CNN.com - Minority students give bad grades to school climate - May 31, 2006

CNN.com - Minority students give bad grades to school climate - May 31, 2006: "Black and Hispanic students see school as a more rowdy, disrespectful and dangerous place than their white classmates do, a poll says.

The findings suggest that many minority kids are struggling in the equivalent of a hostile work environment, according to Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research group that tracks education trends."

USATODAY.com - Science teaching gets weak diversity grade

USATODAY.com - Science teaching gets weak diversity grade: "A survey of 100 top technology executives gives the nation's public schools a C-minus for efforts to encourage girls and minorities to pursue science and technology careers.

But the same survey finds that only 37% of these executives say their companies or employees support science education programs that help create 'the next generation of inventors, innovators and discoverers.'

The survey, released Tuesday, is based on a telephone poll of 100 chief executives, chief financial officers and other leaders in fast-growing science and technology companies in North America.

It finds that 82% believe elementary school students learn science through hands-on, inquiry-based methods rather than through textbooks and memorization.

The poll was sponsored by Bayer Corp. as part of its Making Science Make Sense program."

Immigrant Students Lag, but Less So in U.S.

Immigrant Students Lag, but Less So in U.S.: "Immigrant 15-year-olds in the United States don't do as well in math, reading or science as native-born children, and many have only basic skills, a study finds. But immigrants aren't as far behind in the U.S. as they are in some other major nations.

The findings are based on the Program for International Student Assessment, a test that measures the literacy of 15-year-olds and how well they apply skills to the real world. It is given to students in many industrialized countries and considered an international benchmark."

CNN.com - NAACP sues Nebraska - May 17, 2006

CNN.com - NAACP sues Nebraska - May 17, 2006: "OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) -- The NAACP sued Nebraska's governor and a state committee Tuesday over a new law that divides Omaha Public Schools into three racially identifiable districts.

The law, passed by the Nebraska Legislature at the end of its recent session, splits the Omaha district starting in 2008 into three districts: one mostly black, one largely Hispanic and one predominantly white.

"

CNN.com - U.S. immigrants lag behind in school - May 16, 2006

CNN.com - U.S. immigrants lag behind in school - May 16, 2006: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- Immigrant 15-year-olds in the United States don't do as well in math, reading or science as native-born children, and many have only basic skills, a study finds.

But immigrants aren't as far behind in the U.S. as they are in some other major nations.

The findings are based on the Program for International Student Assessment, a test that measures the literacy of 15-year-olds and how well they apply skills to the real world. It is given to students in many industrialized countries and considered an international benchmark."

CNN.com - Why do girls lose interest in math and science? - May 16, 2006

CNN.com - Why do girls lose interest in math and science? - May 16, 2006: "Low participation in math and science activities by girls is keeping them from achieving their full potential and weakening the nation's ability to compete, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said Monday.

'We need definitive insights into what goes wrong, when and why,' Spellings said. She asked her department's Institute of Education Sciences to review existing research and determine why girls are not as well represented in the sciences as boys."

Most Blacks in Low-Rung School Jobs

Most Blacks in Low-Rung School Jobs: "Blacks are well represented in Anne Arundel's public school workforce, but more work as custodians than teachers, according to an internal school-system document that has circulated among Annapolis civil rights leaders."

Blacks make up nearly 23 percent of the county's student body but only 8 percent of the teaching staff. The school system employs 1,360 blacks, but the largest group, -- 455 -- works as custodians. The county has a comparatively large number of black principals and assistant principals. But only one African American, Les Mobray, is part of Interim Superintendent Nancy Mann's executive staff. Mobray is acting director of student discipline and safety.

Summer Training

Summer training being offered by The Diversity Training and Development Team:

Improving Latino Student Achievement
Learn to capitalize on the cultural capital of Latino students to improve achievement. Discuss strategies for communicating effectively with Latino parents.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006 8:30 – 3:30
University of Maryland, Shady Grove Campus

Consultants/Presenters: Dr. Paul Ruiz and Mr. Hector Sanchez, Education Trust


A Framework for Understanding Poverty
This training is based on the work of Dr. Ruby Payne. In Day One, participants will learn about the registers of language, family structure, hidden rules, discipline interventions, and relationship building.
In Day Two, participants will learn about mental models, vocabulary, math, and reading strategies, lesson design, and question making as a means to develop cognition.
Two-day Session: Thursday, June 22 and Friday, June 23, 8:30 – 3:30
University of Maryland, Shady Grove Campus

Consultant/Presenter: Dr. Rita Pierson, aha! Process, Inc.


Equity, Race, and Achievement
Engage in discussion and reflection that will support courageous conversations about race as you explore individual and institutional racism and their effects on student achievement.
Tuesday, June 27
OR
Wednesday, June 28
OR
Thursday, June 29
8:30 – 3:30
(NOTE: This is a one-day training offered three times)
Johns Hopkins University, Room 121, Building 3

Consultant/Presenter: Mr. Jamie Almanzan, Pacific Educational Group

Please call 301-601-2900 for registration information.

CNN.com - Minorities getting closer to the majority - May 10, 2006

CNN.com - Minorities getting closer to the majority - May 10, 2006: "he influence of traditional minorities in the United States will continue to grow, new Census Bureau statistics suggest, with Hispanics born as American citizens accounting for more than a third of the population increase last year.

Bureau figures released Wednesday show the U.S. population grew by 2.8 million between July 1, 2004, and July 1, 2005. Hispanics accounted for 1.3 million of that increase, with 800,000 attributable to natural causes -- births minus deaths -- rather than immigration."

Of U.S. Children Under 5, Nearly Half Are Minorities

Of U.S. Children Under 5, Nearly Half Are Minorities: "Nearly half of the nation's children under 5 are racial or ethnic minorities, and the percentage is increasing mainly because the Hispanic population is growing so rapidly, according to a census report released today.

Hispanics are the nation's largest and fastest-growing minority group. They accounted for 49 percent of the country's growth from 2004 to 2005, the report shows. And the increase in young children is largely a Hispanic story, driving 70 percent of the growth in children younger than 5. Forty-five percent of U.S. children younger than 5 are minorities.

CNN.com - U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says - May 9, 2006

CNN.com - U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says - May 9, 2006: "The report, which analyzed data from governments, research institutions and international agencies, found higher newborn death rates among U.S. minorities and disadvantaged groups. For African-Americans, the mortality rate is nearly double that of the United States as a whole, with 9.3 deaths per 1,000 births.

"

Half of Teachers Quit in 5 Years

Half of Teachers Quit in 5 Years: "Only 6 percent of teachers are African American, and 5 percent are Hispanic, Asian or come from other ethnic groups. Men represent barely a quarter of teachers, which the association says is the lowest level in four decades."

CNN.com - Maryland teacher named Teacher of the Year - Apr 25, 2006

CNN.com - Maryland teacher named Teacher of the Year - Apr 25, 2006: "She has Vietnamese, Latino, African, African-American and Haitian students. All but one speak a language other than English. Their school, Broad Acres Elementary in Silver Spring, Maryland, is largely low-income, with 90 percent of students receiving free or reduced meals, and it was at risk of state takeover when Oliver arrived six years ago.

Yet despite the apparent barriers, Oliver has helped boost her students' scores, involved their parents in their education and gotten youngsters engaged in their school."

National Title Goes To Md. Teacher

National Title Goes To Md. Teacher
Kimberly Oliver, a kindergarten teacher at Broad Acres Elementary School in Silver Spring, who has been named the 2006 National Teacher of the Year.

The choice of Oliver, the first educator from Maryland to win the national honor, marks the second year that a Washington-area teacher has won the national competition. The 2005 Teacher of the Year was Jason Kamras, who taught mathematics at John Philip Sousa Middle School in the District.

"It is an honor to serve as the Maryland Teacher of the Year, and now as the National Teacher of the Year, representing the teaching profession," Oliver said in a statement. She said she was "already an advocate for children and teachers" and, "given this unbelievable opportunity, I hope to emphasize the importance of early childhood education."

USATODAY.com - Richer areas more successful in attracting qualified teachers

USATODAY.com - Richer areas more successful in attracting qualified teachers: "WASHINGTON — Public school teachers in the nation's wealthiest communities continue to be more qualified than those in the poorest despite a federal law designed to provide all children equal educational opportunity.

Preliminary data released by the Department of Education show that in 39 states, the chance of finding teachers who know their subjects are better in elementary schools where parents' incomes are highest. The data show that's also the case among middle and high schools in 43 states.

"

CNN.com - Law raises fears of more school segregation - Apr 19, 2006

CNN.com - Law raises fears of more school segregation - Apr 19, 2006: "HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Betty Sternberg is in charge of two school systems. One, scattered throughout the state, is rich and white. The other, isolated in seven large towns, is poor and minority.

Sternberg is the state's education commissioner, and one of her jobs is to unite the two systems so Connecticut can move past its role as defendant in the nation's longest-running desegregation lawsuit. On paper, it wouldn't seem to be that difficult.

No one involved in the lawsuit disagrees with its contention that Connecticut hasn't always given its poor and minority students an education as good as it's given its rich and white students. No one thinks the gap between the two systems is a good thing. And no one wants the disparities to continue.

CNN.com - 'No Child' loophole misses millions of scores - Apr 18, 2006

CNN.com - 'No Child' loophole misses millions of scores - Apr 18, 2006: "AP) -- Laquanya Agnew and Victoria Duncan share a desk, a love of reading and a passion for learning. But because of a loophole in the No Child Left Behind Act, one second-grader's score in Tennessee counts more than the other's.

That is because Laquanya is black, and Victoria is white.

AP: States Omit Minorities' School Scores - Yahoo! News

AP: States Omit Minorities' School Scores - Yahoo! News: "Overall, AP found that about 1.9 million students — or about 1 in every 14 test scores — aren't being counted under the law's racial categories. Minorities are seven times as likely to have their scores excluded as whites, the analysis showed.

Less than 2 percent of white children's scores aren't being counted as a separate category. In contrast, Hispanics and blacks have roughly 10 percent of their scores excluded. More than one-third of Asian scores and nearly half of American Indian scores aren't broken out, AP found.

CNN.com - Omaha school district to split along racial lines - Apr 14, 2006

CNN.com - Omaha school district to split along racial lines - Apr 14, 2006: "LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- In a move decried by some as state-sponsored segregation, the Legislature voted Thursday to divide the Omaha school system into three districts -- one mostly black, one predominantly white and one largely Hispanic.

Grim forecast for young black men - Race in America - MSNBC.com

Grim forecast for young black men - Race in America - MSNBC.com: "At a time when the U.S. economy is on the upswing and more people are finding work, young African American men are falling further behind.

That’s the grim portrait painted by three new and forthcoming books by scholars at Columbia, Georgetown and Princeton universities. The picture isn't new, but the depths of its despair and pathology are."