Dissident Voice : Duncan Donuts with Arne!

Dissident Voice : Duncan Donuts with Arne!:

"Well put on a sundress and sing me a show song! Newt Gingrich, his pal the Reverend Al Sharpton and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are teaming up to push for the ‘reformation American education’. The ménage de trois will saddle up and begin a whirlwind tour starting at the end of September and they will be pushing Arne’s great Race to the Top and of course charter schools, the Trojan horse for the privatizers and the liquid center of the Great Race."

A Post Remorse?

A Post Remorse?:

"Across the District, it is theorized the editorial board of The Washington Post provides cover and protection to Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee. Despite the political shenanigans of Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee, along with the intellectual hypocrisy of the editorial board of The Washington Post, the DC State Board of Education is independent from Mayor Fenty, Chancellor Rhee, and DC State Superintendent of Education Kerri Briggs. Since his mayoral election, District residents are growing in their disappointment and distrust Mayor Fenty is committed to following District statutes, let alone keeping his word not to sell or to give closed DCPS school buildings to developers. It would be unfortunate if the editorial board of The Washington Post were supporting unlawful conduct and false statements by District public officials."

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs - NYTimes.com

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs - NYTimes.com:

"The initiative, the Early Learning Challenge Fund, would channel $8 billion over eight years to states with plans to improve standards, training and oversight of programs serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

The Senate is expected to pass similar legislation this fall, giving President Obama, who proposed the Challenge Fund during the presidential campaign, a bill to sign in December."

Hi-Desert Star > Editorial > Letter: Teachers pay for retirement pensions

Hi-Desert Star > Editorial > Letter: Teachers pay for retirement pensions:

"Since public pensions seem to be a “hot topic” in the media today, the members of the California Retired Teachers Association of the Morongo Basin feel the need to educate and set the record straight on a few key points.

Many people seem to think that teachers receive their pension as a free benefit when in fact they pay into their retirement account.

After teaching for 26 years, the average retired teacher receives $2,700 per month in benefits. For those 26 years, they were required to pay 8 percent of their salary into the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), unlike corporate workers."

Study pours cold water on performance-based teacher pay | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Study pours cold water on performance-based teacher pay L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times:

"One of the most intensely debated aspects of President Obama's 'Race to the Top' fund for education, especially here in California, has been its insistence on a mechanism that would allow for teacher evaluations based on the performance of their students. It's a no-brainer as far as a lot of people are concerned, but teachers unions abhor it and California law specifically forbids linking teachers with student achievement, at least at the state level.
Now comes some interesting, and perhaps counterintuitive, news from Portugal, where the government recently began tying teacher pay to student achievement. A study released in May"

Read full report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11569337/Individual-Teacher-Incentives-StudentAchievement-and-Grade-Inflation

Sacramento Press / Strong mayor friends, foes react to committee's report

Sacramento Press / Strong mayor friends, foes react to committee's report:

"An opponent of the strong mayor initiative, SAVE Sacramento (Support Accountability, Voice, and Ethics in Sacramento), was pleased by the initial report. 'SAVE Sacramento applauds the open, inclusive, and well-informed process of the Charter Review Commission,' said SAVE founder, Sacramento attorney Anna Molander. 'These recommendations were made through public deliberation by a diverse group of Sacramentans - not written in secret by an ultraconservative lawyer and paid for by rich, out-of-town developers.”"

Viewpoint: Make our schools a place where all students feel safe | Kalamazoo Opinion - - MLive.com

Viewpoint: Make our schools a place where all students feel safe Kalamazoo Opinion - - MLive.com:

"The National School Climate Survey released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reports that 90 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students indicate the word 'gay' is used as a negative comment; 74 percent report hearing other homophobic remarks; 67 percent received negative remarks about gender expression; and 63 percent report that educators or school staff have made disparaging comments."

For full report click here: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11567105/2007-National-School-Climate-Survey-GLSEN-the-Gay-Lesbian-and-Straight-Education-Network

PhillyBurbs.com: District, teachers still at odds

PhillyBurbs.com: District, teachers still at odds:

"The union said the district wants the community to think everything's under control, but that's not the case. The educators claim the school board has been unwilling to compromise on any issues by taking a district wins/teachers lose stance on all points and has failed to bargain in good faith.

The union also claims the district ignored the union's multiple attempts to start bargaining before the state mandated timeline of January 2008."

Dan Brown: Mass Teacher Layoffs in D.C. Amount To One Hell of a Power Play by Michelle Rhee

Dan Brown: Mass Teacher Layoffs in D.C. Amount To One Hell of a Power Play by Michelle Rhee:

"The power plays over D.C. public schools just went into gonzo territory. This week, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced a reduction in force (RIF) was imminent -- despite having just hired 900 new teachers in a system of just 3,800 teachers. Layoffs begin September 30; fear and confusion abounds."

Is AYP a fair measure of a school's success? | Worthington Daily Globe | Worthington, Minnesota

Is AYP a fair measure of a school's success? Worthington Daily Globe Worthington, Minnesota:

"There are a number of noble qualities to NCLB. Many would argue that there are also a number of flaws with NCLB that make it unreasonable. In particular, there are two factors that I would argue make AYP an unfair measure of whether or not a school is successful."

Making sense of Adequate Yearly Progress | delmarvanow.com | The Daily Times

Making sense of Adequate Yearly Progress delmarvanow.com The Daily Times:

"Public education is not without its fair share of acronyms: NCLB for No Child Left Behind, SOL for Standards of Learning and the ever-confusing AYP for adequate yearly progress based on the AMO, which is annual measurable objectives.

Regardless of the acronym, it is important to know that all public schools in the nation must meet specific benchmarks set by the U.S. Department of Education and by 2014, all children must pass mathematics and English/reading tests administered by the schools."

Loretta Keller: Drawn into the education budget sinkhole - SGVTribune.com

Loretta Keller: Drawn into the education budget sinkhole - SGVTribune.com:

"Although one-time federal stimulus funds have been used to restore teaching posts in California and other states for this school year, that has only blunted - not solved - our state's education crises. The Feds want states to take teacher performance into account, but California's education moguls are balking, and 'Race to the top' stimulus monies may not come through as a result. The unions have said 'no' to teacher merit pay or linking teachers to student performance. Nor do they care about getting and keeping the best teachers. Seniority, rigidly defined, determines who will or will not have a job over the coming years.

What this means for Alicia is that her path to a teaching career has been road blocked, at least for now. Her former principal, who thinks the world of her, tried very hard to keep her at the school, but to no avail. About 120 teachers in her district were let go and the education code states that laid off teachers need to be placed in open positions before new hires can be taken on. Alicia is perfectly willing to take what's known as a long-term subbing job, which she's had in the past, but because in the eyes of the union she isn't a laid off employee, she isn't even eligible to sub day to day in her district. Three times she thought she had found something in other districts but three times the openings fell through. Yet she hasn't given up."

Public Education: The End of an Era? — Empire Report

Public Education: The End of an Era? — Empire Report:

"A popular statistic of this era of economic crisis is that every $1 invested in education results in $4 of future economic activity. I have often heard the argument that the more than $600 million cut by state legislators will result in a decrease of nearly $2.5 billion in future economic activity. The question has also been posed, 'how can and why did the state cut $2.5 million in future economic activity?'

I'm not sure who to point the finger at here, or if it's even worth pondering. I know its not the faculty's fault, and as for the administration, I'm pretty sure they're just reacting to the outrageous demands that have been placed on them. Obviously, the state of California is making these cuts, but I find myself wondering what the alternative would be. What's done is done, and what's cut has been cut."

Did ACORN get too big for its own good? | ajc.com

Did ACORN get too big for its own good? ajc.com:

"As if volunteers allegedly signing up cartoon character Mickey Mouse to vote didn't give ACORN enough bad publicity, the public is enthralled with new videos appearing on the Internet and TV news shows showing ACORN employees in Brooklyn, N.Y., advising a couple posing as a prostitute and pimp to lie to get housing aid, and employees in other cities counseling the pair on tax, banking and immigration issues."

UC fee hikes: a two-edged sword -- latimes.com

UC fee hikes: a two-edged sword -- latimes.com:

"Even in the best of times, few California households can easily afford a 44% increase in their children's college tuition within two years. The proposal to raise University of California undergraduate fees to about $10,300 a year by the fall of 2010 -- including a midyear fee hike in January -- would come as a financial shock to many families and a real hardship for some."

Teachers pressured by Obama, minorities | McClatchy

Teachers pressured by Obama, minorities McClatchy:

"The pressure is particularly intense in California, where U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the state has 'lost its way' with public schools.

In an attempt to improve California's schools, the Obama administration is threatening to withhold federal stimulus money if the Golden State does not rescind a state law that prevents the state from tying test scores to teacher performance.

None of this is exactly what teachers had in mind when they knocked on doors to help elect Obama."

Glendale News Press > Archives > Politics > Krekorian poised for runoff election

Glendale News Press > Archives > Politics > Krekorian poised for runoff election:


"Each campaign mailer sent by a candidate can cost between $10,000 and $15,000, Waldman said.

“Candidates who haven’t raised close to $100,000 are unlikely to really get their message out,” he said.

That leaves the top three fundraisers most likely to succeed and progress to a runoff in the crowded field, he said.

“The only way I’d be surprised is if someone other than those three made it into the runoff,” he said."

Hiram Johnson Sports Face Probe, Forfeit Games Over Football Player Eligibility | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Local News

Hiram Johnson Sports Face Probe, Forfeit Games Over Football Player Eligibility News10.net Sacramento, California Local News:

"'Mr. Cvitanov informed me on Thursday that he learned we had ineligible players competing,' Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond said. 'I am proud of the steps he took to investigate and report the issues to the Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner of the California Interscholastic Federation and to tell school parents about it.'"

Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online : Education Sec. Duncan pitches community colleges

Wyoming Tribune Eagle Online : Education Sec. Duncan pitches community colleges:

"Community colleges are a crucial part of America’s economic recovery, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Friday.

“This is really their day in the sun,” he said of community colleges and added that the spotlight will be on the colleges as they train and retrain people during an economic crisis.

“Community colleges are going to be an absolute catalyst to help people get back on their feet.”"

The Associated Press: Cursive may be a fading skill, but so what?

The Associated Press: Cursive may be a fading skill, but so what?:

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston resident Kelli Davis was in for a surprise when her daughter brought home some routine paperwork at the start of school this fall. Davis signed the form and then handed it to her daughter for the eighth-grader's signature.

'I just assumed she knew how to do it, but I have a piece of paper with her signature on it and it looks like a little kid's signature,' Davis said.

Her daughter was apologetic, but explained that she hadn't been required to make the graceful loops and joined letters of cursive writing in years. That prompted a call to the school and another surprise."