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.
