By PETER HANCOCK, The Lawrence Journal-World
The art of cursive handwriting may be losing stature in the digital age, but the Kansas State Board of Education says it still has a place in public schools.
The board agreed unanimously Wednesday to adopt a policy statement encouraging schools to continue teaching cursive writing, also known as "joined italics" by some educators. But it split 8-2 in favor of adopting formal curriculum standards to direct classroom teachers on what is expected.
Those standards, however, will not result in schools having to give standardized tests in the subject, as they do in other academic subjects.
After a discussion on the subject last month, the board directed staff at the Department of Education to draft a policy statement to be sent out to schools.
The staff came back this month with three options: one recommending that instructional time could be put to better use in other areas; another only stressing the need to learn cursive for social functions such as a signature or reading handwritten documents; and a third emphasizing the importance of handwriting in cognitive development, as well as daily life.
The board agreed unanimously on the strongest language.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Kansas schools face monumental changes in coming year
By PETER HANCOCK, The Lawrence Journal-World
Over the course of the next year, the Kansas State Board of Education will face a series of policy decisions that will affect daily life in classrooms throughout the state, touching everything from the content that students are taught to the way teachers and administrators go about their jobs.
Furthermore, at least four of the 10 state board members will be new to their jobs starting in January, and they'll be working with a Legislature where a large percentage of members will be incoming freshmen.
All of that adds up to what Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker predicts will be "a busy year" for education officials in Kansas — possibly the busiest year since Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind law in 2001.
"We had the same type of frenzy of everything happening at one time," DeBacker said of that year. "We've actually looked at how we can maybe slow some of that down, what's under our control and what's under somebody else's control."
In her monthly report to the state board Tuesday, DeBacker outlined some of the decisions coming up in 2013.
They include:
Over the course of the next year, the Kansas State Board of Education will face a series of policy decisions that will affect daily life in classrooms throughout the state, touching everything from the content that students are taught to the way teachers and administrators go about their jobs.
Furthermore, at least four of the 10 state board members will be new to their jobs starting in January, and they'll be working with a Legislature where a large percentage of members will be incoming freshmen.
All of that adds up to what Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker predicts will be "a busy year" for education officials in Kansas — possibly the busiest year since Congress enacted the No Child Left Behind law in 2001.
"We had the same type of frenzy of everything happening at one time," DeBacker said of that year. "We've actually looked at how we can maybe slow some of that down, what's under our control and what's under somebody else's control."
In her monthly report to the state board Tuesday, DeBacker outlined some of the decisions coming up in 2013.
They include:
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