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February 27, 2007

Morning Shots

Education Week (registration required): National Standards Urged for Math, Science Teachers

A federal commission has issued draft recommendations calling for the creation of national licensing standards for teachers in mathematics and science, in what would mark a clear shift away from a system controlled by individual states and universities.

Either the federal government or a national policy organization would establish guidelines for certification and teacher training, under the proposal. States and school districts could be given federal financial incentives to follow those standards, according to the report’s recommendations.

That idea was one of many offered by the Commission on 21st Century Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, a panel formed last year by the National Science Board. The board sets policy for the National Science Foundation, an independent federal research agency.

The draft report to the board was released last month. A final document is expected later this year, possibly in May or June, said Shirley M. Malcom, a co-chair of the commission.

Washington Post: Fenty's Overhaul Plan Echoes Janey's

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, seeking to gain control of the city's school system, has drafted a 31-page plan for education improvements that offers few new initiatives and instead stresses the need to speed up restructuring measures already being implemented by Superintendent Clifford B. Janey.

As part of his campaign to win direct authority over the struggling, 55,000-student system, Fenty (D) also would impose stiffer accountability measures on the administrators charged with carrying out restructuring. His report is intended to answer critics who have said he has offered no specifics about what he would do if awarded control.

A draft of the report, obtained by The Washington Post, largely echoes the school system's Master Education Plan. Following that document as a guide, Fenty promises to beef up reading and math programs in kindergarten through eighth grade, expand Advanced Placement and vocational education in high schools and create incentive pay for teachers in troubled schools, offering bonuses for those who perform well.

AP: Governors Face Realties of Globalization

Governors are facing up to some harsh realities: Their states' school children aren't ready for the 21st century, their workers aren't trained for the new jobs created every day, and their businesses aren't competing as strongly as they must to keep ahead.

The only way to thrive amid globalization is to change, and states are past due for a sweeping transformation of education, worker training and economic development, governors agreed Monday after days of discussions at the annual winter meeting of the National Governors Association.

"The plain fact of the matter is the world has changed," said Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat who sought to convince her fellow state leaders that globalization is their problem. "We must have a sense of urgency as governors. ... What we're doing now does not suffice."

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