District Administration - March 2008 - (Page 12)

BRIEFINGS NewsUpdate MYSPACE HAS REACHED AN agreement with attorneys general from 49 states to prevent sexual predators and others from misusing it, but some experts say the social networking site’s proposed changes lack substance and could negatively aﬀect its popularity. MySpace oﬃcials and attorneys general from New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York announced the agreement in Manhattan. The company said it would create a task force to develop software to enforce the site’s often-violated minimum age requirement of 14 and would, among other measures, accept independent monitoring, allow parents to submit children’s e-mail addresses to prevent accounts being made, and respond to complaints about inappropriate content within 72 hours. By Zach Miners MySpace Vows to Protect Kids Better measures, and the 72-hour turnaround time “should be in the single digits.” Texas attorney general Greg Abbott, the sole holdout in the partnership, claims that no social networking site can be safe for minors until there are signiﬁcant improvements in technology. “We are concerned that signing the joint statement would be misperceived as an endorsement of the inadequate safety measures contained therein,” he wrote in an open letter directed to MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe. Sutton says the majority of attorneys general are misguided and any new agreement should be focused on Internet safety training in schools, especially junior high. “Kids must be taught new skills for the digital age,” he says, “such as dealing with fraud, identity theft, and knowing how to recognize who people say they are.” “This is not a real commitment,” says Rich Sutton, director of 8e6 Labs, which investigates Internet threats and enables organizations to protect against them. Age veriﬁcation technology is cumbersome and can lead to an onerous signup process, which Sutton says will deter children from using the site and cause them to migrate to less secure social networking forums. He adds that teenagers are savvy enough to create anonymous e-mail addresses to get around the parent submission $30,000 X-Factor Winners Receive Honors THE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION’S XFactor Student Achievement Awards, announced last September and sponsored by AutoSkill International, were honored last month at the annual National Title I Conference in Nashville, Tenn. The $30,000 prize for an innovative 300-word idea to improve student performance was awarded to PE teachers Lou Ann Miller and Larry Carr of the Mohawk Area School District in Pennsylvania for their From left to right, George Halo, DA associate publisher; “Fitness Buddies” proposal Nancy Fontanne, manager of communications, and Susan to investigate the link beKoch, VP of marketing, AutoSkill International; Larry Carr tween physical activity and and Lou Ann Miller, X-factor award recipients from the Mohawk Area School District in Pennsylvania; and Odvard academic achievement. Egil Dyrli, DA editor-in-chief. The funds were earmarked for purchasing technologies such as Dance Dance Revolution and Sportwall International to deliver cardiovascular workouts in a game format in a new interactive ﬁtness center. Susan Koch, VP of marketing at AutoSkill; George Halo, DA associate publisher; and Odvard Egil Dyrli, editor-in-chief, presented the award. 12 March 2008 New Support for Formative Assessments THE BENEFITS OF TECHNOL ogy-enhanced formative and interim assessments are highlighted in a new white paper from CTB/McGraw-Hill, which touts their ability to accelerate learning among all students and help to close achievement gaps. The special report, “Promoting Student Achievement Using ResearchBased Assessment with Formative Beneﬁts,” delves into several diﬀerent independent studies to demonstrate that technology-enhanced formative assessment is a practical and powerful solution for educators to increase student achievement. A copy of the white paper is available for download at www.Acuity ForSchool.com. See also “Diagnostic Testing,” this issue’s in-depth feature on formative assessments. District Administration http://www.AcuityForSchool.com http://www.AcuityForSchool.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - March 2008

District Administration - March 2008
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Curriculum Update
Achievement Today
Security Update
Inside the Law
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Crafting Strategic Plans
Diagnostic Testing
Social Studies: Is it History?
District Buying Power: Spending on Construction and Renovation
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Speaking Out
Online Edge
New Products
Problem Solution
Leadership Books
Research Corner
Calendar of Events
Products Showcase
Understanding the Times

District Administration - March 2008