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Item(s) found: 1080
Internet Privacy - this house believes that governments must do far more to protect online privacy.
Date CapturedWednesday August 25 2010, 7:53 PM
Marc Rotenberg Marc Rotenberg President and executive director, Electronic Privacy Information Center [Today there is no meaningful check on private-sector data collection. Companies post "privacy policies" on websites and then do as they wish with the personal information they collect.] THE ECONOMIST - Jim Harper -- Director of information policy studies, Cato Institute: [The internet is not for couch potatoes. It is an interactive medium. While internet users enjoy its offerings, they should be obligated to participate in watching out for themselves.]
How Unique Is Your Web Browser?
Date CapturedTuesday May 18 2010, 1:32 PM
Peter Eckersley? Electronic Frontier Foundation, pde@eff.org/ -- [Conclusions -- We implemented and tested one particular browser ?ngerprinting method. It appeared, in general, to be very e?ective, though as noted in Section 3.1 there are many measurements that could be added to strengthn it. Browser ?ngerprinting is a powerful technique, and ?ngerprints must be con- sidered alongside cookies, IP addresses and supercookies when we discuss web privacy and user trackability. Although ?ngerprints turn out not to be particu- larly stable, browsers reveal so much version and con?guration information that they remain overwhelmingly trackable. There are implications both for privacy policy and technical design. Policymakers should start treating ?ngerprintable records as potentially per- sonally identi?able, and set limits on the durations for which they can be asso- ciated with identities and sensitive logs like clickstreams and search terms. The Tor pro ject is noteworthy for already considering and designing against ?ngerprintability. Other software that purports to protect web surfers’ privacy should do likewise, and we hope that the test site at panopticlick.eff.org may prove useful for this purpose. Browser developers should also consider what they can do to reduce ?ngerprintability, particularly at the JavaScript API level. We identi?ed only three groups of browser with comparatively good resis- tance to ?ngerprinting: those that block JavaScript, those that use TorButton, and certain types of smartphone. It is possible that other such categories exist in our data. Cloned machines behind ?rewalls are fairly resistant to our algo- rithm, but would not be resistant to ?ngerprints that measure clock skew or other hardware characteristics. ]
FACEBOOK privacy policy link:
Date CapturedMonday April 26 2010, 8:32 PM
Facebook’s Privacy Policy. This policy contains eight sections: 1. Introduction; 2. Information We Receive; 3. Information You Share With Third Parties; 4. Sharing Information on Facebook; 5. How We Use Your Information; 6. How We Share Information; 7. How You Can View, Change, or Remove Information; 8. How We Protect Information; 9. Other Terms.
FACEBOOK privacy policy link:
Date CapturedMonday April 26 2010, 8:32 PM
Facebook’s Privacy Policy. This policy contains eight sections: 1. Introduction; 2. Information We Receive; 3. Information You Share With Third Parties; 4. Sharing Information on Facebook; 5. How We Use Your Information; 6. How We Share Information; 7. How You Can View, Change, or Remove Information; 8. How We Protect Information; 9. Other Terms.
Education and Workforce Data Connections: A Primer on States’ Status
Date CapturedWednesday April 14 2010, 6:16 PM
Data Quality Campaign - [States are currently working to connect education and workforce data, however, states are far from reaching the goal of having data systems that can link across the P-20/Workforce spectrum. To connect these education and workforce databases, states should engage a broad range of stakeholders to: 1. Prioritize, through broad-based stakeholder input, the critical policy questions to drive the development and use of longitudinal data systems. 2. Ensure data systems are interoperable within and across agencies and states by adopting or developing common data standards, definitions and language. 3. Protect personally identifiable information through governance policies and practices that promote the security of the information while allowing appropriate data access and sharing.]
Review: Federal program used to hide flights from public
Date CapturedTuesday April 13 2010, 8:22 PM
USA Today -- By Michael Grabell and Sebastian Jones, ProPublica - [Use of the airspace is considered public information because taxpayers fund air-traffic controllers, radars and runways. "It belongs to all of us," said Chuck Collins, who has studied private jet travel at the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank. "It's not a private preserve." NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard said privacy is important to business fliers because competitors can learn of potential deals by tracking planes, and that could affect stock prices. "There are certain circumstances where there is a security concern," he said. In 2000, Congress required websites to stop posting flights of certain planes at the FAA's request. The FAA later agreed to let the aviation group be the clearinghouse. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the agency lacks resources to evaluate whether requests to keep flights secret are justified, so the agency lets the NBAA decide each month the flights kept from public view.]
FACEBOOK: Another Step in Open Site Governance
Date CapturedThursday April 01 2010, 4:42 PM
Michael Richter - Friday, March 26, 2010 at 12:04pm - [We're proposing another set of revisions to our Privacy Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities to make way for some exciting new products we're contemplating. Not all of these products have been finalized and many aren't yet built at all. However, we've definitely identified some interesting opportunities to improve the way you share and connect with the people and things in your life. ]
Delta College trustees won't add more student information to campus directory
Date CapturedThursday March 18 2010, 1:34 PM
By Andrew Dodson | The Bay City Times - [Currently, information on Delta College students that is readily available, unless they have opted out, includes their name, degree, address, awards, dates attended, program, participation in activities, enrollment, e-mail and weight and height for members of athletic teams. Higgs argued that the college should have more items on file, including a student photo, whether or not that student is full or part time and a phone number. "That's what the courts look to," said Higgs. "Our policy doesn't have those things and it should." Other board members disagreed, saying that more data collecting isn't required and isn't worth the time. They voted against the plan 8-1.]
Groups Urge California PUC to Adopt Rules to Protect Consumer Privacy
Date CapturedSunday March 14 2010, 8:54 PM
infozine reports [San Francisco, CA - infoZine - Privacy advocates are warning that "smart meters" intended to precisely measure and control home electrical consumption could erode the privacy of daily life unless regulators limit data collection and disclosure. In a joint filing yesterday, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to adopt rules to protect the privacy and security of consumers' energy-usage information. The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law drafted the comments for CDT. Smart meters being installed now in California will collect 750 to 3,000 data points a month per household. This detailed energy usage data can indicate whether someone is at home or out, entertaining guests, or using particular appliances. Marketers and others may seek such data. To head off misuse of the information, CDT and EFF urged the California PUC to adopt comprehensive privacy standards for the collection, retention, use and disclosure of consumers' household energy data. ]
Clash Over Student Privacy
Date CapturedTuesday March 09 2010, 5:05 PM
Inside Higher Ed - [WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Education Department has fired the top federal official charged with protecting student privacy, in what the dismissed official says was a conflict with the agency's political leaders over their zeal to encourage the collection of data about students' academic performance. Paul Gammill says he was physically escorted out of the department's offices on a Friday morning last month after he refused to resign as director of the agency's Family Policy Compliance Office. Administration officials said that "[p]rivacy laws require us to keep certain employment matters confidential, so we cannot comment on Mr. Gammill. But Gammill, not so encumbered, maintains that he was dismissed because, on several occasions, he argued in internal meetings and documents that the department's approach to prodding states to expand their longitudinal student data systems violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of students' educational records.]
Bloggers Now Eligible For Press Passes In NYC
Date CapturedTuesday March 02 2010, 8:02 PM
Wendy David writes [Under the new proposed policy, the New York Police Department would be able to issue press passes good for two years to any journalist who has personally attended and reported on at least six qualified events in the city in the preceding two years, regardless of whether the reports were published online, in print newspapers, magazines, books or other media. Events that will qualify include city-sponsored activity -- like a press conference or parade -- as well as emergencies where the city has set up do-not-cross lines. The proposal also allows inexperienced journalists to obtain single-use press passes.]
Refocusing the FTC’s Role in Privacy Protection
Date CapturedTuesday November 10 2009, 3:33 PM
Center for Technology in Government (CDT) Policy Post 15.17, November 10, 2009. [ A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online from The Center For Democracy and Technology Refocusing the FTC’s Role in Privacy Protection 1) CDT Submits Comments in regards to the FTC Consumer Privacy Roundtable 2) The Significance of a Comprehensive Set of Fair Information Practice Principles 3) Examining FIPs at Work: Recent FTC Enforcement Actions Demonstrate a Path Forward 4) CDT Recommendations for Future FTC Action
Data Quality Campaign Quarterly Issue Meeting: Linking Data Across Agencies: States That Are Making It Work
Date CapturedMonday November 09 2009, 7:27 PM
The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) will host Linking Data Across Agencies: States That Are Making It Work on Thursday, November 12, 2009 from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. (ET) in Washington, DC at the Hall of the States, 444 North Capitol Street, Room 233-235. This meeting will highlight leading states that are successfully linking data across systems and agencies to answer critical policy questions aimed at improving student achievement. A corresponding issue brief co-authored by the DQC and the Forum for Youth Investment will be released at the meeting that captures the current status of states’ ability to link data across agencies and provide several state case studies that capture promising strategies to sharing individual-level data across systems and agencies to improve student achievement. Registration to attend in person is required by Tuesday November 10, 2009 and strongly encouraged if participating in the interactive webcast. Seating is limited, so please sign up early! A video of this session and corresponding issue brief will be available at the campaign’s Web site after November 16, 2009.
Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO)
Date CapturedWednesday November 04 2009, 5:04 PM
he mission of the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) is to meet the needs of the Department's primary customers--learners of all ages--by effectively implementing two laws that seek to ensure student and parental rights in education: the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).
Children's Privacy (FTC and many additional federal agencies).
Date CapturedSunday November 01 2009, 9:40 PM
[Thanks to COPPA, sites have to get a parent’s permission if they want to collect or share your kids’ personal information, with only a few exceptions. That goes for information sites ask for up-front, and information your kids choose to post about themselves. Personal information includes your child’s full name, address, email address, or cell phone number. Under COPPA, sites also have to post privacy policies that give details about what kind of information they collect from kids — and what they might do with it (say, to send a weekly newsletter, direct advertising to them, or give the information to other companies). If a site plans to share the child’s information with another company, the privacy policy must say what that company will do with it. Links to the policies should be in places where they’re easy to spot. What Can You Do? Your kids’ personal information and privacy are valuable —to you, to them, and to marketers.] *****NOTE DISPARITY WITH PROTECTION PROVIDED UNDER FERPA.
South Dakota Superintendent Thinks Info Policy Will Pass Tonight
Date CapturedFriday October 30 2009, 5:37 PM
[Over the past month some parents have voiced their concerns to the school board over what they consider the selling of their children's contact information. Some say they don't want it to land in the wrong hands. Pam Homan says parents have known about the information policy for some time. "On the blue card as we call it parents have been informed of the FERPA requirement and whether or not they wish to have their child's name included or excluded from information." Revisions have been made to the proposed policy. Allowing parents more control over where the information is given. It will allow four categories that are: school publications, directory information, SD board of regents, and military recruiters.]
Americans Reject Tailored Advertising and Three Activities that Enable It
Date CapturedMonday October 05 2009, 7:01 PM
[First, federal legislation ought to require all websites to integrate the P3P protocols into their privacy policies. That will provide a web-wide computerreadable standard for websites to communicate their privacy policies automatically to people’s computers. Visitors can know immediately when they get to a site whether they feel comfortable with its information policy. An added advantage of mandating P3P is that the propositional logic that makes it work will force companies to be straightforward in presenting their positions about using data. It will greatly reduce ambiguities and obfuscations about whether and where personal information is taken. · Second, federal legislation ought to mandate data-flow disclosure for any entity that represents an organization online. The law would work this way: When an internet user begins an online encounter with a website or commercial email, that site or email should prominently notify the person of an immediately accessible place that will straightforwardly present (1) exactly what information the organization collected about that specific individual during their last encounter, if there was one; (2) whether and how that information was linked to other information; (3) specifically what other organizations, if any, received the information; and (4) what the entity expects will happen to the specific individual’s data during this new (or first) encounter. Some organizations may then choose to allow the individuals to negotiate which of forthcoming data-extraction, manipulation and sharing activities they will or won’t allow for that visit. · Third, the government should assign auditing organizations to verify through random tests that both forms of disclosure are correct—and to reveal the results at the start of each encounter. The organizations that collect the data should bear the expense of the audits. Inaccuracies should be considered deceptive practices by the Federal Trade Commission. The three proposals follow the widely recognized Federal Trade Commission goals of providing users with access, notice, choice, and security over their information. Companies will undoubtedly protest that these activities might scare people from allowing them to track information and raise the cost of maintaining databases about people online. One response is that people, not the companies, own their personal information. Another response is that perhaps consumers’ new analyses of the situation will lead them to conclude that such sharing is not often in their benefit. If that happens, it might lead companies that want to retain customers to change their information tracking-and-sharing approaches. The issues raised here about citizen understanding of privacy policies and data flow are already reaching beyond the web to the larger digital interactive world of personal video recorders (such as TiVo), cell phones, and personal digital assistants. At a time when technologies to extract and manipulate consumer information are becoming ever-more complex, citizens’ ability to control their personal information must be both more straightforward and yet more wide-ranging than previously contemplated.]Turow, Joseph, King, Jennifer, Hoofnagle, Chris Jay, Bleakley, Amy and Hennessy, Michael, Americans Reject Tailored Advertising and Three Activities that Enable It (September 29, 2009). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1478214
The Obama Administration’s Silence on Privacy
Date CapturedWednesday June 03 2009, 7:03 PM
By Saul Hansell [Peter Swire, an Ohio State law professor who served on the Obama transition team, offered one reason it might be difficult for the administration to find its voice on privacy. There is a split, he told the conference, between the typical view of privacy among technology experts and the emerging view of people brought up in the social networking, Web 2.0 world. “The Web 2.0 movement is opposed to the privacy movement,” he said. Traditionally, privacy advocates have pushed for a policy of “data minimization,” he argued. The less information kept about people, this theory goes, the less there is for government or corporations to use to hurt individuals. The new ideology revolves around what Mr. Swire called “data empowerment.” People assemble and control information about themselves through online social networking and other sites. And access to data can create political and social movements, just as volunteers met each other and organized during the Obama presidential campaign.]
Senate Resolution Pushes for Public Release of CRS Reports
Date CapturedFriday May 08 2009, 7:11 PM
[A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online from The Center For Democracy and Technology Senate Resolution Pushes for Public Release of CRS Reports 1) Senators Introduce Resolution to Make Congressional Research Public 2) Public Access to CRS Reports Limited by CRS Policies 3) Senate Resolution 118 Improves on Previous Resolution]
Google Gives Advice on Cloud Computing
Date CapturedSaturday March 21 2009, 6:17 PM
PC Chloe Albanesius writes[Google has commissioned a report that unsurprisingly touts the benefits of cloud computing, and offers recommendations for policy makers looking at the technology. Google called on lawmakers to embrace full connectivity, open access, security, and privacy when considering cloud-based computing.] REPORT LINKED.
FERPA Online Library
Date CapturedThursday March 12 2009, 3:22 PM
Family Policy Compliance Office Letters
Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO)
Date CapturedThursday March 12 2009, 2:49 PM
ONLINE BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING: A CHECKLIST OF PRACTICES THAT IMPACT CONSUMER TRUST
Date CapturedWednesday March 04 2009, 3:09 PM
Truste white paper -- [Self-regulation is a process often preceded by leading companies beginning to strengthen practices and chart advances that are then more widely adopted. In particular, companies should be aware of evolving industry practices in the following areas:4 Application of certain privacy principles to some types of non-personal data, for example, behavioral profiles, cookie IDs or IP addresses. Notices about ad-serving and behavioral targeting being provided in banner ads or on home pages, in addition to within a privacy policy. Choice being provided not only for the sharing of ad-serving data, but with regard to data use by a single company to tailor ads on its own sites. The establishment of specific data retention policies and anonymization techniques for log-file data.]
Cloud Computing Privacy Tips
Date CapturedWednesday February 25 2009, 4:11 PM
World Privacy Forum -- February 23, 2009 -- By Robert Gellman and Pam Dixon [Cloud Computing Tips for Consumers: Read the Terms of Service before placing any information in the cloud. If you don’t understand the Terms of Service, consider using a different cloud provider. Don’t put anything in the cloud you would not want the government or a private litigant to see. Pay close attention if the cloud provider reserves rights to use, disclose, or make public your information. Read the privacy policy before placing your information in the cloud. If you don’t understand the policy, consider using a different provider. When you remove your data from the cloud provider, does the cloud provider still retain rights to your information? If so, consider whether that makes a difference to you. Will the cloud provider give advance notice of any change of terms in the terms of service or privacy policy? ]
REPORT: Privacy in the Clouds: Risks to Privacy and Confidentiality from Cloud Computing
Date CapturedWednesday February 25 2009, 3:59 PM
Released February 23, 2009 - Author: Robert Gellman: [This report discusses the issue of cloud computing and outlines its implications for the privacy of personal information as well as its implications for the confidentiality of business and governmental information. The report finds that for some information and for some business users, sharing may be illegal, may be limited in some ways, or may affect the status or protections of the information shared. The report discusses how even when no laws or obligations block the ability of a user to disclose information to a cloud provider, disclosure may still not be free of consequences. The report finds that information stored by a business or an individual with a third party may have fewer or weaker privacy or other protections than information in the possession of the creator of the information. The report, in its analysis and discussion of relevant laws, finds that both government agencies and private litigants may be able to obtain information from a third party more easily than from the creator of the information. A cloud provider’s terms of service, privacy policy, and location may significantly affect a user’s privacy and confidentiality interests.] see policy recommendations in full report.
NYS Department of State Committee on Open Government
Date CapturedSaturday February 14 2009, 1:43 AM
The Committee on Open Government is responsible for overseeing and advising with regard to the Freedom of Information, Open Meetings and Personal Privacy Protection Laws (Public Officers Law, Articles 6, 7 and 6-A respectively).
Center for Digital Democracy
Date CapturedFriday February 13 2009, 1:22 PM
E P I C A l e r t - Volume 16.02 - February 10, 2009
Date CapturedThursday February 12 2009, 11:42 PM
[1] Medical Privacy Moves Forward in Congress - [2] Civil Society Launches Campaign for Privacy Convention - [3] National Academies Report Calls for New Approach to Medical -Privacy - [4] President Obama Promotes Open Government [5] Report - Google Latitude Poses Significant Privacy Risks [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "The Dark Side" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Data Privacy & Integrity Advisory Committee
Date CapturedTuesday February 03 2009, 5:45 PM
This letter (to Janet Napolitano and John W. Kropf) reflects the consensus recommendations provided by the Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee to the Secretary and Acting Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Committee’s charter under the Federal Advisory Committee Act is to provide advice on programmatic, policy, operational, administrative, and technological issues relevant to DHS that affect individual privacy, data integrity and other privacy-related issues. The Committee deliberated on and adopted the recommendations set forth below during a public meeting held by teleconference on February 3, 2009. This letter outlines certain key privacy issues currently facing the Department of Homeland Security that the Committee believes the new Administration should review. We recognize that efforts are underway on many of these issues and our intention is to highlight their importance. The letter reflects the consensus view of the members of the Committee.
Matt Blaze's EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH
Date CapturedSunday December 28 2008, 3:21 PM
Cryptography blog and links to research. University of Pennsylvania. Matt bio excerpt [I coined the term, and am one of the inventors of, Trust Management, which provides the abstract layer in which a system decides whether to allow some potentially dangerous action. This work has led to two trust management languages, KeyNote and PolicyMaker, that provide tools for specifying policy, delegating authority, and controlling access. In addition to providing a useful framework for studying and proving security properties of distributed systems, our tools have been used to build powerful policy control mechanisms into several important applications, including the OpenBSD IPSEC implementation.]
The Nationwide Privacy and Security Framework for Electronic Exchange of Individually Identifiable Health Information
Date CapturedThursday December 18 2008, 4:56 PM
The principles of the Nationwide Privacy and Security Framework for Electronic Exchange of Individually Identifiable Health Information below establish a single, consistent approach to address the privacy and security challenges related to electronic health information exchange through a network for all persons, regardless of the legal framework that may apply to a particular organization. The goal of this effort is to establish a policy framework for electronic health information exchange that can help guide the Nation’s adoption of health information technologies and help improve the availability of health information and health care quality. The principles have been designed to establish the roles of individuals and the responsibilities of those who hold and exchange electronic individually identifiable health information through a netwo
Privacy Advocates Question Yahoo's Data Policy
Date CapturedThursday December 18 2008, 4:50 PM
Sci-tech Today Jennifer LeClaire writes [When the companies say they are deleting or anonymizing, neither of those statements are true. What they are really doing is modifying the data that they are keeping. Then the interesting question is, how are they actually modifying the data? What is being kept? What isn't being kept?" Rotenberg asked. "And the fairly obvious question is, is it possible to re-identify the person that made the search, because, at least from the privacy perspective, that's what this is all about."]
Washington State HB 1005 - 2009-10
Date CapturedMonday December 15 2008, 6:41 PM
Requiring a commercial web site that collects personally identifiable information to post a privacy policy.
Cisco 2008 Annual Security Report -- Highlighting Global Security Threats and Trends
Date CapturedMonday December 15 2008, 4:21 PM
[This year's report reveals that online and data security threats continue to increase in number and sophistication. They propagate faster and are more difficult to detect. Key report findings include: Spam accounts for nearly 200 billion messages each day, which is approximately 90 percent of email sent worldwide. The overall number of disclosed vulnerabilities grew by 11.5 percent over 2007. Vulnerabilities in virtualization products tripled to 103 in 2008 from 35 in 2007, as more organizations embraced virtualization technologies to increase cost-efficiency and productivity Over the course of 2008, Cisco saw a 90 percent growth rate in threats originating from legitimate domains; nearly double what the company saw in 2007. Spam due to email reputation hijacking from the top three webmail providers accounted for just under 1 percent of all spam worldwide, but constituted 7.6 percent of all these providers' mail. Fortunately, responses to these threats and trends are improving. Advances in attack response stem from the increased collaboration between vendors and security researchers to review, identify, and combat vulnerabilities.]
Why Obama should ditch YouTube
Date CapturedSunday December 14 2008, 9:35 PM
Christopher Soghoian, a student fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society and PhD candidate at Indiana University's School of Informatics blogs [The privacy risks aren't just limited to YouTube. Just a week ago, Dan Goodin at The Register criticized the use of the Google Analytics Web-tracking code in the Change.gov site--which also sets a permanent tracking cookie. Although he mostly focused on security risks, and not privacy-related threats, he blasted Obama's Web design team, stating that: The failure of Obama's Webmasters to follow anything remotely like best practices is more than a little troubling because it suggests they don't fully grasp the security realities of living in a Web 2.0 world. Eight years ago, the issue of cookies tracking users on government sites was a fairly big issue in tech policy circles, drawing the attention of those in Congress. Eventually, the Office of Management and Budget issued a directive that forbid the use of persistent cookies on federal agency sites. The Obama team's use of both YouTube and Google Analytics raises serious privacy concerns and likely clashes with the OMB directive.]
Open for Questions at change.gov: What about privacy?
Date CapturedSunday December 14 2008, 9:30 PM
Privacy Lives
Date CapturedFriday December 12 2008, 6:15 PM
Melissa Ngo -- more than a blog -- lots of policy and topic specific archives.
In-Depth Summary of Changes to FERPA Rules
Date CapturedThursday December 11 2008, 7:54 PM
E P I C A l e r t - 15.24
Date CapturedMonday December 08 2008, 8:56 PM
Volume 15.24 - December 8, 2008. Table of Contents: [1] Senator Leahy Presses Justice Department on Telephone Privacy [2] EPIC Urges Disclosure of Google Flu Trends Information [3] EPIC Writes to NPR to drop E-verify Promotion, Urges DHS Disclosure [4] EPIC Pursues Disclosure of FBI Surveillance Guidelines [5] House Committee Host Day Long Discussion on the Transition of DHS [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "The Online Panopticon"
Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency
Date CapturedMonday December 08 2008, 7:24 PM
The report of the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency -- Cochairs: Representative James R. Langevin, Representative Michael T. McCaul, Scott Charney, Lt. General Harry Raduege, USAF (Ret). Project Director: James A. Lewis, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC. December - 2008.
Facebook and the Social Dynamics of Privacy (DRAFT)
Date CapturedMonday December 08 2008, 6:08 PM
James Grimmelmann. 2008. "Facebook and the Social Dynamics of Privacy" The Selected Works of James Grimmelmann -- [This Article provides the first comprehensive analysis of the law and policy of privacy on social network sites, using Facebook as its principal example. It explains how Facebook users socialize on the site, why they misunderstand the risks involved, and how their privacy suffers as a result. Facebook offers a socially compelling platform that also facilitates peer-to-peer privacy violations: users harming each others’ privacy interests. These two facts are inextricably linked; people use Facebook with the goal of sharing some information about themselves. Policymakers cannot make Facebook completely safe, but they can help people use it safely. The Article makes this case by presenting a rich, factually grounded description of the social dynamics of privacy on Facebook. It then uses that description to evaluate a dozen possible policy interventions. Unhelpful interventions—such as mandatory data portability and bans on underage use—fail because they also fail to engage with key aspects of how and why people use social network sites. The potentially helpful interventions, on the other hand—such as a strengthened public-disclosure tort and a right to opt out completely—succeed because they do engage with these social dynamics.]
U Alabama at Birmingham Student Records Policy, Photo as Directory Information
Date CapturedThursday December 04 2008, 8:41 PM
UAB’s Student Records Policy, derived from the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), lists the following items of a student record as “directory information:” Name, Telephone number, E-mail address, Date and place of birth, Major field of study, Participation in officially recognized activities and sports, Dates of attendance, Degrees and awards received, Institution most recently previously attended These items are considered public information which may be made available by the university without prior consent of the student and are considered part of the public record of the student’s attendance. Effective Spring 2009, the photo used on the CampusCard will become an item of directory information. Under the provisions of FERPA, students have the right to withhold the disclosure of directory information.
Tech Daily Dose
Date CapturedWednesday December 03 2008, 5:12 PM
Congress Watch -- National Journal's portal to politics and policy online
Medical Blogs May Threaten Patient Privacy
Date CapturedFriday August 08 2008, 4:57 PM
US News and World Report -- "In some cases, patients described in medical blogs may be able to identify themselves, the researchers said. For example, three of the blogs in the study had recognizable photos of patients, including one with an extensive description of the patient and links to photos. The researchers also found that some of the medical blogs allowed advertisements, and some promoted health -care products within the blog text. None of the bloggers who described products within the text adhered to medical ethics standards of providing information on conflicts of interest, or whether payment was received for promotion of the products. The study was published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine." (Dr. Tara Lagu, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar, and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania)
E P I C A l e r t -- Volume 15.15 -- July 25, 2008
Date CapturedFriday July 25 2008, 10:12 AM
Table of Contents -- [1] Court Rules that Data Breach Violates Fundamental Human Rights [2] Federal Court Strikes Down Internet Censorship Law, Again [3] Google Complies with California Privacy Policy Law After 30 Days [4] First European Privacy Seal Awarded to Search Engine Ixquick [5] DNS Security Standard Implemented into .org Domain [6] News in Brief
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Date CapturedSunday June 29 2008, 2:40 PM
EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 50,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.
E P I C A l e r t - Volume 15.13 -- June 27, 2008
Date CapturedFriday June 27 2008, 8:27 PM
Table of Contents -- [1] OECD and Korea Host Ministerial Conference on Future of the Internet [2] Civil Society Seoul Declaration Sets Out Broad Policy Framework [3] FCC: Do-Not-Call List is Permanent [4] Supreme Court Rejects Limits on Freedom of Information Requests [5] Under Pressure, Charter Cable Drops Internet Snooping Plan [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: NAACP v. Alabama, Privacy and Data Protection
CDT Policy Post 14.10: Recommended Principles for Updating Privacy Laws
Date CapturedThursday June 26 2008, 7:24 PM
Recommended Principles for Updating Privacy Laws (1) Legislation Needed to Bring Privacy Laws Up to Date (2) Shortcomings of the Privacy Act of 1974 (3) Shortcomings of the Privacy Impact Assessment Process and Lack of OMB Guidance (4) Recommendations
What Privacy Policy?
Date CapturedMonday June 23 2008, 3:06 PM
Forbes reports, "In recent years, passing on sensitive data points like e-mail addresses and credit card codes to marketing partners has also been a frequent source of corporate data breaches--about 40% of all breach incidents were a result of a third party's handling of data, according to another Ponemon study, released in November 2007."
Wolf Reveals House Computers Compromised by Outside Source
Date CapturedTuesday June 17 2008, 1:21 PM
Offers Privileged Resolution on House Floor Calling for Greater Protection Of Congressional Computer and Information Systems.
Vermont to study student privacy policies
Date CapturedThursday June 12 2008, 4:14 PM
Reformer reports, "The state (Vermont) board is also going to consider how the education department handles third party research requests on behalf of the education department using student data. Under the proposed change, the department information technology team would classify data as sensitive and confidential, and a written contract would have to be signed before the release of records. A third proposed policy spells out how organizations that contract with the education department go about obtaining student information for their work."
Testimony of David Sohn -- Senior Policy Counsel -- Center for Democracy and Technology
Date CapturedThursday June 12 2008, 11:21 AM
Testimony before The House Committee on Small Business June 12, 2008 -- CDT expressed concern about the impact on privacy and data security of a proposal that would require banks to track credit card payments, and report the data to the Internal Revenue Service for tax enforcement purposes. CDT explained that the proposal would require increased private sector tracking of Social Security numbers of individual businesspeople; such tracking could lead to additional data collection from small businesses and others, and would set a dangerous precedent.
Outbound Email and Data Loss Prevention in Today’s Enterprise, 2008
Date CapturedFriday June 06 2008, 7:23 PM
This report summarizes findings from Proofpoint’s fifth annual study of outbound email security and content security issues in the enterprise. This effort was started in 2004 when enterprise attitudes about inbound messaging issues (e.g., spam and viruses) were much better understood than concerns about outbound email content (e.g., data protection, privacy, regulatory compliance and intellectual property leak protection). This study was designed to examine (1) the level of concern about the content of email (and other forms of electronic messaging) leaving large organizations, (2) the techniques and technologies those organizations have put in place to mitigate risks associated with outbound messaging, (3) the state of messaging-related policy implementation and enforcement in large organizations and (4) the frequency of various types of policy violations and data security breaches.
Public Interest and Privacy Groups Call on Congress to Investigate the Use of New Technology that Discloses Private and Personal Internet Activity without Notice to Consumers
Date CapturedFriday June 06 2008, 2:11 PM
This privacy invasion is enabled by a technology called, “Deep Packet Inspection,” which allows an ISP to grab all the information coming out of a user’s computer before it hits the Internet. This private and personal information is then turned over to the ISP’s business partner, usually a third-party firm, which then logs the subscriber information, categorizes it, and delivers ads to the consumer based on a customized profile, gleaned from the information snared by the ISP. Technology that collects and uses this level of personal and private data without any opportunity for the consumer to opt out is unacceptable. Consumers must be made aware of the practice and allowed to choose for themselves whether releasing personal information is an acceptable trade-off for receiving targeted advertising.
Access Rights to Business Data on Personally-Owned Computers
Date CapturedThursday June 05 2008, 10:51 AM
A White Paper by John C. Montaña for The ARMA International Education Foundation. "The continuing and pervasive blurring of the boundaries between work and home environments is another reality for many workers. Increased responsibilities and workloads, demands for longer hours and many other factors combine to create a situation in which many workers are required to resort to extraordinary measures to meet the demands of work and profession. In many cases, these demands are met by working at home. Increasingly, this work is computer-based work, and includes e-mail, word processing documents, spreadsheet and other computer-generated data objects. In many cases, this work is done on a computer provided by the employer for the purposes of facilitating the employee’s at-home work. In many other cases, however, the work is performed on a computer owned the employee themselves or someone else living in the employee’s residence."
The Internet in Transition: A Platform To Keep the Internet Open, Innovative and Free
Date CapturedThursday June 05 2008, 10:13 AM
CDT publication excerpt: "The Internet’s remarkable success is built on a policy framework based on the principles of openness, competition, innovation, non-discrimination, privacy, consumer choice and freedom of expression. Faced with legitimate concerns ranging from terrorism to the protection of children online, policymakers must find solutions that reinforce — rather than undermine — these core principles."
Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards
Date CapturedTuesday June 03 2008, 9:55 PM
This Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards (Registry) supplements the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards, which was developed through a collaborative, interagency process within the Subcommittee on Biometrics and Identity Management and approved by the NSTC Committee on Technology. This Registry is based upon interagency consensus on biometric standards required to enable the interoperability of various Federal biometric applications, and to guide Federal agencies as they develop and implement related biometric programs.
How public opinion polls define and circumscribe online privacy
Date CapturedTuesday June 03 2008, 7:42 PM
By Kim Bartel Sheehan. Abstract: The advent of new communications technologies and the integration of such technologies into individuals’ lives have resulted in major changes to society. Responding to such privacy concerns is of key interest to legislators, policy–makers, and business leaders as these groups seek to balance consumer privacy needs with the realities of this new society. These groups, and others, use public opinion polls and surveys to measure the current climate of opinion among citizens. This study examines the language of 43 opinion polls and surveys dealing with privacy and the Internet to understand how these polls define and assess online privacy. Results suggest that polls treat the complex construction of privacy in an overly simplistic way. Additionally, pollsters present many poll questions in a way that may lead survey respondents to express stronger negative feelings about privacy than really exist. First Monday, volume 9, number 7 (July 2004)
FERPA Violation
Date CapturedMonday June 02 2008, 10:10 PM
Letter from Wisconsin College Republicans to Family Policy Compliance Office regarding FERPA violation claim.
Chris Jay Hoofnagle
Date CapturedMonday June 02 2008, 6:40 PM
Chris Jay Hoofnagle is senior staff attorney to the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic and senior fellow with the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology. His focus is consumer privacy law. From 2000 to 2006, he was senior counsel to the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and director of the organization’s West Coast office.
The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic
Date CapturedMonday June 02 2008, 6:34 PM
The Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley Law provides an opportunity for law students and graduate students to represent clients and conduct interdisciplinary research.
MODEL REGIME OF PRIVACY PROTECTION - Version 2
Date CapturedMonday June 02 2008, 6:25 PM
By Daniel J. Solove & Chris Jay Hoofnagle. "Currently, the collection and use of personal data by businesses and the government is spinning out of control. An entire industry devoted primarily to processing and disseminating personal information has arisen, and this industry is not well-regulated. Many companies brokering in data have found ways to avoid being regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a landmark law passed in 1970 to regulate consumer reporting agencies. Increasingly, the government is relying on data broker companies to supply personal data for intelligence and law enforcement purposes as well as to analyze it. As a result, the government is navigating around the protections of the Privacy Act, a law passed in 1974 to regulate the collection and use of data by government agencies. The FCRA and Privacy Act form the basic framework that regulates a large portion of the flow of personal data, but this framework is riddled with exceptions and shunted with limitations. We propose a Model Regime of Privacy Protection to address these problems."
The Center for Democracy and Technology
Date CapturedMonday June 02 2008, 3:34 PM
The Center for Democracy and Technology works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies. CDT is dedicated to building consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other new communications media.
Marc Rotenberg
Date CapturedSunday June 01 2008, 5:35 PM
Marc is Executive Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in Washington, DC. He teaches information privacy law at Georgetown University Law Center and has testified before Congress on many issues, including access to information, encryption policy, consumer protection, computer security, and communications privacy. He testified before the 9-11 Commission on "Security and Liberty: Protecting Privacy, Preventing Terrorism." He has served on several national and international advisory panels, including the expert panels on Cryptography Policy and Computer Security for the OECD, the Legal Experts on Cyberspace Law for UNESCO, and the Countering Spam program of the ITU. He currently chairs the ABA Committee on Privacy and Information Protection.
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
Date CapturedSunday June 01 2008, 5:31 PM
EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values.
E P I C A l e r t -- Volume 15.11 -- May 30, 2008
Date CapturedSunday June 01 2008, 5:16 PM
Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC Washington, D.C. Table of Contents -- [1] Congressman Barton Urges Scrutiny of Google's Privacy Practices [2] Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conference Explores Technology Policy [3] Telecom Immunity 'Compromise' Under Consideration in Congress [4] Senate Investigates Role of US Firms in China [5] Congressmembers Call on Charter Cable to Halt Net Snooping Plan [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: Privacy Journal Survey of State and Federal Laws [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Schools Wait, Teeth Gritted: Their Grades Are Coming
Date CapturedSaturday September 01 2007, 9:31 AM
NY Times reports, "Making good on a promise to hold educators more accountable for student performance, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will oversee the distribution of report cards for each of the city’s schools next month. Each school (and by extension its principal) will receive a letter grade in the mail, and the grade and the data that led to it will be posted on the Web, where parents can see and possibly stew over them. Mr. Bloomberg described the grades as part of 'the most sophisticated achievement data system in the nation, which will allow us to focus on how well individual students are learning.'"
Guidelines for Safer School Web sites
Date CapturedFriday August 31 2007, 12:16 AM
Should Parents View School Security Tapes?
Date CapturedThursday August 30 2007, 11:53 PM
Fulton County News (Pennsylvania) reports, "Board member Kenny Wuertenberg informed the board and administration he had a problem with punishing a child and not allowing the parents to see the incident as recorded by security cameras on school buses and in district facilities. 'It’s fascist ... What happened to due process?' questioned Wuertenberg. 'How is who is riding a public school bus private?'”
Student information found in recycle bin
Date CapturedThursday August 30 2007, 12:57 PM
Deseret Morning News reports, "Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), addresses, phone numbers and names of students fall into the category of 'directory information' and generally may be released by a school district unless the parents have objected in writing, said Jim Bradshaw, in the U.S. Department of Education. However, that doesn't release schools from the responsibility to dispose of records safely to protect student education records. 'That includes disposing of documents in a way that guards against unauthorized disclosure, such as shredding or burning,' Bradshaw said. 'Banks don't throw records in Dumpsters and schools are also obligated to protect the confidentiality of student records.'" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com 1 commentRecent comments Why indict the school on such a non-issue? Your article even cites... Owen | Aug. 30, 2007 at 8:54 a.m. Add your comment Stuart Johnson, Deseret Morning News Folders with student names and other information at Centennial Middle School in Provo are found in a recycling bin Wednesday. Most Popular Most Commented Detmer remains humble Cougs finalizing plans for Arizona Rocky says Buhler would be a 'disaster' Thursday Night Lights: Questions aplenty as Utes open at Oregon State tonight Bombard Comcast, not the dish folk Cousin is willing to risk his life Chinese victims of forced abortion are fighting back U.S. busts brazen ID theft ring in Utah Is there a 'workplace princess' at your firm? Mtn. woes? Try contacting Comcast direct 'Dawn' is an embarrassment 132 Utah mine owner Murray says Gov. Huntsman is jeopardizing 700 jobs 128 Cougar linebackers lead 'D' 96 At odds: Murray says Huntsman endangers jobs 94 The mtn. working for better exposure 90 Going independent not the solution to BYU's problems 89 Cougs counting down to rematch 88 MWC TV situation frustrating 87 Kirilenko praises Utahns, LDS to media in Russia 83 Ex-member of LDS choir pleads guilty in porn case 79 (Stories published in the last seven days with the most comments) Sports A & E LDS news Community Thursday Night Lights: Questions aplenty as Utes open at Oregon State tonight 29 Detmer remains humble 28 Behind the wheel — Roller derby makes women feel tough, sexy, empowered 3 Campgrounds will fill up this Labor Day weekend 0 Argentines fuel RSL victory 6 Concert review: Groban delights Salt Lake audience 0 Sirius channel to play Dead all the time 0 DVD reviews: 'Blades of Glory' tops DVD pack 0 Auditions 0 Wilson drops out of movie after his hospitalization 0 Anti-religion documentary includes visit to Salt Lake City 1 Idaho provides cash crop for Romney 0 Provo firm to produce movie on Emma Smith 6 Concert review: 'White Star' debuts at BYU 1 BYU Ed Week classes to air 0 Above the Rim — At Cloud Rim, Girl Scouts learn about outdoors and more 0 Touching nature — Syracuse park offers urban fishing, trails, wetlands 1 Helping hand 0 Artists to strum tunes at acoustic fest 0 Cherry Hill is celebrating 40 years 1 Columnists Contests Daily Index Education Family & Life Food & Dining Health & Fitness Help Line Home & Garden LDS Church News Local Births Marathon Mobile Politics Religion & Ethics Science & Tech Travel & Outdoors deseretnews.com: Home | Subscription services | Contact us | FAQ | Feedback | Jobs | Purchase photos | RSS | Privacy policy
Who knows your student?
Date CapturedThursday August 30 2007, 12:24 PM
Vermont County Courier reports, "Many parents, though, are surprised to find out that more general information about their children - names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, honors and awards - can be more openly shared under FERPA. FERPA calls this 'directory information' that 'is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released.' Mark Oettinger, the General Counsel for the Vermont Department of Education, said, 'The "directory information " piece is the exception.' According to FERPA, directory information can be disclosed by schools without parent consent."
Comptroller says employee in Greece ran NY schools' computers
Date CapturedThursday August 30 2007, 10:27 AM
AP reports, "The audit said the computer maintenance contracts were never approved by the school board and had not been put out to bid as required. In response, the board's president, Amy Levere, said that some board officials were aware of the arrangement at the time, even if they had not formally approved it, and that there were good reasons to hire the employee, including his experience and familiarity with the computer system."
Privacy issues curb teen-driver rules
Date CapturedWednesday August 29 2007, 8:24 PM
Chicago Tribune reports, "The law would have required school districts to submit information to the State Board of Education, detailing whether a student had been expelled, truant or who had dropped out of school. That information would then have been passed to Secretary of State Jesse White's office, which would have flagged the affected students and barred them from driving privileges. State education officials said they decided to delay enforcing the law after the U.S. Department of Education notified them that it violated the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act, said Matthew Vanover, a spokesman for the state board. 'They told us it would be a violation ... for that information to be shared with the secretary of state's office,' he added."
Critics Ignored Record of a Muslim Principal
Date CapturedWednesday August 29 2007, 7:19 AM
NY Times contributor Samuel G. Freedman, professor of journalism at Columbia University opines, "What Ms. Almontaser has done — as a private citizen, not in her classroom — is assail the Bush administration for its domestic surveillance and for its Middle East policies. She has said that desperation and oppression contribute to terrorism. You can disagree with her positions and still not believe they should be the basis for destroying her career."
SCHOOL 'HOT LINES' GO COLD: GOTBAUM
Date CapturedWednesday August 29 2007, 6:20 AM
NY Post reports, "Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said employees at district offices, which are designed to serve as one-stop information centers on issues like transportation and enrollment in public schools, were largely unavailable or unresponsive to nearly 100 calls from her office last week. At nearly half the districts her team contacted, phone calls went unanswered or were not returned, according to the report. As a result, Gotbaum said she is launching an education hot line, at (212) 669-7250, to fill in the information gap."
Online Lingo
Date CapturedMonday August 27 2007, 9:02 PM
THINK BEFORE YOU POST
Date CapturedMonday August 27 2007, 8:53 PM
Tech Privacy Issues Remain Confounding
Date CapturedSaturday August 25 2007, 11:31 AM
AP reports, "Ponemon said multiple surveys have shown that roughly 10 percent of consumers will change their behavior in order to improve their privacy online. Nearly 70 percent say they're sensitive to the subject but won't alter what they do. The rest pretty much don't care."
Department Of Defense Awards $2.1 M Grant To Stony Brook’s Computer Science Department
Date CapturedFriday August 24 2007, 4:20 PM
The project will develop languages, techniques and tools for managing, enforcing, and maintaining trust relationships in systems with service-oriented architectures. The techniques will be implemented as stand-alone tools and integrated into a prototype system that will be an experimental test-bed for evaluation of the techniques. The framework will accommodate services that interact across a variety of interfaces, including network communication channels, shared memory, and shared databases. Therefore, it will apply to many legacy systems as well as explicitly service-oriented systems such as Web services. The project will focus on issues of trust management, information flow tracking, trust analysis and assurance, and policy enforcement.
Tougher code for students
Date CapturedFriday August 24 2007, 6:37 AM
Times Union reports, "Girls returning to Albany schools next month will have to wear their skirts longer and keep their midriffs covered. Boys will have to remove hooded sweat shirts and wear their T-shirts at least one foot above the knee. Students can carry cellphones, BlackBerries or other electronic devices but they can't be seen or used, even during lunch or recess. If they are, they'll be taken away until day's end."
Speed up school safety audits
Date CapturedThursday August 23 2007, 8:25 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "There should be ongoing, month-to-month audits of every school. Results should be released to parents. Remediation should be immediate, and the public should be informed at every step. An unsafe school should be identified quickly, and dealt with quickly."
E-danger: Children vulnerable to sexual predators at popular Web sites
Date CapturedWednesday August 22 2007, 8:20 AM
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "Have a discussion with your child about the value of privacy and how important it is not to disclose information that strangers anywhere could use to harm you. Never allow a child to use a suggestive name or one that describes personal features, disclose a school name or the name of the parents' workplaces. (Predators are very adept at using the simplest clue to figure out a child's location. Remind your child that it's not unusual for predators to cross the country to reach their targets.) Don't allow your child access to a Webcam, either."
Mount Saint Mary College students targeted by RIAA
Date CapturedWednesday August 22 2007, 7:44 AM
Times Union reports, "The RIAA is hoping college and university administrators will also take a more proactive role in preventing theft of intellectual property on their campuses."
Creating Critical Linkages between Education and Other Vital Services to Improve Child Welfare
Date CapturedTuesday August 21 2007, 6:59 PM
Tuesday, September 18, 11 am-1 pm (EDT) **Join us in person or via an interactive webcast** As part of the Data Quality Campaign's goal to provide a national forum for conversations about the power of longitudinal data, this Quarterly Issue Meeting will focus on states and communities that are building bridges between longitudinal education data systems and other public systems that track child outcomes, including not only a student's academic performance but also the child's overall quality of being. Featured presenters will include: Jay Pfeiffer, Florida Department of Education; Michelle Lustig, San Diego County Office of Education; Amanda Singer, Utah Department of Human Services.
Emergency Management Planning for Schools and School Districts
Date CapturedMonday August 20 2007, 7:16 PM
Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools.
Recognizing and Avoiding Spyware
Date CapturedMonday August 20 2007, 2:32 PM
What is spyware? Despite its name, the term "spyware" doesn't refer to something used by undercover operatives, but rather by the advertising industry. In fact, spyware is also known as "adware." It refers to a category of software that, when installed on your computer, may send you pop-up ads, redirect your browser to certain web sites, or monitor the web sites that you visit. Some extreme, invasive versions of spyware may track exactly what keys you type. Attackers may also use spyware for malicious purposes. Because of the extra processing, spyware may cause your computer to become slow or sluggish. There are also privacy implications: What information is being gathered? Who is receiving it? How is it being used?
Campus life is about to resume, opportunities beckon
Date CapturedSunday August 19 2007, 2:53 PM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Our region is getting a new city. Well, perhaps not a city proper, but enough people to populate one. More than 80,000 college and university students will be — or already are — heading to their local campuses, and as they arrive their impressive impact on the local economy and culture will be felt once again. It's sometimes forgotten how much ours is a college region. There are 19 institutions of higher learning here, each bound to a singular mission but sharing many things as well — a commitment to community and public service." Additionally, "On Monday, the Democrat and Chronicle will launch The Loop, an interactive, multimedia Web site that has been designed and produced by local college students for their brethren. It will be an electronic information center and meeting place. Check it out at Rocloop.com."
Truancy could result in tickets
Date CapturedSaturday August 18 2007, 7:59 PM
Farmington Press reports, "The absence policy is on a semester basis. After three absences, a letter is sent to the parents about the school attendance policy. This letter is sent out automatically to those students who have missed that number of days, even if they have a doctor’s excuse. 'There is a contact number to call on the letter. Many times, parents who have received this first letter will call and say they have sent doctor’s excuses,' said Swinarski. 'They should not worry — if they’ve called, then that means they’re doing what they should do.' She explained this also gives parents an opportunity to perhaps let the district know about a certain health issue a child may have that can keep them from attending school. 'We can help them in whatever way they may need (after reviewing the case),' she said. A letter is also sent when a student has six absences in a semester. At seven absences, more steps are put into place. 'When a student reaches that seventh day, a letter is sent to the parents saying that anymore absences over that number would not allow the student to make up the work. We send out a date and time for a meeting that we would like to discuss this with them,' said Burch."
Yonkers schools make new push to involve parents
Date CapturedSaturday August 18 2007, 9:46 AM
Journal News reports, "School officials say they want to change the reception parents get from the district's employees to build more parental involvement in the schools. This year, the district will make an extra effort to reach out to more parents by extending more information, courtesy and invitations to get involved."
After troubles, district looks to repair image
Date CapturedThursday August 16 2007, 7:25 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, " After hearing the results of the recent state audit of the Poughkeepsie City School District, parents and community members said they want to be kept up to date about improvements in the district's management."
RIT campus installing emergency alert system
Date CapturedThursday August 16 2007, 7:04 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The system will alert students, faculty members and staff employees using text messaging, instant messaging, e-mail and voice calls to cell and dormitory phones."
Court ruling dispels cloud over Linux
Date CapturedWednesday August 15 2007, 12:50 PM
sSchool News reports, "A federal judge has ruled that The SCO Group doesn't own the lines of Unix software code it claims were misappropriated by developers of the open-source Linux operating system. The judge's decision removes a legal cloud that had first formed over Linux four years ago, freeing schools and other users of Linux from the threat of copyright infringement. "
New Kids on the Block
Date CapturedTuesday August 14 2007, 10:27 AM
By Lisa Sanbonmatsu, Jeffrey R. Kling, Greg J. Duncan and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn write, "In the end, we were surprised and disappointed by the inability of the Moving to Opportunity experiment to help poor children succeed in school. After following more than 5,000 MTO children over five years, we can offer some tentative conclusions about policy interventions designed to improve student performance. Moving poor families to neighborhoods that, while less poor, have schools that are only marginally better than those in the original neighborhoods is unlikely to solve the children’s academic problems. Interventions might be more profitably focused on factors more directly related to the child, family, and school. The question remains whether these same conclusions will hold after a full decade of living in new neighborhoods, especially for the youngest children who, because of the MTO program, will have spent their entire lives outside of public housing projects. We will be collecting additional data next year and look forward to learning more."
Survey finds some mid-Hudson school subjects left behind
Date CapturedTuesday August 14 2007, 7:47 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "State and federal test requirements are forcing mid-Hudson schools to spend more time on math and English. The price is less time for everything else — from social studies and physical education to art and music, according to some educators. 'What gets tested gets taught,' said Jack Jennings, president and CEO of the Center on Education Policy, an education think tank that recently released a nationwide study on the issue."
E P I C A l e r t -- Volume 14.16 -- August 10, 2007
Date CapturedMonday August 13 2007, 9:53 AM
Table of Contents: [1] Congress Enacts Sweeping Changes to Federal Wiretap Laws [2] New Law Strengthens Privacy Oversight [3] Canadian Group Urges Investigation of Google-DoubleClick Merger [4] Homeland Security Revamps Traveler Profiling Programs [5] Senate Passes Leahy-Cornyn Open Government Bill [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "Complete Guide to Security and Privacy Metrics" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
MIKE'S TIMELY VETO
Date CapturedMonday August 13 2007, 7:57 AM
NY Post opines, "The issue is the controversial ban on cellphones in public schools, which was only really enforced starting last year. The mayor is a chief supporter of the ban, arguing that cellphones in schools are both distracting and, at times, dangerous. And he's right: Not only are phones a serious classroom disruption, but they've also been used to cheat on tests, bully, deal drugs and coordinate gang activity."
Search Privacy Practices
Date CapturedSunday August 12 2007, 8:09 AM
Center for Democracy and Technology--a D.C.-based think tank--released a report (pdf) on the privacy policies of major search engines. Report includes recommendations including, "No amount of self-regulation in the search privacy space can replace the need for a comprehensive federal privacy law to protect consumers from bad actors. With consumers sharing more data than ever before online, the time has come to harmonize our nation’s privacy laws into a simple, flexible framework."
New test rules fail CUNY's mission
Date CapturedSunday August 12 2007, 7:50 AM
NY Daily News op-ed contributor William Crain, professor of psychology at The City College, CUNY opines, "CUNY should totally revamp its admissions policy. It should give test scores only the weight they merit, and should use them as part of a holistic assessment that includes students' high school grades, talents and motivation. And it should look for ways to give more students a chance to enter the college of their choice. For generations, CUNY shone as a beacon of democratic opportunity. It can do so again."
MIKE KOS CELLS IN SCHOOLS
Date CapturedFriday August 10 2007, 8:25 AM
NY Post Maggie Haberman reports, "Mayor Bloomberg yesterday vetoed a City Council bill that would let parents give kids cellphones to carry to and from school as part of a battle over letting students have them inside the buildings."
US Department of Education -- Office of Inspector General (OIG) Perspective on the Unsafe School Choice Option
Date CapturedFriday August 10 2007, 8:14 AM
We suggest that the Department and Congress, in considering legislative changes, require states to ensure that their USCO policies meet the following basic requirements: 1) All violent incidents, according to state code, are factored into the PDS determination, without the use of disciplinary action qualifiers; 2) Benchmarks for determining PDS are set at reasonable levels that are supported by objective and reliable data; and 3) PDS are identified based upon the most current year of data. These suggestions are intended to affect immediate improvement of the USCO in its current state. However, based on our audit work and further research, there is an apparent reluctance to fully comply with the USCO provision. Therefore, we are also offering our perspective on more in-depth changes to the provision that should help USCO to be better received by the education community, and therefore, encourage more willing compliance. The lack of incentive to comply with USCO will need to be addressed and resolved in order for the provision to realize its full potential as a tool for improving the level of safety in our nation’s schools.
Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA)
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 11:32 AM
The Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA) has been formed to expand on and advance the ideas in the "Joint Organizational Statement on No Child Left Behind" to improve federal education policy.
New Jersey Governor Calls for Training Teachers on Internet Safety
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 11:15 AM
School Library Journal reports, "Teachers and administrators would use the training to instruct students, parents and community groups on the potential dangers they may encounter on the Internet, Corzine said in a letter to Attorney General Anne Milgram and Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. The letter asks that the departments of Law and Public Safety and Education work together to strengthen existing Internet safety training and that the program be established and implemented by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year."
The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children
Date CapturedThursday August 09 2007, 9:55 AM
Heckman and Masterov write, "We argue that, on productivity grounds, it appears to make sound business sense to invest in young children from disadvantaged environments. Sub- stantial evidence from economics, sociology and public policy studies suggests that children from disadvantaged families are more likely to commit crime, have out-of-wedlock births and drop out of school. Early interventions that partially remedy the effects of adverse early environments can reverse some of the damage done by disadvantaged families and have a high economic return relative to other policies. They will benefit not only the children themselves, but also their own children as well as society at large. While more rigorous analysis is necessary to obtain a better understanding of the effects of such programs, their precise channels of influence, and their precise benefits and costs, the existing evidence is promising." James J. Heckman is the Henry B. Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Chicago. Dimitriy V. Masterov is a graduate student in the Department of Economics, University of Michigan.
Guidelines for Working with Law Enforcement Agencies
Date CapturedWednesday August 08 2007, 12:15 PM
By Michael Corn. EQ -- Volume 30 Number 3 2007. Checklist: * Create a policy to address the handling of all legal documents. * Form a team consisting of the security officer, legal counsel, and campus police. * Put campus legal counsel on your telephone speed-dial. * Meet with provost and/or chancellor to discuss law enforcement requests and investigations. * Review and document the salient features of your environment, including your institutional policies on data release and retention. * Understand your obligations with regard to confidentiality. * Discuss with the agent(s) in charge of an investigation whom you wish to inform of the investigation and why. * Work with the agent(s) in charge of an investigation to review what they are looking for and what will not be useful to them. * Develop internal procedures that control the materials and information of legally restricted information. Buy a safe for storing legal materials. * Work with law enforcement agents to better understand your environment and narrow the scope of information requests.
Senate bill aims to address web safety
Date CapturedWednesday August 08 2007, 6:20 AM
eSchoolnews reports, "Under legislation introduced by Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, schools receiving telecommunications discounts would have to teach students about appropriate online behavior, and the FTC would be required to carry out a nationwide public-awareness campaign on internet safety for children."
Senate Asks FTC to Oversee Internet Safety
Date CapturedMonday August 06 2007, 8:06 PM
PC Magazine reports, "The measure, introduced by the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, calls on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to oversee a government-directed public awareness campaign, directs the Commerce Department to establish an online safety and technology working group, requires schools that receive e-rate funding to include tutorials on the detriments of 'cyberbullying' and strengthens child pornography enforcement."
Hackers: Social networking sites flawed
Date CapturedMonday August 06 2007, 11:42 AM
AP reports, "Social networking Web sites such as MySpace.com are increasingly juicy targets for computer hackers, who are demonstrating a pair of vulnerabilities they claim expose sensitive personal information and could be exploited by online criminals."
No unwanted publicity
Date CapturedMonday August 06 2007, 9:19 AM
The Enquirer reports, "Started as part of the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the act allows parents to approve their child's personal school information and image to be used for school purposes. These can include name, address, birthdays and participation in school activities including sports, awards, honors, scholarships and photographs. Parochial and private schools generally do not have to abide by FERPA, but many have developed their own guidelines and publicity waivers."
Manuel 'Manny' Rivera
Date CapturedMonday August 06 2007, 7:54 AM
Times Union reports, "Rivera is Gov. Eliot Spitzer's senior policy adviser and point man on education issues, helping to oversee accountability issues proposed by the governor. He is working with the state Education Department to help implement the Contract for Excellence that Spitzer pushed through, which provides money to needy or under-performing schools but also sets priorities for making improvements. He was previously the Rochester schools superintendent and turned down an offer to run the Boston city school system to work in the Capitol."
Public library policies need public engagement
Date CapturedFriday August 03 2007, 8:36 AM
Post Standard contributor Joyce M. Latham, executive director of the Onondaga County Public Library opines, "Urban libraries all over the country face challenges brought on by concentrated poverty, declining staffing levels and aging expertise. Syracuse has the opportunity to ponder and discuss the role of the public library in the public life of our city. This is a discussion worth having, one with national implications. We invite your participation."
LI colleges fight terror
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 9:03 PM
Newsday opines, "Stony Brook University has received a $2.1 million grant from the Department of Defense to research ways to help plug this yawning gap in the security of computer systems. The grant, one of only four awarded nationally by the Pentagon in the cyber-security field, will fund a five-year project to develop solutions to help computer users prevent their systems from being corrupted or infiltrated. And Long Island University's Homeland Security Management Institute has been chosen as one of six universities across the nation to share in an annual $18 million program over the next four years to improve railroad security. "
Understanding Denial-of-Service Attacks
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 12:26 PM
Cyber Security Tip ST04-015 -- In a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, an attacker attempts to prevent legitimate users from accessing information or services. By targeting your computer and its network connection, or the computers and network of the sites you are trying to use, an attacker may be able to prevent you from accessing email, web sites, online accounts (banking, etc.), or other services that rely on the affected computer.
Checking on child care is duty of providers, the state, parents
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 9:30 AM
Rochester and Democrat Chronicle Op-ed contributor Barbara-Ann Mattle, CEO of Child Care Council Inc. opines, "Parents have the responsibility to perform due diligence in selecting care for their children. This process can include a call to a child care consultant at the Child Care Council. Parents may also do an online search of the Council's Web site. Parents then should visit programs to determine their own and their child's comfort level. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services maintains a Web site that contains information on all complaints (resolved and unresolved) for any licensed or registered child care provider or program. This data base is available to parents as an additional research tool at www.ocfs.state.ny.us. Parents are the most consistent monitors of the child care system. They may visit their children at any time throughout the day. New York state regulations emphasize this 'open door policy.' The state Bureau of Early Childhood Services also continues to monitor the effectiveness of the regulatory system and to make adjustments that reflect the changing environment of care."
Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation
Date CapturedThursday August 02 2007, 8:26 AM
By Daria Hall, Assistant Director for K-12 Policy at The Education Trust. "The Education Trust report provides recommendations for policy changes at both the federal and state levels, including the following priorities for NCLB reauthorization: * Crafting meaningful graduation-rate accountability provisions in the law and providing high schools with a greater share of the federal investment in education so they have more resources to meet ambitious improvement goals; * Targeting federal investments to improve high school curriculum and assessments; and *Better directing funds and interventions toward the lowest performing schools to ensure that high-poverty and high-minority schools get their fair share of the tools they need to be successful – strong teachers, high standards and high-quality curriculum and assessments."
State is on guard to keep schools safe
Date CapturedWednesday August 01 2007, 8:52 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Alan Ray, director of communications and policy development, New York State Education Department opines, "During the past year, we have: *Provided help to Rochester's and other schools to create safer, more supportive learning environments and prevent bullying. *Held focus groups with parents, students, teachers and administrators to get more ideas on how to make schools safer. *Given uniform training to school personnel statewide on accurate reporting. *Made site visits to nearly 100 schools statewide to determine the accuracy of their data. *Provided detailed guidelines on the Internet so school officials can refer to them easily as needed. We are constantly adding to a question-and-answer document on the Web site as people seek additional guidance. *Developed a fully automated incident reporting system so schools can submit data electronically. This system has controls to help schools check the accuracy of their data and omit inadvertent errors."
The Records Manager
Date CapturedTuesday July 31 2007, 12:58 PM
The Records Manager, vol. 1 no. 3, Summer 2007. The Records Manager is the new newsletter of the SAA Records Management Roundtable.
Pols dial up school fight
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 10:16 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Hoping to force the Education Department's hand, the City Council passed legislation yesterday restating the right of children to use cell phones traveling to and from school."
THE CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER BUREAU OF MANAGEMENT AUDIT : AUDIT REPORT ON THE MONITORING AND TRACKING OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 9:55 AM
MD06-073A -- June 29, 2007. "Based on our findings, we make nine recommendations, five of which are listed below. DOE should: Develop and enforce written formal policies and procedures to ensure that services are provided according to the provisions of each student’s IEP. Develop policies to ensure that all attendance forms and summaries are maintained as evidence of services provided. Ensure that providers fill in all required information on the special education attendance forms and sign the forms as certification of the delivery of services. Ensure that supervisory review of attendance records is performed and documented. Institute a control (e.g., periodically reconcile special education attendance forms with general education attendance forms) to help ensure that the days that services are provided are accurately recorded."
THOMPSON: DEPT. OF EDUCATION FAILING TO MONITOR, TRACK AND DOCUMENT PROVISION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Date CapturedThursday July 26 2007, 9:51 AM
Thompson’s audit found a pattern of flaws so severe that many students sampled often didn’t get required services when providers were absent. Examples of the flaws included records that were inadequate and incomplete, and records showing students getting services on days when schools were actually closed.
Illinois schools install cameras despite privacy issues
Date CapturedWednesday July 25 2007, 9:51 AM
Daily Herald reports, "District 128 officials don’t have a formal policy regulating when the DVDs should be destroyed, Todoric said. Administrators declined to say how often discs are destroyed, citing security concerns. U.S. courts have upheld schools’ right to install cameras where students or employees don’t have an expectation of privacy, such as public hallways, said Ed Yohnka, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. It’s sensible for schools with security concerns to think cameras are a potential solution, he said. But the increased surveillance might affect how students feel about their schools, Yohnka said. For example, students might be reluctant to visit teachers to talk about problems if they feel they’re being monitored, he said."
Got a Great Internet Safety Program? ALA Wants to Hear About It
Date CapturedSaturday July 21 2007, 2:25 PM
School Library Journal reports, "If you have a great program on Internet safety, the American Library Association (ALA) wants to hear from you."
Houston district keeping baseball stats private from parent
Date CapturedThursday July 19 2007, 6:23 AM
Houston Chronicle reports, "The law generally is viewed as covering students' educational records, such as grades and disciplinary history. Schools across the country regularly release player statistics for newspapers and game programs, but the Houston district contends that the FERPA law covers athlete's statistics."
EYE$ ON SIZE
Date CapturedWednesday July 18 2007, 7:44 AM
NY Post Chuck Bennett reports, "Parents and advocates will be able to look at how the money is used in every targeted school — a move they had been loudly demanding for some time. Still, leaders of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the coalition of school and parent groups that initiated the suit against the state, were cautious in giving their thumbs up to the latest proposal, noting they still want to comb through the fine print. In all, the New York City school system will receive $1 billion extra in city and state funding for the 2007-08 school year. "
Court: MySpace suspension violated student's rights
Date CapturedTuesday July 17 2007, 10:04 AM
Student Press Law Center reports, "A school district violated the First Amendment by suspending a student who created a satirical profile of his principal on MySpace.com, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled July 10. 'The mere fact that the Internet may be accessed at school does not authorize school officials to become censors of the World-Wide Web,' the judge, Terrence McVerry, wrote in his opinion. 'Public schools are vital institutions, but their reach is not unlimited.'"
E P I C A l e r t -- Volume 14.14
Date CapturedTuesday July 17 2007, 9:50 AM
Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1] EU and US Reach Agreements on Data Sharing [2] EPIC Comments on New Phone Customer Privacy Rules [3] EU Commission Opens Inquiry into Google-DoubleClick Merger [4] Appeals Court Dismisses Challenge to Warantless Surveillance Program [5] EPIC Among Groups Discussing National Security Letters With FBI [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "Computer Crimes and Digital Investigations" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Congress Prepares for NCLB Reauthorization Debate
Date CapturedTuesday July 17 2007, 7:08 AM
School Reform News contributor Dan Lips, education analyst at The Heritage Foundation writes, "After months of committee hearings, congressional leaders are now looking to begin the legislative process for the scheduled reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Democrats control Congress, but Republican leaders are proposing an agenda of policy ideas to be considered in the reauthorization."
West Point honor code to be reviewed
Date CapturedSunday July 15 2007, 12:41 PM
Times Herald-Record Greg Bruno reports, "An honor code study group has been formed to review the state and status of the honor system at West Point, academy leaders announced yesterday. Under the guidance of retired generals, past and present cadet leaders and academy staff, the committee will analyze general feelings toward honor at West Point, and drill into specific areas where improvements could be made. Issues to be addressed include the state of plagiarism in academic classes and the type of legal advice cadets accused of honor violations should receive."
Greece schools try going paperless -- District hopes new system will reduce costs, increase openness
Date CapturedSunday July 15 2007, 7:18 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "She [Hauer, a board member] said she'd like the district to put historic data on the site in order to allow board members and others the opportunity to search for past data on topics of interest. 'But this is really only one small piece in opening up the district to the community,' Hauer said. 'This will be a good resource and a wonderful efficiency tool for the board.' The system's cost, as well as expected cost savings resulting from fewer copies made and less time spent by employees on coordinating board information were not immediately available. "
Concerns on NYC's Contract for Excellence
Date CapturedFriday July 13 2007, 9:59 AM
Patrick Sullivan, member of the Panel for Educational Policy opines, "The absence of a coherent plan demonstrates a lack of willingness to be held accountable for overcrowding. No one wants the mayor and chancellor to fail in their efforts to improve our schools. However, if they continue their refusal to plan for and spend new state funding as intended, the state must hold them accountable."
Federal Support for Adolescent Literacy: A Solid Investment
Date CapturedFriday July 13 2007, 9:34 AM
This Alliance for Excellent Education brief lays out a set of strategic policy recommendations that include: (1) Encourage schools, districts, and states to articulate clear, comprehensive, actionable plans for improving literacy instruction; (2) Invest in tools that help schools identify struggling readers and appropriately adjust instruction in grades 4-12; (3) Invest in ongoing professional development programs designed to help all middle and high school teachers provide effective reading and writing instruction in their subject area; (4) Support and invest in accountability systems that give teachers strong incentives to provide effective reading and writing instruction; and, (5) Invest in ongoing research on and evaluation of strategies to improve adolescent literacy.
Why state aid hike won't fill the gap for Rochester city schools
Date CapturedFriday July 13 2007, 8:41 AM
The Post-Standard op-ed contributor Daniel G. Lowengard, superintendent of the Syracuse City School District opines, "The district has been completely transparent with respect to the development of its 2007-08 budget. The entire budget, with all its detail, was posted months ago (and remains there) on the district's Web site. We know how valuable our resources are; we want the public to fully understand our budget."
Forum Curriculum for Improving Education Data: A Resource for Local Education
Date CapturedThursday July 12 2007, 7:00 PM
This curriculum supports efforts to improve the quality of education data by serving as training materials for K-12 school and district staff. It provides lesson plans, instructional handouts, and related resources, and presents concepts necessary to help schools develop a culture for improving data quality. National Forum on Education Statistics (2007). Forum Curriculum for Improving Education Data: A Resource for Local Education Agencies (NFES 2007-808). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Yonkers school panel's closed meeting may have violated law
Date CapturedThursday July 12 2007, 8:41 AM
The Journal reports, "While parents at Tuesday's meeting were shut out of any budget talk, the board did discuss fostering a better relationship with parents by awarding a contract to a company that would canvass parents about their views of the Yonkers public schools."
Closed-door sessions are lawful
Date CapturedMonday July 09 2007, 8:33 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayists Joe Moscato and Frank Oberg opine, "Your editorial accuses us of being fond of the use of executive session. We did not invent the executive session. It is prescribed by law. The law clearly defines matters that may be discussed in executive session. They fall into two categories: mandatory and permitted. It's noteworthy to observe that all school districts in New York state use this process. Executive sessions are usually requested by the superintendent and are rarely initiated by the board."
An insider's view of a school board
Date CapturedSunday July 08 2007, 11:30 AM
Times Union reports, "He [Peter Golden] was motivated to start it [blog], he said, because more people vote in presidential elections than in school board races, even though the latter could have more of a direct effect on their lives. 'I wanted to open the process," Golden said. "I wanted people to be more interested.'" (website address is: http://petergolden.com/Boardside.htm)
$80M still not enough
Date CapturedFriday July 06 2007, 9:43 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The education department's new $80 million student-tracking computer system just got more expensive - and some parents are questioning whether that's the best use of the money. To ensure that children's test scores and other private data don't get into the wrong hands, the city began accepting bids this week from companies that specialize in safeguarding information, which experts say could add several million dollars to the system's price."
'ID LEAK' FEAR IN $80M ED. COMPUTER
Date CapturedFriday July 06 2007, 8:26 AM
NY Post CHUCK BENNETT reports, "Now education officials are worried that the info, ranging from a child's achievement record to family income to Social Security number, could be at risk when teachers, principals and support staff download information or access it from shared computers. The system 'makes available to inexperienced users an enormous amount of extremely sensitive data about students and staff,' the Department of Education said in a request for proposals seeking a fix."
Albany schools weigh cellphone use, clothing
Date CapturedThursday July 05 2007, 8:07 AM
Times Union reports, "Harry Corbitt, director of safe schools and violence prevention, said cellphone use can be problematic. 'Cellphone use doesn't help,' he said. 'It hinders law enforcement. Students call their parents, and they rush to school.' Corbitt, a retired State Police colonel, said the district is seeking Homeland Security funds for a system that would alert parents and the media if an incident occurs."
Bill seeks to 'delete' Web site predators
Date CapturedWednesday July 04 2007, 8:44 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one in five children are approached by an online predator and only 25 percent of those children tell their parents about the situation. About 50,000 sexual predators are online at any given time, and many of them often utilize social networking sites, according to data compiled by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."
Library agrees to Web limits
Date CapturedWednesday July 04 2007, 8:39 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The city's [Rochesters] library board was torn over whether to agree to the task force recommendations but relented to preserve $6.6 million in county aid. Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks had threatened to pull the money if the Central Library didn't ban pornographic Web sites."
Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks: How teens manage their online identities and personal information in the age of MySpace
Date CapturedWednesday June 27 2007, 8:26 PM
Pew Internet Study by Amanda Lenhart and Mary Madden, "While many teens post their first name and photos on their profiles, they rarely post information on public profiles they believe would help strangers actually locate them such as their full name, home phone number or cell phone number. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of teens with profiles (63%) believe that a motivated person could eventually identify them from the information they publicly provide on their profiles. A new report, based on a survey and a series of focus groups conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project examine how teens, particularly those with profiles online, make decisions about disclosing or shielding personal information. Some 55% of online teens have profiles and most of them restrict access to their profile in some way. Of those with profiles, 66% say their profile is not visible to all internet users. Of those whose profile can be accessed by anyone online, nearly half (46%) say they give at least some false information. Teens post fake information to protect themselves and also to be playful or silly."
Cyberbullying and Online Teens
Date CapturedWednesday June 27 2007, 8:21 PM
Pew Internet Study --by Amanda Lenhart . "About one third (32%) of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targets of a range of annoying and potentially menacing online activities – such as receiving threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online."
E P I C A l e r t (Volume 14.13 -- June 26, 2007)
Date CapturedWednesday June 27 2007, 9:41 AM
Published by th Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. -- Table of Contents: [1] Senate Subpoenas Domestic Surveillance Documents [2] EPIC Urges Limitations on Social Security Number Use [3] EPIC Testifies on Caller ID Spoofing [4] FBI Guidelines Made Public [5] Court Finds Email Private, Enjoys Fourth Amendment Protection [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "Privacy and Technologies of Identity" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Using Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms Safely
Date CapturedTuesday June 26 2007, 3:35 PM
Cyber Security Tip ST04-011 -- Authors: Mindi McDowell, Allen Householder -- Copyright 2004, Carnegie Mellon University. "Although they offer a convenient way to communicate with other people, there are dangers associated with tools that allow real-time communication."
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)
Date CapturedTuesday June 26 2007, 3:22 PM
Established in 2003 to protect the nation's Internet infrastructure, US-CERT coordinates defense against and responses to cyber attacks across the nation.
SEC intends to scrutinize class attendance
Date CapturedTuesday June 26 2007, 9:11 AM
Orlando Sentinel reports, "Georgia's attendance policy penalizes athletes with suspensions for missing classes and $10 fines and suspensions for missing academic appointments. Yes, you read that correctly: Georgia is fining its athletes. And the concept might spread. This coming academic year, the Southeastern Conference will require its 12 member schools to have some sort of attendance policy in place -- and ways to enforce those policies."
Explain school violence data
Date CapturedTuesday June 26 2007, 8:40 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Is my child safe at school? There's no more important query for a parent. Government is doing far too little to answer it."
School mixes-up mailings of test results
Date CapturedThursday June 21 2007, 8:52 AM
Newsday reports, "'The people stuffing the envelopes didn't double check that the proper tests were in the proper envelopes,' said Mullin [Fort Salonga Elementary School Principal], who added that she doesn't know how widespread the problem is."
Principals respond to truant sweep
Date CapturedWednesday June 20 2007, 3:11 PM
Maryland Gazette reports, "The law states that starting in October, students will have to present their school attendance records to the Motor Vehicle Administration to get a driver's permit. Students under the age of 16 with more than 10 unexcused absences in the prior school semester will not be allowed to get a permit."
COMMENTS OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
Date CapturedWednesday June 20 2007, 10:05 AM
Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 -- In the Matter of: Broadband Industry Practices -- "The American Library Association supports minimalist net neutrality legislation and regulation that preserves the competitive online markets for content and services. Bandwidth and access should be offered on equal terms to all willing to pay. Otherwise, broadband providers will be free to leverage their quasimonopolies into lucrative but market-distorting agreements. The vitality of voices on the Internet is critical to the intellectual freedom that libraries around the world are trying to protect and promote. Laws that preserve net neutrality are the best way to preserve a vibrant diversity of viewpoints into the foreseeable future."
Production Functions and Cost Functions for Public Education
Date CapturedWednesday June 20 2007, 9:31 AM
A monthly column by EFAP director, John Yinger -- "Economists study the production of a good or service using two closely related tools: production functions and cost functions. A production function shows the outputs that can be produced with various combinations of inputs. A cost function show how much it costs to produce various output levels given input prices. These two tools are widely used in studying public education. Dozens of scholars have used education production functions to estimate the impact of a policy, such as smaller class sizes, on student performance (the output). Many other scholars have studied the cost of reaching various levels of student performance, given the wages that must be paid to attract teachers of a given quality (often called the opportunity wage)."
Reforming No Child Left Behind by Allowing States to Opt Out: An A-PLUS for Federalism
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 5:28 PM
Dan Lips, Education Analyst in the Domestic Policy Studies Department at The Heritage Foundation writes, "After more than four decades of unsuccessful federal intervention, it is time for Congress to con­sider a new approach. Returning greater authority to the states would empower parents, local school leaders, state policymakers, and governors to take responsibility for local schools and implement reforms to strengthen public education."
Cameras May Watch You Take Tests Online
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 4:13 PM
AP reports, "New technology will place cameras inside students' homes to ensure that those taking exams online don't cheat."
State bill would require campus security plans
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 9:43 AM
Newsday reports, "State Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle has introduced 'comprehensive campus security plan' legislation that would require all public and private colleges in New York to develop emergency plans, have a relationship with local law enforcement and conduct emergency drills. The bill would also provide $7.1 million to finance more mental health counselors for the state's public colleges in the aftermath of the April massacre at Virginia Tech."
Students must unplug during Regents, or face losing their scores
Date CapturedTuesday June 19 2007, 8:48 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "On orders of the state Education Department, the students are banned from using any "electronic device" during the all-important exams, including bathroom breaks. The ban covers cell phones, MP3 players, pagers, CD players, video devices — and all associated headphones, headsets, microphones and earplugs. 'If your cell phone rings, you may not answer it. If your pager beeps or vibrates, you may not look at it. You must turn these and other such devices OFF right now,' says the statement students hear before exams. Failure to comply vaporizes their score on the test. Students have to pass a battery of the exams to get their high school diplomas, so there is plenty of pressure to cheat."
Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind: Schools React
Date CapturedMonday June 18 2007, 12:14 PM
NPR "Tell Me More" reports, "Andrew Rotherham is a published author on education policy and co-founder of the think tank, Education Sector. He discusses the broader implications of the No Child Left Behind Act and how schools are reacting to the pending reauthorization."
’Net lessons are worth restating
Date CapturedMonday June 18 2007, 9:50 AM
The Daily Star opines, "First and foremost, no amount of spyware, password protection or other technological barriers will keep teens away from a site they want to visit. Because of this, Vacher emphasized the need for parents to communicate with their children and be knowledgeable about how those sites operate. One of the key reasons social-networking sites are troubling is that people’s personal information is out in the open for all to see. Well, that means parents can see it, too. A teen who’s gotten a MySpace friend request from Mom or Dad might be a little more careful about what she posts on her profile. The other key to Vacher’s presentation was pointing out that, with the growing popularity and ubiquity of the sites, what you post today can come back to haunt you tomorrow -- or 10 years from now."
Orange County Social Services' computer system still full of glitches
Date CapturedMonday June 18 2007, 8:57 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "It was supposed to free social service workers from paperwork and help protect vulnerable children from abuse and neglect. But Connections, the state-run computer system launched in 1996 to keep track of abuse reports and foster-care placements, remains incomplete and plagued with problems almost 10 years after it was supposed to be finished."
NBC Developing Web Site for Students
Date CapturedSunday June 17 2007, 11:09 AM
NY Times reports, "NBC News actually has, and in a formal presentation to broadcast industry analysts today, the network is to announce an online venture intended as a supplement to Advanced Placement high school courses in three subjects: American history, government and English. The effort, which the network is spending nearly $10 million to develop, draws heavily on its exhaustive film and video archives chronicling the most important events of the last half century, as well as on its best-known journalists, who will have a chance to report on stories that occurred long before they were born."
Could privacy laws hide your student's distress signals?
Date CapturedSunday June 17 2007, 9:14 AM
FREE PRESS reports, "A federal inquiry into the Virginia Tech shootings released last week suggests that confusion about what university officials were authorized to reveal kept them from sharing information that might have assured that Cho got more aggressive medical treatment or stymied his efforts to purchase firearms. Cho's family members also have complained that they knew little about the extent of his troubles until he went on his rampage."
The NetLingo Top 20 Internet Acronyms Every Parent Needs to Know
Date CapturedSaturday June 16 2007, 7:59 PM
Governor Convenes Children's Cabinet
Date CapturedSaturday June 16 2007, 8:57 AM
WXXI reports, "A new state panel is called the Children's Cabinet - but it doesn't feature any kids. Rather, it's a task force composed of representative from the gamut of state departments, convened by Governor Eliot Spitzer. They're charged with making policy recommendations about services for kids, and giving input on future state budgets."
School tax elimination proposal widely booed but ignites debate
Date CapturedFriday June 15 2007, 8:21 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "McMahon [director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy] said the proposal was unrealistic because it could essentially force the state to raise income taxes by 25 percent, a move that would further hurt the state's business competitiveness and hammer people who rent rather than own homes. Also, the proposal doesn't include businesses that pay property taxes."
E P I C A l e r t
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 8:42 PM
Volume 14.12 ; June 14, 2007; Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Washington, D.C. Table of Contents: [1] Commission Adopts Rule on Phone Record Privacy [2] House Passes Law on Caller ID Spoofing [3] EPIC Testifies on Worker ID Systems [4] Privacy Groups File Amended Google/DoubleClick Merger Complaint [5] Trade Commission Adopts Rule on Security Breaches [6] News in Brief [7] EPIC Bookstore: "European Data Protection Law" [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events
Privacy Policy Guidance Memorandum 2007-02
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 7:07 PM
Regarding Use of Social Security Numbers at the Department of Homeland Security, June 4, 2007.
Georgia Tech Reports Unauthorized Access of Data
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 6:45 PM
Approximately 23,000 current and former Georgia Tech students have been notified that an electronic file containing their demographic data, such as birthdates, may have been exposed. While no Social Security or credit card numbers (the data most commonly used for identify theft) were included in this file, some of the potentially exposed information is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Most School Districts Have Developed Emergency Management Plans, but Would Benefit from Additional Federal Guidance
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 2:07 PM
GAO Report: While most school districts have procedures in their plans for staff roles and responsibilities, for example, school districts have not widely employed such procedures as, academic instruction via local radio or television, for continuing student education in the event of an extended school closure, such as might occur during a pandemic. Likewise, while many districts have procedures for special needs students, GAO found during site visits that some of these procedures may not fully ensure the safety of these students in an emergency. Finally, while most school districts practice their emergency management plans annually within the school community, GAO estimates that over one-quarter of school districts have never trained with any first responders and over two-thirds of school districts do not regularly train with community partners on how to implement their school district emergency management plans. Many school districts experience challenges in planning for emergencies, and some school districts face difficulties in communicating and coordinating with first responders and parents, but most do not have such challenges with students. Based on GAO’s survey of school districts, in many school districts officials struggle to balance priorities related to educating students and other administrative responsibilities with activities for emergency management and consider a lack of equipment, training for staff, and personnel with expertise in the area of emergency planning as challenges. In an estimated 39 percent of school districts with emergency management plans, officials experienced a lack of partnerships, limited time or funding to plan, or lack of interoperability between equipment used by school districts and first responders.
Fuzzy Understandings of FERPA
Date CapturedThursday June 14 2007, 8:16 AM
Inside Higher Ed reports, "A federal report on the Virginia Tech shootings considers the misunderstanding of federal and state privacy laws to be a 'substantial obstacle' to the information sharing needed to protect students."
Report to the President on Issues Raised by the Virginia Tech Tragedy
Date CapturedWednesday June 13 2007, 8:11 PM
Key Findings -- *Critical Information Sharing Faces Substantial Obstacles: Education officials, healthcare providers, law enforcement personnel, and others are not fully informed about when they can share critical information on persons who are likely to be a danger to self or others, and the resulting confusion may chill legitimate information sharing. *Accurate and Complete Information on Individuals Prohibited from Possessing Firearms is Essential to Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hands: State laws and practices do not uniformly ensure that information on persons restricted from possessing firearms is appropriately captured and available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). *Improved Awareness and Communication are Key to Prevention: It is important that parents, students, and teachers learn to recognize warning signs and encourage those who need help to seek it, so that people receive the care they need and our communities are safe. *It is Critical to Get People with Mental Illness the Services They Need: Meeting the challenge of adequate and appropriate community integration of people with mental illness requires effective coordination of community service providers who are sensitive to the interests of safety, privacy, and provision of care. *Where We Know What to Do, We Have to be Better at Doing It: For the many states and communities that have already adopted programs, including emergency preparedness and violence prevention plans, to address school and community violence, the challenge is fully implementing these programs through practice and effective communication.
2007 Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) Breach Report
Date CapturedTuesday June 12 2007, 8:58 AM
View breaches of records at education institutions in 2007.
Protecting Children In The Internet Age
Date CapturedMonday June 11 2007, 1:50 PM
New York State Senate Task Force On Critical Choices
Internet policy, like book policy, should be inclusive
Date CapturedWednesday June 06 2007, 9:48 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributor John Lovenheim, president of the Rochester Public Library Board opines, "There is a body of law that has developed that likens the Internet to an encyclopedia. Like an encyclopedia, the library may include it or exclude it, but it may not remove portions of that encyclopedia that it does not like based on content. Others have argued that even though pornography is legally protected speech, the library is not bound to supply it. We do not supply pornography to our patrons, we supply Internet access. There is a big difference. People have said it will be money well spent to defend a First Amendment lawsuit. It could cost up to $1 million to defend a suit of this type. That money could be better spent by the library and the county providing more books and services to the people of Monroe County."
Answering the Question That Matters Most: Has Student Achievement Increased Since No Child Left Behind?
Date CapturedWednesday June 06 2007, 9:40 AM
Center on Education Policy Report: Using testing data from all 50 states, this study addresses two key questions in the debate surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act: has student achievement increased and have achievement gaps narrowed since NCLB was enacted in 2002?
Foster Care Children Need Better Educational Opportunities
Date CapturedTuesday June 05 2007, 3:33 PM
Dan Lips, Education Analyst in the Domestic Policy Studies Department at The Heritage Foundation writes, "Federal, state, and local policymakers should amend existing programs to improve education options for foster children. As policymakers design these reforms, they should consider four important principles. *New education options for foster children should be structured to address potential legal and constitutional questions. *Opportunity scholarship programs should be structured to ensure that they do not cre­ate adverse incentives for placement and adoption. *Scholarship programs should be designed to address non-tuition costs and considerations arising from school choice. *Policymakers should consult with people and organizations in the foster care community when designing their initiatives to ensure that policies best meet foster children's needs."
Computer hacked --- 45,000 students' personal records accessed
Date CapturedTuesday June 05 2007, 2:25 PM
Bytecrusher reports, "Recently, a hacker broke into the network of the University of Colorado and accessed the personal details of over 45,000 students."
Poll: Schools aren't meeting data-storage rules
Date CapturedMonday June 04 2007, 2:10 PM
eSchoolNews reports, "Six months after new federal rules mandated that schools, businesses, and other organizations keep tabs on all digital communications produced by their employees, an informal survey of K-12 school districts by data-management company CommVault suggests that most schools still aren't prepared to meet the new requirements."
Texas school ready for handheld computers
Date CapturedMonday June 04 2007, 11:23 AM
Baytown Sun reports, "Each of the 350 students will receive a specially designed handheld computer on which they can type notes, exchange e-mails with teachers and fellow students, create and view customized graphic animations and multimedia presentations, present their projects to the class and research topics on the Internet."
State improves tracking of student performance, information
Date CapturedSunday June 03 2007, 10:18 AM
The Journal News reports, "Because every public school and charter school student has been given a unique 10-digit identification number, it is possible to track students as they move from school to school, anywhere in the state. That will help the state develop more accurate graduation and dropout rates. The system, which will be maintained by an outside contractor, also holds the promise of richer analysis of student performance. Musser said it would be possible, for example, to analyze the relationship between a pupil's performance on third-grade tests and his or her achievement in upper grades. Such research will help the state and schools develop education policy and help students who are poor performers in lower grades be able to pass high school Regents exams."
Testing students & teachers; An $80 million system to scrutinize student performance is scrutinized
Date CapturedSaturday June 02 2007, 8:54 AM
NY Daily News opines, "The critics are naysaying. Randi Weingarten, president of a teachers union whose members' strengths and weaknesses will be placed on view: 'How much teaching time is this eating up?' The head of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing: 'We've reduced schooling to preparing for bubble tests.' Kids in struggling schools and knee-jerk critics of education reform: When will they ever learn?"
Computers hacked at Hilton Head Island High
Date CapturedFriday June 01 2007, 7:03 PM
The Island Packet reports, "It’s unclear how a hacker could have penetrated the computer network to get access to the students’ attendance records, both Ryan and Hudson said. 'We thought we had put in as many stop-gaps as we could,' Ryan said. She said the records are maintained on a 'statewide database — it’s not a local system they hacked into.'”
OH, MANN! PREP SCHOOL GAGGED
Date CapturedFriday June 01 2007, 7:55 AM
NY Post reports, "Posh Riverdale prep school Horace Mann is giving its students an education in totalitarianism. The student newspaper The Record was banned from publishing two letters to the editor as well as an op-ed piece about the firing of Professor Andrew Trees."
Facing Federal Cuts, High School Yields to Military Recruiters
Date CapturedThursday May 31 2007, 10:13 AM
Daily Californian reports, "High schools are required to release the information of all juniors and seniors under the No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2002. However, Berkeley High had not been releasing the data, instead giving students the option to elect to have their information passed on, Coplan [district spokesperson] said."
New Covenant's fate
Date CapturedThursday May 31 2007, 9:29 AM
Times Union opines, "Whatever meeting, or review, is planned should have been held long ago, before New Covenant officials decided to announce the school's closing. As for any new information that might be presented, it is beside the point. What matters is what has long been known about New Covenant -- some of the lowest test scores in the Capital Region and, in view of the State University of New York, which granted the charter, a chaotic environment. New Covenant has had time enough to prove itself. It hasn't."
TESTS SYSTEM E-ASIER
Date CapturedThursday May 31 2007, 8:49 AM
NY Post reports, "In a sense, it is like the Police Department's CompStat crime analysis tool for the classroom. And the data makes it easier for administrators to keep an eye on how teachers are performing, Klein said. For instance, if a disproportionate number of students get the same question wrong, that could be an indicator that a teacher needs coaching. Students and parents will also be given special accounts to go online and access individual results. All test results - whether taken on paper or on computer - will be online within five days. The system was designed by McGraw-Hill Companies and Scantron. It will eventually be incorporated into an even larger, $80 million database being developed by IBM that tracks results on all standardized tests. Teachers can create their own periodic assessment tests but can still track them on the database. They can also choose from a menu of ready-to-go assessment tests. Previous tests were 'one size fits all,' Klein said.
A property tax outcry, but little else
Date CapturedMonday May 28 2007, 8:40 AM
Times Union reports, ""We are bombarding Farrell, saying get that bill out of Ways and Means,' said tax activist Gioia Shebar. Farrell, a former state Democratic chairman, heads the Ways and Means Committee, which controls tax policy bills in the Assembly. A top aide to the Assemblyman says Farrell hasn't ruled out action on the bill. But Farrell's constituents live in Manhattan, and property taxes probably aren't a top priority among them. New York City schools rely far less on property taxes, so tax rates in the city are lower than in the rest of the state. Of the 107 Democrats who control the 150-seat Assembly, 65 represent districts in New York City. Assembly Democrats also are closely aligned with the state's major teachers union, New York State United Teachers, which is cautious about moving away from property taxes to finance schools. One factor behind policymakers' preference for the property tax is its stability. Revenue from income taxes tends to fluctuate with the economy, while property taxes, which people will pay before they pay other bills, are reliable. 'One of the things we've always been concerned about is a stable funding source for schools,' said NYSUT spokesman Carl Korn."
Vote on Buffalo superintendent pact angers newcomers
Date CapturedFriday May 25 2007, 9:46 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Board President Florence D. Johnson and a school system attorney refused to provide a copy of the contract extension Wednesday evening and Thursday, saying it had not been notarized. Camille Jobin-Davis, assistant director of the state Committee on Open Government, said Thursday that is not a legitimate reason to deny access. 'This is a public record,' she said. 'Whether or not it’s been notarized wouldn’t have a bearing. It should be made available.'”
School board e-mail exchange could violate open meeting law
Date CapturedThursday May 24 2007, 10:09 AM
Palo Alto Daily News reports, "Digital correspondence including the entire board 'comes very close to a Brown Act violation if it doesn't cross the line,' said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition."
Ottumwa, IOWA school parents peeved over policy
Date CapturedThursday May 24 2007, 8:19 AM
The Ottumwa Courier reports, "The district’s attendance policy, which went district-wide the first day of this school year, allows a virtually unlimited amount of 'excused' absences approved by a doctor or school nurse. Parents can only keep a child out six days without proof. After six 'unexcused' absences, the district starts sending letters stressing the importance of attendance. Successive letters contain stronger, more insistent language. If those do not work, the district orders an attendance hearing with the parents. If ignored, they can bring in the county attorney. 'These are threats and strong-arm tactics that are going to alienate parents,' Runkle claims."
Library will censor Web viewing
Date CapturedThursday May 24 2007, 8:12 AM
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The policy, which is expected to extend to all libraries in the county, calls for using the library's Internet filtering system to block all pornographic sites unless — after a written request — an administrator deems a site appropriate for a patron to view. But how the policy will be implemented and what librarians will deem pornographic remains unclear. And because both library boards didn't approve the policy, officials were unsure whether the new policy would extend to the Central Library. Also, it's uncertain what impact the policy would have on existing rules at town libraries, each of which has its own boards. The Rochester Public Library board, which oversees all city libraries, may vote next week on the policy. Its members didn't vote Wednesday, in part because they wanted more time to review the task force report."
Frequently Asked Questions about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 9:28 AM
The following FAQs are intended to supplement the compliance materials available on the FTC website.
How to Protect Kids' Privacy Online: A Guide for Teachers
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 9:21 AM
Whether playing, shopping, studying or just surfing, today's kids are taking advantage of all that the web has to offer. But when it comes to their personal information, who's in charge? The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, requires commercial website operators to get parental consent before collecting any personal information from kids under 13. COPPA allows teachers to act on behalf of a parent during school activities online, but does not require them to do so. That is, the law does not require teachers to make decisions about the collection of their students' personal information. Check to see whether your school district has a policy about disclosing student information. Here's a look at the basic provisions of the law and what they mean for you and your students.
Library panel: Keep Web-sites ban
Date CapturedWednesday May 23 2007, 8:41 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Access to Web sites deemed pornographic would continue to be blocked at the Central Library of Rochester unless an administrator deemed a site appropriate for a patron to view, according to a task force's recommendation. The recommendation, to be released today and obtained Tuesday by the Democrat and Chronicle, seeks to appease Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and quell her threat to pull $6.6 million in funding from the library over a longstanding policy that had let adult patrons — upon request and with no questions asked — unblock potentially inappropriate or pornographic Web sites."
E P I C A l e r t -- Volume 14.10 -- May 18, 2007
Date CapturedTuesday May 22 2007, 2:39 PM
Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C.
Stony Brook posts personal info by mistake
Date CapturedTuesday May 22 2007, 8:57 AM
Newsday reports, "Instead of the usual fundraising pitch or another notice, letters sent to tens of thousands of Stony Brook University affiliates earlier this month contained disturbing news: The university had inadvertently posted their personal information on the Internet. The letters, dated May 7, said that during a Web site overhaul, the Health Sciences Center library had made public a long-dormant file containing the names and Social Security numbers of 89,853 current and former faculty, staff, students, alumni and others. The file had been stored on a university Web server from 2002 until it was inadvertently copied to a publicly accessible area."
Parents' rights supersede privacy law
Date CapturedMonday May 21 2007, 7:19 AM
Newsday contributor Carol R. Richards, Newsday's former deputy editorial page editor currently teaching journalism at Hofstra University opines, "The federal privacy law was written three decades ago to help elementary school parents get their hands on pupil records, but it has turned into an Iron Curtain between parents and collegians at times of need. As Murphy [Rep.] said, "The whole thing is: Shouldn't we err on the side of parents loving their kids?" Absolutely. "
IPS leak exposes fact of digital life; Experts: Schools especially at risk in security lapse
Date CapturedSunday May 20 2007, 9:46 AM
Indianapolis Star reports, "Indianapolis Public Schools students and staff got a new lesson on an old threat: This is going on your permanent record. The district's accidental exposure of personal information on about 7,500 students and some staff via the Internet illustrates the pitfalls of trying to keep such data under wraps -- and the cross-country maneuvering that has to be done to permanently erase it from the Web once it has been compromised. Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, real estate transactions and other bits of information are easy to find on the Web -- sometimes even if they aren't intended to be. And schools, repositories for a vast amount of personal information, are particularly vulnerable to leaks if they don't properly secure their systems, experts say."
Baltimore school officials at risk of firing
Date CapturedSaturday May 19 2007, 8:52 AM
Baltimore Sun reports, "At a recent school board meeting, Gittings [president of the administrative union of Baltimore City public schools] said principals have trouble updating records because of high student turnover in city schools. He said that other systems do not have the same issues and that it can take up to a day to update just one student file."
Georgia Department of Education Attendance Policy
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 1:10 PM
Calling All Principals
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 10:04 AM
The Queens Courier opines, "We say to all principals, it is up to you to set policy. Make the right choice in this issue and allow the kids to carry a cell phone to and from school. Let us not wait for a tragedy in our schools to change a wrong-headed policy made by Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein."
STATE OF NEW YORK COMMISSION OF INVESTIGATION CYBER CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 9:18 AM
Orange-Ulster BOCES Attendance Policy
Date CapturedFriday May 18 2007, 9:17 AM
School leaders blame charter schools for Albany's budget failure
Date CapturedThursday May 17 2007, 9:22 AM
Capital News 9 reports, "According to the State Charter School Association, there are seven charters currently up and running with two more on the way. They said the superintendent is making charter schools scapegoats for the district's shortcomings. 'What they really need to do is adjust to the reality that for the last 7 years parents have been taking their children out to new opportunities. She can't continue to run a district that assumes 10,000 kids when in fact it's 1,500, 1,600 children fewer,' said New York Charter School Association Policy Director Peter Murphy. He said 16 percent of the district's kids are in charter schools while they only get 10 percent of the budget, and the district gets transitional aid to boot."
Leading Lady: Sallie Mae and the Origins of the Student Loan Controversy
Date CapturedWednesday May 16 2007, 7:52 AM
Education Sector Policy Analyst Erin Dillon explains how a small, government-sponsored program has evolved over four decades into a vast, aggressive, and highly lucrative industry. No company has been more ambitious than Sallie Mae, the industry's dominant player, and the story of Sallie Mae's rise from a government-regulated niche enterprise to a fully private, multi-billion-dollar corporation goes a long way toward explaining how and why the student loan industry has landed at the center of controversy today.
When the schoolhouse feels like a jailhouse: Relationships between attendance, school environment and violence in New York city public schools
Date CapturedTuesday May 15 2007, 1:04 AM
By: Sharon Balmer [2006] -- This quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine whether the implementation of a punitive discipline policy, known as the Impact Schools intervention, in ten New York City high schools was successful in increasing attendance rate.
NYSSBA Sample Attendance Policy
Date CapturedTuesday May 15 2007, 12:45 AM
Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 10:31 PM
See page 80 of document for opt form. See section II F for disclosure -- The Forum Guide to Protecting the Privacy of Student Information gives a general overview of privacy laws and professional practices that apply to the information collected for, and kept in, student records.
Section 104.1(i) of Commissioner’s Regulations
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 9:18 PM
EXCERPT: (vi) a description of the incentives to be employed to encourage pupil attendance and any disciplinary sanctions to be used to discourage unexcused pupil absences, tardiness and early departures; (vii) a description of the notice to be provided to the parent(s) of or person(s) in parental relation to pupils who are absent, tardy or depart early without proper excuse. (viii) a description of the process to develop specific intervention strategies to be employed by teachers and other school employees to address identified patterns of unexcused pupil absence, tardiness or early departure; (ix) identification of the person(s) designated in each school building who will be responsible for reviewing pupil attendance records and initiating appropriate action to address unexcused pupil absence, tardiness and early departure consistent with the comprehensive attendance policy. (3) The board of education, board of cooperative educational services, charter school board, county vocational education and extension board and governing body of a nonpublic school shall annually review the building level pupil attendance records and if such records show a decline in pupil attendance the board or governing body shall revise the comprehensive pupil attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan deemed necessary to improve pupil attendance. (4) Each board of education, board of cooperative educational services, charter school board, county vocational education and extension board, and nonpublic school shall promote necessary community awareness of its comprehensive attendance policy by: (i) providing a plain language summary of the policy to the parents or persons in parental relation to students at the beginning of each school year and taking such other steps deemed necessary to promote the understanding of such policy by students and their parents or persons in parental relation; (ii) providing each teacher with a copy of the policy and any amendments thereto as soon as practicable following initial adoption or amendment of the policy, and providing new teachers with a copy of the policy upon their employment; and (iii) making copies of the policy available to any other member of the community upon request.
Section 3211 - Title IV, Article 65, Part I -- Records of attendance upon instruction
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 9:00 PM
Sec. 3211. Records of attendance upon instruction. 1. Who shall keep such record. The teacher of every minor required by the provisions of part one of this article to attend upon instruction, or any other school district employee as may be designated by the commissioner of education under section three thousand twenty-four of this chapter, shall keep an accurate record of the attendance and absence of such minor. Such record shall be in such form as may be prescribed by the commissioner of education. 2. Certificates of attendance to be presumptive evidence. A duly certified transcript of the record of attendance and absence of a child which has been kept, as provided in this section, shall be accepted as presumptive evidence of the attendance of such child in any proceeding brought under the provisions of part one of this article. 3. Inspection of records of attendance. An attendance officer, or any other duly authorized representative of the school authorities, may at any time during school hours, demand the production of the records of attendance of minors required to be kept by the provisions of part one of this article, and may inspect or copy the same and make all proper inquiries of a teacher or principal concerning the records and the attendance of such minors. 4. Duties of principal or person in charge of the instruction of a minor. The principal of a school, or other person in charge of the instruction upon which a minor attends, as provided by part one of this article, shall cause the record of his attendance to be kept and produced and all appropriate inquiries in relation thereto answered as hereinbefore required. He shall give prompt notification in writing to the school authorities of the city or district of the discharge or transfer of any such minor from attendance upon instruction, stating the date of the discharge, its cause, the name of the minor, his date of birth, his place of residence prior to and following discharge, if such place of residence be known, and the name of the person in parental relation to the minor.
MAXIMIZING THE POWER OF EDUCATION DATA WHILE ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL STUDENT PRIVACY LAWS: A GUIDE FOR STATE POLICYMAKERS
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 5:39 PM
This issue brief was written by the managing partners of the Data Quality Campaign and based on the legal analysis by Steve Winnick, Scott Palmer and Art Coleman of Holland & Knight LLP. This issue analysis may serve as a guide to assist states as they build and use state longitudinal data systems in ways that comply with FERPA and fully protect the privacy rights of students and their parents.
STUDENT RECORDS -- NYSSBA Sample Policy 5500
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 2:12 PM
Privacy and the Handling of Student Information in the Electronic Networked Environments of Colleges and Universities (ID: PUB3102)
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 1:41 PM
This paper authored by CAUSE Task Force identifies the privacy challenges and opportunities of technology advances, presents a set of primary principles that underlie fair information practices, and recommends a process whereby a full spectrum of campus constituencies can be involved in discussions that will lead to a better understanding of campus culture and values with regard to these principles. Included in the principles discussion are related issues that arise in a networked environment, as well as examples of practices that represent lesser and greater application of the principles. Many helpful appendices are included. The paper was developed in cooperation with AACRAO.
A Blueprint for Handling Sensitive Data: Security, Privacy, and Other Considerations (ID: ESEM071)
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 1:35 PM
Link to powerpoint presentation by H. Morrow Long and Krizi Trivisani -- Information security risks at colleges and universities present challenging legal, policy, technical, and operational issues. According to a recent study by the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), security incidents have resulted in compromises of personal information which have led to bad publicity and the potential for identity theft. Among the steps to protect sensitive data include an information security risk management program, data classification policies, clearly defined roles and responsibilities, awareness programs, and technology solutions among other interventions. This seminar presentation outlines a blueprint for protecting sensitive data according to the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Security Task Force.
EDUCAUSE
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 1:11 PM
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.
104.l Pupil attendance recordkeeping
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 10:43 AM
EXCERPT (FULL TEXT AT LINK) (ix) identification of the person(s) designated in each school building who will be responsible for reviewing pupil attendance records and initiating appropriate action to address unexcused pupil absence, tardiness and early departure consistent with the comprehensive attendance policy. (3) The board of education, board of cooperative educational services, charter school board, county vocational education and extension board and governing body of a nonpublic school shall annually review the building level pupil attendance records and if such records show a decline in pupil attendance the board or governing body shall revise the comprehensive pupil attendance policy and make any revisions to the plan deemed necessary to improve pupil attendance. (4) Each board of education, board of cooperative educational services, charter school board, county vocational education and extension board, and nonpublic school shall promote necessary community awareness of its comprehensive attendance policy by: (i) providing a plain language summary of the policy to the parents or persons in parental relation to students at the beginning of each school year and taking such other steps deemed necessary to promote the understanding of such policy by students and their parents or persons in parental relation; (ii) providing each teacher with a copy of the policy and any amendments thereto as soon as practicable following initial adoption or amendment of the policy, and providing new teachers with a copy of the policy upon their employment; and (iii) making copies of the policy available to any other member of the community upon request.
ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES
Date CapturedMonday May 14 2007, 10:16 AM
Attendance policy and programming, coupled with school climate and increased academic performance, offers a unique opportunity to engage the entire school community – parents, staff, students, and community members – in a process that will build upon the strengths of all concerned. Maintenance of high attendance rates depends upon incentives that range from climate/culture to district-wide and building programs to recognition for accomplishments to individual sanctions (disincentives). Each category has distinct functions. Although districts will differ in the incentives employed depending upon the philosophies and needs of family and community, programs are quite likely to span the entire spectrum. The specific strategies developed and implemented by a district will reflect the diversity and creativity that exists within schools and their communities.
Protecting the Privacy of Student Records
Date CapturedSunday May 13 2007, 11:24 AM
Guidelines for Education Agencies -- NCES and National Forum on Education Statistics (1997)
School survey: Syracuse parents pleased
Date CapturedSunday May 13 2007, 7:53 AM
Post-Standard reports, "The first major survey in more than a decade of Syracuse school district parents shows about 75 percent of them - be they black, white, more educated or less educated - generally are satisfied with the education their children receive. On the flip side, about one-quarter of parents or guardians are not satisfied, and school environment and discipline are big concerns."
Chronology of Data Breaches
Date CapturedSaturday May 12 2007, 10:34 PM
UWF student records possibly compromised
Date CapturedSaturday May 12 2007, 10:03 PM
FOX News reports, "He [ Associate Vice President of Information Technology Michael Dieckmann] says because the account is a student's, who is also an employee, the breach opened up access to thousands of student records. 'We can tell exactly what was viewed and the potential and around 120, 130 students records were potentially compromised,' Dieckmann went on to say."
As Studies Stress Link to Scores, Districts Get Tough on Attendance
Date CapturedSaturday May 12 2007, 12:20 PM
Education Week reports, "Student attendance also has been a big focus in Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y. When officials of the 37,000-student Rochester district looked at attendance and achievement patterns, researchers found that students who had scored between 85 and 100 on the state English tests had attended school an average of 93 percent of the time. Students who scored below the 54th percentile had an 85 percent attendance rate. The district is now phasing in new minimum attendance requirements, shooting to hit 93 percent districtwide by 2004. Students are now required to attend school 85 percent of the time, or 153 days a year. The new policy would add the equivalent of 14 days of school. Rochester also is getting the community to help with its efforts. Attendance information is shared with community organizations such as the YMCA, city recreation programs, and churches so that they can help reinforce the commitment to school attendance. In addition, the city has coordinated a summer-jobs program for students who maintain at least C averages and who attend school at least 90 percent of the time. 'We must deconstruct the policies that encourage kids to miss or leave school, and construct the incentives to get them to stay,' said Clifford B. Janey, the superintendent of the Rochester schools. 'Attendance should be linked to achievement.' Meanwhile, Buffalo is already seeing gains that officials attribute to relatively simple adjustments in the district's attendance policy this fall. By stating a new minimum attendance rate—85 percent—and making it clear, for the first time, that students who fall short cannot take final exams, the district seems to be raising attendance. In report covering the first five weeks of the school year, one Buffalo high school's attendance rate went from 81 percent in the same period last year to 88 percent. The yearlong average-attendance rate for the school last year was 76 percent, which mean that one in every four students was absent. The 47,000-student Buffalo district is providing home visits for students who have health problems, and automated phone calls to homes for every absence. 'Children and families are making better choices,' said Susan Doyle, the principal of the Buffalo Traditional School and the chairwoman of the district's attendance committee. 'They're changing doctor's appointments, and students are coming to see me before and after school, not during classes.'"
Yonkers Code of Conduct
Date CapturedFriday May 11 2007, 9:50 AM
Attendance policy begins on page 31 of document.
Citywide Budget Data
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 10:30 AM
As part of the Fair Student Funding initiative, the Department of Education [New York City] is committed to providing more information about school funding levels. This data set shows details pertaining to preliminary school budgets for the 2007-2008 school year. Using this data set, you can see information for 1,391 of New York City’s schools regarding: 07-08 preliminary budget allocations 07-08 adjusted per capita data for comparison to previously released 05-06 data 07-08 Average Teacher Salary (ATS) This data set allows some comparison between different schools’ funding levels. However, the set is neither comprehensive nor perfect. It covers only funds that are recorded on the school budgets that principals monitor and control. Therefore, large amounts of money spent in schools on students do not appear here at all, including centrally funded administrative services such as food, transportation, maintenance, utilities; instructional supports, such as related services in special education’ and fringe benefits for school employees.
Newburgh's busing policy up to voters
Date CapturedWednesday May 09 2007, 8:46 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Every weekday, buses in the Newburgh School District move a small-town-sized mass of kids to and from school. Orange County's largest district shuttles more than 11,600 students (public, private, parochial and special needs) to 88 Hudson Valley facilities. It's a pricey undertaking. The proposed 2007-2008 pupil transportation budget is roughly $12.6 million, a 14 percent hike over this school year. That transportation slice accounts for about 6 percent of Newburgh's $203.71 budget proposition, which goes before the voters May 15."
Board tables vote on expanding Indiana pilot attendance plan
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:41 AM
South Bend Tribune reports, "According to the proposed policy, students are allowed to accumulate nine absences per semester. A 10th absence puts a student in a no-credit status. After a ninth absence, the student would be referred to a credit redemption program after school. The student, the policy states, would have the opportunity to make up class work and class time to regain credit status. One hour of after-school work would make up for one hour of absence from a class. While students wouldn't necessarily be making up the work, they would be making up the time. They would, however, be required to do homework or read during that time."
A check mark under 'tardy' for the state
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:35 AM
Times Union reports, "Typically, the state Education Department releases the data to the media in the form of lengthy computer files. Newspapers and other outlets then sift through the data and present it in a user-friendly form that allows for school-to-school and district-to-district comparisons. But as of Monday, the data hadn't been released to the media. Education Department officials did not say why, but did say it could be coming as soon as this week."
Manhattan School Survey Pushed Back
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:26 AM
NY Times reports, "The Department of Education has extended a deadline for surveys measuring satisfaction in the schools from May 18 to June 1, officials said. The surveys, for parents, teachers and students from grades 6 to 12, are part of a $2 million city effort."
Cell ban upheld - principals get leeway
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:15 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The city's controversial school cell phone ban will stand - but principals may make exceptions, a Manhattan judge ruled yesterday. Judge Lewis Stone wrote in a 50-page decision that the Education Department's cell phone policy is not unconstitutional."
Illinois Efforts to Promote Internet Safety Education for School Age Children
Date CapturedTuesday May 08 2007, 9:08 AM
Government Technology reports, "Joined by educators from Chicago Public Schools (CPS), CPS Board President Rufus Williams and area lawmakers, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan unveiled new and concentrated measures designed to help protect today's school children from threats not known to school kids of just a few years ago: online predators and other criminals that use the Internet to perpetrate crimes against children."
School budgets too fat
Date CapturedMonday May 07 2007, 10:39 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "In most districts, voters will make the final call. They've generally been kind over the years when schools propose bumps, even large ones, in spending and taxes. But this is the year to be especially scrupulous in examining the rationale for school increases, attending public hearings, asking informed questions and showing up to vote on May 15. School boards and superintendents, for their part, should schedule more hearings than usual and give the electorate answers to the unavoidable question: Why, if you're getting more money from the state, are you raising property taxes to the extent you are? The answers may satisfy you, and, in some cases, the higher local spending may be justified. But demand details — and reject spin."
Law gives parents more access to childrens' incident reports
Date CapturedMonday May 07 2007, 8:42 AM
AP reports, "A key provision of 'Jonathan's Law' will require residential health facilities to notify parents and guardians within 24 hours of incidents affecting the health and safety of their children. The law will require facilities to provide parents and guardians with incident reports upon request and it will give parents access to records pertaining to allegations of patient abuse or mistreatment."
When school workers are arrested, parents deserve real answers
Date CapturedSunday May 06 2007, 9:22 AM
The Journal News reports, "When school district employees are removed from a classroom, put on paid leave and have criminal charges filed against them, residents of a school community might have a few questions about what is going on in their schools."
Inform parents -- government policies must not keep families in the dark
Date CapturedFriday May 04 2007, 8:25 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Unfortunately, it took the death of a child to alert government to the flaws in a law that left parents on the outside looking in. This should be a wake-up call to the state and government at all levels to ensure that laws and policies are clear when it comes to parents and minor children: parents are to be told about matters large, small and in-between. The state must facilitate the bond between child and parent. Not break it."
ACLU Urges Rhode Island Supreme Court to Review Truancy Courts
Date CapturedThursday May 03 2007, 9:32 AM
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island today asked the state Supreme Court to review a case that raises fundamental questions about the procedures used by so-called “truancy courts” that prosecute students who are absent from school. The ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case arguing that essential due process safeguards are absent from the operation of these courts, which have become increasingly prevalent in public schools across the state. “The ACLU is very concerned about the increasing numbers of parents and children pulled into the truancy court system,” said Amy Tabor, an ACLU cooperating attorney and author of today’s brief. “Some school districts treat children as truant whenever they arrive at school a few minutes late, even though their lateness has resulted in only a few minutes of missed homeroom.”
Some Access to Student Finance Data Is Restored
Date CapturedThursday May 03 2007, 8:40 AM
NY Times reports, "The department outlined a series of new security procedures yesterday in a letter sent to 35 guarantors. To get into the database, guarantors will have to provide the names of employees who will be given access, along with certification that the company will comply with access rules."
Schools seek money, clarification of privacy laws to become safer
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 9:26 AM
The Journal News reports, "Meanwhile, the head of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities said state and federal lawmakers need to give more direction about when schools can notify families without violating student privacy."
Rochester city schools will falter if leaders get faulty data on pupil progress
Date CapturedWednesday May 02 2007, 9:07 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Cynthia Elliott, Rochester Board of Education member opines, "There is no doubt in my mind that people genuinely want to help our children succeed. But that involvement will be ineffective and our goal of 100 percent graduation rates will not be realized if we don't have accurate information. Only with accurate information can we even begin to entertain the strategies to achieve academic excellence."
Editorial: Where are you now?
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:58 AM
The Post (Ohio) reports, "Big Brother is watching, and he wants to know why you didn’t show up for your math class all last week. Ohio University’s Student Help Center has paired up with Residence Life to keep track of student class attendance. Using swipe-card technology — used in some science, math and art classes in Morton and Walter Halls — resident assistants are notified when one of their residents misses two consecutive classes (a not-so-uncommon occurrence) in the same course. The resident assistants are then required to check on the students."
N.C.A.A. Cracks Down on Prep Schools and Angers Some
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:52 AM
NY Times reports, "The N.C.A.A. quietly passed legislation last week to continue its fight against prep schools that require minimal academic study. In perhaps its most significant move to deter diploma mills, the N.C.A.A. will limit high school students to one core course that would count toward college eligibility after a student’s four-year high school graduation date. The decision will shut down a glaring N.C.A.A. loophole, one exploited by diploma mills: students avoided graduating high school to pad their grade point average in a fifth year. The N.C.A.A. also hopes the new policy will help eliminate schools that exist solely to qualify players for college scholarships."
How'd You Do In School Today?
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:33 AM
Washington Post reports, "Sherry Turkle, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, warns against 'overtechnologizing.' A grade-tracking system like Edline, Turkle says, 'sounds to me terribly intrusive.' The best way for parents and students to communicate is to talk about what is going on at school, she says. "When you just see a grade as a number, it's not necessarily opening the possibility of dialogue. Potentially it's closing down dialogue." Turkle says Edline reminds her of the panopticon, an 18th-century idea for a specially designed building that would enable jailers to watch prisoners without the prisoners knowing they were being observed. The panopticon has become a metaphor for Big Brother."
Teachers find adjusting to technology a real education
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 8:17 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Education is way behind, Richardson said. Business and the media, even politics, have adjusted to the wave of technology and its changes. Students have changed as well: 55 percent of them use social networking sites such as MySpace or Facebook; 57 percent of students have created material for the Internet. They use information sites like Wikipedia. They blog and send instant messages, create videos and more."
Schools survey sez... $3.3M plan will quiz all PS teachers, students & parents for overall grade
Date CapturedTuesday May 01 2007, 7:37 AM
NY Daily News reports, "In anonymous surveys going out this week, parents will describe their perceptions of schools, while teachers will rate their principals - and reveal whether parents respond to calls home. And kids in grades six through 12 will rate the quality of their assignments and disclose whether their classmates are in gangs or use drugs."
FREE SPEECH ON TRIAL CAMPUS ALERT
Date CapturedMonday April 30 2007, 7:58 AM
NY Post op-ed contributor The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (thefire.org), a nonprofit group dedicated to defending constitutional rights at U.S. colleges and universities opines, "Potential sanctions include the official dissolution of the paper. Whether one agrees with the content of these articles, they are unquestionably clear examples of core political speech."
Blackboards Not Billboards
Date CapturedSunday April 29 2007, 9:36 AM
NY Times Op-ed contributor David White, adjunct scholar at the Lexington Institute, a public policy research group opines, "All too often, America’s teachers’ unions claim to be championing education when, in fact, they’re pursuing unrelated political agendas."
Districts misreported 4-year graduation rates
Date CapturedSaturday April 28 2007, 10:02 AM
Times Union reports, "Musser and Alan Ray, another spokesman for the Education Department, said the state is unaware of any more districts with similar problems, although some have called in with questions about the data since it was made public on Wednesday. 'The problem is there are always a few that don't pay attention until they see it in the media,' said Ray.
North Carolina district unveils warning system
Date CapturedFriday April 27 2007, 8:47 AM
Rocky Mountain Telegram reports, "The system, which is used at more than 8,500 sites nationwide, allows schools to send four types of messages: community outreach, emergency communication, attendance notification and school surveys."
Teachers want change in education policy
Date CapturedThursday April 26 2007, 9:36 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "New York teachers are asking Congress to: •Allow states to develop appropriate language-arts tests for English-language learners and special-education students. English-language learners have to take the same language-arts tests as their peers, even though they may not have a full command of English. •Distinguish struggling schools from those that are successful but need limited assistance, rather than putting all schools with problems into the same category. •Stop punishing entire schools and districts based on the low test scores of a small number of students. •Adequately fund testing and accountability mandates in the law. New York received $911 million less in funding last year than what Congress authorized when it passed the legislation in 2002, NYSUT said."
We can stem truancy with community effort
Date CapturedWednesday April 25 2007, 9:53 AM
Indianapolis Star opines, "Gaylon Nettles, the state [Indiana] Department of Education's chief attendance officer, is right in noting that neither parents nor schools can stem truancy on their own. It will take a strong community effort to keep children on the path to improving their educational and economic destinies.
State targets districts to boost performance
Date CapturedWednesday April 25 2007, 9:30 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "The contracts require the districts to spend a big chunk of their state aid on programs that boost student academic performance. The booster programs are targeted at full-day prekindergarten and kindergarten, reducing class size, lenghtening school days, improving the quality of teachers and principals and restructuring middle and high schools. Additional accountability measures will permit parents and the community to see where and how the money is spent and what the results are, the state said."
Senators Discuss Preventing College Attacks
Date CapturedTuesday April 24 2007, 9:08 AM
NY Times reports, "Much of the testimony focused on the difficulty of securing campuses that are essentially small towns and the challenges of balancing the rights of individuals to privacy with the need for community safety. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, the committee’s ranking Republican, questioned witnesses about whether they believed that some of the laws that govern privacy of medical and school records needed to be changed. None had a ready answer, but they agreed that the most difficult situations involved students who were clearly troubled yet refused treatment. They also agreed that university officials often hesitated to act because they feared litigation."
Local colleges evaluate safety in wake of Virginia Tech
Date CapturedMonday April 23 2007, 9:33 AM
Newsday reports, "Even before last week's massacre at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities across Long Island had been quietly upgrading campus security for years. Even so, Virginia Tech is a new wake-up call, and it has spurred college officials and local police to re-evaluate security, in particular how to respond to an emergency."
School districts advised to protect computer data
Date CapturedSunday April 22 2007, 9:43 AM
Times Herald-Record reports, "Threats to computer data pose a major challenge to school district financial controls, according to a top state official."
CITY EDUCATION PLAN TO BOOT 'NEGATIVE' PTA FOLKS
Date CapturedSunday April 22 2007, 9:20 AM
NY Post reports, "Principals may soon have the power to expel parents from PTAs. The city Department of Education is mulling a stunning policy change that would allow principals to ban parents from the volunteer panels for patterns of 'negative behavior.' The controversial proposal to alter existing chancellor's regulations comes as the DOE is trying to increase parent involvement - adding paid parent coordinators at each school and hiring a $150,000 parent czar."
Mr. Rivera Goes to Albany
Date CapturedSaturday April 21 2007, 10:58 PM
City Journal, Spring 2007; Peter Meyer, a Contributing Editor of Education Next writes, "Rivera says that he will push the governor’s initiatives, which he helped create as a member of Spitzer’s education-policy transition team; they include detailed accountability standards and the Contract for Excellence, which obligates educators to spend money on 'what works.'"
Ten Accountability Lessons: What Works and What Does Not What Works and What Does Not
Date CapturedSaturday April 21 2007, 9:53 PM
Boosting Accountability in New York’s Schools How to Meet the Governor’s Historic Challenge March 8, 2007 Ten Accountability Lessons: What Works and What Does Not What Works and What Does Not Paul E. Peterson Paul E. Peterson – Harvard University Harvard University Lesson 1: Lesson 1: Overall, accountability seems to have Overall, accountability seems to have positive effects. positive effects. Effect of State Accountability Effect of State Accountability Systems on NAEP Performance Systems on NAEP Performance 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 none with report card with accountability math gains 4th to 8th grade (% of a standard deviation) Change in NAEP Test Scores Change in NAEP Test Scores (All Students, 1992/98 (All Students, 1992/98 - 2005) 2005) 18.5 2.5 10.7 -0.3 25.2 11.2 14.1 1.2 19.7 8.1 13.3 0.3 -10 0 10 20 30 4th Grade Math 4th Grade Reading 8th Grade Math 8th Grade Reading Change in Score (1992/98 to 2005) U.S. Florida New York Note: For 8th Grade Reading, comparison years are 1998 and 2005; for all others, 1992 and 2005. Stars denote changes in the state scores that were significantly higher or lower than the changes in the U.S. overall. Change in NAEP Scores Change in NAEP Scores (Black Students, 1992/98 (Black Students, 1992/98 - 2005) 2005) 27.7 7.9 18 0 35 17.8 14.8 2.4 24.6 8.3 25.2 -3.8 -10 0 10 20 30 40 4th Grade Math 4th Grade Reading 8th Grade Math 8th Grade Reading Change in Score (1992/98 to 2005) U.S. Florida New York Note: For 8th Grade Reading, comparison years are 1998 and 2005; for all others, 1992 and 2005. Stars denote changes in the state scores that were significantly higher or lower than the changes in the U.S. overall. Change in NAEP Scores Change in NAEP Scores (Hispanic Students, 1992/98 (Hispanic Students, 1992/98 - 2005) 2005) 24.2 6.9 14.1 3.5 25.6 12.1 18.4 4.5 29.2 24.2 21.4 3.9 0 10 20 30 40 4th Grade Math 4th Grade Reading 8th Grade Math 8th Grade Reading Change in Score (1992/98 to 2005) U.S. Florida New York Note: For 8th Grade Reading, comparison years are 1998 and 2005; for all others, 1992 and 2005. Lesson 2: Lesson 2: Accountability, as we know it, is not Accountability, as we know it, is not transforming schools. transforming schools. National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1971-2004 Age 17, Math 225 250 275 300 325 1971 1982 1993 2004 Scale Score White Black Hispanic National Assessment of Educational Progress, 1971-2004 Age 17, Reading 225 250 275 300 325 1971 1982 1993 2004 Scale Score White Black Hispanic Lesson 3: Lesson 3: Accountability is cost effective. Accountability is cost effective. Lesson 4: Lesson 4: NCLB NCLB’s measuring stick is flawed measuring stick is flawed – standards vary by state. standards vary by state. Variation in State Variation in State Proficiency Proficiency Standards, 2005 Standards, 2005 Lesson 5: Lesson 5: NCLB NCLB’s measuring stick conflicts measuring stick conflicts with state accountability measures. with state accountability measures. Comparison with Florida Comparison with Florida’s Measuring Stick Measuring Stick Lesson 6: Lesson 6: NCLB does a poor job of identifying NCLB does a poor job of identifying good schools. good schools. Accuracy of Measuring Stick Accuracy of Measuring Stick Lesson 7: Lesson 7: For accountability to work, states For accountability to work, states need to build a data base that can need to build a data base that can track students over time. track students over time. Lesson 8: Lesson 8: Schools respond if accountability Schools respond if accountability contains a penalty. contains a penalty. Florida Student Gains from Being Florida Student Gains from Being Threatened by the Voucher Option Threatened by the Voucher Option 10 percent of a standard deviation 10 percent of a standard deviation (about half the size of the class size reduction, (about half the size of the class size reduction, at little or no cost) at little or no cost) Lesson 9: Lesson 9: Student accountability is more Student accountability is more effective than school accountability. effective than school accountability. “The student is the crucial actor. The student is the crucial actor. Whether we adults like it or not, he or Whether we adults like it or not, he or she decides what has been purveyed. she decides what has been purveyed.” - Theodore Theodore Sizer Sizer High Stakes Testing in Chicago High Stakes Testing in Chicago Math Results Math Results High Stakes Testing in Chicago High Stakes Testing in Chicago Reading Results Reading Results Achievement Trend Achievement Trend – Chicago vs. Chicago vs. Other Large Midwestern Cities Other Large Midwestern Cities Change in Test Score Gains Change in Test Score Gains Resulting from Florida Resulting from Florida’s Retention s Retention Policy Policy – Low Performing Students Low Performing Students Change in Test Score Gains Change in Test Score Gains Resulting from Florida Resulting from Florida’s Retention s Retention Policy Policy – Retained Students Retained Students Impact of School Autonomy and Impact of School Autonomy and Central Exams on Math Test Scores Central Exams on Math Test Scores % of a standard deviation % of a standard deviation % of a standard deviation % of a standard deviation Statewide MCAS Math Results Statewide MCAS Math Results 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 Percentage at or above proficient 4th grade 8th grade 10th grade Lesson 10: Lesson 10: Principals and teachers, not schools, Principals and teachers, not schools, need to be held accountable. need to be held accountable.
Saving 'No Child Left Behind' From Itself
Date CapturedSaturday April 21 2007, 3:01 PM
Fox News reports Dan Lips, education analyst, The Heritage Foundation, "Under the new approach, states would be free to use federal education funds as they see fit, provided they maintain student testing to assess their progress and make the test results publicly available. Some NCLB supporters charge that the conservative plan would undermine accountability. Sandy Kress, a former Bush administration education adviser, protested: 'Republicans used to stand for rigor and standards, but no money for education. Now they seem to be for the money, but no standards.'”
Duffy, Rivera meet to mend fences
Date CapturedFriday April 20 2007, 9:13 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Mayor Robert Duffy, outgoing city school Superintendent Manuel Rivera and city and school district officials met Thursday to clear the air over requests for information concerning the academic achievement of students and the funding and operation of city schools. The meeting is the first since City Hall filed an open records request for and obtained a list of items from the district, including graduation and suspension rates, central office salaries and bonuses, and various district policies."
Boosting Accountability in New York's Schools
Date CapturedFriday April 20 2007, 9:12 AM
How to Meet the Governor's Historic Challenge, Thursday, March 8, 2007. A panel of state and national education experts gathered at the state Capitol in Albany March 8 to examine and debate Gov. Spitzer's historic education reform plan, which aims to hold New York schools more accountable than ever before. This page features a link to a slide presentation by one of the featured speakers, and also includes streaming audio of the event including John C. Reid, Assistant Secretary for Education State of New York; Thomas W. Carroll, President, Foundation for Education Reform & Accountability; Paul E. Peterson Director, Program on Educational Policy and Governance Kennedy School of Government; Moderator: David F. Shaffer, President, Public Policy Institute of New York State; Panelists: Carl Hayden, Chancellor Emeritus, New York State Board of Regents; Richard C. Iannuzzi, President, New York State United Teachers; Timothy G. Kremer, Executive Director, New York State School Boards Association; Thomas L. Rogers, Executive Director, New York State Council of School Superintendents; Sol Stern, Contributing Editor, City Journal and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Laws Limit Options When a Student Is Mentally Ill
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 9:14 AM
NY Times TAMAR LEWIN reports, "For the most part, universities cannot tell parents about their children’s problems without the student’s consent. They cannot release any information in a student’s medical record without consent. And they cannot put students on involuntary medical leave, just because they develop a serious mental illness. Nor is knowing when to worry about student behavior, and what action to take, always so clear."
When student lenders compete, New York wins
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 9:06 AM
NY Daily News guest writer MICHAEL DANNENBERG, director of education policy for the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan public policy institute based in Washington opines, "Banks could offer far cheaper federal loans to students. In fact, one small New York company called MyRichUncle currently offers federal loans at a rate that's a full percentage point lower than Sallie Mae's. For the typical federal student loan borrower with $20,000 in debt, that translates into roughly a $1,000 savings over the life of the loan. When MyRichUncle approached colleges to get on their preferred lender lists, it was rejected - because it didn't offer schools kickbacks, stock options, call centers or computer software like Sallie Mae's. It just had a cheaper product for students. You'd think that would be enough. It is in a real market."
SUNY EYEING TEXT-MESSAGE ALARM SYSTEM
Date CapturedThursday April 19 2007, 8:40 AM
NY Post reports, "The SUNY system is "actively considering" mandating that all of its 64 campuses adopt emergency text-messaging programs that could instantly warn students via their cellphones in the event of a massacre like the one at Virginia Tech, officials said. SUNY - which has more than 417,000 students - may also adopt a 'reverse 911 system,' in which students and staff would be called en masse on their cellphones with 'a specific' voice message about a threat or emergency, said SUNY spokesman David Henahan yesterday."
Education Department bars lenders from using student database
Date CapturedWednesday April 18 2007, 9:19 AM
AP reports, "Spellings said during the temporary suspension, the department would conduct a review of who is using the database and why. Since 2003, she said, the department has invested more than $650,000 in system security and monitoring tools and processes to ensure the integrity of student information."
California Senate OKs bill banning student monitoring devices
Date CapturedTuesday April 17 2007, 8:08 PM
AP reports, "Legislation approved Monday by the [California] state Senate would ban public schools from using radio-wave devices containing personal information about students to take attendance and monitor students' movement around campus."
Our school districts often keep secrets
Date CapturedMonday April 16 2007, 8:54 AM
Times Herald-Record Steve Israel writes, "When something is glossed over or covered up, rumors fly. When those rumors aren't addressed immediately, they grow. Soon, folks doubt administrators and board members — just like they doubt all elected officials."
Break Rochester city-school ice
Date CapturedMonday April 16 2007, 8:46 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "Now that the City School District has provided the information requested by Mayor Duffy about the district, the two should come together for a meaningful dialogue. It's unfortunate that it took the city filing a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain the information — graduation and suspension rates, district policies and salary and bonus information — but now's the time for officials to work toward a consensus on finances and school performance."
Should teen mothers be held to truancy standards?
Date CapturedSaturday April 14 2007, 8:49 PM
A Shrewdness of Apes blog: "Well, here's an interesting dilemma: Well, here's an interesting dilemma: A 16-year-old student who claims in a lawsuit that her school district discriminated against her because she is a teen mother has missed 211 days of school over the last four years, according to officials in the Harrisburg area school district. A 16-year-old student who claims in a lawsuit that her school district discriminated against her because she is a teen mother has missed 211 days of school over the last four years, according to officials in the Harrisburg area school district."
Rochester city schools release records
Date CapturedSaturday April 14 2007, 5:55 PM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "An initial look at the other data finds: Total state aid to the City School District has increased from $293.7 million in 2003-04 to a projected $366.6 million for the coming year. Average attendance among secondary school students was 84.4 percent during the last school year. The goal is to achieve 93 percent by 2009-10. An earlier district policy required students to achieve that mark in 2003-04 to get a passing grade. Sixty-five percent of students who started kindergarten in the district in 1993-94 graduated in 2005-06, accounting for students who legally transferred out of the district."
Forum on Web access at library draws 100-plus
Date CapturedFriday April 13 2007, 9:00 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Censorship or public safety. Political diversion or responsible leadership. The debate involves Internet access at the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County — specifically, County Executive Maggie Brooks' threat to pull funding unless the library stops allowing adult patrons to view pornographic and other sites blocked by its filtering system."
Charter schools are given a break
Date CapturedFriday April 13 2007, 8:47 AM
Buffalo News reports, "'The victory here is that you’ll have more charter schools and that the law remains largely intact,' said Peter Murphy, policy director for the New York Charter Schools Association. 'The message will get out that we’re now back in business.' At the same time, districts with large concentrations of charter schools — including Buffalo — got some fiscal relief after arguing for years that they suffer under the existing funding formula. A newly created pool of 'transition aid' will provide Buffalo $12 million next school year to cushion the $60 million the district makes in transfer payments to 15 charter schools."
Don't rush school accountability measures
Date CapturedTuesday April 10 2007, 9:33 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle opines, "The contracts for excellence don't mean much if districts are offered enticing new piles of categorical aid — money for such things as class size reduction and teacher quality — but aren't told with clarity how their progress will be assessed. The narrow windows are yet another consequence of a budget process that starts too late. If Spitzer and the Legislature had cut a deal on schools early in the session, the regulations for the contracts could have been properly prepared and vetted by now. In the absence of that, the state should take pains to work with districts on accountability measures that not only are fair but are given a public airing. "
Blazin' Bloomberg, Mike fires salvo at school policy foes, comparing them with NRA fanatics
Date CapturedTuesday April 10 2007, 8:52 AM
NY Daily News CARRIE MELAGO reports, "Bloomberg said his detractors, including the teachers union, are merely a 'small chorus' that supports the status quo for its own self-interest, just like the National Rifle Association. 'You always do have the problem of a very small group of people who are single-issue focused having a disproportionate percentage of power,' he said. 'That's exactly the NRA.'"
High school attendance, discipline, grades available to parents online
Date CapturedSunday April 08 2007, 4:40 PM
Eagle Tribune (MA) reports, "The program also includes student biographical information, some of which, Hill admitted, is incorrect. He's hoping making that information available to parents will help clear up those errors."
Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening The No Child Left Behind Act
Date CapturedFriday April 06 2007, 11:04 AM
Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act sets forth the policy proposals of Secretary Spellings for reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act . U.S. Department of Education, Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., 2007.
Computer security issues cited in Webster schools
Date CapturedFriday April 06 2007, 9:54 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "The audit released this week has been discussed with school officials who have responded with a plan to correct the problems. Some of the changes have already been implemented. Last summer, auditors found that the district's network server computers and other equipment were installed in 13 separate rooms throughout the district. Only three of the rooms were locked and only one was equipped with an adequate cooling and ventilation system. Auditors found that the district's system of passwords was inadequate. The district did not require employees to use complex passwords and users were not required to change passwords periodically. The district's financial software also does not turn off after being inactive for a period of time. As a result, users often stay logged on throughout the day, even when they were not at their computers, which increases the risk of unauthorized users accessing the computer system and the data stored there."
P-16 Implementation and Evaluation of the Regents Teaching Policy: Second Annual Report on Teacher Supply and Demand
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 10:38 AM
What does the data on teacher supply and demand reveal about teacher shortages? What strategies should be used to eliminate those shortages and ensure that all students have certified and highly qualified teachers?
Office of Educational Management Services New York State Education Department
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 10:32 AM
POLICY FOR NYSED’s Response To A Pupil Transportation Fatality
Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort
Date CapturedThursday April 05 2007, 9:16 AM
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance study finds: "Test scores were not significantly higher in classrooms using the reading and mathematics software products than those in control classrooms. In each of the four groups of products-reading in first grade and in fourth grade, mathematics in sixth grade, and high school algebra-the evaluation found no significant differences in student achievement between the classrooms that used the technology products and classrooms that did not. There was substantial variation between schools regarding the effects on student achievement. Although the study collected data on many school and classroom characteristics, only two characteristics were related to the variation in reading achievement. For first grade, effects were larger in schools that had smaller student-teacher ratios (a measure of class size). For fourth grade, effects were larger when treatment teachers reported higher levels of use of the study product." Dynarski, Mark, Roberto Agodini, Sheila Heaviside, Timothy Novak, Nancy Carey, Larissa Campuzano, Barbara Means, Robert Murphy, William Penuel, Hal Javitz, Deborah Emery, and Willow Sussex. Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2007. Prepared under Contract No.: ED-01-CO-0039/0007 with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
North Carolina local county students with good attendance could skip exam
Date CapturedWednesday April 04 2007, 3:45 PM
Lexington (North Carolina) Dispatch reports, "The policy would allow students to exempt one final exam per semester if they have good class attendance. However, the exemption could not be applied to any course for which there is a required state end-of-course examination, VoCATS examination or transfer or college course examination. VoCATS are state assessments used for career and technical education classes."
Internet Safety: Newest School Subject
Date CapturedWednesday April 04 2007, 3:09 PM
VOA reports, "More and more schools across the country are taking on the task of teaching Internet safety to students and parents. School officials are stepping in, even though the online luring or harassment is primarily happening off campus."
Schools say no to Rochester Mayor Duffy request
Date CapturedWednesday April 04 2007, 9:24 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Mayor Robert Duffy's request for information from the school district is a moot point and will not receive a response, district officials said Tuesday. But an incensed City Hall is not backing down and intends to take the unprecedented step of filing a Freedom of Information Law, or open records, request to get the data. City spokesman Gary Walker said he plans to hand-deliver a copy of the request today. Duffy wrote Superintendent Manual Rivera on March 1 requesting a bevy of information, including graduation and suspension rates, various district policies as well as salaries and bonuses paid to central office employees. The mayor wrote that he needed the information to help decide on the appropriate funding level for the district. The city has provided the district $119.1 million each of the past three years. But Duffy has been hammering on the district's poor graduation rates, currently worst in the state. For its part, the district has argued that improvements at the elementary school level are signs of progress."
Answering some of parents' most-asked questions about No Child Left Behind
Date CapturedTuesday April 03 2007, 10:09 AM
Arizona Republic reports, "The Arizona Republic sat down with Spellings to get answers to parents' most-asked questions about the centerpiece of the administration's education policy: the No Child Left Behind Act."
Public has right to bus-stop data
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 10:02 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal opines, "Freeman [Committee on Open Government] says the names of the reviewers should have been identified. It's not always easy to get volunteers to sit on school committees and, thus, officials may be inclined to shield them from a possible public backlash when they do. But Freeman said they were performing a governmental function. As he often does in these cases, Freeman pointed out the Freedom of Information Law is based upon a presumption of access. He is correct. If the bus routes are to remain as is, the public should at least have all relevant information about the decision-making process that led to these results."
New York school uniform legislation debated
Date CapturedMonday April 02 2007, 9:42 AM
Legislative Gazette reports, "According to the bill, there is a 'strong co-relation between school gang violence proliferation and the distinctive and casual clothing school kids wear to school.' Proponents say uniforms would decrease the ability of students to show gang affiliation or hide weapons. Uniforms would also impact the social and economic status of families by providing 'inexpensive uniforms' and improving student concentration by placing a greater focus on academics, according to the bill. Jane Hannaway, the director of educational policy at the Urban Institue, said the basic idea of school uniforms is to create school order, which is 'very important.'”
Outside-the-box funding
Date CapturedSunday April 01 2007, 10:19 AM
Newsday Op-Ed contributor Martin R. Cantor, director of the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College in Oakdale and a former Suffolk County economic development commissioner opines, "Let's think of teachers as state, rather than local, employees. Teachers and their benefits account for 68 percent of all education spending in the state, or $18.5 billion. If Albany paid teachers, local school budgets would drop by 68 percent. Remaining education expenses could be covered by modest local commercial property taxes."
Schools big winner in budget deal
Date CapturedSunday April 01 2007, 9:43 AM
NY Daily News Albany Bureau Chief Joe Mahoney reports, "Missing from the budget is Spitzer's proposal to create a $1,000 tuition tax deduction for low- and middle-income parents who send their children to private and parochial schools. 'We compromised no more than we thought it was right or appropriate to accomplish the twin objectives of both timeliness and the policy pursuits we sought,' Spitzer said."
Divvying up the aid
Date CapturedSunday March 25 2007, 10:29 AM
Newsday Op-Ed contributor Leanna Stiefel, professor of economics at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an associate director at NYU's Institute for Education and Social Policy writes, "New York has been out front in the amount of political bargaining that determines funding, but is way behind in making the system fairer and more transparent. More than 40 states use some version of a 'foundation' aid formula that bases state aid on student need and district fiscal capacity. Many allow the richer, often suburban districts to supplement the amount with local revenues, but usually an add-on limit is arrived at by a political compromise that keeps the richer suburban districts supporting the entire state system. Few states, though, have no real formula and start as New York does from a determination of shares. New York's citizens and lawmakers have a number of decisions to make. Among them is an answer to the question: Are we a state community? In a time and world that are divided and divisive, do we in this state want to move toward a public school system that provides adequate funds to students who are at particular risk of not making it? Do we want to try to provide equal opportunity for all? Or not?"
The Administrative Burden of No Child Left Behind
Date CapturedSunday March 25 2007, 9:20 AM
Dan Lips, Education Analyst and Evan Feinberg, Research Assistant in Domestic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation write, "As Congress considers the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, it should address the growing administrative burden that federal education policy imposes on state and local authorities. By allowing states to opt out of federal regulations and bureaucracy, A PLUS would return the authority to improve education to state and local officials. State and local communities would have the freedom to redirect resources currently expended on regulatory compliance toward promising reforms that boost academic achievement. Simplifying education policy in this way would bring about greater transparency in federal education spending and, ultimately, greater public accountability over taxpayer funding of education."
Pornography at library: X-rated Web sites don't belong
Date CapturedFriday March 23 2007, 9:57 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle guest essayist Michele Child opines, "Unfortunately, we live in a society where we must protect our children at all costs. A library is a place where children and families gather. If the Central Library chooses to unlock the filters to allow access to pornographic Web sites, then it shouldn't take taxpayer money."
Pornography at library: Do not install filters; they block both good, bad sites
Date CapturedFriday March 23 2007, 9:52 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributor Kelly Cheatle, discussion leader at ROCmoms.com, and co-leader of Mothers & More Rochester opines, "In order to access all of your constitutionally protected information, these inadequate filters must be deactivated. The Central Library's policy, which allows patrons to turn off filtering software, satisfies the Children's Internet Protection Act guidelines attached to federal funding the library needs. However, for now, no pornographic sites are available to anyone until the board decides whether to amend the policy. Do I personally think that people should misuse the library's policy to view pornography? No, but I am responsible only for my choices, and for a time, my children's choices. The best way for me to protect both my children and my First Amendment rights is to monitor my children when they're in the library — and not the viewing habits of all the other patrons."
Movies in class are a waste of time
Date CapturedThursday March 22 2007, 9:04 AM
Times Herald-Record opines, "Some teachers at Newburgh Free Academy are upset with a new school policy that requires them to ask permission before using a film in class. The teachers call this censorship. That's because you get a lot more attention shouting 'censorship' than you do shouting 'bureaucracy.' The teachers complained that the new policy would prevent them from using controversial films as a way to discuss important issues in class. But what it really does is force the teachers to justify the use of class time to view films. Judging by the way films have been used in Newburgh recently, those are very legitimate concerns for the parents and the administration."
50-State Report on Key State Education Policies
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 12:06 PM
From the Council of Chief State School Officers , "The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) announces publication of the biennial report Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education: 2006. The most recent edition of this report updates two decades of research, providing 50-state analysis and trends for state policies that define teaching and learning across the nation. The report covers several areas of state policy that will define efforts of states, districts, and schools to meet key requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)."
Wappingers firms policy on absences
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 10:39 AM
On Large Scale Student Databases
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 10:21 AM
Inside Higher Ed contributor John V. Lombardi, chancellor and a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst writes, "When particular categories of data are used for accountability purposes, institutions will change what they do, because institutional behavior tends to match whatever is measured. If we measure SAT scores, institutions work to increase the average SAT scores; if we measure graduation rates, institutions will do what it takes to graduate students; if we measure sports success, everyone wants a successful sports program. For this reason the quality, characteristics and type of data collected and used in any student unit record system on a national basis assume fundamental significance."
PARENT PROTEST SHAKES SCHOOL-SHAKEUP MEETING
Date CapturedTuesday March 20 2007, 8:04 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Dozens of angry parents, students and activists last night disrupted a panel meeting headed by Chancellor Joel Klein, in protest of his planned reorganization of the city's school system. Chanting, 'No respect for parents' and 'Listen to the parents,' about 60 protesters stalled the monthly gathering of the Panel for Educational Policy at Department of Education headquarters for 20 minutes."
SCHOOL BOOK UPROAR
Date CapturedMonday March 19 2007, 8:42 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "A group of Korean-American parents is demanding an award-winning memoir be yanked from libraries and reading lists at city middle schools because of what they say are historically distorted, racist and sexually explicit passages. The book, 'So Far from the Bamboo Grove,' is the story of an 11-year-old Japanese girl's perilous escape from World War II Korea, in which she witnesses brutality at the hands of Koreans, including the rapes of young girls and the tossing of a dead infant from a moving train."
Little Consistency in Bus Safety Standards
Date CapturedSunday March 18 2007, 8:58 AM
NY Times reports, "Nationally, about 25 million children ride school buses to and from school, and a study released in November showed that bus-related accidents account for about 17,000 injuries a year — more than most previous studies, which used data from different sources. There are about 20 deaths a year involving drivers and students on school buses or in loading zones, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences said. 'No one had ever taken a look at the entire spectrum of injuries before,' said the senior author of the study, Dr. Gary A. Smith, the director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The study looked at emergency room visits for school-bus-related injuries from 2001 through 2003. It found a total of 51,000 injuries, 3 percent serious enough to require admission to the hospital. (The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, using information from a sampling of school districts, has estimated 8,500 to 12,000 injuries a year.) Most injuries occurred in September and October and involved children 10 to 14 years old. About 42 percent of the injuries involved another motor vehicle coming in contact with the bus, Dr. Smith said. More than half the injuries to children younger than 10 were to the head; lower-extremity injuries were the highest in children 10 to 19."
School meeting minutes put online
Date CapturedSaturday March 17 2007, 10:22 AM
Observer-Dispatch (Utica) reports, "Nearly half of local school districts now post Board of Education meeting minutes online, and several other districts might be heading in that direction, according to an Observer-Dispatch survey. Districts who make minutes available online say it's an easy way to ensure the public has access to the information at any time. And the idea won praise from a state Committee on Open Government official, who said posting information might save district staff time processing Freedom of Information requests."
Latinos Online: Hispanics with lower levels of education and English proficiency remain largely disconnected from the internet
Date CapturedThursday March 15 2007, 6:28 PM
By Susannah Fox, Pew Internet & American Life Project and Gretchen Livingston, Pew Hispanic Center find, "Differences in levels of education and English proficiency explain much of the difference in internet usage between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. Internet use is uniformly low for whites (32%), Hispanics (31%), and African Americans (25%) who have not completed high school. However, 41% of Latino adults have not finished high school, compared with about one in ten non-Hispanic whites and one in five African Americans. The same pattern is evident at the other end of the spectrum of educational attainment. College-educated adults all have equally high levels (about 90%) of internet use regardless of race or ethnicity, yet the college educated make up a smaller share of the Latino population when compared with non-Hispanics. Language is also a powerful factor, as internet use is much higher among Latinos who speak and read English fluently than among those who have limited English abilities or who only speak Spanish. Language is not an issue in the white and black populations as the shares of adults with limited English abilities is quite small. A statistical analysis of the survey results shows education and language are each highly significant factors when other differences in group characteristics are taken into account. When the different levels of language or education are controlled statistically, Hispanics and non-Hispanics show similar levels of internet use."
Focus on school district access; Watchdog group reaches out to educate public on right to know
Date CapturedThursday March 15 2007, 8:11 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "A fledgling education watchdog group has announced an outreach program to improve accountability in the Rochester School District. According to the Rochester Fund for Educational Accountability, its mission is to educate parents and taxpayers on their right to public information."
Access and Storage of Knowledge in the New Millennium: The Google Book Search Library Project and the Future of Libraries
Date CapturedTuesday March 13 2007, 7:29 PM
by Jacob Rooksby. Author writes, "In December of 2004, the publicly traded search engine giant Google announced that it had completed deals with five major libraries to digitize all or parts of their collections. The 'Google 5,' as these libraries came to be known, include four university libraries (Michigan, Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford) as well as one public library (the New York Public Library). Since the initial announcement, four other university libraries have joined the Google 5, including libraries within the University of California system, the Complutense University of Madrid, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the University of Virginia. The purpose of the mass digitization, or 'Google Book Search Library Project' as Google calls it, is to allow anyone with Internet access the ability to search for and locate books online. Google’s ultimate goal is to add over 15 million library volumes to its electronic index over the next decade, at an estimated cost of $150 million." Teachers College Record, Date Published: January 11, 2007. http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 12913, Date Accessed: 3/13/2007 7:30:32 PM
Education: Voucher skirmish seeps into schools
Date CapturedTuesday March 13 2007, 8:53 AM
The Salt Lake Tribune reports, "School voucher supporters are questioning when and if Utahns determined to put the voucher question before voters can legally gather petition signatures at public schools. But voucher critics, who include many education and PTA officials, say they are operating within the law, and defend their petitioning of supporters during recent parent-teacher conferences. 'We legally can collect signatures at schools because we don't work for the schools,' said Utah PTA President Carmen Snow, whose group is among those behind the push to get the voucher question on a ballot. They have until early next month to get 92,000 signatures to qualify for a referendum that would put vouchers up for a vote on a date to be decided by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr."
Agencies faulted on Web use
Date CapturedMonday March 12 2007, 7:06 AM
AP reports, "A few agencies, particularly the Education Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, bucked the trend and showed the benefits of using the Internet, the study found. Blanton [director of John S. and James L. Knight Foundation] cited NASA, which posts comprehensive guidance on freedom of information access, as a prime example of effective use of the Web. The study singled out as particularly egregious offenders the Department of Veterans Affairs, one of the departments that gets the most requests for information; the Defense Department, particularly the Air Force; the Interior Department; the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and the Small Business Administration."
New York City Schools Turn To Business Intelligence For Help
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 11:46 AM
Information Week reports, "The deal, already controversial in New York, likely will face more scrutiny as details are revealed. IBM says ARIS will be a highly secure system, but some parents may voice concerns about a Big Brother approach to tracking the performance of more than 1 million students. And some parties feel the money could be put to better use."
NCLB and the Future of Federal Education Policy
Date CapturedSaturday March 10 2007, 9:09 AM
View webcast or download podcast of this Cato Institute event featuring Martin A. Davis, Jr., Senior Writer and Editor, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation; Dan Lips, Education Analyst in Domestic Policy Studies, Heritage Foundation; Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Director, Education Sector; Dick Armey, Chairman, FreedomWorks, former House Majority Leader; Susan B. Neuman, Professor in Educational Studies, University of Michigan, Former Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education; Neal McCluskey, Policy Analyst, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute; and Andrew J. Coulson, Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute.
E-mails, Web sites provide parents easier access to district information
Date CapturedFriday March 09 2007, 8:18 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "Shortly after he became superintendent of the Webutuck School District, Richard Johns started sending out e-mails called the 'Key Communicator.' Gian Stagnaro relies on the periodic messages from the district to keep him apprised of issues and events."
SUNY chief hears business views on university role
Date CapturedFriday March 09 2007, 7:40 AM
Press-Republican reports, "In the North Country, particularly, goals include developing more small-business and entrepreneurial opportunities and increasing broadband access and online training, [SUNY Chancellor Ryan] he said. 'The importance of putting in broadband infrastructure is crucial.' 'The key thing we have been fighting for is the importance of high-speed broadband, which allows us to do long-distance learning,' said Allen Dunham, chair of the North Country Workforce Investment Board. That would decrease traveling for training opportunities, assist hospitals with imaging needs and provide incentive for students to stay in the area after graduation and land jobs locally, among other things, he said. Other topics that participants said were discussed Thursday included the role of SUNY in providing support for communities and economic developers, the role of colleges in workforce development, how the business community can take better advantage of innovation and invention being produced at SUNY schools and what support emerging technology companies need from SUNY and the state."
SUNY Chancellor erred in holding local closed-door session
Date CapturedFriday March 09 2007, 7:30 AM
Press-Republican opines, "By barring the public from these most public discussions, [SUNY Chancellor Ryan] he turned an opportunity for real dialogue into an elitist gathering that will reflect the interests of only one small segment of the population it serves — if, indeed, that segment is served by SUNY at all. Many of the wealthy in the business community spurn SUNY for their children in favor of the more prestigious private institutions." The Press-Republic adds, "We were told that a couple of weeks ago, Gov. Spitzer held a similar meeting, himself, with business leaders in Manhattan."
Why We Fight: How Public Schools Cause Social Conflict
Date CapturedThursday March 08 2007, 2:48 PM
Neal McCluskey, policy analyst at the Center for Educational Freedom writes, "This paper reexamines the accepted story about public schooling’s role in creating unity and upholding democracy. First, it documents outbreaks over the past academic year of the most divisive kinds of public school conflicts— those pitting people’s deeply held values against each other—and makes clear that such combat is inevitable when everyone is required to pay for an official school system that only the most politically powerful control. Next, it examines the historical record of American education and finds that conflict and division have long been part of public schooling. Finally, the report identifies the true foundations of the nation’s unity and success, and explains why the only system of education that can effectively support a free society is one that is itself grounded in freedom."
Debunking a Special Education Myth
Date CapturedThursday March 08 2007, 8:38 AM
Jay P. Greene, professor of education reform, University of Arkansas, and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and Marcus A. Winters, senior research associate at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and doctoral fellow at the University of Arkansas write, " Can spiraling special education costs explain why educational achievement remained stagnant over the past three decades while real education spending more than doubled? Policy makers, education researchers, and school district officials often make this claim. Special education students—goes the argument—are draining resources away from regular education students."
New York City Schools Attendance Memo re: Law and Policy
Date CapturedWednesday March 07 2007, 1:21 PM
The New York City Department of Education is committed to the academic success and social development of all students. Our objective for the 2006 – 2007 school year is to ensure that all students are provided with the necessary intervention and supports that encourage regular school attendance. Regular attendance is critical to successful achievement in school. Conversely, poor attendance is one of the most significant indicators of potential risk. It is our goal to ensure that students are provided with every available resource to support and facilitate their successful completion of school. To this end, the accurate tracking of student attendance is fundamental to the implementation of effective educational services. The Department of Education has established a clearly defined system for recording, tracking and monitoring school attendance. This system is supported and implemented by a series of attendance guidelines and procedures set forth in Chancellor’s Regulations, State Education Laws, and descriptive memoranda distributed to school staff. This Memorandum provides information about attendance law and policy, attendance procedures for this school year, the implementation of attendance services, clearance of register procedures, revised procedures for addressing student absences, requirements for reporting educational neglect and child abuse, and discharge and transfer procedures including the process for conducting and tracking planning interviews on the ATS system. Additionally information about, “ILOG” the new student intervention screen on ATS, will be provided.
Require 'Pledge of Allegiance' in all public schools
Date CapturedWednesday March 07 2007, 9:01 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributor Stephen J. Minarik, chairman, Monroe County Republican Party opines, "The Pledge of Allegiance is not a political tool that may be abused in order to protest President Bush, the war in Iraq or any other policy or belief. It is a profound symbol of unity and freedom for the United States and its people, and regardless of our elected officials or state policies, all Americans can and must support its central message — that we, as U.S. citizens, stand indivisible in support of our great nation and its democratic system of governance. The pledge advocates for the equality of all people, a government that protects these rights and derives its power directly from the people, and a nation of individuals that is united behind the common goal of progress and freedom."
THE CASE OF THE MISSING TEACHERS
Date CapturedWednesday March 07 2007, 8:17 AM
NY Post opines on NYC schools database, "New York City's public schools employ the equivalent of 83,000 full-time teachers to instruct 1.1 million kids. That's 13.25 kids per teacher. Wait, you say - classes are larger than that. Right. So where are all the teachers hiding? Think maybe the database might be useful in finding them? And make it easier to herd a bunch of them back into the classroom - you know, to teach?"
Big brother is looming; $80M computer to track kids and educators in detail
Date CapturedTuesday March 06 2007, 7:18 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The system will combine existing data on kids - from a child's gender and race to whether he or she needs special education services to the name of his or her third-grade teacher - with new data to be generated from annual state exams and interim tests given to kids every four to six weeks. The interim tests measure whether kids havemastered specific skills, such as multiplying fractions or distinguishing fact from opinion, at different times of the year. Teachers will be able to see an entire classroom of results at once. Principals will be able to see an entire school. Parents eventually will have access to their own kids' data plus summary facts about their child's school, the results of parent, student and teacher surveys and details about how their school scored on annual reviews."
A poseur for parents
Date CapturedTuesday March 06 2007, 6:58 AM
NY Daily News opines, "The United Federation of Teachers is orchestrating a vocal, visible campaign that casts Bloomberg's reforms as the work of inept bureaucrats. And, give her credit, UFT President Randi Weingarten has done a masterful job of pulling together a Noah's Ark of advocates and packaging them as the one true voice of city parents."
School Separates Students by Race for Test Scores
Date CapturedSaturday March 03 2007, 6:10 PM
NPR reports, "When scores were released last week for academic achievement tests taken at a Northern California high school, the principal separated students into ethnic groups. Latinos, Asians, whites and blacks were each assembled together. The principal claimed this was to keep students from harassing each other about scoring gaps between different racial groups. The separation policy is stirring up heated debate on campus and in the community."
Site to reveal Florida teachers' discipline; The state wants parents to have easier access to records about professional wrongdoing
Date CapturedSaturday March 03 2007, 1:33 PM
Orlando Sentinel reports, "That information already is public and shared with Florida's 67 school districts. But it will be easier for parents to find once the new Web site, MyFloridaTeacher.com, is up and running. Using what has become one of the watchwords of Gov. Charlie Crist's administration, Blomberg said the Web site would make teacher discipline more 'transparent.' It also should help ensure that teachers who've lost their Florida licenses for misconduct in one district are not hired in another, she added."
Ohio local district considers new book selection policy for teachers
Date CapturedFriday March 02 2007, 10:03 AM
AP reports, "A school board is considering a new policy to guide teachers’ book selections that would require them to support their choices with professional reviews and provide as many as six titles for parents to choose instead. The book summaries would have to come from an outside organization with a scholarly view, such as the American Library Association, and include information about the age or grade level for which the text is appropriate, said Eric Gordon, executive director of secondary learning for Olentangy Local Schools in suburban Columbus. The proposed policy, presented to the board this week, was sparked by parents’ concerns over the content of books that the district had intended to use last year, Gordon said."
Elmira schools to enforce dress code
Date CapturedFriday March 02 2007, 9:22 AM
Star-Gazette reports, "In a news release, the district said students who violate the rules of dress will be asked to change clothes or cover up the offending item. If the student can't or won't do that, a parent will be called to bring appropriate clothing, the statement said. The statement said the cooperation of parents is a key to the success of that effort."
ASCB Position on Public Access to Scientific Literature
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 5:38 PM
The American Society for Cell Biology is a nonprofit scientific society of over 11,000 members at leading research institutions, state colleges, undergraduate teaching institutions, and biotechnology companies. The major activities of the Society include organization of influential scientific meetings in cell biology, advocacy for sound science policy, and programs that support the careers of women and underrepresented minorities in basic biomedical research. The ASCB is also a publisher. The Society’s publications include the high-impact monthly research journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Cincinnati district withholding info out of privacy concerns
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 9:35 AM
AP reports, "Distributing a list of student names, addresses and phone numbers would make the information a public record open to anyone, district spokeswoman Janet Walsh said. Concerns about identity theft, sexual predators and custody issues are changing which information parents want released, Walsh said."
Bridging Differences
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 8:23 AM
Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch have found themselves at odds on policy over the years, but they share a passion for improving schools. Bridging Differences will offer their insights on what matters most in education.
Educated opinions important part of education
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 8:11 AM
Arizona State University Web Devil opines, "In summary, as an effort to prevent teachers from expressing or advocating political opinions in classrooms, legislators have introduced a bill that would make it illegal for teachers to take a stand on controversial issues, require schools to educate faculty, students and their families on such policies. The bill also outlines penalties for violations."
Elmira schools uniform debate heats up
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 7:15 AM
Star-Gazette reports, "About 150 to 200 residents of the Elmira City School District turned out Wednesday night for a sometimes heated public hearing on a proposal to require school uniforms for all students starting next fall."
MAYOR BLOOMBERG TAPS CRITIC FOR EDUCATION POST
Date CapturedThursday March 01 2007, 6:55 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Martine Guerrier, a Brooklyn mom and member of the Panel for Educational Policy, the successor to the Board of Education, will be paid $150,000 a year to manage parent-support functions as the CEO of family engagement for the Department of Education. The differences between the pair were evident immediately after the mayor announced her appointment at City Hall, when she disagreed with his assessment that "most parents really are pleased" with the school system."
Academic Bill of Rights is a no go at Plattsburgh State
Date CapturedMonday February 26 2007, 8:00 AM
Press Republican reports, "Author and right-wing activist David Horowitz introduced the Academic Bill of Rights in 2001 as an attempt to eliminate perceived liberal bias on college campuses. Proponents say it aims to prevent a professor from sitting in class and telling students that, for example, President Bush is evil and the Iraq war is only about oil."
Choice would take the fighting out of schooling our kids
Date CapturedSunday February 25 2007, 9:45 AM
Arizona Republic contributor Neal McCluskey , education policy analyst at the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom writes, "Readers of The Arizona Republic this year have witnessed writers, including Arizona's superintendent of public instruction, lobbing charges of racism at each other in an education battle royale. Many have no doubt found the fight troubling and will likely find it even more upsetting to learn that these conflicts are inevitable in any school system for which many must pay, but only a few can control. Thankfully, though elusive, peace can be attained."
Democrats Pledge: No Vouchers in NCLB
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 3:17 PM
Heartland Institute School Reform News Dan Lips writes, "On January 23, Bush announced plans to include expanded school choice options in NCLB, including: requiring underperforming schools to offer scholarships to low-income students, to allow them to transfer to the private or out-of-district public schools of their choice; providing federal funds for school boards to expand local school choice options for low-income families; and using federal funds to make sure schools inform parents about choice options in their communities in a timely manner."
Dunce cap on school reform
Date CapturedSaturday February 24 2007, 8:48 AM
TU publishes LA Times story, "Although the reports came out five years after passage of President Bush's signature education reform initiative, No Child Left Behind, Hall and others said it would be unfair to blame that program for the students' poor showing. They were already in high school when No Child Left Behind was enacted, and it is primarily aimed at elementary and middle schools." (Read report at www.educationnewyork.com/policy filed under Achievement Gap)
Board proposals include closing Arizona homeless schools; In a move that would follow a national trend, one option for Pappas is to convert its schools into resource centers for its kid
Date CapturedFriday February 23 2007, 9:19 AM
Arizona Republic reports, "One of the options mirrors a national movement to convert the few remaining homeless schools to resource centers and keep children in their old neighborhood schools, no matter where they are living, said Barbara Duffield, policy director for the Minneapolis-based National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. She works in Washington, D.C. Studies indicate that students fare best if they stay put, giving them some stability at a time when their lives are in chaos. Many families don't know that children have the right to stay in their schools, even if they lose their housing or live in a shelter. Schools must provide transportation and support."
Breakthrough in School Choice
Date CapturedFriday February 23 2007, 8:20 AM
Adam Schaeffer, policy analyst for the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute writes, "Utah has just approved the nation's first universal school choice program, and in New York, Eliot Spitzer has become the first Democratic governor to propose a private school choice program in his state budget. These two firsts are a major shot in the arm for education reform, and they offer a glimpse of the possibilities to come."
School Finance Reform: Back to Where We Started
Date CapturedFriday February 23 2007, 7:18 AM
New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies studies finds, "The objectives intended by the court were to equalize opportunity to obtain adequate education (“pupil equity”) and to equalize the tax burden associated with providing it (“tax equity”). However, it now appears that the laws and programs to reform school finance, enacted beginning in 1999 to comply with the Claremont II decision, have had no effect on pupil equity, as measured by per pupil spending. Among the highest spending districts, spending is now actually a little higher relative to the median than it was in 1999. Also, while the new laws enacted in 1999 initially did affect taxpayer equity and resulted in somewhat more equal tax rates for schools among towns, much of that change has been eroded away in the past six years. If current trends continue, the variation in tax rates will be just as great in two years as it was in 1998. In essence, measured against the two goals of the Claremont II decision, the state’s school finance reform has had little impact, and we are back to where we started in 1999."
Between Policy and Reality: School Administrators Critical of Department of Education School Safety Policy
Date CapturedThursday February 22 2007, 7:26 AM
A REPORT BY PUBLIC ADVOCATE BETSY GOTBAUM, FEBRUARY 2007. "The Public Advocate makes these recommendation: The Public Advocate made these recommendations: • The DOE must solicit the input of teachers, students, principals, parents, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in the development of school safety policies that are conducive to teaching and learning. • The DOE, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget, should list all school safety budget allocations as line items in the city budget, including items such as Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE) provisions. • The DOE must ensure that all schools have “time-out” or SAVE rooms on-site for disruptive students, as required by state law. • The DOE must substantially enhance the role of conflict education and resolution programming in schools and make training for teachers and administrators mandatory. 'The DOE must provide the resources needed to ensure a safe environment for students and school staff,” Gotbaum said. “School safety must be a top priority. ”
Educators React to No Child Left Behind
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 8:51 PM
NPR reports, "Joel Packer, director of education policy and practice with the National Education Association, offers reaction from educators to recent proposed changes to No Child Left Behind."
February 5-9: Dianne Piché vs. Mike Petrilli vs. Joel Packer on No Child Left Behind
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 4:09 PM
Now five years old, the landmark federal law is up for reauthorization. Is it working? What needs to change? This three-way exchange features: Dianne Piché, Executive Director of the Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights; Mike Petrilli, Vice President for National Programs and Policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation; Joel Packer, ESEA policy manager for the National Education Association.
Domesticating a Revolution: No Child Left Behind Reforms and State Administrative Response
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 9:58 AM
Sunderman, G. L., & Orfield, G. (2006). Domesticating a revolution: No Child Left Behind reforms and state administrative response. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. "This report shows striking good faith at the state administrative level to implement the NCLB requirements but also a striking lack of resources and knowledge to accomplish the extraordinary goals of NCLB. States focused on some of the requirements—data, assessments, and the procedural parts of the law—because these were areas where they had expertise and could actually control. For the most ambitious goals of improving school performance, the law provided few resources, and the previous experience of the states in dealing with much smaller numbers of schools and districts did not prepare them for the size and scope needed under NCLB. When NCLB comes up for re-authorization, the findings from this report would suggest that Congress needs to design a policy that recognizes both the realities of policy possibilities as known by educational professionals and the necessity in a federal system of leading by persuasion and incentives more often than by threats and negative sanctions."
The Segregation of American Teachers
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 9:44 AM
By Erica Frankenberg, M.Ed., is a Research Assistant at The Civil Rights Project and Professor Gary Orfield, Professor of Education and Social Policy and Director of the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. "This report shows that in an increasingly segregated national system of schools, faculty segregation tends to add to — rather than counteract — the separation of students. We see that the white teachers, who continue to dominate the teaching profession, tend to grow up with little racial/ethnic diversity in their own education or experience. Not only did white teachers, on average, attend schools when they were elementary school students that were over 90% white, they are currently teaching in schools where almost 90% of their faculty colleagues are white and over 70% of students are white."
Report: Districts Unprepared for Education Bill
Date CapturedWednesday February 21 2007, 9:38 AM
Harvard Crimson reports, "The report, 'Domesticating a Revolution: No Child Left Behind Reforms and State Administrative Response,' was published in this winter’s Harvard Educational Review just as the law comes up for reauthorization in Congress this year. It identifies budgetary limitations, constraints on human resources, and limitations on state governments’ capacities to intervene in individual schools and districts as some of the problems states face in implementing No Child Left Behind. The report was authored by Sunderman and Gary A. Orfield, a professor of education and social policy and the co-founder and director of the Civil Rights Project. "
No Child Left Behind as an Anti-Poverty Measure, Teacher Education Quarterly, Spring 2007
Date CapturedTuesday February 20 2007, 7:06 PM
In the article, Jean Anyon, a professor of educational and social policy and Kiersten Greene, a doctoral student, both with the Doctoral Program in Urban Education of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York.demonstrate that there are significant economic realities, and existing public policies, that severely curtail the power of education to function as a route out of poverty for poor people."
Sharing Information: A Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Participation in Juvenile Justice Programs
Date CapturedSunday February 18 2007, 9:00 PM
1997.Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. U.S. Department of Education. Family Policy Compliance Office, Shay Bilchik, Administrator. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention The principal authors of this document are: Michael L. Medaris, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Ellen Campbell, Family Policy Compliance Office; Professor Bernard James, J.D., Pepperdine, University School of Law.
Pusillanimous Pace
Date CapturedTuesday January 16 2007, 5:44 AM
NY Post opines, "In any event, if the school were truly committed to freedom of expression, the only 'dialogue' needed would be to convey one simple message: Anyone thinking of disrupting the film or committing violence will face severe repercussions. End of discussion. Officials could have used the occasion to make it absolutely clear that no one at Pace can be barred from showing a film - even if it's not a left-wing film. But that wasn't the goal. (Again, Pace is not unique in this regard. Consider how Columbia University responded to violence there last October that kept the founder of the Minutemen Project - a group favoring tough control of U.S. borders - from speaking. New York is still waiting for meaningful action.)"
New York City Education Department Becomes an Open Book
Date CapturedTuesday January 16 2007, 5:37 AM
NY Post David Andreatta writes, "After four years of landmark changes to the school system, the Department of Education is preparing to turn over mounds of data related to its most radical reforms to independent researchers, The Post has learned. A list of top priorities for the new Research Partnership for New York City Schools includes examining the controversial academy for training principals, empowerment schools, and changes to the high-school admissions process."
Emotions high at hearing over schools' axing
Date CapturedMonday January 15 2007, 3:52 AM
NY Daily News reports, "Each of the targeted schools had a graduation rate below 45% - a statistic that Region 6 Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard called 'unacceptable.' Creating small schools 'is the best way to change the tide and to change it quickly,' he said. Some in the audience agreed, but opposed the decision-making process."
New policy on NCLB testing is flawed
Date CapturedSunday January 14 2007, 7:12 AM
Uticaod.com opines, "It's not wrong to expect the best of every student. But applying a blanket standard to school districts, especially those whose English-speaking and special education populations vary significantly, is like producing a universal windshield and then wondering why it doesn't fit every car."
National standards under review as lawmakers prepare to take up No Child Left Behind law
Date CapturedSaturday January 13 2007, 3:42 PM
AP NANCY ZUCKERBROD reports, "Among educators, there is a concern national standards would become outdated and that changing them would be difficult and bureaucratic. Brenda Dietrich, a superintendent in the Topeka, Kan., area, said she has not formed an opinion on national standards, but does see a logic to them. 'If we're all going to be held to a standard, it certainly would be nice if it were the same standard,' Dietrich said. That is probably going to be the winning argument, says Michael Dannenberg, who directs education policy at the Washington-based New America Foundation, which recently held a forum on national standards. 'My view is that the country is on an inexorable march toward national standards, and the question is not if but when and how,' he said."
SUNY beats deadline by Webcasting meeting
Date CapturedFriday January 12 2007, 5:54 AM
Uticaod.com reports on an executive order to webcast meetings, "'This is an enormous undertaking,' said Gregory Benson, executive director of the New York State Forum at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Other questions include: •Can the Webcasts just be audio, or do they have to be audio and video, which would allow viewers to see who was speaking? •Do they have to comply with state standards for accessibility? If no special provisions were made, a blind person, for example, might not be able in many cases to identify the speaker. As for money, state officials said there is no way of knowing at this time of what the total price tag will be."
SUNY board approves no smoking policy for dorms
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 5:25 PM
AP reports, "The State University of New York's trustees on Thursday adopted a policy to ban smoking from all dormitories as of July 1. The policy will affect the remaining 9 percent of SUNY residence hall beds where smoking is currently permitted, primarily at Stony Brook, Morrisville and Buffalo State, according to a statement issued by the university board."
SUNY trustees to make meetings available on Web
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 9:18 AM
The Business Review (Albany) reports, "'Increasing access to SUNY meetings will better inform the public about how we educate students, strengthen economic development and train New York's work force,' [Chancellor] Ryan said. 'The more the public knows about SUNY, the stronger will be their support for public higher education.'"
Reforming New York’s Property Tax System: A Report on the January 10 Conference sponsored by the Center for Governmental Research, the Fiscal Policy Institute and the Empire Center of NYS Policy
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 8:58 AM
Empirepage editor Peter G. Pollak suggests as a step in the right direction, "Reform the Star Program to impose a cap on school district spending increases with provisions for enrollment increases and capital spent on new buildings."
Property taxes linked to job growth
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 8:52 AM
Times Union reports, "New York's governments and school districts have been hiring people at a rapid clip in recent years, far outpacing population and school enrollment, according to a speaker [Robert Ward, research director at the Public Policy Institute, which is affiliated with the state Business Council] Wednesday at a symposium on property taxes."
Supreme Court hears Washington state teachers' union case
Date CapturedThursday January 11 2007, 4:01 AM
Washington Times reports, "Washington state in 1992 adopted a campaign-finance law that requires labor unions to annually ask members whether part of their union dues could be used for political purposes. Workers then could request a refund if they said no. But last year the state's high court struck down the law, saying that requiring the union to get specific consent from each worker was burdensome and infringed on the union's First Amendment rights."
New Jersey Education board 'plain language' bill is sent to gov
Date CapturedWednesday January 10 2007, 9:23 PM
The Jersey Journal reports, "Under the bill, each local school board would be required to fill out a form provided by the state that spells out budget and salary information in plain language." Additionally, "The law would mandate the details of administrators' pay packages be spelled out in plain language, and would require school boards to hold public hearings before amending the contract of an administrator."
Recruiting rules at schools changed
Date CapturedWednesday January 10 2007, 12:37 PM
AP reports, "In settling a lawsuit brought last year by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the government agreed it will no longer disseminate student information to law enforcement, intelligence and other agencies and will stop collecting student Social Security numbers, the group said in a statement."
Student sues principal for censorship
Date CapturedTuesday January 09 2007, 5:09 AM
Times Union reports, "Such censorship violates due process of law and the equal protection of the law guaranteed him by the First and Fourteenth Amendments, the lawsuit said."
Hamstrung by policies, Buffalo looks for more bright, young teachers
Date CapturedMonday January 08 2007, 10:22 AM
Buffalo News reports, "Rumore [Buffalo Teachers Federation President] said teachers generally give the district lots of lead time before retiring, and he criticized Williams' emphasis on the notification clause. He said teachers are often reluctant to come to Buffalo - or to stay - because of large class sizes, lack of resources and staff to help students with learning, behavioral or emotional difficulties and what he describes as overregimentation of teachers. 'They're taking all the joy out of teaching,' Rumore said. He said the district's residency policy also discourages teaching candidates."
Lift SUNY onto honor roll of American universities
Date CapturedMonday January 08 2007, 6:29 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributor Ed O'Shea, English professor at SUNY Oswego writes, "During his campaign, Gov. Eliot Spitzer expressed two goals for public higher education in New York: Employ more of the state's college graduates in the state. Enhance the quality and reputation of the State University of New York among other large state systems. I believe the two objectives are closely related. While some of the causes of SUNY's comparative malaise are structural and systemic and not easily addressed, others will respond to intelligent public policy initiatives. Here are my suggestions, gleaned from almost 30 years teaching in SUNY:" READ MORE
Admissions Form Stirs Debate at U. of Chicago
Date CapturedSaturday January 06 2007, 3:24 PM
NPR reports, "University of Chicago students are proud of the quirky questions on their school's application. Many are wary of the university's plans to also use an online form accepted by more than 300 schools."
California child care rating system needed
Date CapturedFriday January 05 2007, 9:57 AM
San Francisco Chronicle reports, "California licenses about 58,000 child care facilities serving 1.2 million children, but little information is readily available to parents about their safety and quality of care. To fix the problem, California should adopt a uniform ratings system, the state Legislative Analyst's Office urged in a report released Thursday." Approximately 13 states have detailed ratings systems while 30 others have partial ratings systems.
Online database opens a window for parents to compare schools
Date CapturedThursday January 04 2007, 5:53 AM
USA TODAY Greg Toppo reports, "A website by the National Council on Teacher Quality (www.nctq.org/cb), scheduled to launch today, promises to shine a light on teachers' working conditions. It gathers the minutiae of union collective-bargaining agreements and state policies for the nation's 50 largest school districts into a consumer-friendly database that allows anyone to compare districts. Together, the 50 districts educate 8 million children — about one in six public school children in the USA — and employ nearly half a million teachers."
Union-Endicott school district to show school targeted for work
Date CapturedWednesday January 03 2007, 4:24 AM
Press & Sun-Bulletin reports, "'It's important for the public to get a firsthand look at the school so they can get a feeling of the condition that it's currently in,' said Matt Schroedel, the father of an eighth-grade student at Jennie F. Snapp who chairs the district's facilities committee."
People reconsider posting personal details on public Web sites
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 11:30 PM
AP reports, "The walls of an auditorium were covered with thousands of sheets of paper — printouts from MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and other online sites that were filled with back-stabbing gossip, unflattering images, and details about partying and dating exploits. Each posting was easily accessed online, no password needed. But seeing them on paper — and in some cases, being asked to read them aloud — grabbed the attention of members of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, who gathered earlier this year at a camp outside New York City. That each of the members' pages mentioned their organization in some way only made it that much more embarrassing."
NYSED Update on Limited English Proficient/English Language Learner (LEP/ELL
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 8:09 AM
New York state education Commissioner Mills has issued a field memorandum regarding the Regents and Department's efforts to advocate for change in the federal policy that requires all English language learners (ELLs) who have been in this country for more than one year to take their state's English language arts tests. Even as the Department works to change the U.S. Department of Education's policy, we must follow the law and implement the policy during this coming year. The field memorandum identifies a number of additional steps the Department has undertaken at various levels to help our ELL students.
Discord at Suffolk County, New York funding hearing
Date CapturedTuesday January 02 2007, 5:21 AM
Newsday reports, "The grand jury, she [McCormick, Suffolk district attorney's office] said, called for contracts to be posted on school district Web sites in advance of board votes 'to make the information more easily accessible to the public - not to force them to go through a FOI request when to just get through your day, you might not have the time. '"
Iowa school turn to parents
Date CapturedMonday January 01 2007, 9:25 AM
The Quad-City Times reports, "The Davenport district has started in the past year to use Epstein’s model of parental involvement, called “Building Successful Partnerships,” to strengthen ties with parents. That comes after parents told district officials two years ago they wanted more ways to communicate with schools and be involved in the education of their children, said Karen Farley, a spokeswoman for the district."
Paterson New Jersey schools may be monitored
Date CapturedSaturday December 30 2006, 8:19 AM
NorthJersey.com reports, "Other findings in the audit include incomplete or outdated personnel and special education student files, missing receipts in student activity money and a need for enhanced computer technology security measures."
Glut of e-mails, documents muddy efforts to review Lansing construction plan
Date CapturedFriday December 29 2006, 5:47 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "In July, David Dubin made his first request using the state Freedom of Information Law for information on the Lansing Central School's construction plans. By year's end, he has filed a third request, an exercise in citizen persistence that can be required when using the state's records access law. So far Dubin has received 120 e-mails, 50 attachments on the school district's project, but after five months, he still hasn't received the information he believes belongs to the public and is necessary to determining the future of the Lansing Central School District facilities."
School tax relief is good, but rest of record is sketchy
Date CapturedFriday December 29 2006, 4:56 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal contributor Edward McCormick, member of the Arlington school board, chairman of the New York State Educational Conference Board and a member of the Dutchess County BOCES board writes, "The enactment of the School Tax Relief (STAR) program was the governor’s most creative and largest statewide accomplishment that affects public schools. STAR now exceeds $3 billion in school tax relief. While not intended to increase school funding, STAR contributed to a period (1998-2001) of unprecedented success for school budget passage at the polls. Three years of record school aid increases, a booming economy, plummeting pension costs and initiation of the statewide voting day helped also. While advantageous to the passage of schools budgets, STAR missed an opportunity for education policy reform."
Scanners may check school students', visitors' IDs
Date CapturedFriday December 29 2006, 4:52 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "They've added security cameras. They've given students identification cards. Wappingers, Dutchess County's largest school district, now is considering heightened security for visitors who come into John Jay and Roy C. Ketcham high schools."
Mount Vernon school board considering uniforms for students
Date CapturedThursday December 28 2006, 6:00 AM
The Journal News reports, "The proposed policy is the latest in a series of changes by the new principal, Stephen Jackson, in an effort to turn around the troubled high school. The school has a new computerized security system that requires students to swipe identification cards to enter the building or the school cafeteria. Jackson has also implemented tougher penalties for breaking school rules and has overseen the creation of a ninth-grade academy for incoming students. Jackson said the uniform policy would reduce discipline problems and make it easier for school staff to spot intruders."
Citizen group to aid budget process
Date CapturedThursday December 28 2006, 4:55 AM
Poughkeepsie Journal reports, "The Rhinebeck town board is crafting and approving a charter for the citizens group. One of the group's roles will be to observe school officials as they craft the budget each year and provide input."
Cyber schools: High costs, low scores
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 2:09 PM
The York Dispatch reports, "Hoover [PA Distance Learning Charter School CEO] said that in addition to students who are looking to escape from violence at school, cybers offer a refuge to students who are pregnant, those who need to work full-time jobs and need flexibility, and those who are bullied or have learning problems. Hoover said the cyber school administrators are able to monitor the number of hours students are logging. Parents log the hours their child spends working in a textbook in order to make sure the child meets the state's criterion to be educated 180 days per school year. He said the Department of Education closely monitors the cyber schools. 'We are probably held to a higher standard than even the public schools,' he said."
Truancy can spell trouble for Colorado parents
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 10:52 AM
Cortez Journal reports, "'Parents may be surprised to hear that if they do not support their children in their education and their children account for too many unverified absences, the parents could face hefty fines and could go to jail. 'Truant' is defined by Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary as 'one who avoids doing work or fulfilling a duty, especially one who is absent from school without permission.' Under this definition and the No Child Left Behind Act signed by President Bush in 2002, which calls for every child not only to be enrolled in school but also to pass achievement tests, truant would include not only students who do not attend school, but also those who don't complete their schoolwork and receive below-average grades."
A Vast E-Wasteland: Are Your Digital Secrets for Sale Overseas?
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 9:15 AM
Red-Orbit reports, "Computer files on these American high school students are private and revealing. Some of the students have learning disabilities. Many scored low on tests. One suffered a brain injury as a child, and another ran with gangs, according to California school records that include names, birth dates and family details. More computer files, these from an elementary school in Virginia, contain what a security expert called 'the Holy Grail' for identity thieves seeking to score: teachers' Social Security numbers, addresses and phone numbers. All of this sensitive information was discovered in an unlikely place: on discarded computers for sale in Nigeria, a cyber-crime capital of the world."
Immigrant Children Shielded From State Tests, but for Whose Protection?
Date CapturedWednesday December 27 2006, 3:37 AM
NY Times reports, "Like Mr. Noguera [professor of sociology at Steinhardt School of Education at New York University], Diane Ravitch, the education historian, says she thinks testing students after one year may not be a bad idea, but is concerned about how the scores are used. Comparing this year’s Port Chester fourth graders with last year’s based on the upcoming test will put this year’s students and the schools needlessly to shame because last year’s classes did not have many immigrant children tested. But comparing how well students do this school year with how those same students do a year later, Ms. Ravitch said, would provide a telling reflection of the school’s progress. The federal government has started a pilot program in such so-called “growth model” comparisons in Tennessee and North Carolina. What many experts seem to agree on is that No Child Left Behind testing policy lacks a fine enough filter for the nuances of immigrant education."
Gender pay gap no longer narrowing
Date CapturedTuesday December 26 2006, 11:00 AM
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE reports, "Last year, college-educated women between 36 and 45 years old, for example, earned 74.7 cents for every dollar that men in the same group did, according to Labor Department data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute. A decade earlier, the women earned 75.7 cents."
Degrees of caution attract a growing crowd
Date CapturedTuesday December 26 2006, 8:47 AM
STAR-TELEGRAM reports, "Since 9-11, many colleges have offered more classes and degree options for students who want to specialize in defense and emergency management. The Homeland Security Department spends millions of dollars a year on university grants to help with research and to train students."
"Alternative" Charter School Authorizers: Playing a Vital Role in the Charter Movement
Date CapturedTuesday December 26 2006, 8:06 AM
This Progressive Policy Institute paper by Louann Bierlein Palmer assesses the quality of alternative charter authorizers including independent state-level charter boards, higher education institutions, municipal offices and nonprofit groups. Palmer determines that the best authorizers share three traits: 1. They desire their jobs as authorizers; 2. They are relatively insulated from politics; and 3. They have the ability to create the adequate infrastructure necessary to achieve high quality outcomes.
MySpace users big targets for ID theives
Date CapturedMonday December 25 2006, 6:18 PM
AP reports, "MySpace also is preparing to launch a more aggressive education campaign, urging users to take care and use tools that restrict the viewing of their profiles to only trusted sources."
Cornell to develop guide for copyrighted material
Date CapturedMonday December 25 2006, 6:18 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "AAP contends that 'fair use' applies to electronic materials in the same way it applies to printed materials. Courts have yet to rule on how 'fair use' relates to materials being made available to students electronically. Cornell's new guidelines treat electronic presentations similar to printed materials."
Combining resources
Date CapturedMonday December 25 2006, 6:14 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle writes, "The new Web site, www.biz2edu.com, will heighten the schools' [Monroe County] visibility, making it easier for prospective students and businesses to see and assess the region's wide range of high-caliber colleges and universities."
Seeking $1 Million a Day, N.Y.U. Mines Personal Data for a Fund-Raising Edge
Date CapturedMonday December 25 2006, 3:28 AM
NY Times reports, "The research process starts in N.Y.U.’s development office, a warren of cubicles where a full-time staff of 98 people and 38 interns scour for 'prospects.' The yearly budget for the fund-raising enterprise is $26 million. Each day, Lekha Menon, the director of prospect management and research at N.Y.U., and four staff members pore over more than a dozen newspapers and electronic news and data sources, looking for names of alumni, parents of alumni or parents of students. They also look for notable donations to other causes, promotions, appointments to corporate boards and records of securities transactions."
Youth shelter planned
Date CapturedSunday December 24 2006, 12:34 PM
Baltimore Sun reports, "Currently, Restoration Gardens is targeted for those between the ages of 18 and 24 who have no place to live. Some could be 18-year-olds who have outgrown the foster care system and must leave their families or group homes, while others might have parents who are in prison or who have abandoned them. They might be moving from one family member to another or be couch-surfing, a term used to describe people who stay with one friend one night and move on the next. Leitch said the group hopes to take some 16- and 17-year-olds, but a number of policy issues have to be worked out. Under state law, educators, social workers and others who work with teenagers are required to report any minor without a home to the Department of Social Services."
Perils of online grading
Date CapturedSunday December 24 2006, 9:19 AM
Boston Globe contributor Ron Fletcher, English teacher at Boston College High talks about online use and education, "The school has been pushing teachers to do more online through our website such as taking attendance, posting assignments and syllabi, and issuing progress reports and report cards, which students and parents can access."
Web Site Allows Students to Rate Professors
Date CapturedSaturday December 23 2006, 8:53 AM
NPR reports, "A popular Web site allows college students to go online and praise or criticize them. And therein lies the rub: Critics say there's no way of knowing who's posting such comments."
Web site offers stats on impact of colleges
Date CapturedFriday December 22 2006, 6:12 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "A new effort among the area's colleges and local government to rev up the area's sputtering economy has its first concrete result — www.biz2edu.com. The Web site houses a farrago of information regarding the area colleges and how they can serve the business community."
Parents up-in-arms after school tests positive for lead
Date CapturedThursday December 21 2006, 7:35 AM
News 10 reports, "School and health officials[in Marathon, NY] say the levels aren't high enough to cause health problems. But, some samples had high enough levels that Appleby had to take action. All drinking fountains have been replaced with water coolers and taps are being flushed on a daily basis. After learning school officials have known about the problem for years, parents are upset they weren't told earlier."
Ithaca Central School District report shows shortfalls in minority staff, AP participation
Date CapturedThursday December 21 2006, 7:26 AM
Ithaca Journal reports, "Diversity among faculty continues to be a struggle for the district. Of the 18 confidential or managerial positions, none are held by minorities. In 2005, only six percent of the district's teachers were minority, while 28 percent of the students the district educated were African-American, Latino, Native American or Asian. District Superintendent Judith Pastel said the district will be trying new ways to let a more diverse pool of people know openings exist in the area. 'For the first time we are going to use radio to advertise open positions,' she said. Beginning next year, the district will advertise on Power 106.9-FM, an urban radio station in Syracuse. The report card will be released every fall, the officials said."
Facing $3M in penalties, New Jersey schools send student data
Date CapturedWednesday December 20 2006, 5:27 PM
Independent Press reports, "The student information, which is required from all school districts, will allow the state to assign each student an identification number to track the academic performance of individual students as they progress through the public school system. In the past, the state could track only the performance of groups of children, and could compare only how different classes of children performed as they took the same standardized tests at each grade level. The data required by the state ranges from routine directory information, such as a student's name, gender, grade level and school assignment, to more sensitive information such as ethnicity, place of birth, special education requirements and any disciplinary history. Additional information requested on a voluntary basis includes each student's insurance provider and date of last medical exam."
Education Study: Remake the Public Schools
Date CapturedWednesday December 20 2006, 8:26 AM
NPR interview, "New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce recommends a major overhaul of U.S. public schools. Commission member Harry Spence, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, and Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, discuss the report."
Helping Rochester Student Athletes Stay in School and Sports
Date CapturedTuesday December 19 2006, 11:46 AM
13WHAM-TV reports, "Under current policy, a student who gets an 'F' can be kicked off a team, even with an 'A' in every other class. Athletes on probation are sent to study halls. Under the new plan, athletes on probation would instead receive specific tutoring on the subject they're struggling with. Their teachers and coaches would put together a progress report every week. Instead of getting kicked off the team, poor performers would be removed for one week at a time." The entire school board will be given the chance to debate and vote on the issue.
New Jersey school funding formula stirs criticism before it's even public
Date CapturedTuesday December 19 2006, 8:54 AM
The Star-Ledger reports, "The biggest money would be to districts bordering the Abbott cities, many of which face the same is sues of poverty as their urban neighbors but have not seen any additional aid for the last several years."
Audit: Long Island residents not told of total tax hike
Date CapturedTuesday December 19 2006, 5:19 AM
Newsday reports, "Auditors found that the district had all the information to calculate an estimated tax increase but chose not to. It found that the district provided this information in all previous years examined by auditors - 2001-2002 through 2004-2005 - even though it had faced similar uncertainties. The district [Center Moriches], in a prepared statement, said that while it disputed the report's contention that it deliberately misled voters, it accepted its conclusions."
Jeb Bush leaving a tumultuous mark on Florida's schools
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 6:35 PM
"AP reports, "Others now are measuring the governor's education performance as he prepares to leave Tallahassee. There's little consensus but even his critics concede Bush put a laser focus on education in Florida like never before. 'I really believe he has a sincere desire to help kids who are in schools that are not performing at the level they should be,'' said Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association. `'You've got to give the guy credit for that. He did something that we've neglected in this state for far too long.' The union leader, though, faulted the governor for expanding private school vouchers instead of adopting proven solutions and for fighting against class-size reduction by claiming it was too expensive while still cutting taxes. The governor also missed opportunities to improve schools because he refused to include the union in policy decisions, Ford said."
Lots of buzz over student drug testing
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 10:41 AM
The Monitor reports, "Districts and government advocates argue that drug testing provides them with a relatively easy and inexpensive way to identity students who need help. They cite studies showing that drug use hurts academic achievement and mental health. But as they craft their testing programs, schools tread a fine line, subject to legal challenges from students, parents and civil rights organizations who maintain that drug testing constitutes an invasion of privacy. The Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that schools may test students involved in competitive extracurricular activities, but it is less clear whether other kinds of testing, such as that of students who drive to school, is constitutional."
Citizens can help decide who'll lead Rochester City School District
Date CapturedMonday December 18 2006, 6:15 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle contributors Malik Evans, school board vice president and search committee chairman and Brennan and Elliott, school board and search committee members invite Rochester residents to respond to survey about a new schools superintendent, "We plan to use a written survey, community forums and personal contact to ensure that all who want a voice in this process are heard. Close to 20,000 paper surveys will be distributed this month through the mail and by hand delivery to public libraries, community and recreation centers, public service agencies and the faith community. In addition, the survey will also be available by going to www.rcsdk12.org and following the link there."
Some teen dropouts fell through the cracks
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 4:46 PM
Bonita Daily News reports, "The state and the district both closely track high school students, and the proportions in which they graduate. And that's just it. No one, it seems, is looking for dropouts in the middle schools. During the last academic year, four seventh-graders and 18 eighth-graders in Lee County [Florida] left school at age 16, intending never to come back and finish their education. Two more gave up on going to traditional high school and went to GED classes instead."
Resources for Florida parents
Date CapturedSunday December 17 2006, 10:20 AM
Sun-Sentinel reports, "Florida's Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services provides resources for parents of teens with particular challenges that complicate the pressures of adolescence. Go to www.firn.edu/doe/commhome/ese-home.htm or call 800-245-0475."
Negotiations Are Signaled on Phone Ban in City Schools
Date CapturedSaturday December 16 2006, 8:41 AM
NY Times ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS reports, "David Cantor, a spokesman for Chancellor Joel I. Klein, said yesterday that the school system stood by the cellphone ban. But the Department of Education said earlier this week that it was considering whether to hire a private vendor to store students’ cellphones in small lockers outside schools for a fee of 25 to 50 cents a day."
Connecticut lawmakers want to investigate licensing policy of school bus drivers
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 9:30 AM
AP reports, "On Thursday, The Hartford Courant reported that about 100 convicted felons are licensed to drive school buses and 900 more have motor vehicle violations."
Board to consider policy for student sex offenders
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 9:24 AM
Leavenworth Times (Kansas) reports, "The superintendent said he believes board members will look at a separate policy that addresses the student issue after they’re done with the piece dealing with adult registered sex offenders. Aytes confirmed there is one student attending Leavenworth High School who appears on a state registry of sexual offenders. For now, this student is able to attend classes. Aytes said the student is prohibited from participating and attending other school activities."
Committee to monitor district's $100M plan
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 4:43 AM
UticaOD.com reports the committee will be responsible for, "•Determining and prioritizing the district's needs. •Ensuring appropriate public input is sought. •Seeking other community members with backgrounds in education, finance, construction, engineering and other areas, who will contribute to the building plan and the project's execution. •Providing advice and oversight to ensure the project is executed in a timely and professional manner."
Expert Panel Proposes Far-Reaching Redesign of the American Education System
Date CapturedFriday December 15 2006, 3:30 AM
NY Times David M. HERSZENHORN reports, "The commission’s work was quickly hailed by some as a potentially groundbreaking document. 'This report has the potential to change the debate on education at the national level,' said Jack Jennings, the president of the Center on Education Policy, who is a Democrat and prominent expert on the federal education law. The national teachers’ unions were apprehensive. Antonia Cortese, executive vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the proposals included 'some seriously flawed ideas with faddish allure that won’t produce better academic results.' Reg Weaver, the president of the National Education Association, urged 'caution in calling for drastic changes.'”
North Carolina will study tutoring companies
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 9:33 AM
News-Record reports, "The N.C. Department of Public Instruction hopes to have some answers next year. In October, the department hired the Center for Research in Education Policy at the University of Memphis to start evaluating about 50 tutoring companies that work with schools that have repeatedly failed to meet federal testing measures. The contract, at a cost of almost $94,000, ends in fall 2007. Although the state approves tutoring providers, it has not evaluated their work as required by the 5-year-old No Child Left Behind Act."
New Jersey student database raises concerns
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 8:57 AM
The Reporter writes, "'It is quite clear that New Jersey has not built in any legal safeguards for the data,' [Joel Reidenberg, professor of law and director of the Center on Law and Information Policy at Fordham University] he said, noting that under current federal law, schools must preserve their students' privacy in certain ways, including a date for deletion, or risk losing their federal funding. There is no information about how long the state will keep the data. 'That means it becomes a statewide adult database as soon as the kids turn 18,' he said. The state has also said that third parties can view the data with permission, but not about what third parties those will be, he said, speculating that one of them will be the state Department of Health and Senior Services, given the health questions in the voluntary data set. One organization has already received federal funding to study the information in data warehouses similar to New Jersey's database, he said."
New York City Weighs Slight Amendment To School Cell Phone Ban
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 7:57 AM
NY1 reports, "The city said Wednesday that it is considering plans to allow students to bring their cell phones to school as long as they lock them up in coin-operated lockers for a charge of between 25 and 50 cents."
What do you think of New York City Department of Education's school cell phone plan?
Date CapturedThursday December 14 2006, 7:54 AM
NY1 Snap Poll: What do you think of the Department of Education's school cell phone plan? VOTE HERE!
Villanova Heads Most-Wired College List
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 5:50 PM
AP reports, "At Villanova, first-year students are given laptops -- and replacements after their sophomore year. Nursing students get personal digital assistants, and engineers get tablet PCs. Over the Internet, students can register for classes, download lectures, take exams and get grades. Tech-support calls are guaranteed a response within 24 hours." MIT placed second and Indiana number three.
Alabama student drivers to be drug tested
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 8:53 AM
Cullman Times reports, "According to the policy, any 'activity student,' which is any student of any middle school or high school who participates in school-sponsored extracurricular activities or who drives to school, may be tested for drugs."
Saugerties school board deals with attendance, communications
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 5:54 AM
Daily Freeman reports, "Failing students due to poor attendance is 'an empty exercise,' [high school prinicipal]Price said. Dropping the minimum attendance requirement and implementing a phone system that automatically calls each student's home every time they are absent has helped Saugerties crack down on attendance problems, Price said."
School bus losses feared
Date CapturedWednesday December 13 2006, 5:00 AM
NY Daily News reports, "The plans, which would eliminate 250 student bus routes throughout the five boroughs, would hit Queens particularly hard because thousands of immigrant and low-income families there rely on the free transportation, state Sen. John Sabini said."
UCLA Probes Computer Security Breach
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 11:01 AM
AP reports, "The University of California, Los Angeles alerted about 800,000 current and former students, faculty and staff on Tuesday that their names and certain personal information were exposed after a hacker broke into a campus computer system. It was one of the largest such breaches involving a U.S. higher education institution."
NCES Kids Zone
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 8:39 AM
The NCES Students’ Classroom has been redesigned and renamed as the KidsZone. You'll still have the same tools to help you find schools, libraries, or colleges and the Create a Graph is still just a click away. You can find updated information on education or compare where you stack up to students from across the globe.
School fights pornographic Web site
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 5:47 AM
The Post-Standard reports, "Central Square school officials are trying to shut down a pornographic Web site that uses the district's name."
Sucker Punch
Date CapturedTuesday December 12 2006, 5:11 AM
NY Post Op-Ed contributor Peter Murphy, director of policy for the New York Charter Schools Association writes, "Why is NYSUT so eager to squash the expansion of charters, even to the point of embarrassing itself with this political 'hit' masquerading as a study? Because it can't abide more competition from successful, accountable charter schools that work with less money but are free from union mandates like tenure and dictionary-length labor contracts. Thus the union has used all its political muscle to stack the deck against reform, ever since public charter schools were first proposed in New York in the mid '90s. It's shameful to see this powerful statewide organization denigrate the achievements of so many children, teachers and administrators in New York's charter schools. State legislators, who often portray themselves as standing up for the proverbial 'little guy,' should see NYSUT's bullying tactics for what they are - and do the right thing this week by allowing for more public charter schools."
University of the State of New York, P-16 Education: A Plan For Action
Date CapturedMonday December 11 2006, 1:53 PM
We will confront the data, share it broadly, and use it to define as precisely as possible where resources and energy should be applied. We will recognize the achievements and also declare the problems as clearly as we can. We will engage everyone by listening to the people the education system is supposed to serve, to parents, to educators at every level, to the employers, and to the elected officials who must weigh enormous competing demands for scarce resources. In particular, we will engage students and their parents, and the wider community because educational institutions do not belong to the educators but to the people. We will create a communications plan to listen to, inform, and involve people statewide. We will define measurable objectives so that others can hold us accountable, and we can hold education leaders accountable for improving results. We will study the practices of high performing education systems, states and nations, and adapt the best to New York’s situation. We will examine what actions are most effective, and invite others to learn with us. We will take action focused on systematic change to effect sustained improvement. We know, for example, that closing the achievement gap for students requires correcting the unequal distribution of teaching talent. And we know that in demanding change in educational institutions to achieve better results, we must also build capacity in our own State Education Department to take on its part of this improvement strategy. We will continually renew the alignment of our actions to ensure coherence and effectiveness. For example, academic standards, curriculum, assessment, and instructional practice have to be aligned to be effective. When one element changes, all other elements must be examined to ensure that the system remains effective. We will strengthen USNY, because it has great potential to build more effective transitions for students from one level of the system to the next. We will advocate for State and federal financial resources and legislative actions that will help achieve better educational outcomes. And we will be accountable for the effective use of those resources.
Additional data helps student tracking system
Date CapturedMonday December 11 2006, 8:58 AM
Gloucester County Times (New Jersey) reports, "The purpose of the information, [Education Commissioner] Davy stated in the letter, is to create a unique student identification number that will be used for tracking progress of students. H. Mark Stanwood, Gloucester County superintendent of schools, said the tracking of students will benefit all districts, particularly ones with high student mobility. 'The primary benefit is so we can track student performance even as they change school districts,' Stanwood said. 'Right now we don't have an effective or efficient way to do that.'" 'Some parents feel uneasy giving all that information to the school district,' Borelli said."
Input sought for new Rochester schools chief
Date CapturedFriday December 08 2006, 6:47 PM
Rochester Business Journal reports, "The board will hold public forums at 6 p.m. Jan. 3 and 11 in different areas of the city. Locations are not final. Meanwhile, roughly 20,000 copies of a two-page survey will be sent to parents, community members and school district employees. The survey asks respondents to rate the importance of several characteristics. It will also be available online at the board’s Web site, www.rcsdk12.org/BOE/index.htm, and copies will be distributed to public libraries, community centers, recreation centers, public service agencies and churches. The survey will be available in English and Spanish."
Nassau Community College to pay for credit monitoring
Date CapturedThursday December 07 2006, 4:59 AM
Newsday reports, "The trustees' action comes after the personal information of all of the college's 21,000-plus students, contained in a bound computer printout, was reported missing from a worker's desk Nov. 28. Nassau County police are investigating. Third Squad detectives 'have begun interviewing' college employees, said Det. Lt. Raymond Cote."
The Charter State Option: Charting a Course Toward Federalism in Education
Date CapturedWednesday December 06 2006, 5:40 PM
Dan Lips, Education Analyst, Evan Feinberg, Research Assistant in Domestic Policy Studies, and Jennifer A. Marshall, Director of Domestic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation conclude, "Beginning in 2007, policymakers should steer a course toward restoring state control of education by enacting a charter state option. Congress should allow all states to enter into an alternative contrac­tual arrangement with the federal government in which they would be freed from federal program mandates while taking responsibility for results. Such federalism would create an environment in which promising state and local education strate­gies can flourish."
Connecticut Report: Add new preschool seats, bolster teaching skills
Date CapturedWednesday December 06 2006, 4:42 PM
AP reports, "The report advises better outreach to poor families without access to good early childhood education programs, and to others that might not understand the value of preschool. It also calls for more equitable funding for programs that currently receive state reimbursement, more support for school readiness councils in local communities, and better tracking of how children perform during and after preschool to ensure that programs are effective."
Personal info disappears from Nassau Community College
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 2:18 PM
Newsday reports, "The list contained students' names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, and phone numbers, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County Police spokesman. He said the college informed the police Nov. 28 about the missing computer list. The incident is being investigated by the Third Squad, Repalone said. Tuggle said the college also notified the Long Island offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security. Representatives of those agencies could not be immediately reached."
Online learning demand outgrowing supply at Empire State College, ACC
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 1:29 PM
Post-Star reports, "The Sloan study showed that 38 percent of chief academic officers found that online courses presented several barriers, including more time and effort to prepare the courses, students needing more self-discipline to succeed, and faculty often aren't convinced online learning is worthwhile."
Amendments to Commissioner's Regulations 120.4 regarding Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 9:56 AM
The New York State Education Department invites you to comment on proposed amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations 120.4 regarding Supplemental Educational Services which have been filed with the Department of State for publication in the State Register on December 6, 2006. The amendments, in their entirety, are available for your review here.
'Resegregation' of Metro schools cited at high court
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 8:50 AM
The Tennessean reports, "Smrekar [associate professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt University] said Metro Nashville's schools have become drastically unbalanced since the race-based requirements were abandoned. Metro Nashville has about 72,000 students, 37.8 percent of which are white, 46.5 percent black, 12.1 Hispanic, 3.4 percent Asian and less than 1 percent Native American or Pacific Islander. 'Nashville has more single-race schools in the district because they have removed race as an element in assigning students,' she said. 'Without a race-conscious policy, you get resegregation.' Since the end of desegregation, the district is home not only to more single-race schools, but also to more schools with a high poverty rate. And with a high poverty rate comes inequality, Smrekar said."
Can calculators help Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS)?
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 8:45 AM
East Valley Tribune reports, "Educators and parents pleaded with the state [Arizona] Board of Education on Monday to let students use calculators on the high-stakes AIMS test. But state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says use of the instruments could cause hundreds of Arizona schools to fail the No Child Left Behind law because federal officials won’t allow calculators to be used on state exams. Not everyone in the standingroom-only crowd agreed, however, with some East Valley educators saying Horne and the state board need to take responsibility for helping children succeed on the math test."
Systems Struggling to Address Student Health
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 8:26 AM
Washington Post reports, "Leonard Turkel couldn't believe his ears when he learned what happened to the results of eye screenings of thousands of Miami-Dade County public school students. Although the tests are mandated by the state, the businessman-turned-philanthropist discovered that nobody was actually using the scores to ensure that kids could see the blackboard in class."
School safety: ICSD security upgrades necessary
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 7:49 AM
Ithaca Journal opines, "The ICSD Board of Education is currently weighing whether to invest $500,000 in a new security system that incorporates a key card access system and cameras. The money would come in the bond referendum the BOE is deciding to bring before voters early next year. It is still too early to tell whether each component on the district's wish list is worth the money needed to pay for a new security system. But the events of Nov. 13 should give everyone in the district something to think about when deciding what should and should not be approved. Perhaps our old system of locking doors just isn't working."
Schools track students with online tool
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 5:31 AM
Times Union reports, "Shenendehowa plans to open the system's parent portal by next fall, which would provide parents access to some of their student's academic information through the Internet. The district is discussing what should be accessible to parents, but teachers will retain control over what part of their electronic grade book will be permitted viewing, according to district officials. Shenendehowa staff now records attendance electronically. Teachers have home access to the system, which makes grading at home easier, said Koopman, who teaches social studies, science and reading."
Pod-class aids learning
Date CapturedTuesday December 05 2006, 5:10 AM
NY Daily News reports, "A new program at Lehman College is making it easier to learn what faculty members have been up to by putting some of their research online in podcast form. The college describes the project, which began as a CUNY-wide initiative, as an opportunity to showcase prominent Lehman faculty, as well as their involvement in important research."
New York State Education Department
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 2:23 PM
From the Desk of Jean C. Stevens, Interim Deputy Commissioner December 1, 2006.
Small Schools Exclude Many Immigrants
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 8:37 AM
Gotham Gazette reports, "It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to allow a small school to exclude English-language learners (and special education students) during its first two years of operation. This is permitted, according to the department, so that the schools can build up the necessary infrastructure to provide the instructional services these students require. But, as it turns out, many of the older small schools still do not offer programs for these students, according to a new report issued by The New York Immigration Coalition (the organization for which we work), Advocates for Children, and seven immigrant community-based organizations."
Migrants learn to help their kids
Date CapturedMonday December 04 2006, 8:15 AM
Arizona Republic reports, "Parent Institute for Quality Education, or PIQE, is a nine-week course that teaches mostly Spanish-speaking immigrant parents how the state's public school system works and how to advocate for their child's education. The California-based program claims success with hundreds of thousands of parents and their children."
College Libraries Vie for Student Traffic
Date CapturedSunday December 03 2006, 2:52 PM
NPR interview: "Many college libraries are working hard to attract young scholars to facilities that no longer serve as a gathering place. In-room Internet access is a major competitor. The head of libraries for the University of Massachusetts, Jay Schaefer, tells Scott Simon about the changes at his library's W.E.B. DuBois building."
Putting schools and heads together
Date CapturedSunday December 03 2006, 2:38 PM
Buffalo News reports, "Over the next three weeks, city residents are being given the opportunity to look at proposals the Niagara Falls School Board is considering to consolidate schools. While they learn about the plans, they also will be asked to share ideas that might improve upon them."
interesting info policy -- rochester -- fiber optic, connectivity
Date CapturedSunday December 03 2006, 8:15 AM
Tracking Teachers
Date CapturedSunday December 03 2006, 8:08 AM
NY Times op-ed contributor RICHARD DE LISI, dean of the graduate school of education at Rutgers University writes, "What New Jersey needs next is research to determine what aspects of teacher preparation are most important and whether one approach is more effective than another at promoting student achievement. Unfortunately, a key tool that would make this research possible is missing here: a database that tracks both student and teacher information from prekindergarten to 12th grade. Several states have developed strong database systems. But here, concerns about cost and privacy have kept us from creating one. These concerns are serious. But other states, sometimes through trial and error, have overcome them, and we can learn and benefit from their experiences."
Now Class Must Tackle Cheating at Columbia
Date CapturedSunday December 03 2006, 7:57 AM
NY Times KAREN W. ARENSON writes, "As Columbia University continues to grapple with allegations of cheating on a final exam in a journalism ethics course, students have been assigned to write an essay on an issue that parallels the one faced by their own professors. The topic: What should a newspaper’s executive editor do after receiving 'a tip from a credible source that one or more unspecified articles in recent editions of the newspaper contain fabricated material'?"
NEA stands against real reform to help students
Date CapturedSaturday December 02 2006, 9:04 AM
Chicago Sun-Times contributor David White, adjunct scholar at the Lexington Institute, a public policy research organization based in Arlington, Va. writes, "The number of high school dropouts is reaching crisis proportions. Today, nearly half of all blacks and Latinos fail to graduate. Dropouts earn about $260,000 less over the course of their lives. They're 72 percent more likely to be unemployed. Among prisoners, 80 percent don't have a high school degree. The National Education Association just issued a much-ballyhooed 12-point plan to eradicate this problem. But don't hold your breath. The misguided plan is more about shifting resources to the NEA's power base than doing what it takes to ensure that more students will finish school."
Study says localities curb ed reform
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 8:52 AM
The Boston Globe reports, "Under the No Child Left Behind law, schools that fail to meet minimum testing standards for two consecutive years must let students transfer to a different school in the district, then pay for tutoring in the third year. Schools eventually could face the removal of their leaders. Several of the studies mentioned the low rate of parents accepting the transfers or tutoring, in part because many schools don't tally their test results until the subsequent school year."
Roane County Tennessee: Board considers amending attendance policy
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 8:48 AM
Roane County News reports, "If a student accumulates 10 unexcused absences over two consecutive semesters, the school system will file a petition against them in juvenile court. Another change in the policy allows one unexcused absence when a student's parent is deployed for military service or returns from a tour of duty."
California poll finds support for posting public schools' data on the Web
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 8:26 AM
LA Times reports, "[Gov.]Schwarzenegger wants large amounts of data — from enrollment numbers and school test scores to reports on the quality of textbooks and individual school budgets — to be posted online in a user-friendly way."
Philadelphia parents get mass truancy warning
Date CapturedFriday December 01 2006, 8:17 AM
Philadelphia Daily News reports, "Letters telling parents it is their duty to make their children attend school - and warning that failure to do so could result in fines or jail time - went to thousands of homes of children ages 12 to 14. Some protested, saying they couldn't make their kids go to school. Others complained that they had sent letters giving legitimate reasons for absences and been summoned unfairly." Children and parents were asked to sign a "Family School Attendance Agreement."
Secret Program Target Of Suit
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 1:42 PM
The Hartford Courant reports, "Students at Yale Law School are suing the federal government to learn more about Operation Front Line, a secretive program that is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security and gathers information on immigrants."
"A profound national crisis in higher education"
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 1:10 PM
NRO contributor George Leef, director of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy writes, "The fact that employing adjunct faculty helps significantly in keeping down the cost of going to college barely appears at all in this discussion."
Parents claim Newark district violates federal school law
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 1:05 PM
AP Jeffrey Gold reports, "Parents of Newark public school students are asking a federal judge to force New Jersey's largest school district to comply with a law aimed at offering children educational help, including the chance to switch schools. Under the No Child Left Behind law, children in failing schools are entitled to free tutoring and the right to transfer to other schools, but Newark has denied those rights, the parents charged in a lawsuit announced Thursday. The lawsuit asserted that more than 30,000 of the district's 43,000 students are in failing schools."
Secretary Spellings Delivered Remarks at Federal Student Aid Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 9:17 AM
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today delivered remarks to some 3300 participants attending the 2006 Federal Student Aid (FSA) conference in Las Vegas. Attendees included financial aid officers and other officials of more than 2000 colleges and postsecondary institutions, as well as representatives of the lending industry, guaranty agencies, non-profit organizations, higher education associations, and software developers. Spellings says, "But more must be done to simplify student access to aid, to notify students of eligibility early, to target resources to the neediest students, and to minimize the risk of tuition inflation. As policymakers and legislators begin to look at this issue, we must make sure that we're offering long-term solutions that fix the system's underlying problems... without ultimately increasing the cost of higher education."
Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2005
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 8:55 AM
"This [NCES] report presents 11 years of data from 1994 to 2005 (no survey was conducted in 2004) on Internet access in U.S. public schools by school characteristics. It provides trend analysis on the percent of public schools and instructional rooms with Internet access and on the ratio of students to instructional computers with Internet access. The report contains data on the types of Internet connections, technologies and procedures used to prevent student access to inappropriate material on the Internet, and the availability of hand-held and laptop computers to students and teachers. It also provides information on teacher professional development on how to integrate the use of the Internet into the curriculum, and the use of the Internet to provide opportunities and information for teaching and learning." Wells, J., and Lewis, L. (2006). Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994–2005 (NCES 2007-020). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 7:59 AM
Columbia Teachers College Bruce Baker, associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Kansas and Michael A. Rebell, executive director of the Campaign for Educational Equity and a professor of law and educational practice at Teachers College, Columbia University write, "Having both worked diligently for years to rectify inequities in education finance systems, we are concerned that the particular silver bullet emphasized in the Fordham report- 'an approach known as "weighted student funding"- 'would, if enacted as proposed, be more harmful than helpful to children's interests."
For $150, Third-World Laptop Stirs a Big Debate
Date CapturedThursday November 30 2006, 7:15 AM
NY Times reports, ""Five countries — Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria and Thailand — have made tentative commitments to put the computers into the hands of millions of students, with production in Taiwan expected to begin by mid-2007. "
Montana school officials defend new student ID numbers
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 9:22 AM
Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports, "Every [Montana] student will get a unique nine-digit number, so that their achievement on statewide reading and math tests can be tracked, and those results can be broken down by gender, race or ethnicity, and whether the student is low-income and qualifies for free and reduced-cost lunches. Special education, limited English and migrant status will also be recorded. That should make it easier for OPI to report on students' progress, information sought both by the Montana Legislature and by the federal government, under the No Child Left Behind Act. Quinlan said it should help schools figure out, for example, if a new reading program is working, how well low-income American Indian fourth-graders are performing, and better track graduation and dropout rates. School officials are still subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects the privacy of student records, Quinlan said."
As it collects student data, New Jersey wades past resistance
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 9:13 AM
Star-Ledger reports, "The new system would mesh information from individual districts into a central clearinghouse so officials can follow students across school and district lines. That would mean better information on developments like dropout rates and more insight into which school programs are working."
So Many Schools, So Few Options:How Mayor Bloomberg’s Small High School Reforms Deny Full Access to English Language Learners
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 7:08 AM
Key findings: ELLs Are Not Given Full and Equitable Access to All Small High Schools, Parents of ELLs and Students Reported Barriers in the High School Admissions and Enrollment Process, The Small School Policy for ELLs Appears to be Forcing ELLs to Remain in Large High Schools that Do Not Have Services to Meet Their Needs , Small Schools are Not Being Created in Queens, in which the Largest Number of ELLs Reside. A joint report by: The New York Immigration Coalition & Advocates for Children of New York In collaboration with: Chhaya Community Development Corporation Chinese Progressive Association Chinese-American Planning Council Council of Peoples Organization Haitian Americans United for Progress Make the Road by Walking Metropolitan Russian American Parents Association November 2006.
New York City Schools hit on immigration bar
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 7:01 AM
NY Daily News Erin Einhorn reports, "The report charges the vast majority of small schools either don't have services for so-called 'English language learners' (ELLs), who comprise almost 12% of the high school population, or exclude them altogether. It also says that immigrant families have less access to information about options for their kids. The city Education Department allows new schools to exclude both ELLs and special-ed students in their first two years because the schools are too new to properly serve those kids. It's a policy being reviewed by the U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which launched a probe after a complaint from a citywide group of high school parents. "
KIDS HIT LANGUAGE BARRIER
Date CapturedWednesday November 29 2006, 6:56 AM
NY Post David Andreatta reports, "Researchers could not say how many of the 184 new small schools created under Bloomberg exercise the two-year exclusion policy. But they found that 41 percent of 126 small schools surveyed do not offer any English-as-a-Second Language or bilingual services - apparently in violation of city, state and federal laws. 'The problem isn't just access,' said Chung-Wha Hong, director of the New York Immigration Coalition. 'Sometimes they can get in the door but they then face a long-term problem because there are no services for them.' The city Department of Education insisted that only a handful of small schools did not have a single ESL student enrolled."
Schools, teachers fight No Child Left Behind in court
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 4:24 PM
CNN reports, "School districts in three states and the nation's largest teachers union asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to revive a lawsuit challenging the way government-mandated programs are funded. The National Education Association and districts in Michigan, Vermont and Texas had sued to block the No Child Left Behind law, President Bush's signature education policy. They argued that schools should not have to comply with requirements that aren't paid for by the federal government."
Indiana's high school graduation rate plummets under new formula
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 10:12 AM
The Times (Indiana) reports, "A 2003 law allowed the state to assign a tracking number to every student that entered high school in 2002. Having tracked that class, the education department now reports that the statewide graduation rate -- estimated at 89.8 percent last year -- is actually 73.7 percent." Previously, students who dropped out over the summer simply vanished from the equation using the older state formula.
SIUC Student Code under fire after incident
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 8:39 AM
The Southern (Illinois) reports, "The SIUC Student Code was based on a national model published in the 'Journal of College and University Law,' Dietz said. It was most recently reviewed top to bottom in 2003 by a committee dedicated to the purpose. Specific sections of the code are open to review when a formal request is made by an organization formally recognized by the university. The code as it stands now addresses two issues of student misbehavior - 'academic dishonesty' and 'social misconduct.' It is the latter part that seems to have attracted the most negative attention. The issue is due process. Dietz said two philosophies are at work in the student conduct code. One favors student development and uses education to change behavior. The idea is for the student to learn from the error."
Academics Get Exemption from DVD Copyright Law
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 8:19 AM
NPR Joel Rose reports, "The Digital Millennium Copyright Act made it illegal to reproduce copyrighted material from DVDs -- even short excerpts. That proved to be an enormous obstacle to the professors of college film-studies programs, who wanted to be able to burn discs of selected scenes for their classes. Three professors from the University of Pennsylvania asked for an academic exemption to the law. And surprisingly, they say, it has been granted."
Red Hook school district officials look to cut down on frequent flyers sent home
Date CapturedTuesday November 28 2006, 7:38 AM
The Daily Freeman reports, "School officials are seeking to slow the flow of flyers that businesses and groups would like to have sent home with students."
New York State Education Department (NYSED) Application Portal
Date CapturedMonday November 27 2006, 9:33 AM
Pennsylvania urging districts to get tough on school-skippers
Date CapturedMonday November 27 2006, 7:53 AM
Post Gazette reports, "The state said the recommendations came from a Statewide Task Force on School Attendance and Truancy Reduction. Because federal and state performance standards require growing percentages of students to post gains on math and reading tests, the state considers truancy a growing concern. Dr. Cupples said the Pittsburgh district will send parents a letter to explain the policy changes, remind them of their obligations under the state's compulsory attendance law and outline the penalties violators face. For repeated violations, parents face $300 fines, jail sentences, parenting classes and even the possibility of having their children placed in foster care. But the state says it wants to deal with truancy in the school whenever possible."
No Child Left Behind law deemed a burden on schools
Date CapturedMonday November 27 2006, 6:19 AM
The Journal News reports, "Although Cornell and her report praise the good intentions of NCLB - which seeks to give all children a quality education on a level playing field - Cornell said she saw no evidence that the law had actually done any good in that direction since its enactment in 2002. Instead, she recorded evidence that the law seems to broaden the differences between rich and poor, creates barriers to schools trying to educate children with diverse needs, and costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars as schools put programs in place to help struggling students with almost no reimbursement from the federal government that requires them."
Balancing views on campus
Date CapturedMonday November 27 2006, 5:19 AM
Boston Globe contributor Cathy Young writes, "DIVERSITY in higher education was a major topic of discussion at a recent conference in Cambridge . The focus, however, was not on the familiar concept of diversity as a desirable mix of races, genders, and ethnic groups. Rather, participants deplored the lack of intellectual and political diversity on college campuses."
Telling Tales Out of School, on YouTube
Date CapturedMonday November 27 2006, 3:36 AM
NY Times reports, "In the good old days, students simply used technology like cellphones to cheat on tests. Now, they’re posting what happens in their classrooms on YouTube. "
Pima Community College creates "traffic school" for plagiarists
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 1:03 PM
KVOA.com reports, "The five-step program requires students to read articles about plagiarism and write a paper explaining why they stole someone else's work. They must then meet with a writing tutor to learn about proper citation, and sit down with a faculty committee to talk about the process."
Rockland to weigh scary scenario: school terrorism
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 9:37 AM
THE JOURNAL NEWS reports, "More than 400 education and law enforcement professionals from Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties are scheduled to attend a two-day terrorism seminar this week at Rockland Community College. The seminar is based on the 2004 siege of a school in Beslan, Russia."
New York City's libraries must do a better job of policing Web porn
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 9:15 AM
NY Daily News contributor ROWENA DALY writes, "All city libraries must be in compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act, or CIPA, which requires them to install Internet-filtering software on their public-access computers to prevent the display of obscene content. Even research libraries are supposed to fall under the CIPA provision. When someone logs on to a computer with his or her library card, the system automatically checks the user's age. No one under 17 is supposed to be able to access adult Web sites. But despite the monitoring, there have been cases when people have been able to break through the filter, according to the Brooklyn and Queens libraries. Library officials need to devise a plan. It may be time to install partitions to divide computers or keep separate banks of terminals for adults and minors."
Colleges in N.Y. to link computer resources
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 8:52 AM
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports, "Colleges across the state, including some in the Rochester region, are establishing a computerized network that allows them to act collectively like a statewide supercomputer ready to tackle elaborate computational problems. University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, State University College at Geneseo and Alfred University are among nearly two dozen higher education institutions behind NYSGrid."
Schools spending more on security: Utica, Rome respond to recent shootings
Date CapturedSunday November 26 2006, 8:23 AM
Observer-Dispatch reports, "Woodward [ director of training and technical assistance at the Center for Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado] suggests school districts do a comprehensive review of their individual needs before spending. For example, districts should annually survey parents, students and teachers to identify possible dangers. Then administrators should target money to areas which present the greatest threat."
Massachusetts home-school policy adopted: Students can take extracurricular sports, activities
Date CapturedFriday November 24 2006, 5:23 PM
Norton Mirror reports, "Home-schooled students wishing to participate in teams or co-curricular activities must give 90 days prior notice to the school systems and obtain signed permission from their parent or guardian, building principal and the director of the team or club they are interested in. Home-schooled students participating in team sports must abide by the guidelines of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and provide proper physician notes and proof of insurance. They are subject to the disciplinary rules and regulations set forth by the MIAA, as well as the newly instituted Norton athletic user fees. School Committee Vice Chairman Kevin O'Neil suggested home-schooled students be issued a student identification card once all requirements have been completed. The School Committee agreed."
Institute trains parents to be school advocates
Date CapturedFriday November 24 2006, 9:33 AM
HERALD-LEADER reports, "CIPL was established in 1997 to cultivate parent leaders. Participants are encouraged to become involved in school district politics in the form of school decision-making councils, district PTAs and the county school board. The program has been particularly successful in Fayette County, with 60 percent of the school board having completed the course. 'The final biggest step of parent leadership is to serve our families and communities on the school board,' said Alice Nelson, former manager of the program."
Cell phone letters fall on deaf ears
Date CapturedFriday November 24 2006, 5:39 AM
The Queens Courier reports, "Although the situations of angry parents and students who sent complaints about the City's cell phone ban in schools were varied, their messages were similar: 'Our children have the right to have immediate access to their parents,' one parent wrote."
NYC Students Can Get Cellphone Waiver
Date CapturedThursday November 23 2006, 6:39 AM
The Queens Gazette reports, "A prior medical exemption provision allowed students to bring cell phones to school, but prohibited them from using or carrying the phones from class to class. Under the revised provision, students must have a doctor fill out a form describing their condition and explaining why they need to carry a cellphone during school hours. It is then up to the school principal to approve the student's request to carry the cellphone."
Public Colleges as ‘Engines of Inequality’
Date CapturedThursday November 23 2006, 3:22 AM
NY Times opined, "The obvious first step would be to boost the value of the federal Pell Grant program — a critical tool in keeping college affordable that the federal government has shamefully ceased to fund at a level that meets the national need. But larger Pell Grants can’t solve this crisis alone. Policy changes will also be required in the states, where public universities have been choking off college access and upward mobility for the poor by shifting away from the traditional need-based aid formula to a so-called merit formula that heavily favors affluent students. The resulting drop in the fortunes of even high-performing low-income students — many of whom no longer attend college at all — is documented in an eye-opening report released recently by the Education Trust, a nonpartisan foundation devoted to education reform."
Recommendations for Berlin Central School District discussed
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 7:13 AM
Troy Record reports, ""The charge to the committee, a 25-member group of parents, teachers, staffers and other stakeholders, was to explore long and short term solutions to the table for the board to consider. With the help of Questar III, the committee explored a number of options and outlined the pros and cons of each option. Now the board will have to determine which options to take."
No spare time for lost school bus: Call in, ask for help
Date CapturedWednesday November 22 2006, 6:23 AM
The Journal