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Education News for Tuesday, May 9

Bush sees defeats in his final session – With the failure to revive school vouchers and to curb a class size initiative, Gov. Jeb Bush learned a lesson that many governors learned before him: It’s hard to control the Legislature even when it’s run by your own party. (more)

Spitzer Studying ING’s Tie to Teachers’ Union – Attorney General Eliot Spitzer confirmed Monday that his office had for several months been investigating ties between a powerful New York teachers’ union and the ING Group, an inquiry that was prompted by an article in Forbes magazine. (more)

Half of Teachers Quit in 5 Years – According to a new study from the National Education Association, half of new U.S. teachers are likely to quit within the first five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries. (more)

Judge Moves to Block High School Exit Exam – An Oakland judge issued a surprise, tentative ruling Monday evening indicating he was likely to grant an injunction against California’s controversial high school exit exam, which students must pass to graduate. (more)

Closing the achievement gap – Evansville’s public school chief told a group of black clergy Monday that addressing academic achievement gaps along racial and economic lines is like eating an elephant–one bite at a time. (more)

No Child may leave teachers behind – More than a dozen Madison County, Alabama teachers who have not yet been labeled "highly qualified" by the federal government could find themselves out of a job come August. (more) 

Check back later for more education news. 

UPDATE:

Study finds national board teachers no better than other educators – Ed Week (subscription required) Students of teachers who hold certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards achieve, on average, no greater academic progress than students of teachers without the special status, a long-awaited study using North Carolina data concludes. (more)

Unless middle grades fixed, advocates warn, high school reforms will fail – Ed Week (subscription required) Middle school advocates have launched a campaign aimed at persuading policymakers to help improve education for 10- to 15-year-olds—or, they say, watch efforts to prepare more students for college and work falter. (more)

Governor’s Voucher Effort Loses Steam in Florida – Ed Week (subscription required) – Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is in a political dogfight with Democrats and members of his own party over proposals to help preserve Opportunity Scholarships and other voucher programs in the Sunshine State. (more)

Depleted New Orleans Teachers’ Union Vows to Rebuild – Ed Week (subscription required) The local affiliate is being kept afloat with help from its state organization and the American Federation of Teachers. (more)

Ed Week commentary: The elephant in the reform room – (subscription required) – The 2006 Child Well-Being Index, released in March by the Foundation for Child Development in cooperation with Duke University and the Brookings Institution, suggests a general lack of progress for K-12 students, evidenced by flat scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, persistent achievement gaps…(more)

First online high school planned in Seattle in the fall – A Portland-based company called Insight Schools Monday announced plans to operate Insight School of Washington in partnership with Quillayute Valley School District, a small district on the Olympic Peninsula. (more)

USA Today: 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. (more)

Phoenix: A district in chaos – A recent want ad from the Roosevelt Elementary School District in south Phoenix speaks volumes. The ad carries an almost desperate message: "Immediate vacancies." (more)

Iowa: Report’s right, prepare all students better – High school students need to be prepared at similar levels in math and reading whether they’re headed to college or workforce training, according to a new report from ACT, which administers the college-entrance exam most often taken by Iowa students. (more)