NCLB Plan Would Add New Rules
Spellings proposes changes on testing, tutoring, data

With Congress at a standstill in its work to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings last week launched her latest and most extensive administrative effort to alter the law. (*Education Week, April 24; 2008; updated April 29.)

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>Similar Article: READ MORE (New York Times, April 23, 2008)

More Students Master ‘Basics’ on Writing NAEP

At a time when many teenagers are consumed by such activities as text-messaging, blogging, and social networking, more middle and high school students than in the past have mastered the formal “basic” writing skills needed to express ideas or share information, national assessment results released last week show. (*Education Week, April 9, 2008)

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Forum Seeks A New Vision for U.S. Role
Report Calls for Moving Away From K-12 Tests and Sanctions

Congress and the next president need to offer a new vision for the federal role in K-12 education, creating a sustained effort to increase the quality of teachers, tailoring accountability systems to measure higher-order thinking, and ensuring that all spending is equalized across school districts, a report from a group of educators and researchers says. (*Education Week, April 23, 2008)

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Advocates celebrate funding for dyslexia screenings (Mississippi)

With legislative passage on Monday of $1.5 million for literacy screenings and final approval from Gov. Haley Barbour imminent, dyslexia advocates are celebrating. "I'm so excited. It's about time," said Lauren Groover of Tupelo, who has worked for the cause since her son, Troy, now 17, was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 4. Though the governor wasn't scheduled to sign the bill on Monday, "he will sign it. It's a done deal," said state Rep. Brian Aldridge, R-Tupelo. "It's just about as plain as the nose on my face it's going to become law." (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, April 15, 2008)

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Reading program uses sound approach (Newark, Ohio)

Jane Pfautsch stood in front of her first-grade class Tuesday at Granville Elementary School holding flash cards with sounds on them such as “oy,” “y” and “ee.”  With each card, the students responded with the different sounds the letters make. “‘Ou’ says ‘oo’ and ‘ow.’” (The Newark Advocate, April 9, 2008)

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Literacy coaches tackle reading skills (North Carolina)

Some coaches are taking on a new challenge in schools across the state. They're showing students strategies to improve their reading and writing skills. They are also letting teachers in on the secret, as well. State educators want to boost student test scores in those areas. Results of a national writing test released this week showed that less than half of our state's eighth-graders earned a "proficient" score. (Newschannel 14 of Raleigh NC, April 8, 2008)

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ED in 08 Unveils New Analysis and Report Card Surrounding 35th Anniversary of A Nation at Risk

As the 25th anniversary of A Nation at Risk approaches, Strong American Schools’ ED in 08 campaign today unveiled an original analysis and report card showing the lack of progress in the school reform movement since the release of the National Commission on Excellence in Education’s letter to the American people, A Nation at Risk. (B2E, April 21, 2008)

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AT&T launches $100M effort to stem dropouts

AT&T unveiled a $100 million initiative April 17 designed to curb the country's high school dropout rate, which has reached critical levels in recent years, according to education experts. (eSchool News, April 18, 2008)

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Catching problems early, schools try to avoid special ed

Districts increasingly are adopting early-intervention programs meant to help boost the skills of struggling young people with the aim of having them avoid special education in later grades. And while some schools are reporting promising results, some parents and educators are concerned that children who do have learning disabilities will be forced to wait to get the extra help they need under this strategy, especially if it isn't bolstered by sufficient research. (The Boston Globe, April 21, 2008) also see ED in '08

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Olympian with dyslexia hopes to inspire others

Molly Sullivan Sliney, a member of the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team in 1988 and 1992, speaks to students about her struggles with dyslexia and encourages them to achieve their goals. "Molly delivers her message in a clear and interactive style, sharing her many experiences - from growing up suffering with the learning disability dyslexia, to fencing and traveling all over the globe. She encourages students to pursue their dreams through goal-setting, hard work and motivation," said Camille Enos, an educational program coordinator in Massachusetts. (The Herald News, April 15, 2008)

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Theater arts inspire students in Reading

It didn't take much prodding for Brenda Torres to get into character. The Reading fourth-grader approached her role as a donkey with so much zeal that she was coaxed into several encores galloping around on her hands and knees and braying with gusto, much to the delight of her classmates. Started in Minnesota, the national program uses theater arts to help students improve their language and literacy skills and overall learning abilities, according to Beverly Houck of the institute. (Reading Eagle, April 25, 2008)

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No Reform Left Behind

Federal education officials are holding out a promise of flexibility to states that have chafed under the "one size fits all" aspects of the No Child Left Behind law. There's no question that individual schools need different strategies. States should be encouraged to innovate. It's important, though, that any new rules not compromise the core principles of a law that has done much to address inequities in educational opportunity. (The Washington Post, April 11, 2008)

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