October 25, 2002 Utah State
in the News
AUTISM AND MMR: OPEN UP THE DEBATE
Autism
in children under eight has increased tenfold since 1988. A
new study claims this is due not to better diagnosis but to
unknown factors. We must establish whether MMR is one of them,
says Camilla Cavendish. ... Earlier this year Professor John
O'Leary and colleagues in Dublin found the vaccine strain of
measles virus in the gut of 12 vaccinated children who had both
bowel disease and autism. In August, Professor Vijendra Singh
at Utah State University found that autism might be linked to
an antibody response to MMR. (The Times, London, 10/24/02)
SCHOOL NOTES
Nestle
Ice Cream named Logan teacher Kurt Johnson "the very best
teacher" in the United States, thanks to a nomination from
a mother, Nina Glaittli, who wrote an essay describing him as
a teacher who had a significant influence on her child. Johnson
teaches third and fourth grades in a combination class at Edith
Bowen Laboratory School at Utah State University. (Salt Lake
Tribune, 10/24/02) Click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/oct/10242002/thursday/9949.htm
LAWMAKERS ASKED TO EXPAND CHARTER SCHOOLS
Lawmakers
should expand Utah's charter school program by simplifying the
state funding structure, encouraging school district support
and eliminating the enrollment cap, state Board of Education
Chairman Kim Burningham told a legislative committee Wednesday.
... Consultants from Utah State University's Center for the
School of the Future also presented their report and recommendations
that charter schools be more diligent in tracking student performance,
reporting teacher qualifications and setting measurable goals.
(Salt Lake Tribune, 10/24/02) Click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/oct/10242002/utah/9995.htm
SUBSTITUTES TEACH
6.4 PERCENT OF CLASSROOM TIME
Substitute
teachers are in Utah classrooms 6.4 percent of the time -- nearly
one year of a student's class time from kindergarten to 12th
grade, according to a study presented Wednesday to state lawmakers.
"That is less than the national average of 8 to 10 percent,
but still a significant amount of time," said Geoffrey
G. Smith, director of the Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah
State University. (Salt Lake Tribune, 10/24/02) Click on: http://www.sltrib.com/2002/oct/10242002/utah/10018.htm
SAN
FRANCISCO CENTER KEEPS MUCKRAKING ALIVE
Back
in 1977, when a group of idealistic journalists founded the
nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting, muckraking was
in demand. Washington Post reporters had just helped topple
President Richard Nixon, and a new generation of journalists
signed up for the same type of endeavor. ..."It has been
clear for many years how cuts in news operations -- both newspapers
and TV -- have been limiting the depth of many newspapers and
newscasts," Ted Pease, head of the Department of Journalism
and Communication at Utah State University, said in an e-mail.
(San Francisco Chronicle, 10/24/02)
SKYROCKETING
PUBLIC-COLLEGE TUITION RENEWS CALLS FOR BETTER POLICIES: STATES
FIND NEW WAYS TO RAISE TUITION AND TIGHTEN RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS
Back
when state coffers were flush with revenues in the late 1990s,
politicians were eager to score points with their constituents
by freezing, and in some cases even cutting, public-college
tuition. But in the midst of that economic euphoria, higher-education
experts and some college and state officials warned that scaling
back tuition and holding the line on increases could return
to haunt states when the budget picture dimmed. ... In Utah,
a similar strategy seems to have backfired. This year, a tightening
of the residency requirement led to a drop in freshman enrollment
at Utah State University, where the nearly $7,700 annual-tuition
rate for out-of-state students is more than three times what
residents pay. The university, which is about 30 miles from
the Idaho border, had at least 300 fewer entering freshmen from
other states this year, a 10-percent drop, even though more
students applied for admission. The institution's yield -- how
many students accepted offers of admission -- fell to 42 percent
from 54 percent. (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/25/02)
USU STUDY FINDS UTAH SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS BETTER
THAN AVERAGE
It
is a job that requires a lot of flexibility, but that’s
one of the things Wellsville resident Karen Mouritsen likes
best about being a substitute teacher. This mother of four fills
in for absentee teachers in schools at the south end of Cache
Valley between one and four days a week. ... The Substitute
Teaching Institute at Utah State University, or STI, was commissioned
by the state Legislature under HB 246 to collect data from all
of the districts in the state and compile recommendations. The
group presented 120 pages of results from this yearlong study
to the House Education Interim Legislative Committee on Wednesday
afternoon in Salt Lake City. (Herald Journal, 10/24/02)
NEWS
Who's
Teaching our Kids? A year long survey has been conducted on
Utah substitute teachers. Rep. Lorraine Pace wanted a broader
view of substitutes and found that Utah students see substitute
teachers 153 times from kindergarten to high school. Thirty
percent of substitutes are certified, and 59% have four-year
degrees - but most have never been interviewed. (Substitute
Teaching Institute at USU). (KSTU, newscast, 9 p.m., 10/23/02)
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