November '07 Contents

1 Editor’s Note

4 Making Tough Choices
Marc Tucker / Phi Delta Kappan
Reflections on The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce proposals.

10 The Bible and the Board
Richard D. Sorenson / American School Board Journal
School districts are often caught in the middle of the church-state debate.

14 One Nation, Many Gods
Carrie Kilman / Teaching Tolerance
World religion course helps reduce religious intolerance.

21 State Pilots Sweeping Changes in Special Ed
Gary Adkins / Illinois School Board Newsbulletin
Response to Intervention project could lead to big changes.

23 New Teacher Project Brings Holistic Style to Urban Districts
Vaishali Honawar / Education Week
New Teacher Project finds applicants for hard-to-staff districts.

28 Teacher Recruiting Especially Challenging for Urban School Boards
Del Stover / School Board News
Strategic recruitment plan helps to locate qualified candidates.

32 Schools as Scapegoats
Lawrence Mishel and Richard Rothstein / The American Prospect
The education-as-panacea argument comes under fire.

40 Schools Grapple with Legality of Prayer Rooms for Muslim Students
Ellie Ashford / School Board News
Many issues have yet to be be tested in the courts.

44 Some Colleges Provide Success Coaches for Students
Elizabeth F. Farrell / The Chronicle of Higher Education
Preliminary results are encouraging.

48 The Athletics Department of the Future
Brad Wolverton / The Chronicle of Higher Education
Keeping an eye on trends and emerging practices.

51 On the Other Side of the Podium
Fred L. Pincus / The Chronicle of Higher Education
Author gains unexpected insight following workshop experience.

53 But What Do You Do with the Data?
Jan Matthews, Susan Trimble, and Anne Gay / Principal Leadership
Helping teachers improve instruction through data usage.

57 Making Your High Expectations Stick
American Teacher
Ideas to help maintain order in the classroom.

59 A Foundation for Funding
Nora Carr / American School Board Journal
Public school foundations cultivate donors to raise money.

63 Teaching with Passion
Jerelyn Thomas
Teachers cannot afford to simply go through the motions.

66 The Teachers’ Lounge
70 Washington News
74 News in Brief
76 Calendar
77 Resources for Educators