12.28.05
Posted in News at 9:59 pm by Paloma Cruz
5 new campuses are opening here
Stepping Stones, KIPP, Harmony Science hope to build on success
– reported by the Houston Chronicle(1)
Students may begin registering next month to attend three new charter
schools operated by the much-touted Knowledge is Power Program, a
college-preparatory school known for its extended class hours and
strict discipline policies.
The new campuses, scheduled to open in the summer, should help relieve a waiting list that’s more than 1,000 families deep.
[snip]
KIPP will open the schools with one of 13 new charters granted in the
fall by the State Board of Education, putting Texas just six charters
shy of the state-mandated cap of 215. Harmony Science Academy and
Stepping Stones Elementary were also given permission to open new
campuses in Houston.
[snip]
About 1,200 students attend Harmony’s four Texas campuses. The new
charters will increase enrollment statewide to 2,900 by the end of next
year and to 5,600 by 2010.
[snip]
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Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
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12.23.05
Posted in News at 1:18 am by Paloma Cruz
Our Lady of the Lake University lands $2.2 million gift
– reported by the San Antonio Business Journal
Our Lady of the Lake University received a $2.2 million gift from Janice Mendelson, M.D., to advance cultural education in San Antonio.
The gift is the largest private donation in the university’s 110-year history and will allow the school to create an endowment to ensure permanent funding for its International Folk Culture Center.
[snip]
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12.16.05
Posted in News at 3:05 pm by Paloma Cruz
Parents outraged after teacher says there’s no Santa
– reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13
Guess what, kids? There’s no such thing as Santa Claus!
That was a suburban music teacher’s holiday message to first-graders Monday — a remark that angered parents and prompted the school district to issue a pro-Santa statement.
Several parents made angry phone calls to Richland Elementary School in this Dallas suburb after the teacher spilled the Santa scoop.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 2:52 pm by Paloma Cruz
Debate heats up over creationism in classrooms
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11(1)
Texas public schools aren’t supposed to teach it. But are some students in science classes hearing a lesson in religion?
Creationism in the classroom is a nationwide controversy that may be coming soon to a school near you.
[snip]
Intelligent design is the theory that evolution alone can’t explain how we came to be — that a higher force must have helped design us.
It’s a hot issue here and elsewhere.
In Kansas last month, the state board of education voted to teach doubts about evolution.
But at the same time, in a town in Pennsylvania voters ousted local school board members who tried to do the same thing there.
What about Texas?
Officially the state’s science curriculum for public schools does not recognize intelligent design, only the theory of evolution, which leaves science teachers like Debbie Cobb in a tough spot.
[snip]
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Reminders:
- KHOU CBS Channel 11 requires a free registration.
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12.04.05
Posted in News at 10:01 pm by Paloma Cruz
HISD teachers surprised by bonuses
– reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13
Imagine the surprise — an extra thousand dollars! That’s the reality for more than 2,000 HISD teachers who were awarded a bonus, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
A visit to Lyons Elementary took these third grade teachers by surprise — as they received word of their annual bonus from HISD superintendent Dr. Abe Saavedra. A thousand dollars - Saavedra passed out letters to guarantee the money. Deciding what to do with the money was not difficult.
[snip]
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Posted in News at 9:58 pm by Paloma Cruz
HISD’s Saavedra touts students’ ‘consistent progress’
– reported by KHOU CBS Channel 11(1)
According to national test results released Thursday, HISD’s fourth- and eighth-graders are outperforming most other big cities that were tested.
HISD is among 11 other urban districts that volunteered to be tested by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
[snip]
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Reminders:
- KHOU CBS Channel 11 requires a registration, free.
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