Schools still trying to catch up with technology
Submitted by eric on 7 January, 2005 - 18:42Friday, January 7, 2005 Posted: 11:00 AM EST (1600 GMT)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Schools lag behind much of society in using technology, but students are seeing benefits and clamoring for more access to computers, the government says.
Virtually all U.S. schools are connected to the Internet, with about one computer for every five students, according to an Education Department report on school technology.
Overall, more schools are using technology to offer tutoring, track student performance and increase communication between parents and teachers. At least 15 states provide some form of "virtual schooling," in which young students gain access to individual instruction online.
Education Dept. paid commentator to promote law
Submitted by eric on 7 January, 2005 - 13:59By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.
The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.
Williams said Thursday he understands that critics could find the arrangement unethical, but "I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in."
Spellings Promises Fixes to No Child Left Behind Law
Submitted by eric on 7 January, 2005 - 09:48By Michael Dobbs
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 7, 2005; Page A05
Margaret Spellings, who served as chief domestic policy adviser to President Bush during his first term, promised yesterday to iron out problems with the No Child Left Behind education law if she is confirmed as education secretary.
Spellings, 47, appeared headed for swift and painless Senate confirmation as she answered questions from members of the education committee on the president's second-term education agenda. Democrats joined Republicans in praising the nominee's experience and competence while criticizing the shortage of federal funding for the landmark education legislation.
CA-Resisters
Submitted by eric on 6 January, 2005 - 15:19CA-Resisters. A discussion list sponsored by the California Coalition for
Authentic Reform in Education, a place for California parents and educators to discuss ways to resist high-stakes standardized testing practices.
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ARN-L
Submitted by eric on 6 January, 2005 - 15:14Assessment Reform Network. A discussion list sponsored by FairTest, an education watchdog organization that analyzes and critiques the effects of standardized testing polices and practices.
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Start a Project
Submitted by eric on 5 January, 2005 - 19:29The point of being a bureaucracy-free zone is to enable folks to do things they want to do but can't easily manage in the institutional world. Whether because of scarce resources or briar-patches of persnickety polices, institutions sometimes put roadblocks in place where we would like to see open doors.
Currently, Interversity is used for a variety of purposes, most of which have something to do with teaching and learning in some fashion. There are websites for individuals and small organizations, discussion lists for communities of teachers and students, and web forums for specific topics.
FairTest Grades NCLB
Submitted by eric on 5 January, 2005 - 11:45According to FairTest, an education watchdog organization, the Bush administration gets an A- for "Public Relations," but an F for "Real Improvements in Educational Quality." Just what we should expect from the Masters of Doublespeak at the helm of the nation. To see FairTest's report card, click here, and to see the full report with supporting evidence, click here.
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Interversity Benefactors
Submitted by eric on 4 January, 2005 - 14:29Who Keeps the Circus Going?
We do. Those of us who use Interversity resources or who just want to support the idea have to pool our own resources to make it possible for this place to exist. When Interversity began, we intentionally did not seek outside investment or grant support. Support from without is a tempting trap. It might allow us to do some things we currently cannot for lack of funds, but such money always comes with strings attached and limitations (some unforeseeable) which are, I think, too high a price to pay. Better, I figure, to scrap together what we can and determine our own direction, follow our own ideas and imaginations.
Becoming a "War President"
Bob Woodward's Bush at War is a sort of "recent history" sans much analysis. It's a fairly detailed day-to-day account of the Bush administration's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with almost exclusive focus on the war on Afghanistan's Taliban and its al Qaeda allies.
