December Contents

1 Editor’s Note: Good News and Bad News

4 How Public Schools Are Impacted by “No Child Left Behind”
Jack Jennings and Diane Stark Rentner / Phi Delta Kappan
Revising it may free schools from demands by the military.

10 When Kids Lose Parents in Our War in Iraq
Lawrence Hardy / School Board News
No one must ever promise their parents will return.

13 Even Repeated, Lies about Public Education STAY Lies
Bobby Ann Starnes / Phi Delta Kappan
Politicians sometimes repeat lies to “prove” them.

18 The Power of Caring Helps Kids Adjust AND Achieve
Susan Black / American School Board Journal
Research now confirms what many teachers thought.

24 Students Don’t Need High-Level Skills for Today’s Jobs
Gerald W. Bracey / Phi Delta Kappan
Setting kids straight about some misleading reports.

29 Must Public Education Restore Its Image?
Nora Carr / American School Board Journal
There are still those of us around who don’t think it’s lost.

33 Telling a Red Flag from a Student’s Real Threat
Judy Brunner and Dennis Lewis / Principal Leadership
Defining what “serious” means is the first step.

37 When “Mean Girls” Turn to Female Violence
Carol Chmelynski / School Board News
Problems we could not have imagined as kids ourselves.

40 Treating Cyberbullying as School Violence
Del Stover / School Board News
It may start at home, but it winds up at school.

43 Risks Over Cellphones in the School
Vanessa St. Gerard / Communicator
The latest technology for them endangers students.

46 Tabletop Exercises Can Train Staff for Safety
Judy Brunner and Dennis Lewis / Principal Leadership
Sometimes, what seem logical responses are dangerous.

50 Service Learning for a New Kind of Student
Frank DiMaria / Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
Providing students with experiences not in classrooms.

55 Academic Freedom Under Fire from Liberal Bias
Alexandra Salas / Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
Colleges must not try to dictate student views.

60 Transfers from Four-Year to Two-Year Colleges
Angela McGlynn / Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
Lacking money for four-year schools is not the only reason.

65 The Teachers’ Lounge
70 Washington Scene
74 Education News in Brief
76 Calendar
77 Education Resources