Saturday, May 29, 2010

EducationCEO's Blog Big dreams require big faith & friends with big hearts

Big dreams require big faith & friends with big hearts

May 29, 2010

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is about my desire to fulfill my purpose by helping the kids of my community. If you do not believe in faith or big dreams, please stop reading. From this point forward, only positive thoughts are allowed. Thank you!

Have you ever wanted something so bad, that the thought of never getting or achieving it caused you to lose sleep at night? Have you discovered your true passion but are at a loss for ways to make it happen? Have you ever had a dream that you were afraid to share with people because they would probably have something negative to say, like ‘That will never happen,’ or ‘You’re dreaming too big.’ How did that make you feel? I know when the Georgia’s charter schools division told MSA that we had 30 days to raise $1

Cruising returns to LA's historic Van Nuys Blvd. - Boston.com

SF mayor wants college accounts for kindergartners

by Terence Chea, Associated Press Writer

Should cities help families save for their kids' college education? San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom thinks so.

Cruising returns to LA's historic Van Nuys Blvd.

Richard Rowlands drives his 1960 Ford Starliner during Van Nuys Cruise Night in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

By John Rogers

Associated Press Writer / May 29, 2010

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LOS ANGELES—As tricked-out old cars rumbled past on Van Nuys Boulevard, Reid Stolz still had trouble believing what he'd done.

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This was not just any crowded six-lane urban thoroughfare but the storied street immortalized in the 1970s film "Van Nuys Blvd." and in folk tales as the place where cruising may have begun.

But much has changed here in the land of cars since then. The cruisers left long ago, driven away by police. In the years since, they and their gas-guzzling cars were replaced by the big worries of global warming and $3-a-gallon gasoline.

Today, just as the decades-old American love affair with cruising seemed to be ebbing, the 52-year-old mechanic is all but single-handedly bringing it back to Van Nuys, giving thousands of car lovers a place again to transform it into a rolling ode to the 20th century.

"That first night, there were about 600," Stolz says as he leans back on the hood of his 1972 candy-apple red Corvette. "Then it just grew."

On this night, there's a little 1923 Ford T-bucket replica here, a hulking 1969 Camaro with its thundering V-8 engine there, and any number of 1970s Pontiac

SF teachers ratify contract that reduces layoffs Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

SF teachers ratify contract that reduces layoffs

The Associated Press

Posted: 05/28/2010 05:04:54 PM PDT

Updated: 05/29/2010 08:25:23 AM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO—The union that represents San Francisco teachers has approved a labor contract that reduces the number of layoffs and shortens the school year by four days.
The school district says the contract ratified Friday by the United Educators of San Francisco provides $39 million in savings over two years.
The contract still calls for 199 layoffs of teachers and other certified staff, but that's well below the 701 preliminary layoff notices issued by the district in March and 350 final notices issued in May.
The agreement also calls for four furlough days spread throughout the school year that will reduce the number of

The Perimeter Primate: Grannan: Charters want accountability? That's a new concept.

Grannan: Charters want accountability? That's a new concept.

by The Perimeter Primate

Guest post by Caroline Grannan.
The charter school industry and its supporters earnestly assure the public these days that they want problem charter schools held accountable.
If that’s true, it’s good news. It’s also a drastic about-face for the charter school industry, which has long fought efforts to hold charter schools accountable. A May 25 New York Times article pointed out the same thing. The charter industry has been waging successful court battles against efforts to hold charter schools accountable.
“…[C]harter schools have at times resisted tougher monitoring,” the Times wrote. “In 2007, a group of charter schools and advocates sued the [New York state] comptroller's office, challenging its right to audit the finances and academic performance of such schools. Critics said the comptroller's office had no expertise to assess academics. “Last year, the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, ruled that charter schools were in effect independent contractors and beyond the comptroller's reach.”

The Washington Teacher: Some DC Principals Move Up While Other DCPS Staffers Await Termination Letters !

Some DC Principals Move Up While Other DCPS Staffers Await Termination Letters !

by The Wash. Teacher

In early May of this year, thirteen new instructional superintendent positions were posted on the DCPS website with annual salaries ranging from 120,000 to 150,000. Many were aghast after learning of the news especially in light of the 528 million dollar deficit that DC government is currently facing as well as Rhee's overspending of the central office budget. Rhee and company's rationale for doubling the number of school superintendents is to improve teacher quality and raise student achievement.

Once news of these management positions was broadcast, parents argued that if Rhee had the money to hire more senior level managers the money would have been better spent on bringing back the teachers and school staff who she (Rhee) laid off in November 2009, reducing class sizes or buying needed supplies at the local school level. A Washington Post article revealed that Rhee stated in interviews that although this increase in senior

L.A. students stage a walk-in to protest budget cuts. � Fred Klonsky's blog

L.A. students stage a walk-in to protest budget cuts.

by preaprez

Due to budget cuts, Cleveland High School in Reseda, CA was closed for a furlough day.
So 50 students, parents and teachers in a walk-in on Friday.

“It does sound tempting to really relax and take the day off, but I can’t take a day off knowing it’s going to affect my future,” said Kahn, 16. “We’re protesting the

Old school.

by preaprez

Ike and Tina Turner.

Saturday coffee. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee.

MAY 29, 2010

by preaprez

Not a cloud in a blue sky. The temperature is around 75 degrees. Coffee was outside this morning at Letizia’s on Division Street. Moms and strollers. Dogs and their owners. Ulysses is getting his summer cut. The Cubs play the Cardinals and there is some game at the United Center tonight. They skate or something. I don’t know much about it. Or care.

It is hard to read a paper or watch the news these days. The BP oil disaster is difficult to watch, hear or read about.

My daughter Leigh was walking after work yesterday and ran into a protest at a BP station in SoHo in Manhatten. She posts on Facebook, “I accidentally stumbled upon this awesome BP protest today. Mermaids drenched in dirty water shut the station down. It was nice to find an outlet in expressing outrage.”

Medellin's tarnished miracle a lesson for Mexico | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Medell�n's tarnished miracle a lesson for Mexico | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News

Medellín's tarnished miracle a lesson for Mexico

12:55 PM CDT on Saturday, May 29, 2010

By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News
acorchado@dallasnews.com

MEDELLÍN, Colombia – The name alone, Medellín, once evoked mayhem. Then, after years of drug violence, high-profile kidnappings and criminal groups operating with near impunity, the city transformed itself.

Crime and violence plummeted. The arts and culture thrived. It became known as the Medellín Miracle. And leaders from drug-plagued cities in Mexico came to see how it was done.

Today, with its gleaming buildings, rolling hills, thriving arts scene and stunning libraries that rise above impoverished neighborhoods, Medellín remains a beacon of hope for troubled Mexican border cities. But the miracle has been tarnished. With a recent spike in violence and the re-emergence of longstanding problems, Medellín also stands as a reminder of how entrenched the drug trade can become and how long and complicated is the road to recovery.

Just three years ago, former Mayor Sergio Fajardo, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe and U.S. politicians touted the city as the Medellín Miracle, a title apparently well-deserved. Civic improvements, new architecture, and an 80 percent drop in homicides brought the city new wealth and swagger and made it a model for drug-plagued Mexican border cities like Ciudad Juárez.

"Much of what we're doing in Ciudad Juárez is based on the Medellín model," said Mayor José Reyes Ferriz, who has visited Medellín and is working on building schools and cultural centers and creating jobs for unemployed youth – favorite targets for recruitment by organized crime. "The focus in Medellín is social, and we realize that our problem is socially generated."

But a closer look reveals that the success Medellín enjoyed had more to do with finding accommodations between organized crime and the government than with eradicating organized crime. In short, Medellín is a lesson

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: THOUSANDS MARCHING TODAY IN PHOENIX

THOUSANDS MARCHING TODAY IN PHOENIX

Department Proposes Doubling Federal Funding for Parental Engagement

Contact: Sandra Abrevaya
(202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

This week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Education Department's proposal to double the amount of federal dollars set aside for family involvement. The Department also proposed allowing states to use federal funds to hold a competition to generate the best local ideas on family involvement.

"Parents will always be a child's first and most important teacher," said Duncan. "And parenting is the most important job that every parent takes on. This week we are proposing to step up our efforts at the federal level to empower parents to do even more for our students."

Under current law, districts are required to use 1 percent of federal Title I dollars to carry out family engagement activities. This week, the Department proposed doubling funding for family engagement from 1 percent to 2 percent of Title I dollars—for a total of roughly $270 million—and asking districts to use these funds in a more systemic and comprehensive way. The Department has also proposed an optional Family Engagement and Responsibility Fund that states can create with the use of $145 million in existing Title I funds. The fund would be used to create a state-led competition that would support outstanding local family involvement programs.

Yesterday, Secretary Duncan delivered this news as part of his keynote address at the first annual Mom Congress on Education and Learning Conference hosted by Parenting magazine and Georgetown University's School of Continuing Studies. In the speech, the Secretary not only asked for parents to do more but for the Department to do better. "Yet the department has done a mediocre job of supporting parental engagement. We have been too concerned with monitoring for compliance—and not concerned enough with improving student learning and boosting meaningful family engagement. Part of the problem has been the parade of parental involvement policies in the last half-century. At various times, Congress and the department have promoted parent advisory council meetings, volunteering in school, school-parent compacts, and helping children learn at home. Yet these and other policies have rarely been shown to move the needle on student achievement. It is well-documented—and plain common sense—that parental involvement in a child's education boosts student learning and improves both behavior and attendance. We know that children with parents who are engaged in their education are less likely to drop out."

In the speech, Duncan also stressed that the best ideas are often found at the local level. "There is surprisingly little research, however, to show what works and doesn't work in family engagement programs to accelerate student learning. Yet there are many promising programs across the country. In Springdale, Ark., the National Council for Family Literacy is funding a family literacy program, primarily for Latino and immigrants parents in eight schools. Parents spend two hours a week in class with their child learning model literacy practices for use at home. The reading scores of both children and their parents have risen significantly as a result. In Chicago, the Comer School Development Program has boosted reading and math test scores, using parent involvement as a core tenet. Other cities like New York and Boston, as well as states like Florida, are empowering parents with information about their child's school and education as never before. New York is holding monthly Parent Academies on Saturday for parents. They provide childcare, easy bus and subway access—and translation services in an array of languages, including Haitian Creole, Urdu, and American Sign Language. With the benefits of data transparency, parents in Florida can determine not only if graduates of their local high school are going on to colleges and jobs, but how their college and job market performance compares to that of other high schools in the state."

Both the $270 million in family engagement funding and the optional $145 million for a state-led competition are intended to support best practices at the local level. A complete version of Secretary Duncan's remarks can be found here:http://www2.ed.gov/news/speeches/2010/05/05032010.html.

NOAA Expands Fishing Closed Area in Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Response

Deepwater Horizon Response

LATEST INFORMATION
NOAA Expands Fishing Closed Area in Gulf of Mexico
NOAA has extended the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to include a large area of oil sheen patches crossing the eastern edge of the current boundary, as well as an area currently outside the southern boundary which a small portion of the sheen is moving toward.
> Read More
Admiral Landry and BP COO Doug Suttles Brief on Top Kill Status
ROBERT, La. -- U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry, BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles and MMS Regional Supervisor for Field Operations Mike Saucier hold a press briefing May 28, 2010 to update media on ongoing top kill operations and response efforts regarding Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill.
> Listen to the press conference

> View More Photos | Flickr | CG Visual Imagery
LEARN MORE
Hurricanes and the Oil Spill
What will the hurricane do to the oil slick in the Gulf?
• The high winds and seas will mix and “weather” the oil which can help accelerate the biodegradation process.
• The high winds may distribute oil over a wider area, but it is difficult to model exactly where the oil may be transported.
• Movement of oil would depend greatly on the track of the hurricane.
• Storms’ surges may carry oil into the coastline and inland as far as the surge reaches. Debris resulting from the hurricane may be contaminated by oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident, but also from other oil releases that may occur during the storm.
What will the hurricane do to the oil slick in the Gulf?
• The high winds and seas will mix and “weather” the oil which can help accelerate the biodegradation process.
• The high winds may distribute oil over a wider area, but it is difficult to model exactly where the oil may be transported.
• Movement of oil would depend greatly on the track of the hurricane.
• Storms’ surges may carry oil into the coastline and inland as far as the surge reaches. Debris resulting from the hurricane may be contaminated by oil from the Deepwater Horizon incident, but also from other oil releases that may occur during the storm.
> Read More

The Case for the 'Teacher Bailout' | The Atlantic Wire

The Case for the 'Teacher Bailout'

By HEATHER HORN on May 28, 2010 3:10pm

Recent worries over the deficit, combined with concerns about education reform, have left commentators wary of further spending on teachers. So the Democratic plan to give $23 billion payout to public school teachers has attracted some negative attention. But Friday in The Washington Post, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer defends the proposal, and it turns out she's not alone. In the recent debate over what has been called a "teacher bailout," a surprising number of op-eds and blog posts have been making the case for this new spending. Here's a sample:

'Yes, We All Understand That Our Deficit Is Too Large,' Christina Romer assures readers. But "hundreds of thousands of public school teachers are likely to be laid off over the next few months" due to budget cuts. "As many as one out of every 15 teachers could receive a pink slip this summer," and "such layoffs are terrible for teachers, for communities and, most important, for students." Meanwhile, the lost income in teachers' households translates to less spending on local businesses. "Additional federal aid targeted at preventing these layoffs can play a critical role in combating the crisis."

Earth to Deficit Hawks: We're Still In Recession Harold Meyerson also makes the pro-stimulus case in the Washington Post. He wonders what members of the opposition in Congress "see as the plausible engine of economic recovery," without the package and if they've considered "what effect ... laying off as many as 300,000 teachers [will] have on the education of American children."

We Bailed Out Wall Street--Why Not Our Kids? Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, writes in The Wall Street Journal about the dire straights of teachers and students in school districts faced with spending cuts.

genuine school reform can't be accomplished with fewer teachers, unmanageable class sizes, and fewer intervention programs for struggling students. Children don't have a pause button--they need a great education during good economic times and bad. The federal government didn't let Wall Street fail. Why would we do less for our public schools, which undeniably are too important to fail?

Some Perspective: What the Dire Warnings Don't Mention Neil McCluskey in response to Weingarten, though, points out that "the projected cuts would be but a tiny step back after decades of spending and staffing leaps." To his eyes, "we've been pouring money and people into schools for decades without producing any improvements." Thus, the real "education catastrophe" isn't about "funding or job cuts," but rather "the bailout now moving through Congress that ignores the reality of inefficient public schooling, and adds to the already crushing burden of our federal debt."

'Well, If We're Playing the Put-It-In-Context Game' The Atlantic's Derek Thompson, responding to McCluskey, notes in turn that "$23 billion is 'only' 0.6% of the 2010 budget. An unfortunate bailout, perhaps, but hardly catastrophic, especially when you consider that 200,000 lost jobs has a tangible cost on its own: to local demand, to student achievement, and to federal coffers when more people become eligible for benefits like unemployment insurance." He also offers an anlogy: "At the risk of invoking a cliche, our education system is a bit like a painkiller junkie who just had his wisdom teeth pulled. In the long term, we probably want to wean the patient off drugs. In the short term, the patient happens to be in dire need of some drugs."

The Debate

Prevent Layoffs Christina Romer, The Washington Post
The Teacher Bailout Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

Parents in schools: work schedules, language barriers keep parents uninvolved. - Courant.com

Schools Must Work For Parent Involvement

By NICHOLAS FISCHER

May 29, 2010

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When people talk about why schools work or they don't, parent involvement is always identified as a key reason. There is a persistent hue and cry that if only parents were more involved, students would be more successful.

There is no doubt that when parents are involved it helps students. It also must be said, however, that parent involvement does not make or break successful schools, effective teaching does. This is documented by ample research.

There are those who say that the problem is parents who don't care or are apathetic. I'd like to say that in 42 years in public education I've never met parents who didn't care or didn't love their child. I've met more parents than I can count who were frustrated with their child's behavior and/or academic performance. I've met many parents who don't know what to do to get help for their children in school or out. I've met parents who were terrified about going to a parent conference because they didn't understand the words that teachers were using and were embarrassed to say so.

I also know that, according to National Adult Literacy Surveys, at least 25 percent of adults in this country are functionally illiterate. So, when written notices are sent home for parent conferences or school activities, at least a quarter of the parents in this country likely can't read them. And many parents who can read in their first language cannot read English.

So, how do we get parents involved? Parents will come whenever they can show the pride that they have in their child, as will aunts, uncles, cousins, guardians and special friends. Parents will come and applaud their child portraying a potted plant on the stage and saying nothing. They will point and take pictures and shout out their