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August 15, 2002
The Back Page
By Amy Poftak and Kristen Kennedy
Gleanings
Do Uncertified Teachers Hold Kids Back?
A recent report from the Schools and Staffing Survey on the qualifications of K-12 teachers indicates that 57 percent of the nation's middle school students and 25 percent of its high school students are taking subject-area courses taught by teachers who are not certified to teach those subjects and did not major in them in college. Although some studies suggest that teachers lacking subject-area expertise may negatively impact student performance, there is no conclusive evidence of a clear cause-and-effect relationship.
Student Tech Support to the Rescue
According to a National School Boards Foundation study, kids are key players when it comes to the tricky issue of tech support in schools. Of the 811 districts surveyed, 43 percent report that their students troubleshoot hardware, software, and infrastructure glitches, while 39 percent say kids take responsibility for setting up equipment and wiring. Students are also lending schools a hand with technical maintenance, assisting teachers with technology in the classroom, and network management.
E-Learning by the Numbers
The virtual school movement is well underway, according to Education Week's Technology Counts 2002 survey of state technology coordinators. The report found that 32 states support e-learning initiatives such as online testing and professional development, and 12 states have established virtual high schools. Twenty-five states have passed laws that allow for cyber-charter schools, and already 30 such schools have been launched across the country - though amid much controversy over the legitimacy of for-profit companies managing public schools.
Readers Sound Off on CIPA
 | | Question: Should public libraries be exempt from the CIPA mandate? |
In our May Trend Watch, just prior to a federal court's ruling against CIPA guidelines for public libraries, we asked readers to tell us where they stood on mandatory Web filtering in public libraries. Thirty-seven percent of readers who responded to our online QuickPoll felt that it should remain in place to protect children, while 63 percent felt that libraries should be exempt from the CIPA mandate. One respondent's comments foreshadowed the very arguments raised by the court: "Congress needs to remember that the First Amendment dictates it can 'make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.'"
Watch Words
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BlackBerry n. The next wave in wireless devices, a BlackBerry combines an e-mail palmtop and cell phone into one handheld communication hub.
Leaky reply n. An e-mail reply sent to the wrong person. Leaky replies often occur by accidentally selecting the "Reply All" option.
Nooksurfer n. A person who myopically visits the same handful of favorite sites when online, ignoring all the rest the Web has to offer.
Remote Media Immersion n. The Memorex of the future, RMI promises high-definition video and surround-sound audio experiences to be delivered via the next generation of high-speed Internet.
Three-way call n. The nasty girl-clique practice (described in Margaret Talbot's New York Times Magazine article, "Girls Just Want to Be Mean") of calling a friend and trying to goad her into saying bad things about another person, who, unbeknownst to her, is listening in on the other line.
Sources: The Word Spy, New York Times |
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