News Desk (LD News: June 2007)

How the Minimum Wage Increase Will Affect Individuals with Disabilities
On May 24, Congress passed a federal minimum wage rate increase, from $5.15 to $7.25 over a two-year period. In order to review how this increase will affect individuals with disabilities and to provide guidance for their service providers, The Institute for Community Inclusion has developed two new publications: "An Aid for Disability Service Providers" and "What It Means for People with Disabilities."

ASCD Launches WholeChildEducation.org
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has launched a new Web site, WholeChildEducation.org, calling on parents, educators, and policymakers to join together to ensure that children become productive, engaged citizens. The site includes a Policy Blackboard, Resource Clearinghouse, and more.

High School Students Taking More Advanced Classes in Wide Array of Subjects
According to The Condition of Education 2007 report from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, high school students in the U.S. are taking more advanced courses in mathematics, art, social studies, and foreign languages.

The Condition of Education 2007 Released
The Condition of Education 2007 report, released this month, shows that enrollment in U.S. public schools is becoming more diverse, and more individuals are pursuing and obtaining bachelor's degrees than in the past.

Spending on Education and Test Performance Results Not Strong, Expert Says
Tom Loveless, an education policy expert, finds that the relationship between spending on education and test performance is not strong, based on data from the Census Bureau. The Bureau has found that the U.S. spent an average of $8,701 per student in 2005, with some states paying more than twice as much as others.

Economic Achievement Gap Attributed to Learning Through Summer Months
A study from Johns Hopkins University shows that 65 percent of the achievement gap between poor and wealthy children can be attributed to unequal summer learning during elementary school years, with other studies showing that low-income children fall behind an average of two months in reading while their higher income peers make slight improvements.

Supreme Court Grants Parents Right to Advocate for Children Needs
In late May, the U.S. Supreme Court granted all parents the right to advocate for their children's special needs in federal court without the assistance of a lawyer. Listen to an NPR interview on the decision here.

Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success (PDF, 183 pages)
A new report from MDRC and the Community College Research Center discusses the progress that 27 colleges have made after planning and one year of implementing strategies to improve academic success. Key findings include low levels of success at introductory-level courses, strong leadership in college presidents, and progress after one year of implementation.

Investing in High Quality Pre-K Pays
Research increasingly shows that investing in early childhood development provides a wide array of benefits to children, families, and society, paying for itself in long term-economic gains. Pre-K Now has released a review of ten studies on the positive effects of high-quality pre-k on the economy. A new book from EPI by Robert G. Lynch also discusses the long term benefits of high-quality pre-k.

Ensuring a Smooth Transition into High School
The National High School Center has released new resources on how to support a smooth transition into high school, including a fact sheet on the disproportionate number of ninth graders held back, a policy brief highlighting research suggesting that up to 40 percent of students are disengaged, and a listing of several approaches to supporting successful transition.

"Educational Architects: Do State Education Agencies Have the Tools Necessary to Implement NCLB?"
The Center on Education Policy has released a new report revealing four major capacity challenges in the implementation of No Child Left Behind -- limitations in staffing and infrastructure, inadequate funding, lack of guidance and technical support from the U.S. Department of Education, and barriers in NCLB and within state education agencies.

ELLs Falling Behind in Reading and Math
According to an analysis of standardized test scores, English language learners (ELLs) are among the farthest behind in reading and math, with about 51 percent of eighth grade ELL students trailing their English language-dominant peers.

Math and Reading Scores Up Since NCLB Signing
A new independent study finds that since President Bush signed No Child Left Behind five years ago, the nation's students have performed significantly better on state reading and math tests, but that it is difficult to say how much NCLB is to credit for these achievements.

Diplomas Count Free Through June 25 on Edweek.org
The Second Annual Diplomas Count, examining college and career readiness and providing analysis of high school graduation policies and trends, has been released. The report is available free during Edweek.org's Open House, from June 11-25.

New Reports from Department of Labor
The Department of Labor has released four new fact sheets on the topics of: disclosure in an academic setting; youth, disclosure, and the workplace; advising youth with disabilities on disclosure; and accommodations for youth and mental health needs when entering the workplace.