NCLB Updates
Dept. of Ed. Proposing Uniform Graduation-Rate Formula
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings plans to propose that states use a uniform graduation-rate formula and publish data on the graduation rates of students from different racial and socioeconomic groups.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/NCLBupdates.shtml

April Is Financial Literacy Month
Practical, Hands-On Financial Literacy Lessons
Managing money is not an innate skill, as the high rate of debt in the U.S. shows. Lessons on managing money should be part of a formal education, many believe. Programs like Hands on Banking give students practical lessons in handling their finances.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat211.shtml

Read About It
What Is Financial Literacy?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/readit/readit039.shtml

News for Kids
Recycled Vegetable Oil Powers Vans, Cars
Some vehicles are running on recycled vegetable oil instead of gas.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/newsforyou.shtml

Administrator's Desk Article
Principals’ Favorite Read-Aloud Books: 2008
Are you a principal who loves to read aloud to students? So what is the book that you most love to share? That’s what we asked members of our “Principal Files” team, and here is their list. Just in time for National Library Week, April 13-19!
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin521_a.shtml

Mr. Ivan, The Principal Poet
Retention
My teacher kept me after class
And gave me quite a fear.
She said if I did not improve
I’d be retained this year…
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/columnists/ivan/ivan013.shtml

Turnaround Tales
Quality Instruction Builds Student Success
By focusing on quality instruction, Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School has helped its diverse student body make impressive gains. Administrators are required to observe teachers regularly and make suggestions for improving lessons and techniques.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/nclbwork/nclbwork069.shtml

No Educator Left Behind
How Does NCLB Define a Graduation Rate?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/NELB/NELB152.shtml

From the Education World Archives
In A Sub's Shoes
A fourth grade class touted as "a great class" lived up to its reputation, even for an inexperienced sub.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/subshoes/subshoes008.shtml

School Doodle
Test Your Zero-Tolerance Aptitude
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/school_doodles/school_doodles37.shtml

School Issues Spotlights
Issues Spotlight 1 Financial Literacy
Issues Spotlight 2 Outdoor Education
Issues Spotlight 3 Teaching Poetry
Issues Spotlight 4 Extracurricular Activities
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/f.shtml#fin
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/o.shtml#outdoor
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/p.shtml#poetry
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/glossary/e.shtml#extracurricular

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THE WEEKLY SURVEY
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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
In the past year or two, has your school increased its efforts to recycle materials and conserve energy?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey171.shtml

Last Week's Survey Results
Is your school doing more than it did a year or two ago to incorporate physical activity into the school day?
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/survey/survey170.shtml

Legos Help Kids With Autism Build Social Skills
Working together on Lego projects helps build the social skills of pre-adolescent boys with autism, experts have found. Children are forced to interact to meet a common goal while working on a project.
Source: Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/17378514.html

Judge: Firm Can Store Students' Essays
A U.S. federal district court judge in Virginia ruled that the plagiarism detection company Turnitin does not violate students' copyrights when it stores copies of their essays to check future submissions for plagiarism.
Source: School Library Journal
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6546427.htm

After-School Activities Can Teach Life Skills
Extracurricular activities give teens, who more often will imitate their peers than risk being different, a chance to experiment within a safe environment and learn valuable life skills, according to some experts.
Source: The Providence Journal
http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/mc_PASA_04-08-08_DJ9M855_v8.32f4bd3.html

Secretary of Ed. Cites Writing Gains
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that writing scores for eighth and 12th graders on the 2007 NAEP tests showed gains from 2002 and 1998. More than 165,000 students took the test.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/04/04032008.html

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LOCAL SCHOOLS MAKING NEWS
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Cricket Comes to U.S. Schools
The New York City schools have become the first school system in the U.S. to launch a cricket league. About 600 students from 14 schools are participating; each team is playing 12 matches.
Source: Los Angeles Daily News
http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8826362

Bill Would Require Parents to Volunteer
A bill introduced in the Ohio legislature would require parents to donate at least 13 hours of time to their school district each year or pay a $100 fine.
Source: The Plain Dealer
http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/04/vol.html

School Accused of Promoting 'Cross-Dressing'
An event at Pineview Elementary School in Wisconsin, for which students were encouraged to dress as members of the opposite gender, drew criticism from a Christian radio group, whose broadcast prompted calls to the district office.
Source: CBS News.com
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/07/national/main3997968.shtml

Fewer Students Gain Weight After Schools Ban Candy
Students in five Philadelphia elementary schools that replaced sodas with fruit juice, scaled back snacks, banished candy, and stepped up nutrition education gained less weight than students in other schools.
Source: MSNBC.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23982567/from/ET

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