District Administration - August 2009 - (Page 8)

Advertiser Index Adaptive Curriculum 25 www.adaptivecurriculum.com Aetna, Inc. CV2 www.aetnamedicare.com/ps AlertNow 11 www.alertnow.com Automated Logic Corporation 5 www.automatedlogic.com CDW-G 7 www.the21stcenturyclassroom.com Cisco Systems, Inc. 17, 30-31 www.cisco.com/go/educre www.passtheball.com DA Web Seminars 29 www.DistrictAdministration.com/webseminars eChalk 45 www.echalk.com/setda2020 eCollege.com 35 www.pearsontapestry.com Follett Educational Services CV4 www.fes.follett.com Johns Hopkins University 28 www.every1graduates.org Lincoln Interactive CV3 www.lincolninteractive.com Naviance, LLC 2 www.naviance.com NetSupport, Inc. 51 www.netsupportschool.com Nova Southeastern University 27 www.FischlerSchool.nova.edu/DistrictAdmin OnCourse Systems for Education LLC 9 www.oncoursesystems.com/discipline Pearson Digital Learning 3 www.PearsonSchool.com/ClassofOne Real Asset Management International 6 www.realassetmgt.com Renaissance Learning 43 www.renlearn.com/lp/da Seton Hall University 39 www.shu.edu Sharp Electronics Corporation 19 www.sharpusa.com/education The College Board 15 www.collegeboard.com/sbfaqs Walt Disney Company 1 www.DistrictAdministration.com/disney Wimba 47 www.wimba.com/K12 Letters Fascinating Health Care Concepts I read with interest the article on health costs (“Controlling Health Care Costs,” May 2009). I found the trigger mechanism used by the LAUSD to negotiate rates at a committee level or to require the covered employees to bear the additional costs when the rates increase by more than 3.5 percent a fascinating concept. The employees, through their union representatives, are directly involved in the renewal process. Although I believe that a committee can be burdensome for management, if kept to a handful of knowledgeable and reasonable members, this concept may have merit. However, it is clear that those employed in the private sector more fully understand and appreciate the many benefits of health insurance in terms of its true costs and value. This appreciation is due largely to the fact that many private sector employees must contribute toward their health care benefits through a payroll deduction, which is rarely required of those employed in the public sector. Matt Ernandes, business administrator, North Hanover (N.J.) Township Schools May 2009), small, rural districts also struggle with developing parent involvement. We do not have some of the struggles mentioned in the article (e.g., cultural issues, attendance issues); however, we do have a majority of our parents working. It is difficult for them to get time away from their jobs to volunteer or be a member of a school improvement team. We are lucky that parents attending a parent involvement conference came together and formed a group that has worked successfully this year to bring parents in grades PK-5 to activities specifically designed with that age group in mind. The group also put together, in seven months, the financing and replacement of playground equipment at both our building sites. Unfortunately, the parent involvement is nonexistent on committees and in upper grades (with the exception of attendance at extracurricular activities). We share the same hope that as parents see the success of the program in the lower grades, it will expand into the middle school and high school. Trudy (TK) Clark, superintendent, Bruning-Davenport (Neb.) USD Touch Screens in Education In response to DA’s Product Posts blog on April 30, which touts the importance of touch screens in education, a reader says: Touch screens are wonderful. But in reality, at least for instructional purposes, they are only as good as the educational resources that go with them. In addition, their utility depends on the teacher’s ability to effectively engage students in using these resources. Andrew Pass, founder, Pass-Ed Maine Gets the Job Done The next time you do an article on every student with a laptop (“A Netbook for Every Student,” June/July 2009), please visit www.maine.gov/mlti/index.shtml BEFORE the article is printed. Seventh- and eighth-graders have had their own laptops for seven years. On the above Web page, the resources section contains the research that answers your article’s question: Do they get the job done? While your article focused on the device needed, Maine has been focusing on the educational changes needed that 1 to 1 provides. Nancy B. Grant, library media specialist, Maine School Administrative Unit #41 Rural School Parent Struggles In regard to the parental involvement feature (“Parental Engagement Pays Off,” Letters to the editor may be sent to jhartnett@districtadministration.com, or mailed to Judy F. Hartnett, District Administration, 488 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. Selections that are published may be edited for length and clarity, and become the property of District Administration. District Administration 8 August 2009 http://www.adaptivecurriculum.com http://www.aetnamedicare.com/ps http://www.alertnow.com http://www.automatedlogic.com http://www.the21stcenturyclassroom.com http://www.cisco.com/go/educre http://www.passtheball.com http://www.DistrictAdministration.com/webseminars http://www.echalk.com/setda2020 http://www.pearsontapestry.com http://www.fes.follett.com http://www.every1graduates.org http://www.lincolninteractive.com http://www.naviance.com http://www.netsupportschool.com http://www.FischlerSchool.nova.edu/DistrictAdmin http://www.oncoursesystems.com/discipline http://www.maine.gov/mlti/index.shtml http://www.PearsonSchool.com/ClassofOne http://www.realassetmgt.com http://www.renlearn.com/lp/da http://www.shu.edu http://www.sharpusa.com/education http://www.collegeboard.com/sbfaqs http://www.DistrictAdministration.com/disney http://www.wimba.com/K12

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - August 2009

District Administration - August 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Standards & Assessment
Stimulus Monitor
Admin Profile
District Profile
Tell It to the Mayor
Fighting Fraud in Schools
Recovery High Schools
Keeping the Community in the Know
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Problem Solution
Tech Disruptions
New Products
Product Focus
Professional Opinion

District Administration - August 2009