• NYC School Cell Phone Ban Causes Uproar
  — From The Boston Globe

  A ban on cell phones in the nation's biggest school system is creating an uproar among parents and students alike, with teenagers smuggling their phones inside their lunches and under their clothes, and grown-ups insisting they need to stay in touch with their children in case of another crisis like Sept. 11.

  Parents have written angry letters and e-mails, staged rallies and news conferences, and threatened to sue. Some city council members are introducing legislation on their behalf.

  But Mayor Michael Bloomberg and schools Chancellor Joel Klein have staunchly refused to drop the ban. They insist cell phones are a distraction and are used to cheat, take inappropriate photos in bathrooms, and organize gang rendezvous. They are also a top stolen item.

  For the full story, visit
  http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/05/12/
  nyc_school_cell_phone_ban_causes_uproar/?p1=MEWell_Pos5

• Milwaukee District First to Adopt New Curriculum for High School Freshmen

  As part of its ongoing commitment to creating a strong, supportive community for its high school freshmen, West Allis-West Milwaukee School District (WI) chose Success Highways, a new curriculum program from ScholarCentric that enhances the student experience. The district, which serves about 9,000 students, is the first in the country to purchase the Success Highways curriculum. More than 800 freshmen at Nathan Hale and Central High Schools have experienced the curriculum in a pilot program during the 2005-06 school year, and administrators are looking forward to greater implementation during the next school year. The program is administered by the district’s Pupil Services staff of counselors and social workers who work closely with classroom teachers to implement the curriculum.

  For the full story, visit
  http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndm
  ViewId=news_view&newsId=20060511005077&newsLang=en

• Questionmark Offers Podcasts With Assessment Professionals

  Questionmark has added podcasts featuring interviews with learning and education professionals to its Web site. In the podcasts, current users of the Questionmark Perception assessment management system tell about their use of online surveys, quizzes, tests, and exams, while industry leaders share their insights about best practices in relation to assessment. Listeners can subscribe to and download the podcasts at no charge.

  For the full story, visit
  http://www.questionmark.com/us/news/podcast/index.htm

• Benedum Foundation Helps Fund Math Curricula for 18 West Virginia Schools

  Carnegie Learning recently announced that 18 West Virginia schools will implement its algebra I curriculum thanks to $165,000 in funding from the Benedum Foundation. The five-year purchase includes the full Cognitive Tutor curriculum integrating interactive software sessions, textbooks, and student-centered classroom instruction. It is also supported by an ongoing professional development program. This adoption is the third in a multiphased initiative by the West Virginia Department of Education and the Benedum Foundation to address the need to improve high school math scores across the state. Phases I and II purchased Carnegie Learning’s algebra I program for 15 schools over the past four years. The Benedum Foundation gives nearly two-thirds of its grant money annually to West Virginia.

  For the full story, visit
  http://www.carnegielearning.com/company_press_detail.cfm?pressreleaseID=84

• Some Publishers of Scholarly Journals Dislike Bill to Require Online Access to Articles
  —From The New York Times

  Scholarly publishing has never been a big business. But it could take a financial hit if a proposed federal law is enacted, opening taxpayer-financed research to the public, according to some critics in academic institutions.

  The Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006, proposed earlier this month by Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and John Cornyn, would require 11 government agencies to publish online any articles that contained research financed with federal grants. If enacted, the measure would require that the articles be accessible online without charge within six months of their initial publication in a scholarly journal.

  But some members of the scholarly publishing industry are wary of the legislation because it could weaken the connection between the journals and their readers, resulting in a lose of subscribers and ad revenue if articles were available online.

  For the full story, visit
  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/business/media/08journal.html
  ?ex=1147752000&en=d5dccb586af6ae0a&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Video4Networks Inc. has released its Pay-Per-Minute Internet Video Services, putting streaming video content in the hands of many more users. The company's new offering allows any user to manage, serve, and track their multimedia and streaming video content using the Internet. Monthly subscriptions include a package of minutes that customers can purchase and use for streaming video every month--similar to a cell-phone plan. The portal customers use to interact with the service is completely self-serving, secure, and Web-based. There is no need to purchase or install special software and there are no long-term commitments. Customers establish their account online and start using the service from their browser. Pricing varies.

Pearson Knowledge Technologies and Pearson Prentice Hall have bundled two powerful literacy tools: Prentice Hall's Literacy Skill Builder Series workbooks for sixth- through eighth-grade students reading below grade level, and WriteToLearn, a Web-based learning tool that helps students develop writing and reading comprehension skills. The package is geared toward students who are taking summer school classes to improve literacy skills. It includes comprehensive materials for teachers, such as a pacing guide for lesson planning, activity ideas, teaching strategies for difficult concepts, and suggestions for integrating WriteToLearn into lessons. Teachers can assess student progress through pre- and post-testing to closely monitor student progress, as well as through the WriteToLearn teacher interface, which allows teachers to easily assess students' writing progress individually or as a class.

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