Are Charter Schools Right for You?

Are Charter Schools Right for You?

The Ninth Annual Year in Ideas - Magazine - NYTimes.com

The Ninth Annual Year in Ideas - Magazine - NYTimes.com

Obama Effect, The

  In 1995, two Stanford psychologists, Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson, demonstrated that African-American college students did worse on tests of academic ability when they were exposed beforehand to suggestions that they were being judged according to their race. Steele and Aronson hypothesized that this effect, which they labeled stereotype threat, might explain part of the persistent achievement gap between white and black students. In the years since, this idea has spread throughout the social sciences. Experimental studies have detected the negative effect of stereotype threat on a wide variety of groups, including women, old people, student-athletes at Swarthmore College and Ecstasy users.

Last year, a week before the Democratic National Convention, David M. Marx, an assistant professor of psychology at San Diego State University, was sitting at a conference with a couple of colleagues when talk turned to the presidential election. What would the rise of Barack Obama, they wondered, do to the stereotype threat experienced by African-Americans? Their idle contemplation quickly turned into a research project, and they quickly designed an experiment to measure what they called the Obama effect. At a series of moments during the 2008 campaign, Marx and his colleagues gave tests of verbal ability to selected black and white students after first priming them to focus on racial stereotypes of academic performance.

BARACK OBAMA
ILLUSTRATION BY CATH RILEYIn a paper published this year in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Marx and his colleagues reported that there was indeed an Obama effect, though it had certain limitations. Right after Obama's speech in Denver accepting the Democratic nomination, for instance, the 

This Week In Education: Unions: Gates Dives $358K Deep Into NEA

This Week In Education: Unions: Gates Dives $358K Deep Into NEA: "The Gates Foundation has given the NEA Foundation $358K to to create a new institute focused on local innovation.

Maybe the NEA complained that foundations were giving money to the AFT and not to them.

Or maybe the Gates Foundation realized that, maybe, throwing a little bit of money the NEA's way might help it realize its dreams of total takeover of major changes to the education system."

This Week In Education: Sattler: Approps Beats Reauthorization

This Week In Education: Sattler: Approps Beats Reauthorization: "From Title I guru and new contributor Cheryl Sattler:

Who needs reauthorization when there's appropriations?

Last night, the Senate passed the appropriations conference report that funds, among many other things, education. The House passed it last week, so it now moves on to the White House for Obama's signature.

In the absence of an ESEA/NCLB (pick the one that offends you least) reauthorization, Congress has stepped in with a number of interesting new developments."

Natomas Unified To Shorten School Year - Education News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Natomas Unified To Shorten School Year - Education News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Natomas Unified School District sent a message to families Monday letting them know that its school year would be reduced by five days because of budget woes.

Superintendent Dr. General Davie said modified traditional schools will end on May 27, and year-round schools on track will be shortened by one week.

'Trustees have voted to shorten the 2009-10 school year to cut costs, with the Natomas Teachers Association voting last Thursday to ratify a Tentative Agreement to take five furlough days at the end of this school year,' Davie said in the message.

Members of the Natomas Teachers Association are also are taking six furlough days in the next school year to save $2.2 million, Davie said.

'Our total savings from our three employee groups taking furlough days and pay cuts now totals $4 million over two years,' Davie said in the message."

Why Wasn't "Hacking Education" More High-Profile in the Press? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Why Wasn't "Hacking Education" More High-Profile in the Press? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Why Wasn't "Hacking Education" More High-Profile in the Press?

The Daily Riff finds it curious that there was little mainstream media coverage of Hacking Education, the unique gathering of notable innovators, creators and thinkers who came together to discuss new opportunities in education and technology.   At The Daily Riff, we refer to the group as "The Disruptive Class in Education" (aligning with Clay Christensen's brilliant book, Disrupting Class).   We think the provocative conversation is well-worth revisiting and exploring via linked video and transcript.      

This Conference took place in March 2009, hosted by Union Square Ventures, and included a dynamic group diverse in experience, credentials and talent.   Interesting to note how this  range of expertise was not apparent by comparison at the most recent Brookings Institute think-tank conference discussing education reporting and new media.     

Time magazine did do a story mentioning Hacking Education but it was more as a side-line illustration for the main story revolving around Twitter when it was rapidly moving beyond its nascent stage into the media-sphere.  

Memo of Understanding for RTTT - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)

Memo of Understanding for RTTT - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent O'Connell and Education
Secretary Thomas Announce Requirements for
Local Education Agencies to Participate in Race to the Top

SACRAMENTO — California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Education Secretary Glen Thomas today announced the release of key elements that will be included in California's Race to the Top plan and requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) that want to participate in Race to the Top.*

Under the Obama Administration's guidelines, in addition prompting legislative education reforms required for states to compete, Race to the Top calls on LEAs to voluntarily partner with the state through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement reforms that improve student outcomes. California's MOU was developed in accordance with recently released final Obama Administration Race to the Top guidelines.

"Race to the Top is prompting an historic undertaking with the potential to change the face of education in California," O'Connell said. "By investing in state and local systems that will accelerate and drive growth in student achievement, Race to the Top represents our state's best chance to engage in the fundamental reforms that are needed to develop our workforce and fuel future innovations. We are now asking local education agencies to collaborate with the state and with each other in unprecedented ways. It won't be easy, but by joining as a group of committed educators focused on providing the opportunity for all children to reach their full potential, we know we can win this race."

"The development of California's Race to the Top plan and MOU is an important collaborative effort that is the result of the ongoing work between education leaders across the state. It is important to note that the MOU represents just one piece of the state's application process – the California legislature must pass legislation to ensure California can be highly competitive for this funding." said Secretary Thomas. "Although we had initially hoped to release the MOU in conjunction with the necessary legislation to make California truly competitive, we can no longer wait for the legislature to begin the important work with LEAs with the looming January 19, 2010 deadline."

Race to the Top offers an unprecedented opportunity to strategically build upon on current education reform efforts by investing in key supports that (1) that refine California's rigorous state standards; (2) provide new supports for teachers and principals to improve effectiveness; (3)  enhance local data systems and coordinating those with state data systems; and (4) transform  persistently lowest performing schools. A key element of California's application is the explicit inclusion of LEAs that want to partner with the State. Participating LEAs will need to commit to partnering with the State in implementing each of these four key reform areas.

Participating LEAs will need to sign an MOU that is contingent upon California's success in winning a Race to the Top grant. To participate, the MOU must be signed by the LEA superintendent. However, California's State application has a greater chance of winning if MOUs are signed by also signed by the local school governing board president and the local teachers' union leader, or the equivalent entities for charter schools.

An LEA may choose to draft a plan that would focus only on a select number of schools, or can draft a plan that would encompass all schools in the LEA. If California wins a Race to the Top grant, LEAs will have 90 days to revise and submit their final plans.

On July 24, 2009, President Obama and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced federal eligibility and competitiveness requirements for states to compete for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funding, the single largest pool of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history. State applications for securing a portion of the $4.35 billion education funding available nationally are due to the federal government by January 19, 2010. If highly competitive, California can secure up to $700 million in federal Race to the Top funding for California's schools.

"In order to win up to $700 million in Race to the Top funds, California must prepare the most competitive application possible," Secretary Thomas said. "The legislature must make critical changes to our state laws that affect our whole system or we will be left on the sidelines of the Race to the Top. I continue to call on the state legislature to share our sense of urgency and pass the bold bi-partisan Race to the Top legislative package already approved by the Senate."

* Memorandum of Understanding Documents

• Memorandum of Understanding Letter
• Memorandum of Understanding.
• Exhibit I: Preliminary Scope of Work.
• Attachment 2: Definitions from the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top Application for Initial Funding (CFDA Number: 84.395A); pages 7-11.
• Attachment 3: Description of Intervention Models from the US Department of Education’s Race to the Top Application for Initial Funding (CFDA Number: 84.395A); pages 71-74.

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36 States Plan to Apply for Race to the Top, Round 1 - Politics K-12 - Education Week

36 States Plan to Apply for Race to the Top, Round 1 - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"The U.S. Department of Education has posted a list of 36 states that have signaled they plan to apply for a $4 billion Race to the Top grant in Round 1.

To figure out how many peer reviewers they need, the Department apparently asked states to send them a letter if they intend to apply in Round 1. This doesn't mean these states will apply, nor does it mean states that aren't on this list won't necessarily apply, but it certainly is a good indication.

Round 1 applications are due January 19; Round 2 will be due June 1.

Most interesting to me are the states that are not on the list, and have not signaled they intend to apply. They are: Alaska, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.

Any surprises here?"

Congress Approves Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

By Alyson Klein on December 14, 2009 12:35 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Congress has now given final approval to the long-delayed education spending bill for fiscal year 2010. If you leave out the stimulus, there was basically flat funding for most education programs, plus a huge boost for some Obama administration priorities. (School districts that want to try out merit pay will be especially psyched about a huge increase for the Teacher Incentive Fund, bringing the program to $400 million, up from just under $100 million last year).

But most of the major work, including huge increases for Title I and students in special education, was taken care of in the stimulus. That took some pressure off lawmakers and the administration to provide the big boosts for those programs in the fiscal 2010 bill that many advocates expected to see, given that Democrats control both Congress and the White House for the first time in over a decade.

So the budget that will really matter is the next one, which President Barack Obama will release sometime this winter, likely right after the State of the Union. The stimulus funding only covered fiscal 2009 and 2010, so the next budget will give school districts a sense of whether the appropriations for Title I and special education are likely to remain as high as they were in the stimulus. (Title I got $10 billion in the stimulus, an increase of about $5 billion per year on top of a budget of $14.5 billion. And special education state grants got $11.3 billion in the stimulus over two years, on top of a budget of $11.5 billion).

Marcos Breton: Was teacher's jailing over the top? - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Marcos Breton: Was teacher's jailing over the top? - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"In the aftermath of the massacre on the Virginia Tech campus – and an alleged homicide at Sacramento State – a college student can now be arrested for making foolish statements.

It happened at UC Davis, where a graduate teaching assistant in the drama department spent four days in jail for making statements that some students in his class took as a bomb threat."

According to Yolo County court documents,James Marchbanks told his class: "I have a bomb, this is the last time I am ever going to see you. I am going to leave class before the bomb goes off, but you are going to stay here until it's done."

The bomb was metaphorical. What Marchbanks slung on the floor were not explosives but forms for roughly 16 students to evaluate him as a student teacher.

Two from UC Davis among 8 protesters arrested - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Two from UC Davis among 8 protesters arrested - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"Eight people, including two art students from the University of California, Davis, were arrested and charged with rioting and other offenses after a Friday night rampage outside the home of UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.

The students were taken into custody Saturday on suspicion of rioting, threatening an education official, attempted burglary, attempted arson of an occupied building, felony vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer in Berkeley.

Julia Litman-Cleper of San Francisco and Laura Thatcher of Rolling Hills Estates, listed among those arrested, were identified Sunday as undergraduate students in Davis."

ADHD and Time : The Frontal Cortex

ADHD and Time : The Frontal Cortex:

"I recently learned that many professional graduate schools - law schools, business schools, even medical schools - continue to provide 'test accommodations' to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. These accommodations usually take the form of extra time on the exam, when time is a crucial resource.

Of course, it's not just grad schools who are struggling with the question of how to treat students with ADHD. Princeton is currently embroiled in a lawsuit:

A learning-disabled freshman suing Princeton University for refusing to allow her extra time to take exams was dealt a setback this week, as a federal judge refused a temporary restraining order on the eve of midterms. But plaintiff Diane Metcalf-Leggette still has a shot at getting a preliminary injunction in January, when final exams begin, if she can show probability of success in her suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act."

Arizona lawmakers angling for “most incompetent” crown � The Quick and the Ed

Arizona lawmakers angling for “most incompetent” crown The Quick and the Ed:

"When I wrote this column for Newsweek a couple of weeks ago about the University of California tuition crisis, condemning California as the worst-governed state in the nation seemed like a pretty safe bet. But now I see that Arizona legislators have also embraced the strategy of cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from public universities, forcing tuition up 24 percent from last year and,according to UA President Robert Shelton, another 34 percent over the next two years.

Putting aside the essential cowardice of eschewing broadly-shared budget-balancing tax increases for equivalent tuition hikes that hurt poor and middle-class students, you’d think that state lawmakers in a budget crisis would look askance at a  program that primarily benefits rich people, cost nearly $400 million over the last decade, and has been rife with illegality and self-dealing, i.e. Arizona’s notorious private school tuition tax credit program, the details of which you can read about here. Instead, a panel of lawmakers voted on Friday to expand the program while rejecting proposals to curb abuses such as private school parents forming cabals to donate dollar-for-dollar tax credits on behalf of each other’s children and refusing to give the state resources to audit the non-profit organizations that adminster the credits and pay their executives lucrative salaries to do so. This may, possibly, have something to with the fact that some of those executives are the state lawmakers who sponsored the legislation in the first place.

The Arizona Republic endorsed expanding this massive boondogle in the teeth of a fiscal crisis, despite admitting that, when it was first proposed twelve years ago,

Tina Thomas Endorses Patrick Kennedy for City Council

Latest Updates

Tina Thomas Endorses Patrick Kennedy for City Council

I have had the pleasure of knowing Tina Thomas for almost 20 years.  We first met when we worked together on Mayor Joe Serna's campaign for Mayor in 1991.  Since then I have often had the privilege of working with Tina as a community leader and a respected member of Sacramento's legal and environmental communities.

Tina's commitment to others, particularly those less fortunate and in need is truly inspirational, and as a longtime resident of Curtis Park her commitment to the neighborhoods of the 5th City Council District runs as deeply as my own. 

For all these reasons, it gives me great personal pride to announce Tina Thomas' support for my campaign for City Council.  I look forward to working closely with her in the coming months, and beyond, to help make Sacramento the best it can be!

Sincerely,

Patrick Kennedy

Facebook | Kevin McCarty for Assembly 2010

Facebook | Kevin McCarty for Assembly 2010

Currently Running For State Assembly

State:

California

District:

9

Party:

Democratic

Current Office

Office:

Sacramento City Council

State:

California

District:

6

Detailed Info

Website:

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/council/...

Gender:

Male

Relationship Status:

Married to Leticia Garcia

Hometown:

Sacramento

Political Views:

Liberal

Religious Views:

Catholic

Activities:

I enjoy working for a better Sacramento, walking the neighborhood with Leticia, the twins, and our crazy dog biko. I also love snowboarding and suffering by rooting for a SF Giants Word Series title.

Interests:

My wife and twins, politics, SF Giants, snowboarding, and advocating for preschool for all California children.

Favorite Music:

U2, Pearl Jam, Garbage, The Who, Neil Young, No Doubt, and Blink 182.

Favorite Movies:

Godfather I and II, Cry Freedom, the Natural, Heat, Gladiator, and Anchorman,

Favorite Books:

Dreams of my Father, Freakanomics, Grapes of Wrath, and Malcolm X.

Favorite TV Shows:

60 Minutes, Sports Center, Giants/49ers Games, Chronicle Live, The Wire, Daily Show, Entourage, 30 Rock, and SNL.

Favorite Quotations:

The time is always right to do what is right. ~Martin Luther King, Jr. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Ghandi Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. ~Author Unknown Leadership is action, not position. ~Donald H. McGannon

About Me:

I currently represent the great citizens of Sacramento City Council District 6 and I am a candidate for California State Assembly District 9 in June 2010. If you would like to support my campaign, you can mail a check or go online: Please make checks payable to: McCarty for Assembly 2010, ID #1313997 1005 12th Street, Ste H Sacramento, CA 95814 For credit and debit card payments please go to:http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/22144

Contact Info

Email:

Green Dot: Helping Schools Make the Grade - US News and World Report

Green Dot: Helping Schools Make the Grade - US News and World Report:

"'Teach them all.' A little-known California law allows a public school to become a privately operated, publicly funded charter school if more than 50 percent of the tenured teachers vote in favor of the switch. Convincing Minix and scores of other skeptical teachers that such a radical change was a good idea, in 2008 Barr took control of Locke and its millions of dollars in federal Title I funding, which goes to schools with high percentages of low-income children. What was once a poorly run school for thousands of students with a graduation rate of just 5 percent is now the Locke Family of Schools, made up of eight small college-prep academies and one technical school. In the brief time since the Green Dot takeover, graduation rates and state test scores have already improved, and student suspensions and expulsions are down. 'We didn't get rid of the knuckleheads and the gangbangers—we figured out a way to teach them all,' says Minix, who now serves as the Locke Family of Schools' athletic director."

Spirit of Autism

Spirit of Autism

About

Welcome to Spirit of Autism!

Parenting a child with Autism, regardless of  where they fall on the spectrum, is a journey filled with many bumps, joys, frustrations, and sometimes exhaustion. There is such an overload of conflicting information, many opinions thrown at you from those who have never walked in your shoes, and naturally, there are times when you may want to throw in the towel and run away to a remote island for a while : )

In my experiences, I was greatly dissatisfied with doctors and specialists making “blanket” diagnoses and judgments without bothering to dig a little deeper and really understand the big picture. Following my internal guidance, I catalogued each leg of this journey, keeping what made sense and discarding the rest.

Based on the teachings of Dr. Robert Melillo, combined with an integrated approach using nutrition and energy work, I have developed a therapy program that can be done AT HOME with your child that will significantly improve brain function.

I have seen amazing results in my journey. My passion is to empower parents, caregivers, schools, and treatment centers to improve and eliminate Autism and related disorders. The brain can change, without medication and years of expensive therapy.

To walk this road with support from other empowered parents, visit Healing the Spectrum. There you’ll find tons of resources, tools, tips, recipes, and a forum to share your experiences and stories.

"Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites Parent Pages"

Parent Pages:

"Cybrary Man's Educational Web Sites

The internet catalogue for students, teachers, administrators & parents.

Over 20,000 relevant links personally selected by an educator/author with over 30 years of experience."

Parent Pages

Parents, this is your portal to help you with parenting skills
and show you ways to effectively help your children.

Switch to Students, Educators or General Interest page.

BULLYING	CULTURE & PARENTING	FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCE	MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS	RADIO & TELEVISION
CHILD DEVELOPMENT	DEALING WITH CHILDREN	THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE	PARENTING	SAFETY LINKS
COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN	FAMILY	MARRIAGE PLANNING	POVERTY	TOYS

This web site endeavors to identify useful or interesting resources.
However, I can provide no warranty as to the accuracy, value or
appropriateness of information found on any particular website.
Online resources may change or disappear at any time and I cannot
be responsible for these factors outside of my control.