EducationNews Commentaries and Reports

An Interview with JoAnn Collins: Disability Issues and Special Education
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
JoAnn Collins is the Author of “Disability Deception”. In this interview she responds to some questions about special education, exceptionalities and disabilities and the special education process.

EMINENT RESEARCHER DR. LYNN FLOWERS JOINS LINDAMOOD-BELL
Dr. Lynn Flowers has recently been named Associate Director of Research & Development for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, an internationally recognized leader in literacy research, remediation, and professional development. Dr. Flowers was previously on the faculty in the Department of Neurology at Wake Forest University Health Sciences. Along with her academic background, Dr. Flowers is also a licensed psychologist and
author.

An Interview with Michael B. Horn: About Disrupting Class
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Michael B. Horn,along with Clayton Christensen and Curtis W. Johnson have written a book entitled “ Disrupting Class : How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns” published by Mc Graw Hill. In this interview, he responds to questions about the book, and the changing landscape of education.

From Storm-Tossed Boats to Safer Shores
Hayes Mizell
Guest Columnist EducationNews.org
Most of you know that when the National Staff Development Council created the network we call 12 Under 12, we were hoping a select group of schools would choose to participate. You represent these schools. With each passing year, your schools become more and more unique for three reasons.

An Interview with Marcus Winters : Building on the Basics
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Marcus, you and Jay Green have recently released a report about what is transpiring in Florida entitled " Building on the Basics:The Impact of High-Stakes Testing on Student Proficiency in Low- Stakes Subjects. First of all, where can our readers get a copy of this report?

NSDC’s Definition of Professional Development: The Second Dimension
Hayes Mizell
Guest Columnist EducationNews.org
Remarks of Hayes Mizell on July 12, 2008 at a meeting of the National Staff Development Council’s state affiliate leaders. Approximately 65 people attended the meeting held at the Marriott World Center Resort in Orlando, FL. The meeting preceded NSDC’s annual Summer Conference at the same location. Mizell is the Distinguished Senior Fellow of the National Staff Development Council.

Put PK-3 First, with or without Reading First
EducationNews.org
In late June both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees approved separate versions of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, which funds federal education programs. Both the House and Senate committee bills would zero out funding for the Reading First program, which funds scientifically-based reading programs in grades K-3. If the bill passes in its current form, Congress will have cut funding for PK-3 literacy by $1 billion over two years. And that’s something early education advocates, regardless of their views on Reading First per se, should be up in arms about.

Education Policy in the Next Administration (LIVE WEBCAST)
EducationNews.org
When a new president takes office in January 2009, he will have a chance to substantially reshape education policy. The No Child Left Behind Act is currently due for reauthorization by Congress, offering the incoming administration an opportunity to put its stamp on key federal education legislation. State level policy developments, including current state fiscal challenges and the growth of state pre-k programs, provide further education challenges and opportunities.

In Defense of Testing Series: New Zealand’s Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning
ThirdEducationGroup.org
An educational resource for assessing literacy and numeracy developed for the Ministry of Education by the University of Auckland. asTTle provides teachers, students, and parents with information about a student's level of achievement, relative to the curriculum achievement outcomes, for levels 2 to 6 and national norms of performance for students in years 4 to 12.

An Interview with Kevin Donnelley: National Curriculum in Australia?
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Kevin, it is my understanding that Australia is going to a "national curriculum".  What prompted this? During the lead up to last year's federal election, held in November 2007, both major political parties advocated developing an Australian national curriculum.At the moment the 8 state and territories develop their own school curriculum and, while there are some national programs and initiatives, education is not controlled by the Commonwealth Government.

An Interview with Adrian White: About JAG
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
What exactly is the JAG program all about? The primary objectives of a JAG Model program are: • Target the 'right' young people for services based on the barriers they meet. • Keep program participants in school through graduation or completion of a GED. • Extend program services to participants for 12 months after graduation or completion of a GED.

What U.S. Higher Education Can Learn from a Decade of European Reconstruction
Since 1999, 46 European countries have been engaged in reconstructing their higher education systems to bring about a greater degree of "convergence," i.e. common reference points and operating procedures to create a European Higher Education Area. This voluntary undertaking, a logical extension of the process of European integration that has been deepening since 1950—as well as a cultivation of seedlings of change in higher education that were planted in the 1990s—affects 4000 institutions and 16 million students, an enterprise comparable to the size and scope of higher education in the United States.

An Interview with Delia Stafford and Vicky Schreiber Dill: About Alternative Certification
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
As we approach the beginning of another school year, schools still seem to have trouble finding teachers. Is the current teacher shortage getting worse? In my opinion it is not getting worse. However, there is a critical shortage of teachers willing to work in urban schools. The challenges are enormous in the inner city schools. There are large numbers of at risk students that struggle everyday in America to even make sense of the value of an education and teacher turnover exacerbates the problem.

Citizen’s Audit Committee Gets Results
By Dr. Armand A. Fusco
Columnist EducationNews.org
On June 30 and July 1st an historic educational event took place in Enfield, CT (school population of 6500) where a joint meeting of the Board of Education and Town Council convened to hear four reports from a citizen’s audit committee composed of 17 members that was authorized by the Board of Education in January 2008.

“Brief Thoughts on the Nature, Scope and History of the African American Achievement Gap, with Emphasis on the Impact of Education Law and Policy”
Gary M. Ratner
Guest Columnist EducationNews.org
Presented to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Issue Forum
The Nature and Scope of the African American Achievement Gap
A. Definition and Measurement of the Gap
In the context of current discussions of school reform, especially the No Child Left Behind Act, the achievement gap refers to the differences in academic achievement of minority and low income students versus white and non-disadvantaged students, particularly in reading and math. The most reliable available measure of this gap is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card.”

An Interview with Cindy Lovell: About Training ‘Twainiacs’
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Cindy, I understand that you have just completed a summer program with some students. What was it all about? We just ended our second annual Mark Twain Young Authors Workshop, Mike. Like last year, it was held in Mark Twain’s (real name, Sam Clemens) boyhood hometown of Hannibal, Missouri.

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