Book Lists and Reviews

Nashville schools have eliminated honor rolls for fear of violating state student-privacy laws, after a few parents complained that their children might be ridiculed for not making the list. School officials are developing permission slips to give to parents who want to have their children's work recognized. (Associated Press, 1-24-04)

Michigan voters may end racial preferences in college admissions and government hiring, if critics gather enough signatures to place the question on the ballot this fall. A Detroit News poll in January indicated that 64% of voters favor a ban and only 23% oppose it. The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is leading the charge to gather the 317,757 signatures needed by July 6. The campaign comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts split decision last year on the use of racial preferences in admission to the University of Michigan. A similar initiative passed easily in Washington State five years ago, but state universities there are now pushing a bill in the legislature to again allow race to be used in admissions.

More families of color are homeschooling. Federal statistics compiled by the Education Department indicate about a quarter of homeschooled students are in "black, Hispanic and other" categories. Books, support groups and websites are springing up to address the needs of these growing categories. (boston.com, 1-21-04)

New York City schools will end "social promotion" for third-graders this year. Officials estimate that at least 20%, or more than 15,000 pupils, will repeat third grade after failing to pass standardized tests ­ four times as many as have been held back before. Mayor Michael Bloomberg called social promotion ­ automatically passing poorly performing students to the next grade ­ a "discredited practice." (nypost.com, 1-9-04)

The Gates Foundation is funding new "small schools" in Chicago. Environmental issues and social justice will be the focus of the newest such public high school, in West Garfield Park. The college preparatory program will also stress research skills and computer technology, and enrollment will be limited to about 400 students. School founders say they hope students will become agents of social change. (chicagotribune.com, 1-15-04) Meanwhile, Congressional investigators have discovered that Chicago public schools allowed $5 million of federally funded computer equipment to languish in a warehouse for years.(chicagotribune.com, 1-16-04)

No surprise: Study says U.S. teens are the fattest. American teenagers have higher rates of obesity than those in 14 other industrialized countries, according to a survey in 1997-98 published in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Among 15-year-olds, 15% of girls and 14% of boys were obese, and an additional 31% of girls and 28% of boys were overweight. U.S. teens were found more likely to eat fast food, snacks and sodas and to be driven to school and other activities. A different study published in the January issue of Pediatrics determined that every day nearly a third of American children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely adds about six extra pounds per child per year.

Bullies are often popular. A study of school bullying published in the December issue of Pediatrics concludes that bullies are commonly considered "cool" by their classmates and do not suffer from low self-esteem or show signs of depression, loneliness or anxiety. Most anti-bullying programs in schools are based on the inaccurate belief that bullies pick on others because of low self-esteem.

NEA commits $1.75 million to try to unionize charter-school teachers. Most charter schools currently operate without a union, and a study last July by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research showed that charter schools slightly outperformed public schools serving similar student populations. The nations largest teachers union has announced an aggressive campaign to organize charter-school teachers, beginning in California, one of the first states to allow charter schools.

Georgia acted to drop the word "evolution" from its teaching guidelines, then restored it under pressure. State education officials announced plans in January to replace the word "evolution" with "changes over time." Six days later, they reversed the decision. (Associated Press, 2-5-04) Georgia also recently altered the state history curriculum to eliminate world history prior to 1500 and U.S. history prior to 1876 (except for three weeks on the founding of the nation). (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1-25-04)