Kumon Fills Gaps Left by U.S. Public Schools

Kumon Fills Gaps Left by U.S. Public Schools:

"Something magical is happening at the Largo Kumon Center located in Largo,
Maryland: students are studying beyond school grade level and actually enjoying it.

Not surprisingly, their parents have great things to say about Kumon.

One mom, Sandy Frazier, said: “Kumon gave my son the challenge that he needed. He wasn’t challenged in school. I started him in Kumon in the fourth grade and he reached algebra before middle school.”

Another mom, Kim McCarley, said: “We initially got our children into Kumon to help with giving them a foundation for math and reading. The thing we really like about Kumon is that our children don’t just learn math and reading, but it’s set up in a way that allows them to master math and reading. They don’t progress until they master something. Whereas in school, it’s once you have knowledge of, an awareness of, you move on. At Kumon, it’s once you master it. And I think that’s a big difference in that foundation for them.”"

The Associated Press: US education chief appeals for great new teachers

The Associated Press: US education chief appeals for great new teachers:

"CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan appealed Friday for a new generation of extraordinary teachers, calling education the civil rights cause of our time.

Duncan told about 100 prospective teachers at the University of Virginia that veterans, retirees and professionals seeking a second career must heed the call to teach. He said the need is especially acute for black men in the nation's classrooms.

'Put plain and simple, this country needs an army of great, new teachers — and I can think of no better place to start recruiting them than in Thomas Jefferson's hallowed halls,' Duncan told Curry School of Education students in the Jefferson-designed Rotunda, the academic heart of U.Va.'s Charlottesville campus."

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Schools Still Not Gauging What Works

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Schools Still Not Gauging What Works:

"San Diego Unified still needs a way to evaluate whether programs have worked, according to an internal report on instruction slated to go to the school board Tuesday.

Employees noticed the same problem earlier this year, in a similar report. The school district has introduced more innovative programs this year, such as a program to boost attendance and a mentoring program that is being expanded with stimulus money, but there is no systematic way to measure whether each program met its stated goals, the report found."

But fixing that could be a problem: "There are staffing resource needs in the area of Research and Evaluation associated with the development and consistent implementation of this process that would need to be addressed before undertaking a project of this magnitude," the report says. Translation: It would take more people to do that than San Diego Unified now has.

This finding was especially interesting to me after writing about the extinct High School Readiness Program, which suffered a lot of logistical problems and hasn't had a clear verdict of whether it worked. Another example might be the City Heights Educational Collaborative, which is an outside effort that didn't set clear goals.

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > Mayor Johnson not comfortable celebrating freethought > October 10, 2009

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > Mayor Johnson not comfortable celebrating freethought > October 10, 2009:

"But this year when Beverly Church, organizer of the local Freethought Day committee, asked new mayor Kevin Johnson’s staff for a similar proclamation, she was told it was a no-go. Something about wanting to remain “neutral” and that the mayor (or maybe just the mayor’s staff) were “not comfortable” with declaring Sunday Freethought Day.

The mayor is said to be a pretty religious guy, but that doesn’t seem like a good reason to stiff those people who don’t have invisible sky friends. Said Church:
“I’m really kind of surprised. This isn’t religion bashing. It’s a celebration of the separation of church and state, which is in our constitution.”"

HeraldNet: Schools often lack resources to combat bullying

HeraldNet: Schools often lack resources to combat bullying:

"WASHINGTON — At Vivian Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., about 12 miles from the site of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School, students spend about an hour once a week talking about bullies, and what to do when they see one.

Every child from kindergarten through sixth grade — and all the adults in the school — learn how to identify bullying behaviors and how to stand up to a bully without inflaming the situation.

“This is the culture of our school,” said social worker Molly Lacy. “Safety is our big concern. We give the children tools so that they have the ability to problem solve most situations, but they are also comfortable asking an adult for help.”"

U.S. states suffer unbelievable revenue shortages | Special Coverage | Reuters

U.S. states suffer unbelievable revenue shortages Special Coverage Reuters:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy may be creeping toward recovery after the worst slowdown since the Great Depression, but many states see no end in sight to their diving tax revenues.

Tax revenues used to pay teachers and fuel police cars continue to trail even the most pessimistic expectations, despite the cash from the economic stimulus plan pouring into state coffers.

'It's crazy. It's really just unbelievable,' said Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers, and called the states' revenue situations 'close to unprecedented.'"

Over age 50? This is not your father’s job market - BostonHerald.com

Over age 50? This is not your father’s job market - BostonHerald.com:

"The transition into new employment - perhaps a new field - may be hard, but it’s far from impossible, says Carissa Brehm of the California Career Development Association. “The hard part is knowing what job they’re looking for and to think about transferable skills they can apply to all sorts of jobs.”

Angel, who’s lived in South Natomas, Calif., since 2001 and is PTA president at Two Rivers Elementary School, wanted to be a substitute teacher. Then she discovered her teaching credential had expired in 1988. And the substitute teacher pool, with more than 350 names as well as those of 40 teachers recently laid off, is closed to new applicants."

SID THE SCIENCE KID Explores Germs, Viruses and Vaccines Just in Time for Flu Season in a Special Episode 'Getting a Shot: You Can Do It!' | Reuters

SID THE SCIENCE KID Explores Germs, Viruses and Vaccines Just in Time for Flu Season in a Special Episode 'Getting a Shot: You Can Do It!' Reuters:

"HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Everyone's favorite preschool
scientist, Sid, star of SID THE SCIENCE KID, is hearing a lot of talk this
fall about how to stay healthy, which leads him to ask lots of questions about
what can make a person sick and what he can do to keep from getting sick. In
the new special episode 'Getting a shot: You Can Do It!' from the
Emmy®-nominated series, Sid and his friends will learn the basic science
behind germs, viruses and vaccines using age-appropriate vocabulary and
scientific concepts that have become a hallmark of the series. PBS KIDS will
premiere the series on Monday, October 26 (check local listings) with several
re-airings over the following weeks.

It's vaccination day at Sid's school, and Sid and his friends are a little
apprehensive about getting a shot. Thankfully, a very special nurse will be
giving the kids their vaccination--Sid's Grandma! Throughout the special
episode, Grandma, Teacher Susie, Mom and Dad all do their part to make
vaccination day a fun learning experience filled with music, games and lots of
laughs."

Can I have your attention?

Can I have your attention?:

"One in four teachers loses 30 per cent of classroom time because of disruptive student behaviour and administrative tasks, according to a report card of the world's education systems.

The survey of public and private schools in 23 countries, including Australia, is the first to provide an international comparison of the conditions of teaching and learning.

It found the classroom climate — one of the most important predictors of student achievement — is being undermined by discipline problems and administrative tasks in many countries.

Teachers in Australia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Iceland spend on average more than 14 per cent of their classroom time restoring order, slightly more than the international average of 13 per cent."

Read full report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13021334/Creating-Effective-Teaching-and-Learning-Environments-First-Results-from-TALIS

The Associated Press: A darker side of Columbus emerges in US classrooms

The Associated Press: A darker side of Columbus emerges in US classrooms:

"TAMPA, Fla. — Jeffrey Kolowith's kindergarten students read a poem about Christopher Columbus, take a journey to the New World on three paper ships and place the explorer's picture on a timeline through history.

Kolowith's students learn about the explorer's significance — though they also come away with a more nuanced picture of Columbus than the noble discoverer often portrayed in pop culture and legend.

'I talk about the situation where he didn't even realize where he was,' Kolowith said. 'And we talked about how he was very, very mean, very bossy.'
Columbus' stature in U.S. classrooms has declined somewhat through the years, and many districts will not observe his namesake holiday on Monday. Although lessons vary, many teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective of what happened after Columbus reached the Caribbean and the suffering of indigenous populations."

Reportlinker Adds China Education and Training Industry Report, 2008-2009 Report | Reuters

Reportlinker Adds China Education and Training Industry Report, 2008-2009 Report Reuters:

"China Education and Training Industry Report, 2008-2009

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0151250/China-Education-and-Training-Industry-Report-2008-2009.html

There were 109,000 private schools (educational institutions) of all levels in
China in 2008, and the student enrollment registered 28.244 million, in which
640 private colleges (including 322 independent colleges) had the 4.013 million
enrolled students. In addition, the number of private training institutions
registered 19,579, where 8.3476 million person times have been trained.

Nearly 100 million Chinese take part in the training of all kinds each year,
wherein, the medium- and low-level training enjoys an 80% share, and the
high-level training is just in the initial stage of development. In general,
training market has great potential in China, yet the low-level training is in
rather disorderly management, and the high-level training is not mature.
Currently, the training industry concentration is low, and there is none
training institution to have 1% market share."

Teachers' salary issue: AIFUCTO to stage protest - Ahmedabad - City - The Times of India

Teachers' salary issue: AIFUCTO to stage protest - Ahmedabad - City - The Times of India:

"AHMEDABAD: All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organization (AIFUCTO) will stage a demonstration on Sunday to protest against
state government's decision to fix college professors' salaries as per Sixth Pay Commission ignoring UGC's recommendation.

Expressing a sense of solidarity with agitating members of Gujarat State Teachers' Association, AIFUCTO has decided to organize the demonstration at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near Income Tax Circle at 4 pm. About 650 representatives of the organization, who have come to attend the 25th three-day national seminar on Higher Education in India Issues & Challenges', will participate in the event."

PhillyBurbs.com: District, teachers still looking for neutral arbiter

PhillyBurbs.com: District, teachers still looking for neutral arbiter:

"The North Penn School District and its teacher union staved off a strike by agreeing to submit their contract dispute to a third party for arbitration.
One month later, that process has yet to begin.

The sides are moving on to Plan B after trying, and failing, to find a neutral arbiter for their three-person panel on their own. Now, each side will take turns crossing names off a seven-candidate list provided by the American Arbitration Association. The last name left becomes the arbitrator.

In mid-September, negotiators for teachers and the district said they'd submit to nonbinding arbitration, a process that puts each disputed contract provision before a three-person panel for recommendations. Each side has picked one advocate for the panel and now must select a third."

School Friction - washingtonpost.com

School Friction - washingtonpost.com:

"AFL-CIO PRESIDENT Richard L. Trumka took center stage Thursday at a well-orchestrated rally in downtown Washington to denounce the 'cold, hard' tactics of D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee. Washington Teachers' Union President George Parker wrote a letter that appeared on this page Friday saying that his organization has tried to collaborate with Ms. Rhee. There is the suggestion that Ms. Rhee's recent layoff of 229 teachers could dampen the chance of future cooperation.

Let's review the record to examine the plausibility of those charges."

Black Male Dropouts Lead Nation in Incarceration | Reuters

Black Male Dropouts Lead Nation in Incarceration Reuters:

"CHICAGO, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all
young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail,
prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a
disturbing new national report released today on the dire economic and social
consequences of not graduating from high school.

Dropouts become incarcerated at a shocking rate: 23 of every 100 young Black
male dropouts were in jail on any given day in 2006-07 compared to only 6 to 7
of every 100 Asian, Hispanic or White dropouts. While young Black men are
disproportionately affected, the report found that this crisis cuts across
racial and ethnic lines. Male dropouts of all races were 47 times more likely
to be incarcerated than their peers of a similar age who had graduated from a
four-year college or university."

Miracle of St. Anthony: Long Beach icon rebounds - Press-Telegram

Miracle of St. Anthony: Long Beach icon rebounds - Press-Telegram:

"Former Long Beach City Councilman Frank Colonna, who worked with Press-Telegram columnist Tom Hennessy on a successful campaign to bring back the St. Anthony marching band with donated instruments, credited his alma mater's high expectations, personal attention, strong faculty and intimate setting at 620 Olive Ave.

'Many people are looking toward the security of their youngsters getting an education through a private school with a bit of a religious bent,' Colonna says. 'People just feel, in general, that there is a discipline in the school, the responsibility that is imparted to the students, a certain type of camaraderie that is ingrained in the students and teachers who care a lot.'

When he joined St. Anthony in 2008, Principal Schabert recruited heavily in Catholic primary schools and churches. He touted a college-preparatory curriculum that meets University of California requirements, a 13 to 1 teacher ratio and opportunities to play sports.

'From the moment you apply, you are important to us,' he says.

Though many students come from Protestant, Buddhist and other religious backgrounds, the majority are Catholic."

Paul Krugman: If we stop educating our kids, we’ll suffer

Paul Krugman: If we stop educating our kids, we’ll suffer:

"If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that word would be “education.” In the 19th century, America led the way in universal basic education. Then, as other nations followed suit, the “high school revolution” of the early 20th century took us to a whole new level. And in the years after World War II, America established a commanding position in higher education.

But that was then. The rise of American education was, overwhelmingly, the rise of public education — and for the past 30 years our political scene has been dominated by the view that any and all government spending is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Education, as one of the largest components of public spending, has inevitably suffered."

Marie Reed Elementary Embraces Japanese 'Lesson Study' - washingtonpost.com

Marie Reed Elementary Embraces Japanese 'Lesson Study' - washingtonpost.com:

"It is a wholly different approach from the workshop-with-an-outside-expert model that dominates professional development for U.S. teachers, according to a February report by Stanford University researchers. And although its effect on student achievement has not been well-documented by researchers, there is some promising evidence: A 2006 study showed that the increase in test scores over four years at a California school where teachers engaged in lesson study was triple that of other schools in the same district. A broader study of 15 schools in California showed that at schools in which teachers met two or three times a month to address students' specific academic struggles, test scores rose relative to the district average."

School district, teachers must solve budget crisis together - The Reporter

School district, teachers must solve budget crisis together - The Reporter:

"Last year, the district was forced to acknowledge it has a structural deficit that makes it unable to guarantee financial solvency for the next three years.

Travis isn't alone in that fiscal pickle, of course. Eighteen other California school districts also filed 'negative' certifications at the end of the last school year, and another 89 were on the 'qualified' list, meaning they're not sure if they can meet their financial obligations.

Travis school board and district managers have been scrambling to reduce costs. Since the vast majority of school money goes toward salaries and benefits, the vast majority of cuts will have to come from those areas.

Elementary music and physical education specialists have been eliminated as the district has cut positions and programs, enlarged class sizes and reduced such things as janitorial services to the bare minimum.

The district also asked teachers to take a 2 percent pay cut. Last week, the teachers resoundingly said no."

Candidates owe voters straight talk about cutting school spending — and getting better results. -- dailypress.com

Candidates owe voters straight talk about cutting school spending — and getting better results. -- dailypress.com:

"Real solutions begin by acknowledging the problems. Many officials, from governors and legislators to school board members, don't face that reality. They'd rather brag on schools than face up to or try to fix their shortcomings. Too many concentrate on a few bits of campaign fluff. For example: 'I pledge to work to raise teacher salaries to the national average' — an educational red herring.

That average is a statistical fluke, driven up by a few states, such as California and New York, where the cost of living is high and unions are strong. Their circumstances aren't relevant to Virginia — which is in the middle of states in its teacher pay.

Yes, we should be talking about teacher pay. But we should be looking at how we can use it to accomplish the real need: attracting more high-quality teachers and getting the best out of them."

GOP shill game -- latimes.com

GOP shill game -- latimes.com:

"California's Republican state senators claim they act the way they do -- blocking budget votes, demanding health and education cuts, opening tax loopholes for downtrodden classes such as yacht owners -- because they want to protect their constituents from overbearing and ineffective government. They're becoming progressively less believable, especially after GOP senators last month held more than 20 mostly worthy bills hostage in order to try killing a program that old-school Republicans would have championed.

The senators refused to vote on Democrats' bills in an effort to eliminate ReadyReturn, a service of the Franchise Tax Board. Instead of just combing tax returns for mistakes, the board came up with the program to actually help some taxpayers, Tax officials complete returns for simple filers -- those whose income is mostly from wages -- allowing them to just sign it and send it in (with a check). Filers, if they prefer, can still figure their taxes themselves."

John Affeldt: Time for Schwarzenegger the Action Figure to Emerge on Education

John Affeldt: Time for Schwarzenegger the Action Figure to Emerge on Education:

"When the state that educates 1 in 8 American children is failing miserably at that task, America should care. When that state is also the 8th largest economy in the world, we should be up in arms. It's not just California's future that is tied to the quality of the state's education system; it's the nation's.

Unfortunately serious progress on the education front may be tossed overboard in the next few days if Governor Schwarzenegger, absent a water deal this weekend, follows through with his threat to veto all bills. In laying the foundation for a long overdue overhaul of California's archaic and highly dysfunctional school funding system, Assembly Bill 8 (AB 8) by Assembly Education Committee Chair Julia Brownley is among the most important of the threatened measures."

The Daily News Online - Batavia, NY > Entertainment > Kennedy Center enlists art groups for education

The Daily News Online - Batavia, NY > Entertainment > Kennedy Center enlists art groups for education:

"The pilot 'Any Given Child' project announced Friday for schools in Sacramento, Calif., could be expanded to as many as three cities each year, the center said. Under the strategy, the Kennedy Center will link local arts groups with schools to help teach students in grades K-8.

The groups will draft long-range plans specific to each city to ensure all students have access to music, theater and the visual arts. The Kennedy Center is devoting about $500,000 to begin the program and expects to keep costs low for local schools.

'A frustration I have is that every arts education program sounds good, but I'm not sure it's always contributing to a well-educated child,' said Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser, who developed a reputation in New York and Washington for turning around arts groups struggling with financial problems. 'We're trying to find an affordable approach to systematic arts education.'"

Editorial: Arts initiative will put Sacramento on the map - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Arts initiative will put Sacramento on the map - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"It all began in May. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation brought in Michael Kaiser, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He told arts organizations how they could survive and thrive during a troubled economy.

Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke briefly to the standing-room-only group. Kaiser and Johnson later met and hit it off.

Then the mayor in June launched a major arts initiative, 'For Arts Sake.' That effort has attracted 400 volunteers, meeting once a month, to spark an arts-and-culture revival.
Now comes a giant boost."

Sacramento State event encourages girls to pursue math, science - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento State event encourages girls to pursue math, science - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Two at a time, the tall bottles of soda blasted streams more than a dozen feet into the air over a courtyard at California State University, Sacramento, on Saturday.

Each time, the spectacular experiment led to the same conclusion: Mint Mentos and Diet Pepsi create a bigger explosion than if the candy is combined with root beer, orange soda, 7UP, regular Pepsi, Coke or even Diet Coke."