May 13, 2008
http://www.arizonaea.org/blog

General Education
Students advance despite failing grades
Tens of thousands of Tucson-area students failed basic classes during the past six years. But almost all were promoted to the next grade, an Arizona Daily Star investigation has found. 

Grade inflation adds to woes, especially in middle schools
Taxpayers ultimately shoulder cost in terms of remedial ed, a work force with weak skills
More than a quarter of middle and high schools in the Tucson area's largest districts are awarding passing grades students may not be earning, an Arizona Daily Star investigation found. 

Teacher makes it his mission to put halt to social promotion
From his desk at Valencia Middle School, nonmember Bob Aguilar has had a front-row seat to social promotion.

Early intervention strategies can help students succeed
Schools use varied programs, from matching kids with mentors to focused career-path academies
Twenty-nine Pascua Yaqui students at Hohokam Middle School should have repeated eighth grade last year.

Schools try varied ways to keep kids on course
More than 18,000 Tucson-area students were promoted last year despite failing at least one core course in math, English, science or social studies. 

Links to our experts
Arizona Daily Star reporters contacted numerous education experts and academics during the course of their 10-month analysis. 

Let's fund our vision for schools
Robert Robb is right. Arizona public schools aren't "miserable" ("Myth of Arizona's miserable schools," Opinions, Wednesday). 

Education Next’s New Report Card on State Proficiency Standards under NCLB Reveals Which States Have World-Class Standards and Which Do Not
Education Next’s Paul E. Peterson and Frederick M. Hess have released their new report card on state proficiency standards, updated with the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and state assessment results. They present definitive answers about which states are at the head of the class and which at the back; which ones are on the fast track to improve and which ones are sliding to the bottom.

Improving our school systems starts with valuing our teachers
Members of the Arizona Business & Education Coalition, or ABEC, recently joined other Arizona residents for the 92nd Arizona Town Hall focused on the teaching profession.

Charter schools offer parents choices for children's education
Michael Esser's guest opinion piece, "Tucson USD should keep schools open, focus on mission of education" which ran last Monday, stirred up a robust response from the charter school community that strives to provide a high-quality education for our students. 

Businesses see skilled grads as critical to area's future
Tucson business leaders these days worry about another issue amid a slumping economy and a cooling housing market: the quality of Southern Arizona schools. 

Schools can order uniforms for kids, Circuit Court rules
Public schools can impose uniform requirement on students, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

Best teachers are made of more than technique
The most important lessons teachers share aren't always in academics but involve the heart and high expectations
To somewhat inappropriately quote Alice Cooper, for retiring teachers, "school is out for summer, school's out forever." 

AEA in the News
American Values:  A debate worth having
In his April 24 commentary, Austin Hill hits on a point, maybe by accident, that government control over K-12 curriculum is neither effective nor desirable.  This glimmer of insight appears in Hill’s recent opinion piece on legislation designed to stop the “Raza Studies” program in the Tucson Unified School District.

Politics/Politicians
Home builders back off opposition to trust land reform
Arizona home builders, who have repeatedly given the death blow to conservation efforts, have agreed to let a state trust land reform initiative move forward without a fight.

Don't admit defeat in budget-cut fight
I read with dismay the article on the deep budget cuts school districts across Arizona are being forced to make ("Schools making deep cuts," May 4).

Locals in the News
Tucson USD board weighs budget override vote
It costs more to fill up bellies and gas tanks, and layoffs lurk in employees' worst fears. 

Tucson USD should wait to ask for override vote
District needs the money, but first it needs to restore public trust
Here's the quandary: TUSD needs to compete for students with charter schools and other school districts that can offer families smaller class sizes and fancy programs. Those things cost money. TUSD is in the hole for millions this fiscal year and next, so it has no money to pay for smaller classes and fancy programs.

Tucson USD board should ask voters for override OK
The timing for the Tucson Unified School District board is truly unfortunate.

1 education item = less confusion
The Tucson Unified School District has a mixed record with recent attempts to ask voters for more money.

Tucson USD mulls raise freeze to deal with budget woes
Tucson Unified School District employees may not get pay raises next fiscal year, which starts July 1, and could even be asked to take a day or two off without pay. 

Tucson USD eyes higher fees to balance new budget
Cuts to gifted-student programs and higher fees for after-school activities will be on the menu tonight when the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board considers ways to close a remaining $5.5 million budget shortfall for the next school year. 

Gifts replenish tools stolen at high school
The Tucson community helped ease the pinch for construction students at Howenstine High Magnet School, donating cash and tools after learning of a burglary at the school. 

Higley High yearbook program a success story
Higley High junior Karissa Giangregorio was going to drop out of school until she discovered the school's yearbook class her sophomore year.  Now, she said school is "exciting."  Her testimony shows what makes Higley's award-winning yearbook classes special, and students are clamoring to sign up.  This year's three classes and 70 students will be trumped by next year's five classes, making Higley's yearbook program the largest in the state, said yearbook adviser and English teacher and AEA member Jennifer Wojtulewicz, known as WoJo by her students.

Teacher Highlights
Teacher gets dramatic honor
Utterback's Anaya hailed by UA School of Theatre Arts
A group of students form a circle around nonmember Nancy Anaya in the Utterback Magnet Middle School cafeteria and begin shouting loudly. 

4th-graders find teacher's classes en-grossing
As a teacher, former AEA member Richard Hawkins knows that if you can get your students to pay attention, the learning will undoubtedly follow.