Sacramento Press / Mayor plans to address "safe ground" ideas in October

Sacramento Press / Mayor plans to address "safe ground" ideas in October:

"Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday that he plans to deliver a proposal to the City Council in October that would lay out ideas for a “safe ground” site for homeless people.

Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference on Tuesday that he wants to suggest to the City Council three to five sites as possible locations for a future campground. The campground would be exempt from the city’s rules against outdoor camping. In recent weeks, advocates for the homeless have called for city officials to create a safe ground site."

SCUSD Observer: Strong mayor initiative dissected

SCUSD Observer: Strong mayor initiative dissected

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Strong mayor initiative dissected
At tonight's city council meeting, City Attorney Eileen Teichert will present her report titled, "Strong Mayor Initiative Legal Issues and Options."Read it here.

Boss Mayor

Boss Mayor:

"On June 8, 2010, Sacramento will vote to reject or support Sacramentans for Accountable Government’s 'Boss Mayor' Initiative, which SAG has cleverly disguised as a strong mayor proposal. Don’t let SAG fool you.

The Boss Mayor Initiative is an irresponsible and risky attempt to concentrate virtually all of our city’s power into the hands of a single man. Do not be fooled, this is not the same “Strong Mayor” system in numerous other California cities. The Boss Mayor Initiative gives the Mayor unprecedented power over our city – with no accountability."

Mayor: No Money For Winter Shelters - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Mayor: No Money For Winter Shelters - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday there is no county money available for winter homeless shelters this year.

Johnson said Sacramento County's general fund is down, and additional cuts have been made to services that affect the homeless shelters.

The mayor said he hopes by the next month to have three or five locations to discuss as possible 'safe grounds.'"

Sebelius: Govt Approves New Swine Flu Vaccine - Health News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Sebelius: Govt Approves New Swine Flu Vaccine - Health News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the vaccine's approval to Congress -- and said she hopes to get the first limited supplies distributed early in October.

The bulk of vaccine will start arriving Oct. 15, and Sebelius said it should be available at 90,000 sites around the country.

'We will have enough vaccine available for everyone' eventually, Sebelius said -- everyone who wants it, that is."

Dear School-Based Health Care Supporter:

An urgent situation has been brought to our attention by one of our good friends on Capitol Hill. Apparently, some right-wing organizations are conducting a write-in campaign regarding school-based health centers in health care reform legislation. Our Hill contact shared some of the text that is making its way around:

“There are many reasons I urge you to oppose the Health Care Bill (HR3200), but among the most important is that it will put Planned Parenthoodclinics inside the nation's public schools.“Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion provider and the mostdangerous purveyor of the mythical "safe sex" message which has deprivedso many American teens of their sexual innocence and left them withdiseases and unwanted pregnancies.“I am fundamentally opposed to the Health Care Bill (HR 3200) and anyattempt at government take- over of the health care industry. I urge youto oppose the Health Care Bill (HR 3200) or any health care plan thatinvites Planned Parenthood onto our public school campuses.”


This attack on SBHCs demands a strong response – and we are responding with a coordinated sign-on letter intended to demonstrate the breadth and depth of support for SBHCs. The letter is attached. Please consider signing your organization on! And please circulate this email and letter to your networks.

DEADLINE FOR SIGNING ON: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, NOON (Eastern). Please contact Alicia Newell (anewell@nasbhc.org) with sign-ons or questions.

Click this Link to get a copy of the letter: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11328913/SUPPORT-SCHOOL-BASED-HEALTH-CARE-URGENT-SIGN-ON-LETTER‏

Thomas B. Fordham Institute - The Education Gadfly

Thomas B. Fordham Institute - The Education Gadfly:

"What private dollars can do uniquely and best is stand apart from government: Fund activities that are politically or constitutionally beyond government's reach; underwrite critics, evaluators, and analysts of public policies and programs; pay for inquiry, research, and advocacy that would be inappropriate for the public sector to undertake; and generally distinguish its work from that of government in a truly 'independent sector.' In a Wall Street Journal interview the other day, Eli Broad made clear that his foundation, for one, believes in 'venture philanthropy' to jump-start worthy change, not in waiting for the government to sign on."

Education Week: Growth Model

Education Week: Growth Model:

"“If you build the strongest possible induction model for people that come with this background, and equip them with the technology of teaching, will that help individuals improve? Yes, and I think TFA shows evidence of that,” said Ms. Hirsh, whose group promotes school-based learning teams for professional development. “But is the process one that could be replicated to all teachers in a school and produce schoolwide change? I don’t think so, because it has [teachers]working on isolated instances of practice.”"

Ms. Kopp agrees that creating communities of practice for school improvement is vital to reform, but for TFA, views the issue of as one of limited resources. “Ultimately, our schools and districts should be taking that on,” she said. “It’s simply a question of what we have the bandwidth to do.”

California tax panel set to recommend sweeping, controversial changes - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

California tax panel set to recommend sweeping, controversial changes - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

"'I think inherent in this proposal is a signal to the entire populace, and certainly the Legislature: Please hold your fire, please don't reach a conclusion without further analysis,' said Chairman Gerald Parsky, a lawyer who worked for former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and served as chairman of the University of California Board of Regents.

The tax proposal's linchpin is a 'business net receipts tax,' or BNRT, for which the closest comparisons are the value-added taxes used in Europe and a variant used in Michigan. When fully implemented, all businesses operating in California would pay a tax of roughly 4 percent on all their revenue minus deductions for capital investments, contractors and possibly health expenditures for employees."

Zombie conservatives at the schoolhouse door - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Zombie conservatives at the schoolhouse door - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"A leading Republican congressman recently chirped that things are looking up for the GOP because of people's fear. Another Republican lawmaker indicated distaste for school-speech demagogy but explained that one must understand that Washington is in the middle of a nasty health care fight.

Which means what, exactly? That winning is the only thing, and to hell with the good of the country, civil society and the possibility of intelligent debate about serious matters? Watching the school-speech insanity blow up on the right, a friend who has been deeply involved for decades at the top of Republican politics, e-mailed to say that she was done. The conservative movement is hurtling off a cliff-and she was bailing out."

New Panel for Educational Policy Looks Like the Compliant One of Old - NYTimes.com

New Panel for Educational Policy Looks Like the Compliant One of Old - NYTimes.com:

"One member, Joe Chan, is president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a real estate group that relies heavily on a city contract that has provided $5.4 million. Another member, Linda Lausell Bryant, is the executive director of a youth services program that has two contracts with the Department of Education, estimated at $382,000. And Gitte Peng, another member, is a former adviser to Mr. Bloomberg’s deputy mayor for education."

Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership - The Boston Globe

Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership - The Boston Globe:

"The new degree program will be a “catalyst to drive change,’’ McCartney said, producing a new generation of education leaders who are expected to alter education policy debates, forge powerful public-private partnerships, and restore public confidence in the US school system.

Students in the third year of the program will participate in a yearlong residency with partner organizations such as urban public school systems in New York City, Atlanta, and Denver, as well as national organizations focused on changing K-12 education, including Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, and the National Center of Education and the Economy."

Critical thinking? You need knowledge - The Boston Globe

Critical thinking? You need knowledge - The Boston Globe:

"THE LATEST fad to sweep K-12 education is called “21st-Century Skills.’’ States - including Massachusetts - are adding them to their learning standards, with the expectation that students will master skills such as cooperative learning and critical thinking and therefore be better able to compete for jobs in the global economy. Inevitably, putting a priority on skills pushes other subjects, including history, literature, and the arts, to the margins. But skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked."

Research tells schools to empower parents | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Research tells schools to empower parents DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"The goal is to get more parents into the school and to show them ways to help their children at home.

Research has shown that students whose families play an active role in their education most often are more prepared to enter school, get better grades and perform higher on state standardized tests. A lack of parental involvement has been shown to lead to misbehavior, poor grades and higher dropout rates."

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > Labor growing frustrated with KJ > September 14, 2009

Sacramento News & Review ; Blogs ; SNOG ; Labor growing frustrated with KJ ; September 14, 2009:

"When Kevin Johnson was running for mayor, he told me he was going to win because he had supporters across the political spectrum. He lacked the support of the local Democratic party–and still does. But he did lock up key endorsements with the cops and firefighters, republicans, and critical support from the Sacramento Labor Council.

“While I have developer friends, and I‘ve got the support of the Chamber and the business community, I‘ve also got the support of the Labor Council and the [Building Industry Association] and the Builders Exchange,” Johnson told SN&R at the time."

Hidden Outrages in Overseas Teacher Recruitment - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Hidden Outrages in Overseas Teacher Recruitment - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"A new report released by the American Federation of Teachers reminds us of a topic education writers like me almost never address---the unseemly side of the recruitment of teachers abroad for U.S. schools. The AFT report, 'Importing Educators: Causes and Consequences of International Teacher Recruitment,' has some shocking disclosures, and deserves a close reading.

The report says that one recruiter for overseas-educated teachers in Newark, N.J., forced recruits to sign a contract obligating them to kick back 25 percent of their salaries to the recruiter. Other recruiters gouged the teachers they were allegedly helping with 60 percent interest rate loans. Some forbade them to own cars. Some placed the newly arrived teachers in overcrowded, unfinished housing, the report said."

Full Report http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11311970/Importing-Educators-Causes-and-Consequences-of-International-Teacher-Recruitment

California needs 'Race to the Top' funds -- latimes.com

California needs 'Race to the Top' funds -- latimes.com:

"Although critics are right to say we have substantial work to do to improve our measures of student progress, they are quite wrong if they claim we can afford to wait until we have perfect assessments before we start down this road. Intentionally blinding ourselves to teachers' effectiveness cannot be the right answer.

Saying yes will require difficult changes. True leadership in this moment means actively piloting systems that connect the work of teachers to the progress of students in smart, thoughtful ways. Any other choice means accepting a different firewall -- one that stands between California's children and hundreds of millions of dollars in desperately needed federal funds, and between our children and the future they deserve"

Rally supports District 6 teachers | Greeley Tribune

Rally supports District 6 teachers Greeley Tribune:

"The district's offer consists of a pay freeze across the board, though it has offered to fund the teachers' retirement and health insurance plans. The teachers union said it would like full funding of its salary schedule as well as a cost-of-living increase and retirement and health costs covered.

At the end of the rally, the teachers union president, Andi Lee, made a point to differentiate teachers from firefighters and police officers, who recently accepted salary freezes. The city, she said, is facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit while the district received about $6 million more from the state this year than it did last year."

Teacher's Union Has Tentative Agreement With State - KHON2.com

Teacher's Union Has Tentative Agreement With State - KHON2.com:

"A deal is on the table for teachers in what is being called a tentative settlement between the state and teacher's union in a very contentious bargaining year.

The settlement affecting 13,000 teachers is preliminary and needs the Governor's approval, but what happens here could impact other union deals.
For kids and teachers so far, it's been a new school year, with an old contract -- everything still in limbo with a huge deficit stalling contract progress."

William McKenzie: The Latino education challenge | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Viewpoints

William McKenzie: The Latino education challenge News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Opinion: Viewpoints:

"Another fact to remember: There's a serious gap between Latinos' successes in school, including their high school graduation and college-going rates, compared to their white peers. The difference is what educators call the 'achievement gap,' and closing it is the second-greatest challenge facing the country (behind getting the international religion-and-politics equation right so we don't blow each other up)."

Obscure database is key to U.S. educational funds for California -- latimes.com

Obscure database is key to U.S. educational funds for California -- latimes.com:

"California's chance to receive hundreds of millions of federal educational dollars may rest heavily on an obscure and long-neglected piece of education infrastructure: a statewide data system that tracks students, teachers and administrators year to year.

Such education systems are expensive, complex and do not win elections for politicians. But experts say they are essential to learn how much of the nearly $60 billion that California spends on K-12 education makes a difference, a fact that student achievement tests only hint at."