SPPS Today - Morning Edition: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 ***SPPS IN THE NEWS: Rising cost of food finds its way to school lunch line St. Paul and other east-metro schools are raising lunch prices by 15 cents here, 25 cents there to offset the increasing expense of food. 8/27/2008 Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/local/east/27290089.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU Why stay? For the love of teaching Fifty percent of U.S. urban public school teachers leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. Why do they leave-and why do they stay? 8/27/2008 Twin Cities Daily Planet http://www.tcdailyplanet.com/article/2008/08/23/why-stay-love-teaching.html **OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE NEWS: A Plan to Test the City’s Youngest Pupils The Bloomberg administration, which has made accountability the watchword of its overhaul of public education, is asking elementary school principals across the city to give standardized tests in English and math to children as young as kindergartners. 8/27/2008 New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/education/27test.html?ref=education Class of 2008 Matches’ 07 on the SAT After two years of slight declines, SAT scores held steady this year, according to a report released Tuesday by the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the exam. 8/27/2008 New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/education/27sat.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin Editorial: Plenty of students, no money for school When school starts next month, Prior Lake-Savage youngsters won't be learning in the shiny, new $16.8 million school built with voter approval of their parents and other residents. Redtail Ridge Elementary School will be empty. That's because taxpayers approved a bond referendum to pay for the building, then later rejected a property tax increase to open and staff the school. "The students are here; we need more seats for them. Our budget is already bare bones. We need help from the community, from voters, to open Redtail School.'' 8/27/2008 Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/27398219.html?elr=KArksc8P:Pc:UthPacyPE7iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU ***MISC. NEWS: Child care 'gap': Inconvenience or opportunity? People seemed surprised about the weeklong gap in school-based day care programs ("What's a parent to do," Aug. 20). I am wondering — were they not told before signing up their children that this gap would occur? 8/27/2008 Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_10283709.html Decade's boom times didn't pay off Census data show more poverty, stagnant income growth in Minnesota. 8/27/2008 Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/ci_10310143.html Early learning A tool to help parents measure school readiness Early learning matters. This slogan is both popular and powerful. Children who arrive at kindergarten age with high-quality preschool experience are in position to succeed. It is important for parents to know how to know "early learning" when they see it and to demand it for their precious learners. 8/27/2008 Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/opinion/ci_10308807.html More Minnesota students taking, passing Advanced Placement classes and exams College-prep trend pleases educators 8/27/2008 Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/education/ci_10310292.html SAT scores stay at lowest level in nearly a decade COLUMBIA, Mo.—For a second straight year, SAT scores for the most recent high school graduating class remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade, a trend attributed to a record number of students now taking the test. 8/27/2008 Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/ci_10306687.html More students in state taking advanced tests What this means is....that students are earning credit for courses they will not need to take and pay for when they get to college. Saves money and better … read more prepares those students who wish to do the work while still in high school. 8/27/2008 Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/local/27441469.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU SAT scores stay at lowest level in nearly a decade COLUMBIA, Mo. - For a second straight year, SAT scores for the most recent high school graduating class remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade, a trend attributed to a record number of students now taking the test. 8/27/2008 Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/local/27431684.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU |