Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Oregon Cuts Off ELL Funds to Portland District - Learning the Language - Education Week


Oregon Cuts Off ELL Funds to Portland District - Learning the Language - Education Week:

"The Oregon education department has cut off federal funds for English-language learners to the Portland public schools because it deems the district's programs for such students to be out of compliance with federal law, reports an article in The Oregonian. That's a loss to the district of more than $600,000 per year.

Explore the links in the article and you'll see this money is from Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act, which authorizes funding specifically for English-acquisition programs. In a decade of reporting on ELLs for EdWeek, I've never heard of a state department of education withholding Title III funds from a district."

Blue Ribbon Nominees for 2010 - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)

Blue Ribbon Nominees for 2010 - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)


State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Nominates
35 California Public Schools for National Honor


SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the selection of 35 public schools as California’s nominees to the national 2010 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-Blue Ribbon Schools Program (BRSP). The list of schools is attached.
"I congratulate all the Blue Ribbon nominated schools, and the staff, teachers, parents, and students who are succeeding despite challenges and economic adversity," O’Connell said. "By committing themselves to excellence and innovation, these schools are helping students make consistent academic gains and preparing them for success in the competitive global economy."
The BRSP recognizes elementary and secondary schools that are both academically superior and have demonstrated dramatic gains in student achievement, while serving an economically disadvantaged population of students. Schools recognized through the BRSP are considered national models of excellence. All of the 2010 BRSP nominees had previously been named either a California Distinguished School or a California Title I Academic Achieving Award school.
In order to be eligible for BRSP consideration, a California public school must have:
  • Met all of its 2008 Academic Performance Index (API) state targets and all Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) federal accountability targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.
  • A 2008 Base API rank of 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.
  • Met all of its 2009 API and AYP targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.
  • Demonstrated significant growth in the percent of students achieving proficient/advanced in English-language arts and mathematics from 2005 to 2009. This growth is based on the performance of the students in the highest grade at the school. For example, in a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary school, this growth would be measured by comparing the performance of sixth grade students in 2005 to sixth grade students tested in 2009.
The nominations announced by O’Connell represent the first step in a process that is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Education. For final BRSP certification, a school must also meet all of its 2010 API and AYP targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.
Approximately, 72 percent of the students enrolled at the 35 schools certified today as BRSP nominees are designated as disadvantaged by the U.S. Department of Education criteria. Over the last five years, the 35 schools have, on average, increased the number of students scoring advanced or proficient in English-language arts and mathematics by at least 49 percent.
Since the BRSP is a component of the federal NCLB law, priority for selection is made for disadvantaged schools that have either shown dramatic improvement in student achievement from 2005 to 2009 or schools that have maintained a superior level of achievement from 2005 to 2009. The U.S. Department of Education designates a public school as disadvantaged if 40 percent or more the students either: (a) participate in the National School Lunch Program; (b) have parents who did not earn a high school diploma; (c) receive Migrant Education services; or (d) are classified as an English learner.
The BRSP is administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the program has recognized outstanding schools for more than 25 years. To obtain further information on the program and review a list of 2009 winners nationwide, please visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site: Awards - Blue Ribbon Schools Program (Outside Source).
# # # #
Attachment

2010 No Child Left Behind-Blue
Ribbon Schools Program Nominees

County
District
School
Alameda
Oakland Unified
Lincoln Elementary
Fresno
Sanger Unified
Centerville Elementary
Fresno
Sanger Unified
Fairmont School
Fresno
Clovis Unified
Jefferson Elementary
Los Angeles
Glendale Unified
Benjamin Franklin Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Franklin Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles
Hawthorne School District
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy
Los Angeles
Inglewood Unified
Highland Elementary
Los Angeles
Long Beach Unified
International Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Park Western Place Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
South Shores/CSUDH Visual and Performing Arts
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Superior Street Elementary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified
Synergy Charter Academy
Los Angeles
Bassett Unified
Torch Middle
Los Angeles
ABC Unified
William F. Elliott Elementary
Los Angeles
Little Lake City Elementary
William W. Orr Elementary
Orange
Santa Ana Unified
Carl Harvey Elementary
Orange
Buena Park Elementary
Gordon H. Beatty Elementary
Orange
Capistrano Unified
Richard Henry Dana Elementary
Orange
Garden Grove Unified
Sunnyside Elementary
Riverside
Lake Elsinore Unified
Withrow Elementary
Sacramento
Sacramento City Unified
Camellia Elementary
Sacramento
Sacramento City Unified
Capitol Heights Academy
Sacramento
Sacramento City Unified
Earl Warren Elementary
San Bernardino
Apple Valley Unified
Sycamore Rocks Elementary
San Bernardino
Victor Valley Union High
University Preparatory
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Jones Elementary
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Kearny School of Digital Media and Design
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Kearny School of International Business
San Diego
Chula Vista Elementary
Otay Elementary
San Diego
San Diego Unified
Preuss School UCSD
Santa Clara
Alum Rock Union Elementary
KIPP Heartwood Academy
Shasta
Enterprise Elementary
Lassen View Elementary
Sonoma
Two Rock Union
Two Rock Elementary
Tehama
Evergreen Union
Evergreen Middle

Does Michelle Obama's Discipline Style Work for You? - Parents - Families.com



Does Michelle Obama's Discipline Style Work for You? - Parents - Families.com:

"In Barbara Walters' interview with First Lady Michelle Obama, who she chose as the 'Most Fascinating Person of 2009', they had the opportunity to speak about parenting.

Mrs. Obama admits to trying to spank her kids in the past but found it unproductive. She says that she now issues 'lots of lectures' in the place of spankings.

I definitely understand where she's coming from. While I am not against spanking, I can count the number of spankings I have given on one hand. For the most part, I found that spanking or the threat of it only works for some kids. For others, it becomes a challenge and they become tougher and more defiant."

Race to the Top Insights: Part 2 - Politics K-12 - Education Week


Race to the Top Insights: Part 2 - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"After listening to the second half of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top technical seminar, it's clear that there are many, many state-specific circumstances for which state teams want answers. South Dakota asked if Indian-chartered schools count as charter schools. Hawaii officials had a few questions about how the application applies to them since they have a single state-run school district. New Hampshire wanted to know if its existing New England consortium on common standards counts as much in earning points toward a grant as the larger Common Core effort."

SAC City DAC Education News & Comment


SAC City DAC Education News & Comment


Hi DAC members,
 
Attached please find support materials for the bylaws revision process. They will also be posted at http://sacdac.org/bylaws.aspx. Feel free to e-mail or phone Leo of the bylaws committee at leocauchon@netscape.net or 916 307-8525 with questions or comments. These will be answered and shared by a FAQ e-mail and by handout at the January meeting.
 
Reviewing the important parts of these materials (Dac Bylaws to be certified Articles 4 and 5 and Article II of revision consideration - one page each) with your respective SSCs as we proceed in the work of revising the DAC bylaws is appreciated. Please remember that there is a final 2/3rds vote on the entire revision scheduled at the end of the process. It is the intention to provide lots of opportunities for engagement in this effort.
 
Thanks for your ongoing commitment to our students.
 
The Fish

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

Daily Kos: State of the Nation


Watching the fight for education in California (VIDEO)

Digg this! Tweet this submit to reddit Share This

Thu Dec 10, 2009 at 11:21:07 AM PST

I was already up when the news broke yesterday. I have always been early to rise, but it didn't stop my surprise when the local NBC affiliate got breaking news from the very campus I was on.
I came down to the front of the SFSU campus between classes to see what was going on. KGO was on the scene, as was a cute counter-protester (0:45) who as it later turned out was the head (and possibly only member) of the SFSU College Republicans.


In Southern Californa I'm a loony lib, but up here I'm considered to be conservative. And upon moving out here, I was shocked to discover the "hard left" that I believed to be a fictional creation by right-wing pundits.

Things died down in the afternoon, but as rumors began circulate that the police would storm the building, the protest had turned into something of a dance party. If nothing else, it was most reminiscent of the book release for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

As a vlogger and a native of Southern California, it was a spectacle I couldn't resist. The administration building causeway overlooked the occupied building and was being used as a press box of sorts, so I got up there and, alongside others, started shooting:


Perez chosen Assembly speaker - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee


Perez chosen Assembly speaker - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"Assembly Democrats this afternoon chose Assemblyman John A. Perez as their new speaker, making the first-term Democrat the first openly gay man to hold the post.

Members emerged from a closed-door caucus at the historic Stanford Mansion to announce that Democrats had chosen Perez, of Los Angeles, on an unanimous vote.

The move came after Assemblyman Kevin de Leon agreed to bow out. A public vote on the Assembly floor is expected in January."

With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them | Public Agenda








With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them | Public Agenda:

"'With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them' is the first of three reports describing young Americans' views on higher education and college completion. Coming at a time when the United States has slipped to tenth place in international college completion rates, these reports explore the issue directly from the student point of view. Based on a national survey of young adults, ages 22 to 30, this research dispels some common myths about why so many students do not graduate and details what kinds of changes -- by government, higher education, business and others -- might make a difference."

Urgency to boost literacy skills inspires superintendent’s challenge to students


Urgency to boost literacy skills inspires superintendent’s challenge to students
Target, Scholastic contribute $139,400 in books and book packs to aid holiday launch of district literacy initiative






Aiming to boost reading and writing skills and develop a lifelong love of reading in a school district where fewer than half of students are proficient, Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond announces a major initiative—starting over the winter break—to advance English
Language Arts performance at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10 at H.W. Harkness Elementary School. Harkness is located at 2147 54th Ave.
Joining in the announcement will be representatives from Target stores and Scholastic book publishing who will present the district with $139,400 in books. The books, to be delivered to 17,000 K-6 students at struggling schools, will be available to take home on a regular basis.
Target will present Raymond with an oversized check at the event. Scholastic will supply samples of the books schools receive and have its mascot, Clifford, the Big Red Dog, present. Under the program, each school will get:

  •  Two backpacks per classroom with grade appropriate English materials (1,232 backpacks)
  • Two backpacks per grade level with grade appropriate Spanish materials for classes with Spanish-speaking students (504 backpacks)
  • Two backpacks per grade level with grade appropriate English Language Learner materials (504 backpacks).

Raymond is challenging students to begin immediately by reading a book over the district’s winter break (Dec. 21 to Jan. 3) and urging parents to help their children set aside time for reading during the holidays. “We want students and community to get started as soon as possible in making reading part of what we do every day so students value and practice a habit that will enrich their lives.” He is also calling on them to keep records of their reading with prizes awarded to schools and pupils completing the most books on a monthly basis through May.
In addition, Raymond will challenge adults to read and post their reading lists and comments on the school district web site. “We’ve got to be readers all around, and model the behavior we want to practice.
 “Student success depends on the proficiency of their reading and writing skills,” Raymond said. “Gains have been made over recent years, but the progress is too slow. We’re failing major groups of students.” He notes that while nearly 67 percent of white students are proficient in English Language Arts, only 38 percent of African Americans are considered proficient. For Latino students, the rate is slightly better—almost 41 percent are proficient. Only 36 percent of English Learners are proficient in reading and writing.
“Today’s presentation by our generous partners, Target and Scholastic, symbolize the community partnerships and engagement we need to ensure every student can read and write, and develop a lifelong love of reading and learning,” Raymond state.
He observes the district has formed an action group to begin working with schools to incorporate literacy skills into all subject areas and across all grades. “Reading and writing have to be a part of every subject if we are to raise achievement,” Raymond said. The superintendent said another key part of the initiative will be aggressively recruiting volunteers to work with students as mentors and tutors.

Sacramento Press / Intermediate Google workshop Dec. 15




"Get Google in your Social Media Mix." 



Thanks to all of you who came to the Media Panel at the Urban Hive Wednesday night!

We have another engaging event scheduled for next week. Jeff Marmins, who taught our last Facebook workshop, will be leading the Google event titled, "Get Google in your Social Media Mix." Jeff is the creator of Social Media Path and partnership director of Social Media Club Sacramento.
The event will be at the Sacramento Press office Dec. 15 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Jeff will discuss how to condense all of the social media sites you post to into one application on Google, successfully use RSS feeds and answer your specific questions.
This workshop is designed for intermediate Google users. If you'd like a beginner workshop, please email journalism@sacramentopress.com and if there are enough people, we can put together a separate beginner workshop.
Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

Sacramento Press / Sacramento At-Risk Teens Need Your Help This Christmas


Sacramento Press / Sacramento At-Risk Teens Need Your Help This Christmas:


"Here at Diogenes Youth Services we believe that every youth deserves a Merry Christmas. While other teens her age will be enjoying the season with their families at home, Sarah finds herself literally “left out in the cold.” Please take a minute to read Sarah’s Story."


Forced to leave an abusive and violent family environment, 15 year old Sarah had no place to turn. She eventually landed on the streets of Sacramento, homeless and frightened. Although living at home had become unbearable, she soon learned that life on the street was far worse than expected. Her life quickly began to spiral downward, she dropped out of school and soon she became victimized and exploited. She was severely malnourished and life looked bleak as she survived day to day. Things began to change for the better when she met an Outreach worker from Diogenes Youth Services one night and entered our emergency shelter. She could again feel safe while putting her life back together. She got the counseling she needed and today is enrolled in high school and has friends and people she can count on for guidance.

Race to the Top Insights: Part 1 - Politics K-12 - Education Week


Race to the Top Insights: Part 1 - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"I spent the morning in a U.S. Department of Education technical-assistance planning seminar on Race to the Top, and have picked up a lot of interesting tidbits. Many states are in attendance—including Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Tennessee (including education commissioner Tim Webb), just to name a few. Interestingly, Texas is also in attendance, I'm told.

The seminar will continue well into the afternoon, but so far, here are the insights I've picked up about this $4 billion competition:

Race to the Top Director Joanne Weiss emphasized that there will be a lot of losers in Phase 1 of the application, so states shouldn't worry if they want to wait until the second round of competition. 'We promise there will be plenty of money left in Phase 2,' she said."

The Educated Guess Vote set on Brownley’s bill; Romero’s “killed by silence”


The Educated Guess  Vote set on Brownley’s bill; Romero’s “killed by silence”:

"Two competing bills shaping the state’s plan for Race to the Top money received positive votes in the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday. But only one will move forward to a full vote of the Assembly, set for today.

Education Committee Chairwoman Julia Brownley’s ABX5-8 was voted 10-6 and moved on. It would have been surprising if it didn’t.

The vote on Sen. Gloria Romero’s SBX5-1 was 6-5. But with six Assembly members abstaining or not present to vote, it was three votes sort of a majority. Romero� immediately charged that the “bill was killed by silence.”"

Phila. project uses classes to reach parents | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/09/2009


Phila. project uses classes to reach parents | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/09/2009:

"They come to learn English, for tips on how to be a better parent. They want to know more about fitness training, financial literacy, and computer basics.

Since its start this year, more than 2,000 parents have taken free courses with the Philadelphia School District's new Parent University. Officials hope to reach 10,000 parents by the end of this school year.

It's part of Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's push to involve the 169,000-student district's parents, a bullet point in 'Imagine 2014,' her five-year blueprint for city schools funded with $500,000 of district money."

Assembly panel OKs union-backed bill aimed at qualifying the state for U.S. education grants -- latimes.com


Assembly panel OKs union-backed bill aimed at qualifying the state for U.S. education grants -- latimes.com:

"A state legislative committee Wednesday rejected a Senate education bill favored by charter school organizations while approving rival Assembly legislation backed by teachers unions.

The dueling bills were aimed at qualifying California for competitive federal education funding known as Race to the Top grants. Federal officials have estimated that California could qualify for up to $700 million if the state is selected.

States will be judged on a 500-point scale measuring their plans to implement various reforms, including improving data systems and paying effective educators more. States must also eliminate caps on the number of charter schools allowed and link student achievement to teacher evaluations in order to qualify."

Wash. Times continues its relentless campaign against Jennings | Media Matters for America


Wash. Times continues its relentless campaign against Jennings | Media Matters for America:

"In the latest of an obsessive series of editorials vilifying Department of Education official Kevin Jennings, The Washington Times again advanced discredited attacks to assert that Jennings is 'unfit to serve as a senior presidential appointee'. The editorial falsely claimed that Jennings encouraged a sexual relationship between a student and adult, attempted to tie Jennings to the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), and falsely suggested that Jennings supported a controversial workshop at a 2000 event sponsored by the group he founded, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)."

Wash. Times ignored Jennings' own criticism of 2000 conference session


Wash. Times: "shocking new revelations" that GLSEN conference sessions taught "children how to engage in sex." In a December 9 editorialThe Washington Times stated that there were "shocking new revelations" about Jennings, repeating claims made by Gateway PunditFox Nation, and Big Government that a 2000 GLSEN conference session discussed graphic sexual acts with students and that the conference itself "appear[ed] to have had less to do with promoting tolerance and more to do with teaching children how to engage in sex."
http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/

UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Art, Community Center for Local Youths Opens in Woodland


UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Art, Community Center for Local Youths Opens in Woodland:

"WOODLAND — University of California, Davis, faculty and students, local residents and government officials gathered today to celebrate the opening of a community art center dedicated to inspiring local youth and reinforcing culture through silk-screening, mural painting and other classes.

The TANA center, conceived and operated by the UC Davis Department of Chicana/o Studies, represents the culmination of a six-year quest to establish the type of community art workshop that existed in many urban settings decades ago. TANA stands for Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, or Art Workshops of the New Dawn."

Learning about ethics -- latimes.com


Learning about ethics -- latimes.com:

"They seem remarkably similar at first, the two cases involving leaders of publicly funded educational organizations in California who, within the same week, were reported to have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in inappropriate expenses over three years.

Founder Steve Barr repaid close to $51,000 to Green Dot Public Schools after an internal review initiated by the charter operator found that he had been reimbursed for inappropriate expenses and lacked the required receipts for others. Meanwhile, a state audit found that a former official with the financially crippled California State University system had received more than $150,000 for inappropriate expenses, including a small number of double reimbursements. David J. Ernst, the former chief of information technology services at CSU who now works for the University of California, will repay less than $2,000 -- only the expenses for which he was reimbursed twice or was otherwise overpaid."

Google Apps gets custom forums – Computer Chips & Hardware Technology | Geek.com


Google Apps gets custom forums – Computer Chips & Hardware Technology | Geek.com:

"The Google Groups service meets Google Apps, enabling users to implement discussion forums with enterprise-grade security and control. Google announced Wednesday that it’s integrating Google Groups – one of its most widely used web apps – into its Google Apps suite that hosts popular services like Gmail, Google Calendar, Talk, Docs, and more on a custom domain.

This allows enterprises, small businesses, schools, universities, and other organizations using Google Apps to implement mailing lists and popular discussion forums to facilitate community-driven dissemination of knowledge and helpful resources. Features include searchable archives, fast set-up, sharing content withing a group, replying on behalf of a group, and IT capabilities."

The Explosion of Charter Schools in America - US News and World Report


The Explosion of Charter Schools in America - US News and World Report:

"The Explosion of Charter Schools in America

America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report


America's Best High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report:

"We looked at more than 21,000 public high schools in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The following are the 100 schools that performed the best in our three-step America’s Best High Schools ranking analysis."


ankSchool Name and LocationQuality-adjusted
Exams per
Test Taker
College
Readiness
1Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and TechnologyAlexandria, VA6.9100.0
2International AcademyBloomfield Hills, MI5.7100.0
3Whitney High SchoolCerritos, CA4.1100.0
4Oxford AcademyCypress, CA5.0100.0
5School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview CenterDallas, TX8.0100.0
6Newcomers High SchoolLong Island City, NY1.6100.0
7Pacific Collegiate SchoolSanta Cruz, CA4.5100.0
8School of Science and Engineering MagnetDallas, TX5.1100.0
9BASIS TucsonTucson, AZ4.7100.0
10International SchoolBellevue, WA3.8100.0
11High Technology High SchoolLincroft, NJ3.698.9
12Academic Magnet High SchoolNo. Charleston, SC4.798.2
13IDEA Quest Academy and College PrepatoryDonna, TX1.197.7
14Pine View SchoolOsprey, FL4.396.8
15Design and Architecture Senior High SchoolMiami, FL2.796.7
16KIPP Houston High SchoolHouston, TX1.195.7
17Stanton College Preparatory SchoolJacksonville, FL4.695.6
18The Early College at GuilfordGreensboro, NC4.095.4
19The High School of American Studies at Lehman CollegeBronx, NY2.994.8
20Loveless Academic Magnet Program High SchoolMontgomery, AL3.594.2
21University High SchoolTucson, AZ5.192.9
22California Academy of Math and ScienceCarson, CA2.192.1
23Animo Leadership Charter High SchoolInglewood, CA0.991.6
24Raleigh Charter High SchoolRaleigh, NC4.991.2
25Lennox Mathematics, Science and Technology AcademyLennox, CA1.590.5
See schools 26 - 50 »

yellow
Based on Advanced Placement (AP) tests
blue
Based on International Baccalaureate (IB) tests