The Associated Press: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dead at 72

The Associated Press: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dead at 72:

"They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his 'Blowin' in the Wind' at the August 1963 March on Washington.

And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.
The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like 'Leaving on a Jet Plane,' 'Puff (The Magic Dragon)' and 'Blowin' in the Wind.'"

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:
"SCUSD District Advisory Committee (DAC)
Parent Involvement Committee

...is looking for PARENTS
who want to get INVOLVED!"

If you are interested, please join usat the Serna Center, Arizona Roomon September 16, 20095:00pm - 6:00pm

Impacts of cuts surfacing now school is under way; tattered English book with missing pages tells the story - Redwood Times

Impacts of cuts surfacing now school is under way; tattered English book with missing pages tells the story - Redwood Times:

"”We need this stuff. It’s hard to do our job without it,” she said. She said that the teachers feel awkward engaging in so much fundraising and the academic teachers worry about competing with the sports programs and campus clubs for the same community money. She asked the board to give direction to the teachers. “Do you expect us to be fundraisers?” she asked.

Teacher Melinda Bailey brought a tattered English textbook with missing pages to draw attention to the fact that English has not been included in the rotation schedule for the purchase of new textbooks for math, science and social studies. English textbooks have not been replaced since 1990, she said, and it was an embarrassment for the school."

Sacramento Press / Council unlikely to address "strong mayor" issues raised by city attorney

Sacramento Press / Council unlikely to address "strong mayor" issues raised by city attorney:

"Several legal issues in the “strong mayor” initiative that were raised by Sacramento’s city attorney will likely not be addressed by the City Council. After listening to a Tuesday night presentation by City Attorney Eileen Teichert, councilmembers did not suggest taking any future actions to resolve the issues.

Instead of taking action on the legal issues that were raised by Teichert, some councilmembers said they look forward to analyzing the Charter Review Committee’s upcoming recommendations on the strong mayor system of city government. The committee’s ideas may be placed on a future ballot for citizens to decide."

Education Week: Draft Unveiled on Technological Literacy for NAEP

Education Week: Draft Unveiled on Technological Literacy for NAEP:

"A discussion draft of the framework for the national assessment of technological literacy, the first to gauge students’ understanding of and skill in using a range of tools, has been presented to the board that oversees the testing program.

The computer-based National Assessment of Educational Progress in technological literacy, scheduled to be administered to a representative sample of the nation’s 4th, 8th, and 12th graders for the first time in 2012, will evaluate students’ understanding of technology tools and their design, the ways they can be used to gather information and communicate ideas, and their impact on society."

Click here to view this report http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11386736/Draft-Technological-Literacy-for-NAEP

Committee Meetings

Committee Meetings:

"Facilities Committee

The next meeting is:

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Agenda/Handouts/Minutes
Time: 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Location: Serna Center - Michigan/Minnesota Rooms

Meeting Schedule January - June 2009

Board of Education Members:
Roy Grimes, MPA, MBA, Board President (Area 6)
Patrick Kennedy, Board 2nd Vice President and Committee Chairman (Area 7)

Donald Terry, Board Member (Area 3)"

Walkout called over UC budget cuts

Walkout called over UC budget cuts:

"Hundreds of faculty, students and staff from the University of California's 10 campuses are calling for a systemwide walkout Sept. 24 to protest UC's handling of its budget crisis."

The protest is intended to disrupt classes to call attention to the deep impact of millions of dollars of budget cuts on the quality of education throughout the UC system.
What began in recent weeks as a proposed faculty walkout coinciding with the first day of school next Thursday at some campuses - including UCSF, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz - has grown to include graduate and undergraduate student groups, and labor unions representing thousands of employees.


"We hope to accomplish a freeze on tuition increases, protection for the most vulnerable employees, and a return to respect for democratic process," said Joshua Clover, an associate professor of English at UC Davis who helped draft a petition urging the walkout that has been signed by 743 faculty members representing each campus.

City Council nixes companion measure to strong-mayor proposal - Latest News - sacbee.com

City Council nixes companion measure to strong-mayor proposal - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"The Sacramento City Council decided Tuesday not to draft a companion measure to Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong-mayor proposal that would address what City Attorney Eileen Teichert described as 'legal issues' with the proposal."

Ohio.com - Grading education isn't easy

Ohio.com - Grading education isn't easy:

"Accountability

In urban public schools, 54.3 percent exceeded the goals for value-added achievement, compared to 46.4 percent in charter schools.

''Everything we see so far by all the measurements is that traditional public schools outperform charter schools,'' said Barb Shaner, Ohio Association of School Business Officials associate executive director.

Shaner, a member of the Coalition for Public Education, is not calling for all charter schools to close, but her organization's members are correctly tired of being labeled failures in urban areas."

Teenage inmates earn high-school diplomas

Teenage inmates earn high-school diplomas:

"It was a ceremony full of contradictions: 'Pomp and Circumstance' blared from a little boom box but filled up the small room; the striped uniforms that are the trademark of many county inmates were visible underneath the gowns the graduates proudly wore; a string of handcuffs lay on the floor near a buffet table full of food to congratulate the teenagers.

Many of the students said if they'd stayed in school on the outside, they wouldn't have ended up in jail. But, by the same token, ending up in jail is the only thing that pushed them to complete their education."

D.C. to Ask Judge to Dismiss Special Education Court Order - washingtonpost.com

D.C. to Ask Judge to Dismiss Special Education Court Order - washingtonpost.com:

"The decree ordered the District to wipe out a backlog of more than 1,000 decisions by hearing officers that had yet to be implemented, which delayed placement of students in programs. It also requires that 80 percent of the decisions reached after July 1, 2008, be executed in timely fashion.

The latest District figures place its timeliness rate at 60 percent for the one-year period ending June 30. Ira Burnim, attorney for the Blackman plaintiffs, said Tuesday that is unacceptable."

State, U.S. disagree on progress at some L.A. schools -- latimes.com

State, U.S. disagree on progress at some L.A. schools -- latimes.com:

"Thirty-nine Los Angeles schools -- a group larger than the entire Glendale school system -- identified as 'failing' under federal standards became eligible Tuesday for takeover under a recent Board of Education policy.

These schools bring the number of Los Angeles Unified School District campuses eligible for takeover to 252. Bidders from inside or outside the nation's second-largest school system could submit proposals to run such schools. The bidding process also applies to 51 new schools set to open over the next four years."

In The News : Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO

In The News : Milwaukee Area Labor Council AFL-CIO:

"In a rambling but revealing interview with Wisconsin’s largest newspaper, the new mayor for the city of Milwaukee, Scott Walker, discussed in greater detail his mayoral takeover of public education.

First, Walker said, he would sell 40 public school properties to condominium developers from Waukesha and Burnett counties he has worked with before. Included was the valuable Riverside High School building and its nearby environmental center."

Threatening School Reform - washingtonpost.com

Threatening School Reform - washingtonpost.com:

"The council, returning from summer break next week, will try to override Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's Aug. 26 veto of budget language appropriating nearly $1 million to the State Board of Education. It was the second time the mayor vetoed the measure because of fears that increased autonomy could lead to the board meddling in school operations. Five votes are needed to sustain the mayor's veto, and unfortunately, it appears that some council members are buying the notion that this is a minor matter that won't threaten Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's reforms. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), proponent of the change who is also mulling a challenge to Mr. Fenty next year, argues that the board's role in setting citywide educational standards and policy is not being enlarged."

School test results bring confusion

School test results bring confusion:

"State and local education officials are calling for revisions to the No Child Left Behind law in the next few years to help address what they say are untenable benchmarks in the federal system. Schools that receive federal Title I funding and fail to reach those benchmarks for two years are put on a watch list called Program Improvement. Nearly 2,800 schools are now on the list statewide, 1,558 new to it this year.

Five years on that list means local education officials are expected to take drastic steps to turn the school around, which could include a reconstituted staff, new principal, conversion to a charter school or closure. A decision not to participate in the federal program could result in the loss of Title I funding for low-income students, which pays for a range of programs including staff and materials."

Test score conundrum - SignOnSanDiego.com

Test score conundrum - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"State and federal report cards released simultaneously yesterday tell two tales: More than 80 percent of the county's public schools did better on standardized tests last spring than they did in 2008, but an alarming number of campuses are facing federal sanctions for low test scores. That double standard underscores the differences in how the state and federal governments measure success, and it is adding to concerns local educators have about the seven-year-old federal No Child Left Behind Act. The law demands that schools do more for low-scoring students but orders reforms even for schools that already are improving."

Education director speaks out against No Child Left Behind | San Francisco Examiner

Education director speaks out against No Child Left Behind San Francisco Examiner:

"What’s wrong with No Child Left Behind? Nearly everything. No Child Left Behind is an inside-the-Beltway, political mandate that has no relationships with the realities of classrooms. It uses arbitrary gains on low-quality multiple-choice tests as the sole factor for determining educational quality."

Parents involved in curriculum, policy discussions | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Parents involved in curriculum, policy discussions DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"School officials began to work with those at Harris and discovered Harris’ teachers visited families in the afternoon and on weekends and held classes for parents. Similar efforts were replicated at Bernard Long, along with the creation of a team of parents who worked with teachers to brainstorm ways to increase parental involvement and then find ways to make it happen."

Involvement plans pay off in test scores | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Involvement plans pay off in test scores DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"Many times parents fell through the cracks of the educational system themselves, and didn't understand what their responsibilities were when it came to education, she said.

'The problems that we're dealing with didn't happen overnight,' Anderson said. 'You have a demographic that statistics say the majority is just not going to make it, and trying to convince parents of the value of the effort we're trying to make is quite challenging.'"

Marcos Breton: New schools chief may find Sac City a contact sport - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Marcos Breton: New schools chief may find Sac City a contact sport - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"But how would he look in a football helmet?

My man could need one, because presiding over the Sacramento City Unified School District has been a bruising assignment for seasoned educators.
In Raymond we have a rookie superintendent not long removed from a career in labor law and politics.

His past is fascinating. He unsuccessfully ran as a Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District of Massachusetts against noted liberal Barney Frank. Now he's here, in one of the bluest cities around."

The Latino education challenge - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

The Latino education challenge - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"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).

If we don't close that gap, America's workforce will lack the high-order skills the economy demands. There's no upside to allowing such a fast-growing demographic group trail behind, unless we prefer second-tier nation status."

Inside City Hall: Strong-mayor foes relaunch campaign - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com

Inside City Hall: Strong-mayor foes relaunch campaign - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com:

"After months of near- silence, a campaign against Mayor Kevin Johnson's strong-mayor initiative is back at it.

A group called Support Accountability, Voice and Ethics in Sacramento – or SAVE Sacramento – has taken shape, led by the county Democratic Party and a handful of labor groups. They have a Web site: bossmayor.com."

Sacramento-area schools improve scores but not enough - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento-area schools improve scores but not enough - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The achievement gap between white and Asian students and their black and Latino classmates narrowed slightly. The average API score for Asians was 878, 828 for whites, 698 for Latinos and 674 for blacks.

The number of California elementary schools that met the federal standard increased from 58 percent to 61 percent. But the number fell from 33 percent to 29 percent for middle schools. It fell most sharply for high schools, from 49 percent to 37 percent."

Making the grade - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Making the grade - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Academic Performance Index (API): This report is required by the state's Public Schools Accountability act of 1999. It shows how much a school is improving from year to year. A school's API is a number ranging from 200 to 1,000, calculated from statewide test results. The state wants all schools to reach 800. Those that fall short must reach annual growth targets, which vary by school."