Seeing Red (and Blue)

Is common sense coming back? After three years and much agony, a national consensus is emerging that the so-called No Child Left Behind law needs major changes, not just small adjustments. That and some serious funding.

While NEA takes the lead with its "fix and fund" campaign, we're joined by states from across the spectrum—from Utah, the most Republican state in the union, to mostly blue Connecticut.

Going Online Ten years ago, your students might have goggled—especially on test days—but probably not Googled. Now, 93 percent of American classrooms are wired for Internet access, according to Education Week's Technology Counts 2005. Illustration: Peter Hamlin

In Utah, despite Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' threat to yank the state's federal funding, legislators passed a law that puts their own accountability system ahead of the federal rules. Likewise, in staunchly Republican Texas, officials were defying her inflexible standards for students with learning disabilities. And, in Connecticut, state education leaders snubbed Spellings' suggestion that they find the cash to water down their testing program with new multiple-choice-only questions.

But Spellings' financial pressure could be prevented if NEA's lawsuit, filed last spring with school districts from across the country, succeeds. The basis of the suit is a clause in the law that, as NEA General Counsel Bob Chanin pointed out, you don't need a law degree to understand: "Nothing in this act shall be construed to… mandate a State or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this Act."

Illustration: Groff Creative

Seeds of Romance

The structure of romantic relations at "Jefferson High School" Each dot represents a student—pink for girls and blue for boys—and lines connecting students represent a sexual link between the two.

Here's how it goes in high-school romance: Anthony "hooks up" with Britney, then Britney moves on to Craig, who eventually ditches her for Deborah, who leaves him a few months later for Everett (but never for Anthony), and so on down the line.

What you get, according to an Ohio State University professor who studied the sexual habits of teens at a Midwestern high school, is a long chain. Many students have one or two partners—very few are really promiscuous. In all likelihood, it reflects the old standard among teens: You can't date your old flame's new girl's old boyfriend.

The findings don't just make a provocative map—they also should help target sexually transmitted diseases among teens. While it may be possible to stop disease among adults by stopping key individuals, this study shows it's necessary to focus on broad interventions among teens.

Illustration: American Journal of Sociology

Public Schools Rule

Public schools aren't just free and democratic—they're also actually better at boosting student achievement than private schools, according to a new study.

While the average private school student does score better on achievement tests than his or her public school counterpart, researchers at the University of Illinois say it's because private school students come from richer, more educated homes. (Makes sense, no?) With a level playing field, it's the public schools that win. 

To come to this conclusion, the research team looked at math scores from more than 1,000 public and private schools that participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. When students had similar parents, in terms of both income and education, public school students came out on top.

Photo: Comstock Images

A Right Turn 

How many verses of "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" can one man stand? Most parents would say none. But one remarkable Illinois man listened to everything the students sang, even as he negotiated the streets of Brownstown in his yellow school bus, for—get this—44 years.

"I loved the drive," says Bill Stine.

It was a career marked by the high point of saving a child's life—Stine pulled the boy to safety when a speeding car illegally passed the stopped bus—but also a low when aggrieved students, upset that Stine had assigned them seats, accused him of roughing them up. It was years before one of the

students came clean and admitted the lie.

Both events show Stine's ability to persevere and his commitment to children despite adversity, says Illinois UniServ Director Marcus Albrecht. "He's just a quiet, easy-going guy," says Stine's colleague, custodian Dave Arnold. "He would do anything to help out a child."

—Megha Rajagopalan

Photo: Katie Thaman/Leader-Union

What's not in a name

Expect More from Ebony

Do you think Ebony is as smart as Emily? Unfortunately, the answer might be no.

A University of Florida (UF) professor, who examined academic data on more than 50,000 students with identifiably African-American and Caucasian names, found that Demetrius and Deja paid a price for those handles. When teachers and administrators selected students for gifted programs, a "Jake" was more likely to get the nod than a "Jamal"—even if they had identical test scores.

It's about low expectations, says UF's David Figlio—and eventually it translates into lower test scores for the kids. When checking into sibling pairs, one with a "regular" name and the other with a "racial" name, he found the kids who had names associated with low socioeconomic status scored lower in reading and math. Meanwhile, siblings with Asian-sounding names did better than their Anglo-sounding sisters and brothers!

Photo: Photodisc

Trick or Treat!

Be a good witch this Halloween. Consider taking part in a trick-or-treating tradition that dates back to 1950.

That's when a group of children not only called out for candy but also collected cash for UNICEF. Last year, kids collected $4.6 million, much of it in school groups. And, while students here learned the value of being good global citizens, children around the world benefited too. To order your educational materials for the 2005 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign or call 1-800-4UNICEF. Also check out year-round resources, including information on the recent tsunami, at www.TeachUNICEF.org.

Photo: Rubberball

Survival Shopping

When new teachers walk into their classrooms, it isn't the students that scare them—it's the blank walls and empty supply closet.

Where's the paper? And my stapler? Isn't there supposed to be a cute border around this bulletin board?

In Kansas City, Kansas, the local Association made the shopping easy—and free—at a New Teacher Survival Store in August. Dozens of new teachers filled their shopping sacks with set-up essentials, including paper, tape, files, storage containers, and yes, even bulletin board borders. Items had been donated by local businesses and retiring teachers, said NEA-KCK Vice-president Marsha Longabach.

"We've made so many connections in the community—I'm already looking forward to next year," she says. Plus, with so many grateful members, Longabach already has a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers to count on!

Photo: Nathan Ham

Good reading

On the Web:

After a long, long day in the classroom, in the cafeteria, or behind the wheel of a school bus, what do you want to curl up and read? We want your help in compiling good reading lists for your colleagues. Got any recommendations for new teachers? Who do you read for inspiration? Or for entertainment? What authors help you do a better job? Or fulfill your after-school hobbies? Tell us, please, by sending your lists to neatoday-reply@list.nea.org.

A Hit Melody

Making noise and hitting things are favorite pastimes of any self-respecting third-grader. Now music teachers can combine the two and teach harmonies at the same time using a new addition to the percussion family that has become a staple at elementary schools across the country: Boomwhackers.

These durable plastic tubes range from 8 inches to 4 feet in length and come in seven vibrant colors, one for each note on the do-re-mi scale. By associating each color with its corresponding note, children learn to differentiate between pitches.

Mary-Hannah Klontz, a music teacher at Barrett Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, started using them three years ago—with great success. "I'm always interested in toys that can teach because that's where children's hearts and minds are."

—Megha Rajagopalan

Photo: Whacky music/www.boomwhackers.com