Thursday, July 8, 2010

Here's a guy who would probably get thoroughly panned by the modern ed tech movement. First of all, he's lecturing. Second, he hasn't embraced the backchannel.Third, he's advocating things that might have been appropriate in 1950.

And yet, it's a pretty effective message. My takeaway from this is to do more regular mailings to my representatives; I usually only chime in during a crisis. TimPAC, prepare yourself for more letters. My other

New Thoughts, and Other Detritus. � Chalkdust101

New Thoughts, and Other Detritus.

by pjhiggins

Over the last two days, and one more tomorrow, I’ve been at the UbD By the Sea Conference hosted by Authentic Education’s Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. It’s late and I don’t really feel like I have the writing chops to handle a huge thought explosion, but there are a few elements I’d like to get out in this space to see if they get legs.
Quotes from Andy Greene
Andy Greene is the principal at Candlewood Middle School in Long Island; his work was featured in Wiggins and McTighe’s Schooling by Design, and he is a charismatic speaker. In his afternoon session, among many great ideas for creating controversy in the best possible way, I also pulled some interesting quotes.

I live by the rule of thirds: if I give my staff something to read, 1/3 are going to devour it like their

Reducing the dropout rate: the economic argument The #Education Report

The Education Report

Reducing the dropout rate: the economic argument

By Katy Murphy
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 1:26 pm in dropouts, high schools
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The D.C.-based advocacy group Alliance for Excellent Education has come out with a new report that estimates the San Francisco-Oakland metro area would gain $8 million in tax revenues and generate 350 jobs by cutting its high school dropout rate in half.

You can read the Bay Area report, which estimates additional earnings (and spending on houses and vehicles) for African American, Latino, Native American

Suburban mom reports substandard ACT administration at West Oakland high school

By Katy Murphy
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 11:23 am in college, high schools, students
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Sharon Fingold’s family lives in Los Altos, but by the time her son registered for the June 12 ACT, the only testing center available was McClymonds High School in West Oakland.

Fingold figured the administration of the college entrance exam at McClymonds

Student fluency woes rising - The Boston Globe

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Student fluency woes rising

The number of Boston school students identified as lacking fluency in English surged dramatically over the past school year, presenting further challenges for a school district already under federal investigation for failing to provide adequate programs for students trying to learn the language. (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

Elise Boulding; sociologist studied peace, conflict; at 89

Dr. Elise Boulding, an international peace activist, saw life as an unpredictable adventure. “We never know what’s going to happen next,’’ Dr. Boulding said in a 1990 interview with Alan AtKisson called “Concentrating on Essence: An interview with Elise Boulding.’’ (By Jeffrey Fish, Globe Correspondent)

Strong start for UMass Law

NORTH DARTMOUTH — Applications and enrollment at the state’s first public law school have surged since the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth acquired the struggling Southern New England School of Law, an early sign that the controversial merger is off to an auspicious start. (By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff)

Sci-fi becomes the new reality

One wallet becomes more difficult to open as its owner’s bank account runs low on money; another wallet swells and shrinks, depending on the available cash; a third buzzes when there’s any kind of movement in the account. (By D.C. Denison, Globe Staff)

Northern Essex Community College president to retire

When David Hartleb was selected president of Northern Essex Community College in 1995, he was not the unanimous choice of the trustees. (By Wendy Killeen, Globe Correspondent)

Education | Don't just take or pass blame, leader for teachers says | Seattle Times Newspaper #aftconvention

Education | Don't just take or pass blame, leader for teachers says | Seattle Times Newspaper

Don't just take or pass blame, leader for teachers says

The president of the American Federation of Teachers is reminding teachers they are part of the solution for failing schools, not the problem. Randi Weingarten opened the federation's convention in Seattle on Thursday by responding to critics who hold teachers responsible for failing schools.

By Donna Gordon Blankinship

The Associated Press

The president of the American Federation of Teachers is reminding teachers they are part of the solution for failing schools, not the problem.

Randi Weingarten opened the federation's convention on Thursday by responding to critics who hold teachers responsible for failing schools.

"It is simply wrong to suggest that there is an epidemic of bad teachers, and at the same time ignore poverty, budget cuts, the absence of curriculum and the attrition of good teachers," Weingarten said.

She vowed to lead a union that doesn't look for someone to blame but instead proposes solutions to

Education | Secretary of Education to push jobs bill in Seattle | Seattle Times Newspaper #aftconvention

Education | Secretary of Education to push jobs bill in Seattle | Seattle Times Newspaper

Secretary of Education to push jobs bill in Seattle

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be in the Seattle area Friday to make the case for a $10 billion jobs bill for education that...

By Katherine Long

Seattle Times Eastside reporter

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be in the Seattle area Friday to make the case for a $10 billion jobs bill for education that, if passed, is expected to bring $208 million to Washington state.

The money would save 3,000 teacher jobs in Washington, Duncan said in a phone interview Thursday.

"This is an absolute critical two weeks," Duncan said of the urgency of passing the bill before school is back in session. "This is not something Congress can debate for two or three months." A version of the bill already has passed the House.

Duncan said 150,000 to 300,000 teacher jobs nationwide are threatened this fall by school-budget cutbacks because of the economy. The loss of so many jobs would be "devastating educationally, and it would be

Ackerman, Nutter tout District gains | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Ackerman, Nutter tout District gains

by Dale Mezzacappa on Jul 08 2010 Posted in Latest news

Mayor Nutter and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman held a meeting with about 70 business, civic and political leaders Thursday morning to tout gains on the state PSSA and brag that the District is moving in the right direction under her Imagine 2014 reforms -- but that this progress is not being recognized by the public or in the media.

Officials are frustrated that no matter what improvements Philadelphia makes, it still has the reputation of being a sinkhole of state money and a chronically underachieving district. Especially by those in Harrisburg, gains are dismissed as temporary, not enough, or a fluke.

Lori Shorr, the Mayor's chief education advisor, was disappointed that the Inquirer buried inside the B section the news of what she considers a "tipping point:" that more than half the students are proficient in reading and math. The news was unexpectedly made public at a School Reform Commission meeting last month.

"We wanted to talk directly to opinion leaders," Shorr said in an interview after the

Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter - San Jose Mercury News

LOS ANGELES — Former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle was found guilty Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant III early Jan. 1, 2009 and was immediately handcuffed and sent to jail.

Mehserle, 28, was also found guilty of a gun enhancement charge which could make him ineligible for probation, give him a strike under the state's "Three Strikes Law," and add additional years to his sentence which will be decided, next month, by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Perry.

Mehserle faces between five and 14 years in state prison — at least two, three or four years with the involuntary manslaughter charge plus three, four or 10 years on the gun enhancement charge. In addition,

Mehserle will also be forced to serve 85 percent of his eventual sentence, a much higher standard than most crimes.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said the jurors' findings showed they did not buy Mehserle's explanation that he meant to use his Taser. Nonetheless, she said, she was disappointed and frustrated by the verdict.

"As you are well aware, we believe that Johannes Mehserle was guilty of the crime of murder," she said. "We presented the case that way, we presented the evidence that way, and the jury found otherwise. But it is important to note that this jury did not relieve Johannes Mehserle of his criminal liability."

Mehserle remained unemotional as the jury's verdict was read but both his parents

THE BROAD REPORT: Jean-Claude Brizard, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2007

Jean-Claude Brizard, Broad Superintendents Academy Class of 2007

by The Perimeter Primate

EEOC FINDS BIAS IN OUSTER OF ROCHESTER SCHOOLS OFFICIAL, July 7, 2010, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY)

A federal commission has determined that the Rochester School District discriminated against its former highest-ranking instructional official when it forced her out of her job earlier this year.
Acting on a complaint filed in January by the official, Marilynn Patterson-Grant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that the district discharged her “because of her sex, her race and her age,” according to a letter issued by the commission last week.
The findings, which are nonbinding, are the basis for a federal discrimination lawsuit filed Tuesday by Patterson-Grant against the district and its superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard.
Patterson-Grant, a 35-year veteran of the city school system, is of African-American descent and

Education Week: Scholars Target Arizona's Policies for ELL Students

Scholars Target Arizona's Policies for ELL Students

By Mary Ann Zehr

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Can DCPS Teachers Still Grieve Dismissal for Poor Performance After All? :: Frederick M. Hess

Can DCPS Teachers Still Grieve Dismissal for Poor Performance After All?

by Frederick M. Hess • Jul 6, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Cross-posted from Education Week

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A few weeks ago, the Washington Teachers Union and hard-charging D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee agreed to a dramatic new contract that was celebrated by reformers for giving the district much more freedom to reward effective teachers and dismiss ineffective ones. Attracting particular notice was the provision stipulating that a teacher fired for poor performance can protest only the review process itself--not the judgment.

In a New York Post op-ed, Rhee explained that this means, "The end of tenure as a 'job for life.' If a teacher is rated as 'ineffective,' she is immediately terminated from the system... Teachers cannot grieve their ratings,

Can DCPS Teachers Still Grieve Dismissal for Poor Performance After All? A few weeks ago, the Washington Teachers Union and hard-charging D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Michelle Rhee agreed to a dramatic new contract that was celebrated by reformers for giving the district much more freedom to reward effective ...

A Few More Thoughts on Georgian School Reform Today, I want to just offer a few more thoughts spurred by time in Georgia. First, the movers and shakers are young. Key ministry personnel are seemingly all twenty- and thirty-somethings. As one observer commented to me, "Anyone over fifty has a ...

Back from Georgia, Land of the Libertarians Hi all, I'm back. I'd like to thank Pat McGuinn and Paul Manna for two terrific weeks of guest blogging. If you've missed any of their posts, I'd encourage you to go back and check them out. They were terrific stuff.Meanwhile, I've just spent the ...

Sac State to trim enrollment this fall - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sac State to trim enrollment this fall

By Deia de Brito - Published: 3:09 pm

Sacramento State University must reduce its enrollment by 10.8 percent by fall 2011.

Sacramento County Board of Education elects Fong president

By Diana Lambert - Published: 9:51 am

The Sacramento County Board of Education has elected Harold Fong president.

San Juan school offices shift to closed campus

By Diana Lambert - Updated: 9:06 am

San Juan Central has moved into Garfield Elementary School, which was closed at the end of the school year.

Drexel plans seminar for potential students

By Laurel Rosenhall - Updated: 9:06 am

On July 17, Drexel University will hold an information session for people interested in its graduate programs from 10 a.m. until noon.

Keeping students in school helps the economy

By Melody Gutierrez - Updated: Wednesday, July 7 2010 - 2:13 pm

Lowering the dropout rates of minority students in Sacramento would drive $223 million into the local economy through increased spending and home and car purchases, a study released Wednesday found.

Oregon class sizes: Still 4th largest in the nation | OregonLive.com

Oregon class sizes: Still 4th largest in the nation

Published: Thursday, July 08, 2010, 4:41 PM Updated: Thursday, July 08, 2010, 4:43 PM

Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
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New figures just out today from the National Center for Education Statistics peg Oregon's public school class sizes as fourth-largest in the country.

Only Utah, California and Nevada packed more students per class during 2008-09, the new figures suggest.

Oregon had 19.2 students for every teacher -- 22 percent more students than the national average of 15.8 students per teacher.

And as The Oregonian reported Sunday,the state's high schools classrooms are even more crammed, with 19.9 students for every

Oregon City Service Learning Academy to add counselor, professional development with federal School Improvement Grant

By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian

July 08, 2010, 11:43AM

School officials sought community input this year on some of the changes that must be implemented for the federal grants. The school's principal, Melanie Marrone, will be replaced with Tim Graham, who served as principal of Holcomb Elementary School during the last school year. School officials proposed extending instructional time and professional development. They will also be adding a counselor, which Graham considered a big change: "That's going to be really key in improving graduation rates." Full story »

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