Table of Contents | September 2004

Editor's Note: The Fight to Improve Public Education

Technology integration in our schools has definitely made a difference in the quality of public education. Now we need to keep up the momentum to reach all schools.

Sage Advice: Making Voting Valid for Youth

How do you make Election Day relevant to students when they can't even vote?

Features

Full House: As Las Vegas Grows, So Does the Need to Accommodate Its Students

The Las Vegas building boom has stretched the creativity and resources of the nation's fastest-growing school district.

Life on the Screen: Visual Literacy in Education

The visionary filmmaker argues that students must learn a new language of image and sound in order to succeed.

Mix and Mash: The Mashup Is Born from a Blend of Two Songs

The popular new art form raises serious copyright debates, providing powerful discussion material for the classroom.

The Teen Ticket: Are Teenagers Old Enough to Vote?

Proposals to lower the voting age may say more about partisan squabbles than about precocious youngsters.

Cool Schools

Inside, Looking Out: Students Get the Picture

Did you hear about the classroom with no windows?

Look Ma, No Wires: Easy Steps to a Wireless Net

Easy steps to a wireless network.

Power to the People: Taking Education Beyond Traditional Boundaries

First Amendment Schools put the Constitution to work.

Money: That's What I Want

Scoop up those elusive grant dollars.

Design

Clean My Ride: Biodiesel Buses Are Better for Breathing

The cloud of black soot that school buses churn out could soon be a thing of the past.

Green Scene: Students Appreciate Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Building Design

Students at this Texas elementary school don't just study textbooks to learn about the environment and sustainability. They're surrounded by it.

Heart and Soul

Combating Senioritis: How to Keep Soon-to-Graduate Students on Task

The best way to motivate seniors who've cut their jets is to treat them like adults.

Help Me, I'm Failing: Louisiana Students Falling Behind Learn How to Move Ahead

A middle school program helps keep students from being left behind and left despondent.

Muse: Keeping Time: Music Is a Core Subject

The jazz legend on how music education nourishes the mind as well as the soul.

Head of Class

Good Grades = Higher Teacher Pay: Compensating Teachers for Student Achievement

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association agrees to award educators for student progress.

Modern Math: Some Surprising Numbers

Settle Down, Please: Keeping Order in the Classroom

What constitutes chaos in the classroom? For teachers and parents, it differs.

No Con Left Behind: Time to Rethink Priorities?

A surprising fact about California's spending habits.

Dress Coda: Watch Those P's & Q's

Slash the Textbook Budget with Open-Content Curricula

Using open source materials is a savvy solution for saving money.

The Rating Game: Does it Help or Hurt?

The pros and cons of a teacher-rating Web site.

Recess

Glow Fish: Shedding Some Light on Deep-Sea Creatures

An in-the-dark exhibit that will brighten your day.

See the World -- and Save It, Too: Edifying Expeditions for Educators

The international, nonprofit organization Earthwatch Institute connects adventurous travelers with research scientists worldwide.

Room and Blackboard: School Renovation at its Best

School -- twenty-four hours.

Mail to the Chief: A Book for the Season

Enlightening readers on the status of public education.

Pen Pal: High Tech Disguised as Low Tech

USB made E-Z.

Eye Candy: Look Spectacular in Specs

Eyeglasses are becoming fashionable -- as well as functional.