Issues brief - 7/02/09

         A. Chief Justice Roberts Comments About Education Decisions

Don't look to the Supreme Court to set school rules, only to clarify them when officials have abdicated that responsibility, Chief Justice John Roberts said Saturday.

At a judicial conference, Roberts was asked how school administrators should interpret seemingly conflicting messages from the court in two recent decisions, including one Thursday that said Arizona officials conducted an unconstitutional strip-search of a teenage girl. In 2007, the justices sided with an Alaska high school principal, ruling that administrators could restrict student speech if it appears to advocate illegal drug use.

DECISION: High court rules in favor of special need students

MORE: Court says strip search violated girl's rights

Roberts told the audience there was no conflict in the court's rulings, just clarity intended to deal with narrow issues that surface from government actions.

"You can't expect to get a whole list of regulations from the Supreme Court. That would be bad," Roberts said. "We wouldn't do a good job at it."

Districts say they use H-1B workers to fill teaching positions with long-reported shortages in such areas as special education and math. Districts also have hired foreign nationals as English, elementary-school and substitute teachers. Like any employer using the H-1B program, schools do not have to show a lack of qualified U.S. teachers before they hire foreign workers.

Schools have had mixed results with the visa workers. Some districts have not renewed the visas for certain teachers, while others decided to keep these workers long-term by helping them get permanent residency with employer-sponsored green cards.

Faced with laying off hundreds of teachers and staff this summer, Washington public-school officials may find it harder to support hiring new foreign workers.

           C. Scholarship Money Dries Up

The recession has led foundations, corporations, state governments and colleges themselves to reduce their support of providers of scholarships, and in recent months programs have been reduced or canceled outright. The cuts come as economic conditions make it harder for families to pay for college and as more unemployed people look for financing for retraining.

The result will probably be a greater role for federal aid programs in supporting students, instead of private scholarship providers and state governments, said Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, whose members are colleges and universities.

“What you’re seeing are some shifts taking place,” Mr. Hartle said. Over all, there may be more aid money available as federal aid programs expand, he continued, “but some individuals may find themselves in much worse situations this year than last year.”

 

A surprising number of teenagers - nearly 15 percent - think they're going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.

The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they're invulnerable to harm. Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances "because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake," said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.

That behavior threatens to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over seven years, kids who thought they would die early were seven time more likely than optimistic kids to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS. They also were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries.

Borowsky said the magnitude of kids with a negative outlook was eye-opening.

SEATTLE -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to stop the Kent School District from blocking a group of Christian students from forming a Bible club on a high school campus.

The court refused to hear an appeal from the high school students who wanted to form the Truth Bible Club at Kentridge High School in Washington state in 2001. The Associated Student Body council refused to let the group be chartered as a school club. It cited the group's name and the fact that students would have to pledge to Jesus Christ to vote in the club, and it argued that allowing the club would bring religion into the school. The club's would-be founders then sued the Kent School District, claiming discrimination.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the district did not violate the students' First Amendment rights by requiring them to allow all students full membership in their club.

Eighty-three teens who were once at risk of dropping out of high school are among the first to graduate from the new Washington Youth Academy. The military-style school program for 16- to 19-year-olds opened in Bremerton in January. It's part of the National Guard's 15-year-old Youth Challenge program.

About 28 percent of the 116 who enrolled in the program dropped out. But many who graduated Saturday say the six months of intensive, round-the-clock, military-style work was a life-changing experience.

"It gave me new character," Scott Kight of Bremerton told the Kitsap Sun.

A preliminary list of providers delivering school-based services is available from the Alliance for Education's Web site. The list was generated from a providers' survey the Alliance conducted last fall. Through a menu-driven spreadsheet, users can see a list of the services provided at any school, and a description of each agency's services. While work is continuing to complete the site-based services picture, this initial list is a significant first step.

Be sure to also download the companion file with instructions on enabling macros for full functionality. Click here to download the file. If you would like further information or technical help, or are aware of an organization that should be included in this list of providers, please contact Mark Taylor or 206-205-0342.

This year’s Early Learning Community Fair will be held August 8 at locations across Washington State. We invite you to partner with the Foundation in this effort. Have no fear – hosting your own event is easy!

1) Sign up at http://www.earlylearning.org/events/community-fair-2009 or contact Sarah Borgida at sarah@earlylearning.org
2) Plan an event in your local community on or around August 8, 2009. The event can be big or small. You can work with groups and organizations in your area or host your own event.
3)The Foundation will provide FREE marketing materials, event publicity, and Getting School Ready!® booklets and other publications for you to distribute. 

Please sign up TODAY in order to have your name added to the marketing materials

!