-
-
Girls are just as good as Boys in Math
Girls are proving that when it comes to math they are just as tough as boys. In the largest study of its kind, girls measured up to boys in every grade, from second through 11th. The research was released Thursday in the journal Science.
Parents and teachers persist in thinking boys are simply better at math, said Janet Hyde, the University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher who led the study. And girls who grow up believing it wind up avoiding harder math classes.
"It keeps girls and women out of a lot of careers, particularly high-prestige, lucrative careers in science and technology," Hyde said. That's changing, though slowly.
For the class of 2007, the latest figures available, boys scored an average of 533 on the math section of the SAT, compared with 499 for girls.
Women are now earning 48 percent of undergraduate college degrees in math; they still lag far behind in physics and engineering. Girls are proving that when it comes to math they are just as tough as boys. In the largest study of its kind, girls measured up to bo... more -
Schools eye four-day week to cut fuel costs
Facing a crippling increase in fuel costs, some rural U.S. schools are mulling a solution born of the '70s oil crisis: a four-day week.
Cutting out one day of school has been the key to preserving educational programs and staff in parts of Kentucky, New Mexico and Minnesota, outweighing some parents' concerns about finding day-care for the day off.
"For rural school districts where buses may travel 100 miles round-trip each day, there certainly are transportation savings worth considering," said Marc Egan, the director of federal affairs at the National School Boards Association.
Egan said about 100 schools in as many as 16 states have already moved to a four-day school week, many to save money on transportation, heating and cooling.
Nevada's White Pine School District switched just one of its schools to a four-day week three years ago. Now, with energy costs soaring, four other schools in the district are following suit.
"We're looking at it district-wide with energy costs being at the forefront of the conversation," said Bob Dolezal, superintendent of Nevada's White Pine County School District, which is facing a 14 percent budget cut due to a shortfall in state funding.
MACCRAY Public Schools in Minnesota, which voted to switch to a four-day week in May, expects to shave 10 percent off transportation costs, which have risen unexpectedly in recent years as fuel costs have shot up.
"The savings for a four-day week just on the transportation alone were $65,000," said MACCRAY superintendent Greg Schmidt.
The plan initially did cause alarm among some parents, who were concerned about finding child-care, but most have managed to find place their kids in day care or with relatives, Schmidt said. In addition, MACCRAY plans to institute a child-care certification program for older students to offer day care for younger kids on the day off.
One of the pioneers of the four-day week, the Cimarron, New Mexico school district, is looking to cut energy costs by getting back to its roots.
Cimarron Public Schools moved a four-day week when energy prices shot up in the early 1970s, but has become more "complacent," letting the heating and cooling systems run even during the day off since the end of the OPEC oil embargo, Cimarron's superintendent James Gallegos said.
With soaring energy costs, that will no longer be the case: "As we start the next school year, it's going to be very minimal on the Fridays that we are off," Gallegos said.
Webster County School District in Kentucky switched to a four-day week four years ago under economic duress -- a state budget crisis left the school in limbo, leaving the district with the option of dropping school days or cutting staff and programs.
The district ended up saving tens of thousands of dollars in fuel and energy costs, helping to cut total costs by 3.5 to 4 percent, said James Kemp, the superintendent of the Webster County School District.
The shortened week at Webster also brought unexpected benefits such as improved attendance and a boost in student performance.
"If we were to go back to a five-day week, the school board and I would be run out of town," Kemp said. Facing a crippling increase in fuel costs, some rural U.S. schools are mulling a solution born of the '70s oil crisis: a four-day week... more -
Another Female Teacher Arrested in Sex Assault Investigation
Stephanie A. Draper, 35, of Blair, Neb., is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student six years ago. She turned herself in July 23 and was released from the Sarpy County Jail after posting 10 percent of her $100,000 bail, or $10,000.
Sarpy County authorities issued a warrant for Draper's arrest July 18, charging her with first-degree sexual assault of a minor, a crime punishable by up to 50 years in prison.
According to an affidavit requesting the warrant, the student, now 21, told an investigator that he and Draper had a relationship between February and April 2002, when he was 14. They met when the student attended Beadle Middle School.
The student said he and Draper, who then lived in Sarpy County, had sex twice at her house. Another time, they drove to Washington County, where they kissed near the site where Draper and her husband were building a house. There was another incident at Draper's house, the student said, but the two did not have sex.
At the last encounter, the student claims Draper told him if he wouldn't have sex with her she would have sex with his friend, another minor who waited in a nearby room. The friend later walked in on the two and according to the affidavit, the friend witnessed Draper naked, trying to remove the other boy's clothing. That friend is now a prosecution witness. Stephanie A. Draper, 35, of Blair, Neb., is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student six years ago. She turned herself i... more -
Reality TV School
This class in New York could launch the next wave of reality TV stars, thanks to all the media attention it's getting. Would you sign up for this class? Why are so many people this desperate to get famous? This class in New York could launch the next wave of reality TV stars, thanks to all the media attention it's getting. Would you sign ... more
-
School district bars teacher-student texting
A new school district policy in southern Mississippi prohibits teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace.
The Lamar County school board approved the policy earlier this month after becoming concerned that casual contact between teachers and students would be unprofessional.
"The only intent is to limit the personal communication between teachers and students," Superintendent Ben Burnett told The Hattiesburg American newspaper. "We don't need to let it cross the line between professional and personal communication."
Burnett said the policy won't keep teachers or students from creating profiles on sites such as MySpace or Facebook, which allow users to share personal information and communicate over the Web.
"This just keeps them from communicating socially through those kinds of means," Burnett said.
No incident led to the policy, which was enacted at the suggestion of the school board attorney. The board has yet to set penalties for violating the policy. A new school district policy in southern Mississippi prohibits teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet s... more -
Study: School failure harder on girls than boys
Academic failure appears to trouble teen-age girls more deeply than boys, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said adolescent girls who are expelled, suspended or drop out of high school before they graduate are more likely to have a serious bout of depression by age 21 than boys with similar experiences.
"For girls there are broader implications of school failure," said Carolyn McCarty, a University of Washington researcher whose study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health. "We already know that it leads to more poverty, higher rates of being on public assistance and lower rates of job stability. And now this study shows it is having mental health implications for girls," McCarty said in a statement.
The study was drawn from data on more than 800 people in Seattle, Washington, and included people from 18 schools in high-crime neighborhoods. Overall, 45 percent of the girls and 68 percent of the boys in the study experienced a major school failure, but 22 percent of the girls later became depressed compared with 17 percent for the boys.
"This gender paradox shows that while school failure is more atypical for girls, it appears to have more severe consequences when it does occur," McCarty said.
(Excerpts / Reuters) Academic failure appears to trouble teen-age girls more deeply than boys, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. ... more -
Ex-teacher charged again in student’s rape
Heather Kennedy, 25, of Massapequa, the former Wantagh high school teacher who pleaded guilty last month to having sex with a 16-year-old student, was arrested again, accused of the same crime. She was first arrested March26 after the boy, a student of hers at Wantagh High School, confessed to his father that they had sex in his car in the parking lot of Massapequa High School.
Last month, Heather Kennedy pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct involving a 16 year old former student she was charged with raping. While awaiting sentencing in the case, Kennedy was ordered to NOT have contact with the victim.
Kennedy, who taught math and was also a track coach at the school, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct June 12 and was out on probation, awaiting sentencing in August. She faced up to a year in prison and was going to lose her teaching license after registering as a sex offender.
"Almost immediately after she walked out of court, she was having contact with the victim by phone and in person," Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said.
The district attorney's office received a tip and an investigation revealed the two had sex five more times after June 12, in violation of the boy's order of protection. According to the boy's testimony to investigators, in the past two months the boy sneaked out to have sex with Kennedy twice in Kennedy's grandparents' Bellmore home, twice in a mutual friend's Wantagh home, and once after Kennedy picked up the boy from the Massapequa train station. Heather Kennedy, 25, of Massapequa, the former Wantagh high school teacher who pleaded guilty last month to having sex with a 16-year-... more -
Where you sit in class: what it means
An in-depth, completely unscientific study by incredimazing.com has determined the meanings behind your general choice of seat location in lectures and college classes. I'm a second-row sleeper: "good intentions, bad narcolepsy", and that, I'm afraid, really nails it.
Where do you sit? An in-depth, completely unscientific study by incredimazing.com has determined the meanings behind your general choice of seat locatio... more -
Poor white boys need adventure, say inspectors
White boys from deprived backgrounds need action-packed stories about danger or sport to inspire them in lessons, Ofsted said today.
They do worse at school than any other group, which has fuelled concerns that white, working-class boys are becoming an educational underclass.
Ofsted's research looked at 20 schools where white boys from low-income families had done comparatively well, and scrutinised how this had been achieved.
The education regulator recommended using rigorous monitoring but also teaching boys how to communicate and express their emotions. They needed active involvement in lessons, explicit targets to work towards and approachable teachers, the report said.
It added: “In the most successful literacy activities, teachers took great care to choose texts that interested the boys.
“These tended to focus on action-packed narratives which emphasised sporting prowess, courageous activities in the face of danger and situations - often historical - where the main characters had to overcome challenges.”
The report said schools that successfully raised the attainment of white boys from poor backgrounds had shared features. These included developing boys’ organisational skills, stressing the importance of perseverance, a curriculum structured around individual needs and listening to pupils’ views.
Emotional support was also important so boys could voice their feelings constructively, with one school appointing teaching assistants who kept a “mood watch” on the most vulnerable pupils.
Some schools asked boys to keep diaries on classwork and discuss them with their tutors.
Another school had success with boys, after asking a group that was being rewarded with cakes and soft drinks for doing well, why it was predominantly made up of girls.
One girl said: “It’s not that boys are not clever. They mostly are but they need quick results. You just have to be showing them the cakes.”
The report also recommended a sensitive approach towards problems at home that may interrupt pupils’ schooling - such as arriving late, or unfed - while not accepting these as an excuse for failure.
One primary school head teacher said: “Many of these boys are from single-parent families. Many start school ignoring what adults say.
“For some older boys, there can be a particular problem with their attitude to female staff. We try to overcome this by treating each other with respect and providing good male role models, where possible.”
However this is hard to achieve across many primary schools, where almost all teachers are women. Successful schools also encouraged boys to take part in sports teams and school performances.
A Government-funded report said earlier this year that white boys were making less progress at secondary school than any other group.
It claimed the gap between rich and poor was more polarised among white school children than any other group.
Books on Ofsted's recommended list include:
* Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
* Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
* The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
* Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
* Mines of the Minotaur by Julia Golding
* Double or Die by Charlie Higson
* Devil's Breath by David Gilman
* Nightrise by Anthony Horowitz
* I Know You Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson
Why do you think boys aren't doing as well as girls at school? What do you think should be done to help boys feel more engaged in what's been described as an increasingly 'feminised' curriculum (where physical skills are deprioritised in favour of sitting quietly, reading and writing, and where the majority of teachers are women, especially at primary level)? Were boys and girls so 'different' when you went to school?
White boys from deprived backgrounds need action-packed stories about danger or sport to inspire them in lessons, Ofsted said today. ... more -
Headteacher clamps down on fake tan
A headteacher in Lancashire has writtten to parents advising them to stop their daughters from slathering themselves in fake tan so that they no longer "come to school looking varying shades of orange."
Carol Robinson, the head of Baines School, a mixed comprehensive in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, wrote in her letter to mums and dads, "The current trend for fake/spray tans does little to enhance the appearance of our young ladies."
She claimed that fake tan went against the principles of the school, where staff strived to "promote natural beauty and contentment with one's own looks".
Her remarks have been met with cautious support with some of her more pale-skinned pupils at the school, which educates 1,070 children aged between 11 and 18.
Alison Taylor, a 17-year-old sixth former, said: "I agree fake tan should be banned. I think it looks a lot nicer to be natural than bright orange."
Sarah Clark, 17, added: "Fake tan can be OK, but some people go a bit over-the-top and then I think it looks quite tacky."
One parent said she had been appalled by the sight of girls walking up to the school gates with bright orange legs.
"I think the school is right to clamp down and try to drive up standards because there are other issues like the length of skirts the girls wear which are miles too short and the lads having their shirts all hanging out," she said.
But Dr John Kellett, a Blackpool-based consultant dermatologist, said it was better for pupils to use fake tan than go on sunbeds.
He said: "Fake tan doesn't do any harm at all to health. If the alternative is for young girls to go on the sunbed then it is preferable."
What do you think? If girls (and women, and men) want to look like they've been Tango'd should they have the right to paint themselves whatever shade of orange they see fit? Is this headteacher protecting her female pupils from quite frankly looking stupid (and is there any way of banning the wearing of shorts with high heels in all public places? It would achieve the same goal, after all) or is she a beauty-fascist who should let them break out the bottle, rather than risk skin cancer on a sun bed? Has Britain's desire for a fake tan - from a bottle or a bed - got a little out of hand? And why can't orange people see what crazy colour they are!?
A headteacher in Lancashire has writtten to parents advising them to stop their daughters from slathering themselves in fake tan so th... more -
Gay 15-year-old shot in class, five month investigation
Larry King came to school in makeup and girls clothing, like some of the increasing numbers of visible queer youth. He was of course tormented, harassed, threatened, and forced to switch schools. Five months after the incident, the situation that lead to his being shot by Brandon McInerney, in the middle of a junior high school computer lab, are still unclear.
There were several bizarre notes. One of the assistant principals, a lesbian who often spoke with Larry, was given her own school. The adoptive father thinks that Larry was not really gay, just wanting attention, and takes offense that Larry's death is just being abused by the "gay agenda" to push "gay rights"!
There are suggestions that the shooter, Brandon, was a victim, because he was teased about the attention from Larry, and something should be done to stop that sort of sexual harassment from escalating! Wow, way to blame the real victim! Who do you think was more tortured, the queer boy who is visibly different and the focus of daily ridicule and threats, or the collaterally teased boy that he recently proclaimed to like?
There was mention of rumors that there was some relationship between Larry and Brandon, so maybe its another case of internalized homophobia in an antigay household, leading to gay on gay attacks. I'm sure we will see more of these events in the next decade. Larry King came to school in makeup and girls clothing, like some of the increasing numbers of visible queer youth. He was of course t... more -
Campaign against finger printing in schools
Should we allow finger printing of minors in our schools?
Easier registration, keeping track of library books on loan, saving time in the dinner queue, cashless classrooms preventing bullying - all reasons local education authorities have cited to validate a system for holding biometric data on the country's school children. But how secure is this data, and who ultimately holds control over how it is used?
Concerned parent Pippa King takes up the campaign in defense of our childrens' rights.
Campaign Blog: http://pippaking.blogspot.com/
Should we allow finger printing of minors in our schools? ... more -
Columbine High School massacre inspired song
This song is inspired by the Columbine High School massacre. Tell me what you think about it.
-
British teacher apologizes for locking student in cupboard
Oh goodness ... can't they think of anything better?
-
Children design eco-greenhouse
This story has all the makings for the "awwwww" factor:Children. Recycling. The Environment. Get ready to puke with hope.
"Primary school children in Devon are looking forward to growing fruit and vegetables in an eco-friendly greenhouse made from plastic bottles.
The pupils from Alphington Primary School have designed and constructed the greenhouse.
Building contractor Dean and Dyball helped pupils construct the timber frame. The children will finish the sides and roof with the clear bottles.
The 2,000 bottles were collected and prepared by pupils and their parents.
Teacher Phil Clarke said: "It was a brilliant project for the whole school to be involved with, especially Year 6 as they come to the end of their time at Alphington School."
The eco-greenhouse will play an important part in the children's education and school life for many years to come, he added.
The pupils will complete the construction by the end of term."
Schools all over the place should totally get down on this- recycle bottles (we have the worst water bottle habit in America!), plant some fruit and veggies that the school can use instead of that carbosludge that call food all the time. Brilliant!
This story has all the makings for the "awwwww" factor:Children. Recycling. The Environment. Get ready to puke with hope. ... more -
Teens might be marking your SATs
In an effort to clear the backlog of SAT tests in Britain, "people who have just passed their A-levels" were hired to mark the papers, according to the chairman of the education and skills committee. He claims that ETS hired both grads and non-grads to mark the papers. And even with this extra help, only 80% of SAT results would be released by the end of term this week, and another 120,000 pupils will have to wait until September to get their grades. In an effort to clear the backlog of SAT tests in Britain, "people who have just passed their A-levels" were hired to mark the papers,... more
-
Virgin School for Men
I know is weir but what can you say. I was not even aware that so many man still don't know about this. Well in England you can hire a teacher for it! I know is weir but what can you say. I was not even aware that so many man still don't know about this. Well in England you can hire a... more
-
15 answers to creationist nonsense
"Embarrassingly, in the 21st century, in the most scientifically advanced nation the world has ever known, creationists can still persuade politicians, judges and ordinary citizens that evolution is a flawed, poorly supported fantasy. They lobby for creationist ideas such as "intelligent design" to be taught as alternatives to evolution in science classrooms. As this article goes to press, the Ohio Board of Education is debating whether to mandate such a change. Some antievolutionists, such as Philip E. Johnson, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley and author of Darwin on Trial, admit that they intend for intelligent-design theory to serve as a "wedge" for reopening science classrooms to discussions of God.
To help with answering them, the following list rebuts some of the most common "scientific" arguments raised against evolution. It also directs readers to further sources for information and explains why creation science has no place in the classroom."
This is a nice follow up to my "ID needs to be stopped" - 15 Answers to Creationist BULLSH*T! I wish I could post it all here but it's a little too long, but the article is well put together. "Embarrassingly, in the 21st century, in the most scientifically advanced nation the world has ever known, creationists can still pers... more -
Naughty Teacher of the Week: Brenda Baillargeon
Brenda Baillargeon, 40, a former teacher’s aide at Amery High School in Amery, Wisconsin was sentenced to one year in the county jail and 15 years probation for engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male student. Orginally she was arrested on 3 counts of sexual assault of a student by school staff and 2 counts of child enticement with sexual contact.
Mother-of-four Baillargeon entered a no contest pleas to one count of sex assault of a student by school staff and one count of child enticement with sexual contact. In exchange for her no context plea three other felony charges were dismissed.
The boy's family, according to the court's victim advocate, said they were satisfied with the outcome.
The teenager's mother became suspicious about the relationship last fall -- a relationship Baillargeon and the boy first denied to investigators. The mother obtained a restraining order, which Baillargeon repeatedly ignored.
She had sex with him at his home, at his grandfather's cabin, on a bench at a nearby park and at her cabin near Amery over the course of seven months. Brenda Baillargeon, 40, a former teacher’s aide at Amery High School in Amery, Wisconsin was sentenced to one year in the county jail ... more -
Intelligent Design Needs to Be Stopped!
"On May 21, 2008, Barbara Forrest, a professor of philosophy at Southern Louisiana University, testified in the Louisiana state legislature on the dangers hidden in the State’s Science Education Act.
According to Forrest, the Act allows teachers and school boards across the state to teach non-scientific alternatives to evolution including ideas related to Intelligent Design (ID). Forrest says the bill is a backhanded way to get creationism back into schools.
She states the wording of the Act names evolution along with global warming, the origins of human life and human cloning as worthy of “open and objective discussion” -- suggesting that evolution is scientifically controversial topic.
A U.S. Supreme Court case in 1987 barred creationism from being taught in U.S. public schools. The justices ruled state aid to religious teachings violated the Establishment Clause of First Amendment. Since then, the Seattle-based Discovery Institute has successfully lobbied that intelligent design is not only scientifically sound, but also that it differs from creationism barred from schools.
Despite Forrest’s testimony, the bill passed easily in Louisiana with a majority House vote of 94 to 3, followed unanimously in the State Senate. Louisiana's conservative Christian governor Piyush Jindal signed the bill, making it law on June 28.
Supporters of evolution say that the new legislation is nothing more than a new maneuver in the war to challenge the validity of Darwinian evolution. Forrest was also a figure in a 2005 trial in Dover, where she presented leaked Discovery Institute documents that demonstrated intelligent design school books were in fact creationist schoolbooks with the names replaced.
Immediately following Forrest's comments to New Scientist, the Discovery Institute wrote a blog on its Evolution News website, claiming Forrest and the publication needed "a reality check."
"Intelligent design is currently not in the Louisiana state science standards and so could not be taught. But this allows scientific criticisms of Darwin's theory to be taught," said Discovery Institute fellow John West in a recent Reuters interview."
WE CAN NOT LET INTELLIGENT DESIGN BE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS AS A SCIENCE! THIS IS A STEP BACKWARDS FOR OUR SOCIETY!
"On May 21, 2008, Barbara Forrest, a professor of philosophy at Southern Louisiana University, testified in the Louisiana state legisl... more
-
related topics
School
Contributors (949)
School
