recently reported that curing teenage depression may be as simple as letting teenagers keep and use their cell phones. Having a cell phone glued to your ears at all hours of the day and night, at school or with friends, seems to be therapeutic because it is claimed that students communicate more effectively using the cell phone.Perhaps these researchers are of the philosophy that taking cell phones away from students is like taking candy from a baby.In the Cellular News story, “Using Mobile Phones to Monitor Teenage Mental Health,” a study is described in which one’s mental health status is tracked using a cell phone. But the “key” finding is that mental health problems can be treated by cell phones, as the process of monitoring one’s mental health provides an opportunity to express feelings via cell phones – feelings that seem difficult to express verbally. (Perhaps this is because verbal communication is passé in...
Clarence Schools & Cuts
2009-03-18 09:00:00 I'm sure you'll forgive me this, but I'm going to use my bully pulpit, however small, to discuss cuts being proposed and discussed in the Clarence School system, because it affects me personally and twice. There have been rumors lately that budget cuts will force teachers to be let ...
By: BuffaloPundit
More Week 3 Pro Day Workouts From Top 10 Schools
2009-03-17 19:00:00 Don?t be surprised if the Pittsburgh Steelers select an Ohio State player come April?s NFL Draft.read more | digg story
Illinois: State Trying To Ban Prayer At Christian Schools During Events
2009-03-07 16:07:00 From World Net Daily:The Illinois High School Association is being challenged on a policy that bans Christian schools from offering a prayer or any religious message over their public address systems when they host association events on their own property."It is blatantly unconstitutional for public school officials to come into private schools and enforce a policy prohibiting them from expressing what's central to their religious beliefs," said David Cortman, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, or ADF.The ADF wrote this week to association chief Marty Hickman after several private schools complained about the new restrictions. WND left a message with Hickman seeking comment, but the call was not returned today.(Story continues below) "In enacting the policy, the IHSA was purportedly concerned that allowing private host schools to conduct customary pre-game prayers violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause," the letter said.But the ADF reassured the a...
Faith schools accused of 'backdoor selection'
2009-03-03 07:24:00 Alexandra Frean, Education Editor, The Times, writes,'Faith schools and academies should be stripped of their power to choose pupils, according to research that suggests that some secondary schools are flouting new rules designed to prevent middle-class pupils dominating the best comprehensives.Researchers at the London School of Economics, who studied more than 3,000 secondary school admission forms for 2008, said that faith schools and other establishments that control admissions, including academies, should hand over the job of allocating places to an independent body to ensure greater fairness. Anne West, director of the education research group at the LSE and lead author of the study, said that this could be the local authority, which already controls admissions for community schools, or a religious body such as the diocesan authority.The researchers found that some schools were operating a form of backdoor selection by asking for personal information about parents? marital st...
By: Christian Quoter
Stanford schools Michelle Wie on the mental game. Tiger Woods returns and i
2009-03-02 18:31:00 Click here to listen.Michelle Wie's high hopes were dashed once again as she struggled against the wake of the tide which Angela Stanford created as she plowed through on the back nine at the SBS Open. Expectations, as we have seen time-and-time-again, have a way of throwing this game of golf into turmoil instead of doing what Stanford did by "just having so much fun." Michelle Wie version 2.0 is still very much a work in progress.The battle between the two was exciting and proved that, although Wie has much work to do on her mental game in order to shift focus from competing to winning, her optimism and greatly improved swing will serve her, and the LPGA Tour, well this year. Any threat so far to Lorena Ochoa? Not likely?Carolyn Bivens, who in 2006 mentioned her "master plan to expose the personalities of our stars to the general media", will now get the opportunity to turn her dreams for the LPGA into reality, thanks to the addition of Michelle Wie.Several interesting deals to co...
Islamic fundamentalism promoted on websites at some Muslim schools
2009-02-23 06:14:00 Daily Telegraph'sTom Whitehead, reports on20 Feb 2009'.....warns the messages are threatening social cohesion and could fuel "ghettoization" and segregation. A site linked to one primary school said playing Monopoly or chess was forbidden and likened the latter to "one who dips his hands in the blood of swine". Another warned children in Britain were being exposed to a culture that was against everything Islam stands for, while a third school's website had electronic links to alleged extremist sites. Others had links to other sites or chatrooms that contain fundamental views such as forbidding the playing of cricket or even reading of Harry Potter books. Many of the messages, sites or links mentioned in the report have since been taken down, but the Department for Children, Schools and Families last night said it would investigate the allegations it contained. Representatives of Muslim schools angrily dismissed the study, labelling it "misleading, intolerant and divisive", but th...
By: Christian Quoter
Stanford schools Michelle Wie on the mental game. Tiger Woods returns and i
2009-02-16 17:14:00 Click here to listen. Michelle Wie?s high hopes were dashed once again as she struggled against the wake of the tide which Angela Stanford created as she plowed through on the back nine at the SBS Open. Expectations, as we ...
UK MP Demands Investigation Into aAsbestos in Schools
2009-02-13 15:02:00 The MP of Thanet South in the UK, Steve Ladyman, has recently demanded a thorough investigation into asbestos in the schools in the area, after the number of schools that are contaminated with the potentially deadly substance were highlighted on a television documentary. According to the BBC documentary asbestos was present in over five hundred and ...
Schools and Cell Phones: A Hidden Connection
2009-02-02 16:54:00 As we all know, school budgets are shrinking. In an effort to deal with the shortfall, schools are going down a controversial, but little known, path. They are getting money from cell phone tower installations. |
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