2005 science assessment National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 science assessment were just released, detailing national performance at grades 4, 8, and 12 and state performance for most states at grades 4 and 8.

National findings since the previous assessments in 1996 and 2000 show:

• 4th grade students scored higher than either previous year, and lower-performing students made the largest gains since 2000.
• 8th graders’ overall performance remained unchanged compared with either previous year; gains by lower-income students narrowed the gap since 2000.
• Scores for 12th graders remain unchanged since the last assessment, but are lower than in 1996. However, the White-Black gap has widened since 2000.

(NCES Newsflash Service)

What predicts achievement? Self-discipline or IQ?

An article published in the December 2005 issue of Psychological Science reports on a study of 140 8th grade students and predictors of final grades. The authors, from the Positive Psychology Center at U Penn, discuss their findings from the study that suggest that the "degree to which students practiced self-discipline" was twice as likely as IQ to predict final grades. The article, titled Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents, by Angela L. Duckworth and Martin E.P. Seligman, is available online thorough WSU in Psychological Science, v. 26, issue 12, page 939.
(Reported in AFT On Campus, May/June 2006.)

Michigan Online Learning Requirement from ESchool News Online

Read this article about Michigan's Online Learning Requirement, and check out eSchool News Online, a commercial publication that focuses on disseminating current news on education technology in all its aspects--from legislation and litigation, to case studies, to purchasing practices and new products.

New Access to Your WSU Library Account

Beginning today, you will be able to use your WSU Access ID and Password (same as Pipeline, Blackboard and WSU e-mail) to access your WSU "My Library" account. Once you log in to your library account, you can renew books, save searches, or check on holds.

Try it for yourself. Log in to your library account

Calories In, Calories Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools 2005

"This study, prompted by concern over the rate of obesity among school-age children, was designed to obtain current national information on availability of foods and opportunities for physical activity in public elementary schools. The report includes findings on the types of food sold at one or more locations in schools and in their cafeterias or lunchrooms; the types of food sold at vending machines and school stores or snack bars, and times when foods were available at those locations; food service operations and contracts with companies to sell foods at schools; scheduled recess, including the days per week, times per day, and minutes per day of recess; scheduled physical education, including the days per week, class length, and average minutes per week of physical education; activities to encourage physical activity among elementary students; and the physical assessment of students." From NCES Newsflash Service

James Manning named as Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

James Manning, of Virginia, was appointed by President Bush today to be Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education. Manning replaces Sally L. Stroup as the department’s top higher-education official.

Mr. Manning was formerly the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Education, and also served as Acting Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.

Some biographical information is available from this press release from 2003, when Manning was named Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Additionally, Manning was appointed in 2002 as acting Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department's Federal Student Aid office. The posting of that announcement from the Dept. of Education reads: "Manning is a veteran of the Reagan and prior Bush administrations, having worked from 1989 to 1993 in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education as chief of staff and deputy assistant secretary. Since June 2001, he has served as the Deputy Secretary's chief of staff, advising him on major budget and policy decisions and day-to-day operations. In between, Manning was chief executive officer of the Congressional Award Foundation."

Manning is also a former Director of International Events for the National Basketball Association.