Houston schools plan mirrors OKC ice storm recovery
Houston administrators plan to reopen about 120 of the district’s 300 schools tomorrow, and will roll out the rest as electricity is restored and damage repaired from Hurricane Ike, according to this Houston Chronicle story.
The list of open schools will be updated on the district’s Web site, and officials are thinking about how to make up the lost time.
This is similar to how Oklahoma City Public Schools recovered from the devastating ice storm last December – cancelling classes for a week, then opening all the buildings that were safe for children as they were ready.
Meanwhile, many commenters on the Chronicle story sounded off about what’s expected of teachers, and if it’s realistic or fair to expect them to all be back in the classroom at a moment’s notice while they’re still coping with the personal impact of the storm.
What advice would you share from your ice storm experience with parents and teachers in southern Texas as they roll out their school reopenings? Post it here.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Dinner time!
My family, when my brother and I still lived at home, used to eat dinner together most nights. This is a scenario that’s becoming more common, according to state Superintendent Sandy Garrett’s last weekly column.
Monday is “Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children,” a movement by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and supported by Gov. Brad Henry by way of a proclamation, she wrote.
Click here to read the whole column. She puts out columns like this every Friday, so a new one will be out later today. To keep up, visit this Web page.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
’09 National Merit semifinalists announced
I just wrapped up writing about the 2008 National Merit Scholarship winners in July.
But already, the list of nearly 200 Oklahoma students who are semifinalists in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program is out.
The 195 students are among 1,600 nationwide who will go on to compete for $35 million in college scholarships. About half will win, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
I did a few breakdowns of the list of Oklahoma semifinalists:
143 attend public schools.
42 attend private schools.
9 are homeschooled.
1 goes to a charter school.
Three schools yielded more than 10 semifinalists:
The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, with 22.
Jenks High School, with 14.
Holland Hall School in Tulsa, with 13.
The students qualified by earning the highest scores among state test-takers on the 2007 Preliminary SAT exam.
The list of seniors will be narrowed down to a list of finalists before the scholarship winners are announced in the coming months.
Click here for a list of all the Sooner semifinalists.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Student test results – and should they be tested in kindergarten?
State test scores were released Thursday, for which student performance in part determined which schools landed on the NCLB-mandated 2008 Needs Improvement list.
Here’s a little more detail on how students fare on the different tests (click to enlarge):
Also Thursday, I ran across a story about how New York City officials want to give math assessments to kindergarteners. As you might imagine, there’s some debate over whether that’s too young an age for standardized testing. The full story is here.
Feel free to share your thoughts on these assessments or the Needs Improvement list below.
Wendy Kleinman
The Oklahoman
How do your kids get to school?
My daughter really, really, really (really!) wants to ride a school bus to school.
We don’t live on the bus route, or within walking distance of school, so I drive her to kindergarten each day. I tell her she’ll ride the bus on field trips.
When I was a child, I walked with other kids to elementary school and rode the bus to middle school. Both options scare me for my child. I worry — maybe unreasonably — about accidents, strangers, mad dogs and dew-soaked shoes. So for now, I’m happy to drive.
The Associated Press gives some tips for parents wondering when their children are “ready” to walk to school without their parents. Here they are:
—Know your child. Some 10-year-olds are mature enough to handle the responsibility that goes with independence. Others are not.
—Consider the route. Are there major streets to cross? Will the child be walking or biking alone or with schoolmates?
—Set clear rules, such as whether your child must come straight home from school.
—Talk with other parents in your neighborhood about having kids walk or bike to school together. There is safety in numbers.
Do you have any suggestions? Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson
Let a cow-pass be your guide
There’s good news for those lost in vast pastures with no sense of direction.
Let a cow be your compass.
You’ll know this if you’ve already read today’s issue of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” Some German and Czech researchers found that most cows align to the north and south, seemingly drawn to magnetic poles.
Ummm, give me a minute to call cowpies on this study. I grew up on a dairy farm, and our cows didn’t seem to have a directional preference. Maybe they were directionally challenged. Maybe they were rebels.
I even called a relative to make sure I hadn’t missed something in my bovine-bound past. Nope, as usual, the cattle were facing any which way.
I hope no one is lost out there.
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
Education hurdles stave off Olympics withdrawal
Michael Phelps did his job, collecting eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics that ended yesterday. But back in Maryland, his mom’s job is just beginning. The Flypaper blog by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute reports that Debbie Phelps is the principal of Windsor Mill Middle School there.
Flypaper also mentions the 2008 Education Olympics, where the U.S won a single medal, compared to a 35-medal showing by the top contender: Finland. You can check out http://edolympics.net for a recap, whether you’re tired of Phelps reruns or whether they’re not playing often enough to satisfy your Olympic spirit.
Wendy Kleinman, Education Reporter
Wake Up! It’s time for school!
For many families, Back to School time means a change in schedules. But getting everyone up and ready in the morning doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are a few tips from http://family.go.com/
Cut out caffeine during the day.
Too much caffeine can wire kids up and make it difficult for them to drift off to sleep at night. As a result, they are tired and cranky when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Keep your routine as consistent as possible — even on the weekends.
While it’s fine to let them catch up on a little sleep, it’s not smart to let them sleep their Saturdays and Sundays away. If you do, they’re going to have a hard time adjusting back on Monday morning.
If your child normally gets up at 7 a.m. on a weekday, don’t let her sleep any later than 8 or 8:30 on the weekend.
Don’t expect a young child to be able to use an alarm clock.
Most experts say that alarm clocks aren’t really useful until a child is around 12 years old or in the sixth grade. Before that, you’ll need to go in and get them up. (And, unfortunately, even after age 12 you still may need to go in and make sure they get up after their alarm clock rings.)
Use the night before to get organized.
Pack the backpack, set out the bowls and spoons for breakfast, and pick out the clothes your child will wear. Remember, the less surprises you have to deal with in the morning, the less hectic it’ll be for everyone.
What tips do you have?
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
The wheels on the bus go round and round…
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town.
I couldn’t help but find myself thinking of that tune as I wrote a collection of stories about school buses for today’s edition of The Oklahoman.
The articles touch on bus safety, the impact of fuel price hikes and the drivers themselves, and there’s a graphic, a photo gallery and a video to tell even more of the story.
We also ventured into a new type of multimedia with a news game.
If you haven’t tried it yet, click the image below and see if you have what it takes to safely deliver a bus load of children to school. (Make sure your audio is on.)
Then share your stories about riding the school bus here on NewsOK’s Education Station, as well as your thoughts on the school bus news game.
Wendy Kleinman
Education Reporter
Saving Dimes on Dorm Decor
If you’ve got a teen heading to college this month, you’ve probably also got a lengthy shopping list of must-haves he or she will need for dorm living.
Extra-long sheets for the school-issued bunk bed, mini-fridge and snacks, alarm clock.
But retail economists say many families are cutting back on other less-necessary items, like designer comforters and fancy electronics. Families are expected to spend 7 percent less each year, or about $600 per child on school supplies, clothing and furniture. They say the summer jobs market was weak and national economic worries are taking toll.
What about you? What are you shopping for, and what are you passing on? What does your teen want/need/must have?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
