Stories from 2004

• 12.31.04 Celebrated school accused of cheating; Exclusive: TAKS results too good to be true at Houston elementaries posted in DMN | Education
• 12.31.04 Cheating allegations at Wesley go back to 2003; Teacher had addressed HISD board meeting about problem posted in DMN | Education
• 12.22.04 W-H staffers receiving unearned pay; District trying to find who’s getting extra fees for former duties posted in DMN | Education
• 12.20.04 Tools may stem cheating; Test scores, analysis available, but TEA doesn’t use information posted in DMN | Education
• 12.19.04 Cheating may be pervasive; Exclusive: TAKS surges raise questions about hundreds of schools posted in DMN | Education
• 12.14.04 Wilmer-Hutchins board votes to close 3 schools; Police Department also gets ax as district tries to rein in costs posted in DMN | Education
• 12.12.04 Fans ensure slain rocker will always be with them posted in DMN | Miscellaneous
• 12.07.04 Wilmer-Hutchins district plans to close 3 campuses to cut costs; Schools chief says arts magnet, elementary, learning center to shut posted in DMN | Education
• 12.06.04 Column: Walking out of class, into civil rights lore posted in DMN | Education
• 11.26.04 Staffing has W-H in a bind; District has too many workers but can’t abide by class cap, officials say posted in DMN | Education
• 11.23.04 Head of W-H schools fired; District lawyer is also ousted under pressure from state managers posted in DMN | Education
• 11.20.04 3 W-H figures may see their contracts end; School board set to consider interim chief’s recommendation posted in DMN | Education
• 11.19.04 Elementary principal resigns immediately posted in DMN | Education
• 11.18.04 Wilmer Elementary principal to resign; District says decision not tied to questions about TAKS scores posted in DMN | Education
• 11.17.04 W-H custodian indicted on theft charge; 3rd person indicted in district inquiry accused of stealing computers posted in DMN | Education
• 11.16.04 Team meets trustees; State-appointed managers positive about job ahead at W-H posted in DMN | Education
• 11.14.04 A little help on TAKS; Exclusive: At W-H, students say teachers gave answers posted in DMN | Education
• 11.13.04 2 named overseers in W-H; Business leader, former DISD chief can overrule board, officials posted in DMN | Education
• 11.12.04 Judge allows W-H board to convene; 2 state managers must be at trustees’ meeting planned for Monday posted in DMN | Education
• 11.11.04 W-H can’t cover payroll next week; District hopes to pay workers by the end of the month, is working on a loan posted in DMN | Education
• 11.10.04 State management team on way to run W-H schools; Initial focus likely to be financial, not academic; some call action weak posted in DMN | Education
• 11.09.04 Judge’s order cancels W-H trustee meeting posted in DMN | Education
• 11.07.04 W-H scores suspicious; Exclusive: News analysis triggers cheating concerns posted in DMN | Education
• 11.07.04 Claims of inflated attendance inspire criminal inquiry; W-H stood to gain more funding than most districts posted in DMN | Education
• 11.07.04 Scores have spiked before in district; In 1999, Alta Mesa Elementary was cleared after investigation posted in DMN | Education
• 11.06.04 W-H board hit with restraining order; Move to halt school actions leads to confusion over superintendent posted in DMN | Education
• 11.03.04 Petition seeks vote on future of W-H; Group has obstacles to overcome on proposition to abolish district posted in DMN | Education
• 11.02.04 W-H chief is put on leave with pay; Interim superintendent expects state agency to take over district soon posted in DMN | Education
• 11.01.04 Column: Vision care in schools deserves second look posted in DMN | Education
• 10.29.04 Superintendent of W-H indicted; He calls tampering case misunderstanding; 2nd official also charged posted in DMN | Education
• 10.29.04 Superintendent of W-H indicted; He calls tampering case misunderstanding; 2nd official also charged posted in DMN | Education
• 10.14.04 Illegal pay in W-H; Auditors: Schools chief must return $16,000 in post-contract salary posted in DMN | Education
• 10.12.04 W-H to lay off 20% of staff; Process will start next week; 30 teachers could be lost in district posted in DMN | Education
• 10.05.04 Missing check plates reappear in W-H offices posted in DMN | Education
• 10.02.04 High praise at W-H; Despite ongoing turmoil, elementary gets exemplary rating posted in DMN | Education
• 10.01.04 New ratings push many schools off top of ladder; TAKS results hurt suburbs, but changes lift low scorers posted in DMN | Education
• 09.22.04 W-H school opens; But lack of fire alarm, inspection nearly shut its doors hours later posted in DMN | Education
• 09.17.04 Early W-H vote sparse; Apathy over Saturday’s bond proposal puzzles county election chief posted in DMN | Education
• 09.14.04 W-H board is urged to step down; Two African-American groups attend tense, rowdy meeting posted in DMN | Education
• 09.12.04 A lesson in dying; Once a refuge from AIDS, Zambia’s schools are now its latest victims posted in DMN | Int'l & Terrorism
• 09.10.04 FBI, Rangers seize W-H documents; Agents interview officials, serve subpoenas; federal grand jury opens inquiry posted in DMN | Education
• 09.08.04 District seeking image repair; Consultants hired for finances, construction before bond election posted in DMN | Education
• 09.08.04 W-H accused of shredding files; Superintendent denies data related to ex-worker destroyed posted in DMN | Education
• 09.05.04 W-H bond issue sparks fierce debate; Backers cite new-school needs; foes say district would squander funds posted in DMN | Education
• 09.05.04 Lawyer’s ID called mistake posted in DMN | Education
• 09.04.04 W-H used suspended attorney; Exclusive: District’s counsel used identification number of dead lawyer at least once during suspension posted in DMN | Education
• 09.03.04 Police chief at W-H advised to end inquiry; Security takes priority over finances, DISD trustee Blackburn says posted in DMN | Education
• 08.31.04 State getting ready to run W-H schools; Takeover would need federal OK; education officials arrive for audit posted in DMN | Education
• 08.30.04 Red ink not new to chief; W-H isn’t first district to go broke under superintendent’s watch posted in DMN | Education
• 08.28.04 In W-H, still no paychecks; Superintendent blames TEA, which says districts knew of change posted in DMN | Education
• 08.26.04 Payroll not met in W-H; Agency says district wrong on timing of state aid, is using revenue illegally posted in DMN | Education
• 08.25.04 Whose school rules? The competition is fierce when these rivals square off on the field, in the classroom or across the chessboard posted in DMN | Education
• 08.25.04 State audit set for W-H; School leaders are corrupt, police chief tells grand jury posted in DMN | Education
• 08.24.04 W-H is ‘broke,’ official testifies; As district’s debts, problems grow, state considers intervening posted in DMN | Education
• 08.24.04 School’s in session for everyone now; Freshmen, sophomores and juniors begin one week late at other sites posted in DMN | Education
• 08.23.04 Schools not worth saving, W-H told; ‘02 study urged district to abandon poorly maintained campuses posted in DMN | Education
• 08.22.04 Texas’ worst schools; Wilmer-Hutchins’ recent woes are part of a long, dismal pattern posted in DMN | Education
• 08.16.04 Making the grade and making money; As new SAT nears, business picks up for study classes, aids posted in DMN | Education
• 08.09.04 Column: Only time will tell on Moses’ legacy posted in DMN | Education
• 08.04.04 Health plan fee angers teachers; Aetna charging up to $42 a year to run savings program posted in DMN | Education
• 07.28.04 The scoop from celebrities: Your most valuable class posted in DMN | Education
• 07.16.04 For supers, a brief stay in hot seat; Short tenures the norm with stress, challenges of today’s urban schools posted in DMN | Education
• 07.15.04 ‘Tired’ Moses walking away from DISD; Analysis: Successes are many, incomplete posted in DMN | Education
• 07.11.04 Where the only growth industry is death; AIDS destroys scarce resources as well as family members posted in DMN | Int'l & Terrorism
• 07.10.04 And then there were three…; Students who fail TAKS get fewer retest chances to graduate on time posted in DMN | Education
• 07.05.04 Column: Texas colleges buck trend concerning class rank posted in DMN | Education
• 07.02.04 Teacher who let her pupils hit boy won’t be indicted; Mother says ‘justice system has failed’ son who was punished posted in DMN | Education
• 06.18.04 Research vulnerable to viruses; Study: Computer worms can – and do – disable scientists’ systems posted in DMN | Education
• 06.07.04 Column: In science, girls still face hurdles posted in DMN | Education
• 06.04.04 TAKS stakes rising for fifth-graders; Next year’s students are first to need math, reading for promotion posted in DMN | Education
• 05.26.04 TAKS scores: Some guidance for parents posted in DMN | Education
• 05.19.04 State: DISD lags in teacher quality; District says numbers are better than those reported to TEA posted in DMN | Education
• 05.15.04 Disappointed but not surprised; Educators say many issues, little consensus doomed finance plan posted in DMN | Education
• 05.14.04 Mastering the art of control posted in DMN | Education
• 05.13.04 Leaders hold out hope for school bill in week; Dewhurst confers with Craddick; Perry meets N. Texas homeowners posted in DMN | Education
• 05.10.04 Column: Turnover becomes a principal concern posted in DMN | Education
• 05.06.04 Bill may spell end of TAKS; High school exam would be replaced; some fault timing in special session posted in DMN | Education
• 05.06.04 State funding for stadiums may halt; House school bill bans spending on buildings not mostly for teaching posted in DMN | Education
• 05.04.04 A study in rising costs; Irving ISD illustrates reasons for school finance overhaul posted in DMN | Education
• 05.04.04 State benefits from quirk in funding formula; When property values rise, districts’ gains offset by loss of aid posted in DMN | Education
• 04.27.04 TAKS forecast: gloomy; The pressure is on for millions of Texas schoolchildren scheduled to take state exams today, and indications are that many won’t make the grade posted in DMN | Education
• 04.15.04 TAKS standard is raised; After third-graders put down pencils, score requirement increased posted in DMN | Education
• 04.12.04 Column: Smart kids come in all class sizes posted in DMN | Education
• 03.28.04 Held back to get ahead; Some say school success is a question of timing Critics warn delaying kindergarten doesn’t guarantee advantage posted in DMN | Education
• 03.08.04 School officials are angling for more nutritious meals; Some South Texas districts may soon fortify fatty lunch fare with healthy fish oil to lure kids, but critics aren’t biting posted in DMN | Education
• 03.06.04 School ratings tougher; New system to winnow top-ranked campuses, but flexibility added posted in DMN | Education
• 03.05.04 Storm pelts North Texas, causes damage; Wind makes most trouble, but no serious injuries reported posted in DMN | Education
• 02.24.04 TAAS’ time isn’t up; For about 10,000 seniors, test very much in the here and now posted in DMN | Education
• 02.19.04 Schools in dark on rating system; As TAKS nears, delay of state’s accountability plan worries educators posted in DMN | Education
• 02.16.04 Column: Education experiment reveals power of great expectations posted in DMN | Education
• 02.09.04 Alums doing homework; Local interviews help elite colleges identify standouts among applicants posted in DMN | Education
• 01.28.04 School proposal criticized; Perry defends incentives derided by teachers, poorer districts posted in DMN | Education
• 01.19.04 Average teacher salary surpasses $40,000 posted in DMN | Education
• 01.19.04 Column: Computers not a classroom cure-all posted in DMN | Education
• 01.16.04 When the earth moves, UTD listens posted in DMN | Miscellaneous