March 4 Stand Up for Schools Sacramento City Teachers Association

Sacramento City Teachers Association Meet at Pacific Elementary School at 8:30am on March 4 to "Start the Day for Students!" There will be a leaflet of the community and good NRG to join urgent action acorss the state for our students and our future.

KIPP Works The Quick and the Ed

The Quick and the Ed

KIPP Works

February 25th, 2010 | Category: Educational Choice

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It’s relatively obvious to anyone who looks that the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), the nation’s largest charter management organization, produces results. Just by seeing its classrooms you start to figure this out: the students are in matching uniforms, they chant and seem energized about learning, and, other than the chants, they’re orderly and respectful. To prove that KIPP works mathematically, up until now we’ve had to rely on pretty low-level analyses that show very high numbers of their students pass state accountability exams.

A new, rigorous analysis for the National Bureau of Economic Research changes that. Using a quasi-experimental research design that capitalizes on the large number of students applying to get into but ultimately rejected from one KIPP school in Lynn, Massachusetts, the researchers were able to compare students who entered the school with those who wanted to attend but were rejected due to space restrictions. This design helps the researchers isolate KIPP attendance from motivation, parental education, environmental factors, or any other variable that might be difficult to detect.

After these controls, KIPP attendees gained .35 of a standard deviation every year in math and .12 standard deviations each year in English. Results were even more positive for Limited English Proficiency and special education students (the demographics of KIPP Lynn lottery winners matched lottery losers and the district as a whole).

These demographic factors are important. KIPP is often accused of “skimming” the most talented or motivated public school students. Under that theory, which the paper debunks, KIPP could have a high percentage of low-income and minority students but attract the best of these groups. The research design of this paper allows the authors to conclude that’s not happening, at least in KIPP Lynn.

Sacramento Press / Arena project, green initiative topics at State of City address

Sacramento Press / Arena project, green initiative topics at State of City address

Mayor Kevin Johnson called for city government reform, the launching of a green initiative, increased public safety and moving forward with the arena project at his second State of the City address Thursday.

 “The state of the city is in our hands,” Johnson told the members of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce members. “The key is not about getting hit, it’s about getting up again.”

 Johnson discussed the hits the city has taken over the past year, including 13 percent unemployment, high crime rates and lackluster business performance, but he emphasized the need to be optimistic.

 “This is our time, Sacramento,” Johnson said.

 He highlighted four areas of focus to bring Sacramento back to a stable economic environment and take it forward to being a world-class city.

 Downtown

Johnson’s first goal is to strengthen the Downtown core. Saying the success of Sacramento is in its neighborhoods, he stressed the need to make them successful.

 His plans for doing that are to “put cars back on K Street” and actively bring in new retail stores to revitalize the currently pedestrian-only mall. He said he also intends to “unlock the grid,” making it easier to access the downtown area from all parts of the city by removing the current barriers that hinder the free flow of traffic.

 Another goal is to develop a viable plan for the Downtown Plaza mall over the next few months, which currently has one third of its retail space vacant.

 Green Initiative

With New York being the capital of finance, Los Angeles being the capital of the entertainment industry and the Silicon Valley being the capital of the technology industry, Johnson said he wants to make Sacramento the capital of the green industry.

 “I strongly believe Sacramento has the potential to be a national leader when it comes to green space,” Johnson said, adding that he wants to make Sacramento the “Emerald Valley.”

 In developing jobs in the “green sector,” Johnson said Sacramento will be a host to myriad new jobs on all wage levels, which can help diversify its employment.

 “Sacramento is over-dependent on government jobs,” Johnson said. “We need to diversify.”

 Johnson compared the possibility of harnessing a new green industry to the Gold Rush.

 “We have the opportunity to have a Green Rush,” Johnson said.

 Arena Project

“We need a new entertainment and sports complex in Sacramento,” Johnson said.

 His comments followed a panel discussion with members of the Sacramento First Citizens’ Task Force, which was formed in November.

 During the panel discussion, member Larry Kelley gave a brief outline of the seven proposals the task force has received thus far, which range from using the current Arco Arena site in Natomas to bringing the new arena downtown to the railyards, the docks or the K Street Mall.

 “This is something the voters have voted down previously,” Kelley said. “It’s something I think we need as a community. People don’t know where Sacramento is.”

A national ed policy trick? The Perimeter Primate

The Perimeter Primate

A national ed policy trick?

“We face a critical shortfall of skilled scientists and engineers who can develop new breakthrough technologies.” -- AND -- “The failure to produce mathematicians, scientists and engineers in America is a tremendous threat to America's economic security.”

Comments like this are meant to be scary, scary, scary!

OR -- Is it that those types of comments are being launched by the corporatocracy to serve as a distraction, or a manipulation of public sentiment? The facts don't seem to jive, and the arguments don’t make sense.

To expand your critical thinking, read the article by Beryl Lieff Benderlyin the 2/22/2010 issue of Scientific American, Does the U.S. Produce Too Many Scientists?: American science education lags behind that of many 

National Call for March 4 Strike and Day of Action To Defend Public Education

Regional Events

Los Angeles Regional Rally

• 3 pm Rally @ Pershing Square (5th & Hill) in downtown L.A.

• 4 pm March from Pershing Square to the Governor’s office

• 5 pm Rally @ Governor’s office (300 Spring St.)

East Bay/Oakland Regional Rally

• 12 pm-4 pm Rally @ Frank Ogawa Plaza (in front ofOakland City Hall, 14^th & Broadway)
• March to the Ogawa Plaza Rally from:

-UC Berkeley: 12 pm Rally @ Bancroft & Telegraph, followed by March

-Laney College: 11 am Rally, followed by March

-Fruitvale BART: Assemble @ 11 am, March @ 11:30 am

• Travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing below)

San Francisco Regional Rally

• 5 pm Rally @ San Francisco Civic Center

Sacramento/State Capitol Rally

• 11 am-1 pm Rally @ State Capitol (North Steps of Capitol)

San Diego Regional Rally

• 3 pm Rally @ Balboa Park, followed by March to governor’s office

• 4 pm Rally @ Governor’s office (downtown)

San Fernando Valley Regional Rally

• 3:45 pm gathering @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

• 4:15 pm March

• 5 pm Hands around CSUN

• 5:30 pm Rally @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

Local Events

UC Berkeley

• 7 am-12 pm Pickets

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally/Action @ entrance to Sproul Plaza(Telegraph & Bancroft)

• 1 pm-3 pm March from UC Berkeley to Oakland’s Ogawa Plaza

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

UCLA

• 10 am Pickets

• 11:30 am Walk Out

• 12 pm Rally @ Bruin Plaza

(UCLA invites high schools and community colleges in the Westside area to join)

UC San Diego

• 11:30 Walk-out & Rally @ Gilman Parking Structure

• 12:30 pm March from Gilman to the Silent Tree outside Giesel Library and Rally there

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Diego Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

UC Santa Cruz

• 6:00 am Picket at the entrances to campus

• 9:00 am Rally @ main entrance to the campus (Bay and High)

• 12:00 pm Rally @ main entrance to the campus (Bay and High)

• 5:00 pm General Assembly @ main entrance to campus (Bay and High)

UC Riverside

• 1 pm gathering @ UCR Bell Tower

• 2:30 pm March from UCR to downtown

• 3:30 pm Rally @ University Ave and Market St. (Downtown Riverside)

CSU Bakersfield

• 11:30 am-1 pm @ the Student Union Patio (rain: Stockdale Room in Runner Café)

CSU Channel Islands

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to the San Fernando Valley to participate in San Fernando Valley Regional Rally @ CSU Northridge (See regional listing above)

CSU Chico

• 8 am sendoff for students, faculty, workers and campus community traveling to State Capital Rally (See regional listing above)

CSU Dominguez Hills

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to Wilson High School Long Beach and Los Angeles Regional Rally (See Long Beach details below or regional listing above)

• 11 am-1 pm students hold a fair on CSUDH East Walkway (Games to learn about public education costs, access and quality)

CSU East Bay

• 12 pm Rally/Open Mic/Speack Out @ Agora Stage

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

Fresno State

• 10:30 am March from NW corner of Blackstone and Shaw, go down Shaw to Fresno State

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ Peace Garden

CSU Fullerton

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

Humboldt State

• 3 pm-5 pm Rally @ Humboldt County Courthouse-Eureka with CSU and K-12 faculty and students

Cal State Los Angeles

• 9:30 am Rally @ the USU area (Free Speech area)

• 2 pm March to Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

CSU Long Beach

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ South Campus, Upper Quad,

• 1 pm-2 pm Parade

• 4 pm Rally with K-12 and Community College (see below)

Long Beach: Wilson High School

• 4 pm Rally @ Wilson High School Gymnasium (4400 E. 10th St.)

• Music by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman)

California Maritime Academy

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally and Sacramento/State Capitol Rally (See regional listing above)

• 12 pm Street Theatre/Mock “Die-In” @ Maritime’s main quad

CSU Monterey Bay

• 11 am-1 pm Rally/March

• Followed by car-pools to Community Rally

• 4 pm Community Rally @ Colton Hall (570 Pacific St. between Madison & Jefferson)

- Contact: Kat General, 415-728-8927

CSU Northridge/San Fernando Valley Regional Rally

• 3:45 pm gather @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

• 4:15 pm March

• 5 pm Hands around CSUN

• 5:30 pm Rally @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

Cal Poly Pomona

• 1:30 pm- 2:30 pm Send off Rally @ - as CFA members, students and campus community board buses for Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

Sacramento State/Sacramento/State Capitol Rally

• 11 am-1 pm Rally @ State Capitol (North Steps of Capitol)

- Contact: Kevin Wehr, 916-541-2125

CSU San Bernardino

• 11:30 am March @ Marquee entrance (NW corner of University Pkwy and Northpark Blvd)

• 12 pm Rally @ Pfau Library

San Diego State/San Diego Regional Rally

• 11:30 am-12:00 pm collect video testimonials from students and campus community next to Aztec Center (Large “scoreboard” showing the loss of students, teachers and classes at SDSU due to budget cuts)

• 12:00 pm Rally by Aztec Center

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Diego Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

San Francisco Sate

• 7 am Campus Shutdown

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

San Jose State

• 11 am gather at San Jose City Hall

• 11:45 am March to San Jose State Tower Lawn (7th Street Plaza entrance)

• 12 pm Rally @ San Jose State Tower Lawn

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

• 3:30–5 pm Rally @ Office of state Senator Abel Maldonado (1356 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo)

CSU San Marcos

• 10:30 am-11:30 am Teach-in on State Budget @ Academic Hall (ACD) 102 (simulcast to other classrooms)

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ Kellogg Library

Sonoma State

• 11:30 am Student Walk Out

• 12:00 pm-1:30 pm Rally near Stevenson Quad

CSU Stanislaus

• 11:30 am-1pm Rally @ campus Quad

Original list compiled by Steve Seltzer

Modified by Jonathan Nunez

Please Invite Your Friends To This Event!

Want to receive updates? Contact us at: march4strikeanddayofaction@gmail.com

MySpace: http://tinyurl.com/yeugu4b
www.defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com
March 4 Strike Regional Events: publiceducationnotwar.Co.CC
Flyers and literature: http://www.crmvet.org/educ/educhome.htm.
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Pan-African News Wire: San Francisco Labor Council Resolution Supporting March 4 Day of Action in Defense of Public Education

Pan-African News Wire: San Francisco Labor Council Resolution Supporting March 4 Day of Action in Defense of Public Education

San Francisco Labor Council Resolution Supporting March 4 Day of Action in Defense of Public Education

New York City students and their supporters protesting the Metropolitan Transit Authority fare hikes that will raise the cost of K-12 education by $1,000 per year in the largest municipality in the United States.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

San Francisco Labor Council Resolution Supporting March 4 Day of Action in Defense of Public Education

[Note: The following resolution was adopted unanimously by the San Francisco Labor Council delegates' meeting on January 11, 2010. The resolution was introduced and motivated by OPEIU Local 3 delegate Alan Benjamin. It was further motivated by United Educators of San Francisco President Dennis Kelly.]

Building the March 4 Strike/Day of Action in Defense of Public Education and all Public-Sector Services

Whereas, a powerful labor-student-faculty coalition to defend public education has formed statewide in the aftermath of the Sept. 24, 2009, 5,000-person-strong mass student walkout and university workers' strike at UC Berkeley -- organized around the main demands of "No Budget Cuts! No Layoffs! No Fee Hikes!"; and

Best Buy and National Civil Rights Museum Educational Partnership Creates eLearning Experience About the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott - MarketWatch

Best Buy and National Civil Rights Museum Educational Partnership Creates eLearning Experience About the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott - MarketWatch

Best Buy and National Civil Rights Museum Educational Partnership Creates eLearning Experience About the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb 25, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- How would an American middle school student describe an historical civil rights event that launched the modern civil rights movement and the iconic leadership of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

The Best Buy Corporation and the National Civil Rights Museum have created an online eLearning experience that guides students and educators through the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and places them in the story while encouraging students to learn more about the civil rights movement, tolerance and perhaps the importance of the media in reporting on such events.

Launched as part of the 2010 Black History Month observance, Best Buy provided the technology and web-based resources for the "Before the Boycott- Riding the Bus" project, while the National Civil Rights Museum provided the curriculum and research information.

The program is designed for middle school student's grades 6-9, but the information is appropriate for anyone wishing to learn more about the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement.

To access the program visit: 

www.beforetheboycott.com or 

www.civilrightsmuseum.org.

The National Civil Rights Museum sees this opportunity for educational awareness beyond its museum walls according to Museum President Beverly Robertson, "The Museum hosts over 50,000 students a year from across the country. It takes them back in time and allows them to play the role of a school newspaper reporter assigned to ride the Montgomery, Alabama bus system in 1955."

Other highlights include:

Students observe incidents between the bus driver and African-American patrons will have the opportunity to record their impressions of each incident.

After completing all 7 stops in the simulated bus trip, students assemble a "story" to submit to their school newspaper.

Teacher's guide available as a supplement to the eLearning.

Standards: 8 States Up, 11 States Down This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Standards: 8 States Up, 11 States Down

by Alexander Russo

Have states really been racing to the bottom like Duncan says?  Not really.
The USDE cites a NAEP report as showing that 11 states made changes in math during 2005-2007 that resulted in a lowering of their AYP standards, as mapped onto the NAEP scale.* From the chart:  "When states make significant changes in their state standards, they are more likely to make them less rigorous."
But the news is not all bad.  Eight states (GA, HI, ID, MT, MO, NY, NC, VA) increased their standards in math and/or reading.  Here's the press release (PDF) which includes reading and math.

Thompson: Alternative Schools and School Turnarounds

by john thompson

Much of the Gates Foundation's, This Works for Me series could have been written by teachers and their unions.  As urban teachers keep saying, usually to deaf ears, charters and other individual turnaround schools have the backing of a huge alternative school system - called neighborhood schools. Too many reforms require "creaming" of easier-to-educate students and the best educators, leaving a greater critical mass of challenges for neighborhood schools. Gates now recommends "Consider using different measures of success for off-track students" (emphasis theirs.) They also report "more than three fourths of teachers and principals supported what researchers described as alternative learning environments as a way to reduce the dropout rate.
In focus groups, 'educators felt these environments would provide at-risk students more choices in finding a school that is more relevant to their lives ...'"  So, in addition to the small schools, theme schools, and small learning learning communities that have widespread support among teachers, they make the recommendation that teachers would die for, investments in "transition schools," "alternative schools." and "recuperative schools." The Gates-funded Public Agenda poll also shows that 90% of teachers believe that discipline problems are serious impediments, and 68% believe that alternative placements for those students would be effective.  
The Public Insight poll further reported:

Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF)

Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF)
Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF)

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Our Mission: The Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF) is an independent, non-profit organization founded to raise financial and other resources for the benefit of students and classrooms in the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD).

Fund Raising Donations Staffing & Organization

Donating & getting funds for classrooms!

New Money for Teachers!
Ms. Roberts teaches at Woodbine Elementary School in Sacramento, where 92% of the students qualify for free and reduced price lunches. Despite the challenges, she is determined to bring the best educational experience possible to her second graders, including teaching these eager young minds about the importance of taking care of the environment. So, Ms. Roberts turned to DonorsChoose.org and requested a worm farm to help foster the students’ love of gardening, science and helping the earth.

Donors pitched in and funded her project and, if you are a public school teacher, they can help fund your project too. By submitting projects on DonorsChoose.org, Ms. Roberts has since been able to add whiteboards and math manipulatives to her classroom, thanks to the individuals who chose to bring these projects to life for her students! The teacher noted that the donors “have given [her students] an opportunity to actively participate in lessons and be creative. These materials will be used for many years in my classroom.”

Now is the perfect time to request resources for your classroom, as DonorsChoose.org is working with the Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF) to support teachers and students in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Just in time for the back to school season, SCEF will match donations from the public for selected classroom projects in the district, meaning that your classroom needs are that much more likely to be met!

SCEF is a volunteer-led, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing resources for students in the Sacramento City Unified School District. The purpose of these grants is to enhance student achievement and educational opportunities in innovative ways. If you are a public school teacher, visitwww.donorschoose.org/teachers to get started! 

It’s easy to support your local schools!
DonorsChoose.org makes it really simple and fun to help classrooms right in your own backyard. Through this person to person philanthropy website, individuals can check out teachers’ wish lists – from calculators to classic novels – and choose which classroom project they want to support. Donors can contribute as little as $1 to help bring dedicated and innovative teachers’ ideas to life. After completing a project, you will hear back from the classroom you supported with photographs and thank you notes.

This back to school season, DonorsChoose.org is partnering with the Sacramento City Educational Foundation (SCEF) to support schools right in your neighborhood. SCEF will provide 50% of the funding for selected classroom projects in SCUSD, making it even easier for you to make a difference in your community. The support of the SCEF comes at a critical time, when Sacramento teachers and students are lacking essential classroom supplies due to severe budget constraints. You can make a huge difference for teachers and students without having to break your own budget.

To date, over 100,000 public and charter school teachers have used the site to secure funding for more than $35 million in books, supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Through www.DonorsChoose.org, individuals from all walks of life have helped over 2 million students from low-income families. To support teachers and students in the Sacramento City Unified School District, visitwww.donorschoose.org.
DonorsChoose.org contact:Candice Chesson, West Region Associate Director, candice@donorschoose.org 

Sacramento City Educational Foundation contact:Alice Levine, harroun53@aol.com

 -or-  Larkin Penrose, LJPenrose@att.net

Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Feb. 25

Submitted by Erika Owens on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 08:38 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

Phila. schools chief vows action against violenceThe Inquirer The police chief, DA, Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller, and others supported Superintendent Ackerman as she described what the District will do about school violence.

See also: Teens on school violence: 'Everybody's dying young' Daily News
Ackerman, others vow action on youth violence Philly.com
Mob Mentality City Paper

No resolution on violence at South Philly The Notebook blog
Helen Gym wrote about the "frightening analysis" in the investigation of events in South Philly.

SRC modifies its charter-school policy The Inquirer
The policy allows successful charters to apply to add grades in year three of the five-year charter term, rather than only at renewal.

See also: SRC: Change for charters Daily News

Phila. School District Extends School Year KYW
The last day of school is one day later and two days were removed from spring break.

See also: A snow day [today] — yippee Philly.com

How Do We Best Teach Technology? Philly Teacher blog
A technology teacher reflects on how to teach a subject that should not be taught in isolation.

Why Don't Liberals Really Like Poor Children? A Good Day Teaching blog
A response to the liberal hand-wringing about sending kids to public schools.

Netter Center continues to make strides in Community UC Review

North Central Philly: Tree House Books Helps Youth, Captures “Voice of Philadelphia” Philadelphia Neighborhoods

But Zero Tolerance MAKES no sense! School Stories blog

Philly Teachers Need Anger Management? Philly School Search blog

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Notes from the news