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This article focuses on the education provided at various Nativity Schools in the United States. Majority of these schools are administered by Roman Catholic religious orders. The schools copy a model for middle school education started by Jesuits in 1971 at the Nativity Mission Center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The schools enroll students who are academically behind their peers and prepare them to handle a rigorous high school curriculum. Students views the Nativity schools as strict in comparison with public schools. A student's annual cost in these schools are largely funded by foundations and individual donors. Though, these schools prepare students academically but some Nativity graduates struggle to make the cultural shift.

Reports on the increase in the number of Hispanics attending schools in the United States. Challenges that the ethnic group presents for schools; Role of the group in shaping the public education system; Performance of the group in academic achievement tests.

The article reports on an increase which is being seen in the U.S. in 2010 in the number of school districts that are attempting to decrease concentrations of poverty on their campuses by taking students' family income and socioeconomic status into consideration when determining student school assignments. School districts that have adopted student assignment policies that are based on socioeconomic status are discussed.

Many states have set the bar so low for children who are learning English that students in those states could leave high school without being taught to read or write the language, yet their schools would face no consequences under federal education law. While the No Child Left Behind Act has a detailed formula for bringing students to proficiency on state reading and mathematics tests by the 2013-14 school year, it's much less precise on states' goals for English-language learners. A separate provision in the No Child Left Behind law that requires states to include English-language learners in their reading and mathematics tests, the officials say, will push states to help such students learn English.

Provides information on home schooling in the United States. Essence of home schooling; Why many home schooling parents who rely heavily on online courses believe public schools are not right for their children; One of the biggest online programs started by a public school system.

Reports on the debate on how early should children in the United States learn how to type. Guidelines issued by various states for keyboarding in elementary school; Methods of teaching the subject; Importance of learning the proper technique. INSET: Publishers cashing in on keyboarding products..

The article presents information on the State of the State addresses given by various U.S. state governors in January 2011 and their significance for education policy in the U.S. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer spoke about the shooting in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011 and posted information about her education plan on her web site. Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie and Michigan Governor Richard D. Snyder discussed their states' economic conditions and education finance plans.

The article presents news items on education in the U.S. The National Education Association has voted to take a position of no confidence on the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program and on competitive grants in education. A Texas district judge ruled that students must get the grades that they earn and not grades based on inflated scores on report cards. The Chicago, Illinois Board of Education approved a layoff policy which would dismiss ineffective tenured teachers first.

The article discusses U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's pledge to increase the civil rights enforcement in U.S. schools with compliance reviews ensuring that students have equal access to educational opportunities. Stephanie Monroe, the U.S. Department of Education's assistant secretary for civil rights from January 2006 through January 2009, defends the department's record. Civil rights consultant Catherine Collier comments on the differences in compliance reviews since the year 2000.

The article discusses a slowing of work on statewide standards in some states, pending completion of the Common Core standards being sponsored by the National Governors' Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. All states but Alaska and Texas have pledged to adopt the Common Core standards. The U.S. Education Department will be funding joint assessments to align the common standards with the state standards. Experts see the slowing as prudent.

The article discusses a study saying the Response to Intervention (RTI) model of helping struggling students is more effective than the standard approach for determining if an English Language Learner (ELL) needs intervention beyond language support. It notes that RTI can be used to support children before a determination of disability is made or denied.

The article discusses trends in bilingual education advocacy in the United States as of 2008 and the possible support of the movement through the future administration of President Barack Obama. Details are given outlining the debate over the validity and utility of bilingual education, citing accusations of its hindrance under the George W. Bush administration and the No Child Left Behind initiative.

The article discusses the presence of Native American history in education curriculum in Montana. The article mentions American Indian culture, educational goals, the history and culture of indigenous peoples, and the No Child Left Behind Act. The article also mentions student demographic data and American Indian studies as being a subset of social studies.

The article presents information on U.S. states' English-language proficiency tests required for compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). A University of California at Davis study shows that all states and the District of Columbia have implemented the tests for English-language learners (ELLs), but to date the effectiveness of the tests in predicting ELLs' classroom success has not been proven. Information on federal-state cooperation on the tests is included.

The article reports on the effects of high mobility rates on student achievement and schools' failure to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress requirements of the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The author notes that mobility is high among the poor, Native American, Alaskan American, and African American students. Several schools' efforts to support highly-mobile students are described, including using NCLB funds for tutoring, reducing truancy, and including cultural classes in the curriculum.

The article reports that U.S. public schools will continue a 10-year enrollment increase trend with the 2007-2008 school year, based on numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Information on the geographic ares of the country that are expected to see the highest increases is included, as is information on demographic trends and district patterns within geographic areas. Financial implications for high enrollment areas is discussed.

The article reports on a summer program for U.S. high school students which was funded by the National Security Language Initiative and which provides free intensive Arabic and Chinese language classes that will prepare students for national security or diplomatic jobs. A lack of knowledge of foreign languages and cultures which threatens national security in the U.S., and was partly responsible for the development of the program is discussed.

The article reports on lack of guidance for U.S. school districts trying to incorporate federally-mandated state standards into a curriculum for limited English-proficient (LEP) students. The author explains that several states with large LEP populations, such as California, New Mexico, and Illinois, have been criticized for their lack of standards and/or guidance. Massachusetts and Florida are singled out for their detailed guidance in keeping with the No Child Left Behind Act's requirements.

The article discusses how the United States Department of Education is looking to change some of the rules in its migrant education program. The article reports that the proposed rule change would require that states reinterview members of migrant families annually to confirm that counts of eligible children are accurate. The rule change comes as the Department of Education conducted an audit of the program and found errors in the counts of children who are eligible for the program.

The article reports on the withdrawal of foreign language teaching blocks for non-English speaking students in U.S. public schools. The No Child Left Behind Act forces schools to make adequate progress with English language learners otherwise funding penalties occur. Administrators are implementing full English-immersion.

The article explains required changes to how certain states test English-language learners in school and how that effects those states' accountability under the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act. Eighteen states were questioned by the U.S. Department of Education as to whether alternative tests used with English-language learners are comparable to the regular state reading and math tests used to determine adequate yearly progress (AYP).

This article offers a look at three guidebooks with research-based recommendations for teaching students who are English-language learners from the United States Department of Education. According to the author, the books do not address the issue of whether it is beneficial to use bilingual education or English-only methods.

The article informs that U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings last week called on the nation's Roman Catholic schools to become active in providing tutoring to public school students under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Under the law, public schools that fail to meet improvement goals for two consecutive years must provide transportation for students to transfer to another public school if they wish. The secretary called attention to the federal program that provides students from low-income families in the District of Columbia with vouchers worth up to $7,500 to attend private schools of their choice.

This article reports that a senator and Native American leaders took turns sharing what they see as good news last week during a briefing about national legislation that would affect American Indian schoolchildren. Senator Tim Johnson, a Democrat from South Dakota, said a bill that would authorize Indian tribes to issue school construction bonds has a good chance of passing this fall. He and several congressional aides spoke during the late-afternoon briefing on Capitol Hill, planned by its host, the American Indian Education Association, to coincide with the weeklong festivities celebrating the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Since terrorists from Arab countries attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. government has been desperately seeking to hire Arabic speakers. But even now, more than 2½ years later, the nation has only a small pool of students who are seriously studying the language. Yet only a smattering of public elementary and secondary schools across the country, perhaps no more than two dozen, teach the language as part of the regular curriculum. And while enrollment in Arabic classes at the college level nearly doubled from 1998 to 2002, from 5,505 to 10,584 students, Arabic is still one of the nation's least commonly studied languages of those spoken worldwide.

The federal No Child Left Behind Act is spurring a host of states to craft alternative state tests in reading and mathematics for children who are learning English. But the states' efforts could be for naught if the U.S. Department of Education, which enforces the far-reaching 2001 federal law, doesn't accept the tests. Kathleen Leos, the associate deputy undersecretary of the department's office of English-language acquisition, said last week that her department is not encouraging states to use alternative tests and she can't guarantee that they'll be approved. In the past, many states excluded English-language learners from state testing until the students had been in U.S. schools for at least three years.

Hispanic American parents in the U.S. don't have much choice in where they can send their children to school--and if they're given more choice and act on it, Hispanic children are likely to do better in school. That's the underlying assumption of a new nonprofit organization, the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options, or Hispanic CREO. School choice is the best way to address the current educational crisis among Hispanics, Robert B. Aguirre, the chairman of Hispanic CREO, said. But a report by researchers from the New York City-based Manhattan Institute, released at the event, gave only limited research evidence that school choice would improve educational outcomes for Hispanics.

Presents news briefs related to education in the U.S. as of May 2003. Rejection of a challenge brought by teachers to the Ohio state education budget by the Supreme Court; Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's vow to veto anti-bilingual-law changes approved by the state legislature.

Reports on the resettlement of orphaned Sudanese youths in the United States. Impression of the youths on adults and the school system; Details on the first day of school of the Sudanese youths; Reaction of native Philadelphians to the Sudanese.

Deals with the questions raised by the United States federal government's decision to require schools to collect and report data on racial and ethnic backgrounds of their students. Categories in classifying the students; Question about the need for classifying students in terms of race and ethnicity.

Reports that the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is planning to reduce its education rate discount (E-Rate) program, which allows discounts for telecommunications services equipment. Description of the program; Number of applications submitted by schools and libraries; Why companies are opposed to the fees imposed by the government.

The article discusses proposed rules associated with requirements for a grant competition for English-language-proficiency tests in the U.S. It addresses the role of the Common Core State Standards Initiative in increasing attention to policies regarding the education of English language learners (ELL) in the U.S.

The article discusses the final document of the common academic standards by the U.S. Council of Chief State School Officers and the U.S. National Governors Association, which doesn't include English-language proficiency standards. The World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment's (WIDA) English language proficiency standards are explored. The cost-effectiveness of states' joining the WIDA consortium and the assessment issues for English Language Learners are discussed.

The article discusses the results of three research reports by the American Institutes for Research on whether or not the accountability goals for English-language learners (ELL) under the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act in the 2007-2008 school year were met. It was found that only 11 states met their ELL goals and almost 60% of school districts that receive funding for English-language-acquisition programs achieved all of their goals. The states' accountability systems are discussed.

The article discusses a report on English as a second language students in the U.S. that was released in 2010 by the Center on Education Policy. The report suggests that there has been an increase in the percentage of English language learners who attained proficiency in reading and math on state tests between 2005 and 2008. It also suggests that gaps still exist in reading and mathematics achievement between English language learners and non English language learners in many U.S. states.

The article discusses additional reporting categories for school districts on student civil rights to be required by the U.S. government for the 2009-2010 school year, including Advanced Placement courses, ACT and SAT college-admission tests, mathematics and science courses, International Baccalaureate programs and General Educational Development courses.

The article discusses the introduction of legislation to replace the federal reading programs Early Reading First, Reading First, and Striving Readers by U.S. Senator Patty Murray. The legislation would also authorize over two billion dollars in funding to improve reading and writing in kindergarten through 12th grade. How the funding would be separated among the grades is explored. The legislative proposal's emphasis on adolescent literacy is discussed.

The article discusses a report which compared the common best practices of four large urban districts that have significantly improved English language learner achievement with two urban districts that have not. The report, which was released by the Council of the Great City Schools, found that the successful schools provided oversight for the education of the students, made certain that educational professionals received career development and used data to improve classroom instruction.

The article discusses a lawsuit brought by California education organizations in response to a March 23, 2009 memo from Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, suspending monitoring of certain programs because of the state's economic crisis. The programs include those serving English language learners, migrants and neglected, delinquent and homeless students. The lawsuit accuses the state of violating federal law and its own constitution.

The article reports on a survey conducted by the United States Government Accountability Office that examined the amount of time spent on arts education in public schools. Results indicated that from 2004 to 2007 the amount of time spent on arts education remained about the same. Findings also indicated that schools with a higher minority enrollment and those deemed as needing improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act were more likely to report a decrease in time spent on arts education.

The article focuses on an educational report issued regarding measures to address school dropouts. Details are given outlining the contents of the "Grad Nation" publication issued by the America's Promise Alliance, providing statistics of dropout rates throughout the U.S. and advocating general awareness as well as policies to combat the problem.

The article reports on documentation issued by the U.S. Department of Education in October 2008 clarifying and asserting the proper use of federal funding directed towards English-language learning programs. Details are given citing concerns over school districts possibly redirecting the funds towards other educational funding deficit issues and the Department of Education's firm stance against such measures.

The article focuses on the views of the Republican Party regarding education in the U.S. It explains that the party made a statement in which it claimed that English should be the U.S. official language. Excerpts from the party's platform are included and the importance of teaching English as a cultural integration tool for children in immigrant families is examined.

The article focuses on the laws regarding the English-language learner (ELL) programs in the state of Texas. It explains that the U.S. has ordered the state to modify its ELL programs and provide better monitoring for them, but the state is likely to appeal this order. Information about the success of the states ELL programs is also offered.

The article discusses the proposal of the National Governors Association (NGA) for increased flexibility in graduation rate calculation formulas. The request was made to the U.S. Department of Education after the department Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings published guidelines for the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The NGA contends that the voluntary goals they set for graduation rates have become high-stake regulations.

The article reports on U.S. educators' attempts to improve Native American students' academic performance. The author discusses finding a balance between core academic subjects and attention to native culture as a means of engaging and motiving students. Information on the 2007 Indian Education Summit held in South Dakota, adequate yearly progress due to the No Child Left Behind Act, and efforts of the South Dakota Department of Education to meet Native American students' needs is included.

The article presents information on people involved in the 1982 Plyler v. Doe U.S. Supreme Court case, which originated in Tyler, Texas. Retired school superintendent James Plyler, whose attempts to charge tuition for the education of undocumented children initiated the case, notes that 25 years later he is glad they lost and the children received an education. Several of the children involved, adults in 2007, note that they are grateful for the education but remember little about the trials.

The article reports on a 2007 U.S. National Education Association (NEA) study of effective teaching strategies for use with Hispanic American students. The NEA and the League of United Latin American Citizens held a summit on the education of Hispanics and determined that cooperative learning, culturally responsive teaching, extended teacher-student dialog, and technology-enriched instruction are some of the best strategies for teaching this population.

The article explains the March 2007 National Research Council's recommendation that the U.S. Department of Education should take a stronger stand on advocating international education and the teaching of foreign languages for students from kindergarten through grade 12. It is noted that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings agrees that the U.S. needs to do a better job, and the department's deputy chief of staff notes the launch of the National Security Language Initiative in 2006.

The article reports on a March 2007 conference for teachers of English-language learners, which took place in Seattle, Washington. Participants discussed desired changes to the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act that would better benefit limited English proficient students. Concerns expressed include the Act's lack of consideration for students' English language proficiency and lack of a category for teachers of English language learners under the "highly qualified" definitions.