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	DAILY NEWS “Are Gifted Students Getting Left Out?” 5.12.08, Los Angeles Times, Carla Rivera With schools under intense pressure from state and federal mandates such as No Child Left Behind to raise test scores of low-achieving pupils, the educational needs of gifted students – who usually perform well on standardized tests – too often are ignored, advocates say. Some of these gifted students are not even identified – especially in low-income and minority schools. There is no federal law mandating special programs for gifted children, though many educators argue that these students – whose curiosity and creativity often coexist with emotional and social problems – deserve the same status as those with special needs. Nationally, about 3 million kindergarten through 12th-grade students are identified as gifted, but 80 percent of them do not receive specialized instruction. Studies have found that 5 percent to 20 percent of students who drop out are gifted Read the Story “To Curb Truancy, Dallas Tries Electronic Monitoring” 5.12.08, The New York Times, Gretel C. Kovach Educators are struggling to meet stricter state and federal mandates, including those of No Child Left Behind, on attendance and graduation rates. The Dallas school system, which, like other large districts, has found it difficult to manage the large numbers of truant students, is among the first in the nation to experiment with electronic monitoring. Chronically truant students once headed for juvenile detention are enrolled in a pilot program at Bryan Adams High School in East Dallas where they are monitored electronically by way of Global Positioning System units they wear. The pilot program at Bryan Adams is financed by a $26,000 grant from an equity investor. Despite initial skepticism from school officials, the devices seem to be working. Read the Story “Ice Cream Sellers Under Scrutiny” 5.12.08, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Jeff Martin Rapid City, S.D. is among the latest in a growing number of communities across the nation moving to prevent sexual predators from becoming ice cream truck drivers. Cases in which ice cream truck drivers have been convicted of crimes against children in New York and Florida, as well as concerns about a registered sex offender selling ice cream in California, are prompting states and municipalities to consider banning criminals from driving the trucks or at least requiring background checks before licenses are issued. Critics say the laws hold the potential of going too far, by treating all sex offenders as serial child predators. But Rapid City Alderman Ron Weifenbach sees his city’s measure as being proactive – doing something before crimes occur. “It’s not a 100 percent guarantee or assurance, but it does make you feel better about it,” he said. Read the Story

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The Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media working with the Knight Foundation, has introduced a new online course as a guide to covering the education beat. Learn more about the most pressing issues facing the educational system today, and get tips on covering the beat.

NEW FINDINGS

Maltreatment of Infants in the United States

New CDC research, the first published national analysis of substantiated nonfatal maltreatment of infants, finds that the risk for non-fatal maltreatment in the first year of life is greatest during the first week following birth.

FEATURES

2008 Demographic & Immigration Trends

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Foster Care From the Inside

A journalist-turned-adoptive mother shares an insider’s view of foster care. More>

Funding Watch

Who controls federal spending on foster-care programs? See our in-depth chart.

Getting Access

Having trouble getting access to government information? Get background and tips from this story by Carol Guensburg.

Which education issues will dominate the presidential campaigns? More >

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