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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Local News | Military spouse tuition program returns, with restrictions | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Military spouse tuition program returns, with restrictions | Seattle Times Newspaper

Military spouse tuition program returns, with restrictions

An education-assistance program for military spouses that was suspended in February will resume in a scaled-back form this fall. The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program, or MyCAA, will provide tuition of up to $4,000 — down from $6,000 — for spouses of junior service members to train for portable careers, work that can endure frequent military moves.
By Ed Friedrich
Kitsap Sun
BREMERTON — An education-assistance program for military spouses that proved too popular for its own goodwill resume in a scaled-back form this fall.
The Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts program, or MyCAA, had provided tuition of up to $6,000 for any military spouse to train for a portable career, one capable of enduring frequent military moves. The program was abruptly "paused" on Feb. 16 after a surge of applications threatened to drain its budget.
When it returns on Oct. 25, benefits will top out at $4,000, only spouses of junior service members — E1-E5, W1-W2 and O1-O2 — will be eligible, and they will be restricted to pursuing associate's degrees, certificates and licenses.
Of the 136,000 spouses participating in the program, 74,000 will no longer be
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Texas charter schools seek building funds from state | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas charter schools seek building funds from state | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas charter schools seek building funds from state



12:03 AM CDT on Thursday, July 22, 2010

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
tstutz@dallasnews.com
AUSTIN – Representatives for Texas' 460 independent charter schools asked the State Board of Education on Wednesday to tap into the state's education trust fund and for the first time provide them classrooms and facilities for their students.
The charter school operators also expressed support for board member David Bradley's proposal to take up to $100 million from the $22 billion Permanent School Fund and use it to purchase or build facilities that the board would lease to charter schools.
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Critics contend that the idea is too risky, and some board members were skeptical of the idea. But David Dunnof the Texas Charter Schools Association said the charter school movement is being hampered because the state doesn't provide aid for facilities.
He said that means most charter schools must set up in strip malls,
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BRAVE NEW VOICES SPEAK GREEN Brave New Voices – Los Angeles

Brave New Voices – Los Angeles

BRAVE NEW VOICES SPEAK GREEN

Brave New Voices Speak Green graphic

For the 4th year, Youth Speaks and the Redford Center present Brave New Voices Speak Green. During a time of great environmental catastrophe in our oceans, our air, our ground and in our homes and bodies, Speak Green invites a whole new generation into this global conversation as leaders for societal change. Featuring the finalists of the Global Climate Change poetry contest and special musical guests, this event takes place on Wednesday, July 21st at Club Nokia. Winners gain a free trip to The Sundance Film Festival in January 2011. More information to come soon!

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Study: Classroom spending dips as ed funding rises

Study: Classroom spending dips as ed funding rises

Study: Classroom spending dips as ed funding rises

By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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(07-21) 18:32 PDT Sacramento, Calif. (AP) --
Spending in California classrooms declined as a percentage of total education spending over a recent five-year period, even as total school funding increased, according to a Pepperdine University study released Wednesday.
More of the funding increase went to administrators, clerks and technical staff and less to teachers, textbooks, materials and teacher aides, the study found. It was partially funded by a California Chamber of Commerce foundation.
Total K-12 spending increased by $10 billion over the five-year period ending June 30, 2009, from $45.6 billion to $55.6 billion statewide. It rose at a rate greater than the increase in inflation or personal income, according to the study. Yet researchers found
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/07/21/state/n172325D84.DTL&type=education#ixzz0uNXoGbL4


State switch to U.S. school standards debated

California typically lands at or near the bottom in virtually every measure of public school performance...

School year shrinking as budget crisis grows

School year shrinking as budget crisis grows
Just as education experts are encouraging more classroom time to improve student grades and test scores...




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D.C. board of education adopts national 'common core' standards for schools

D.C. board of education adopts national 'common core' standards for schools

D.C. board of education adopts national 'common core' standards for schools



Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 22, 2010

The D.C. State Board of Education on Wednesday adopted new national standards for English and math, joining Maryland and more than two dozen states in a groundbreaking effort to establish common expectations for what students should learn every year from kindergarten through high school.
The board's vote of 6 to 1 will set in motion changes to testing, curriculum and teacher training as Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and charter school operators seek to improve public-school performance.
Board member William Lockridge opposed the measure, citing cost concerns. Member Laura Slover abstained, citing her work for an organization involved in standards advocacy. Member Sekou Biddle was
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Avoid costly colleges to graduate debt-free - Boston.com

Avoid costly colleges to graduate debt-free - Boston.com

Avoid costly colleges to graduate debt-free

By Erin Conroy
AP Business Writer / July 21, 2010
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STUDY HALL: Sure, your kid is gonna rack up an enormous amount of debt over the next four years. But isn't that just the price your coed, or maybe you, has to pay for a good college education these days?
Not so, says Zac Bissonnette, a student at University of Massachusetts at Amherst, blogger and author of the recently published book "Debt-Free U." Having a prestigious university's name on a diploma or sweatshirt will never outweigh the burden of student loans, he said.
"If you look at sending your kid to an expensive elite school in terms of an investment, it just doesn't make sense," said Bissonnette, who writes regularly for AOL Money & Finance. "It's simply an emotional appeal, and looking at the

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Remainders: New York signs on to common standards | GothamSchools

Remainders: New York signs on to common standards | GothamSchools

Remainders: New York signs on to common standards

by Elizabeth Green
  • New York has quietly adopted “common core” aka national standards. (Curriculum Matters)
  • New research finds black males are more likely to get a rookie high school teacher. (EdWeek)
  • Voices against national standards worry about routinization, lack of rigor. (Room for Debate)
  • Those in favor say debate can lead to consensus and poor kids will win. (Room for Debate)
  • Al Shanker is no longer with us, but now his namesake institute has a blog. (Shanker Blog)
  • Shifting leadership helped a “principal from hell” go unnoticed. (GothamSchools)
  • The new leader at the Chicago teachers union is cleaning house — and hiring up. (District 299)
  • The teachers’ contract isn’t the problem; state legislation is. (Education Next via Rick Hess)
  • The school that canceled prom when a same-sex couple tried to go lost its court case. (Daily News)
  • The “Drunken Pirate” case of a teaching license denied due to Facebook is historic. (New York Times)
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Schools Matter: Expanding to Scale: Part II of the Series

Schools Matter: Expanding to Scale: Part II of the Series

Expanding to Scale: Part II of the Series

by Kenneth Libby
Yesterday I asked readers to imagine a scenario where they had billions of dollars to give away and a keen interest in charter schools. We put the "charter schools: good or bad" debate to the side and looked at the options available for expanding charters: the EMO (for-profit), the CMO (nonprofit version of EMO), and the stand alone version.

Philanthropy largely went with option #2, the CMO approach. They dropped $500 million on CMO expansion between 1999 and 2009. The Gates Foundation also invested in the small schools model (breaking up large high
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FOXNews.com - Massachusetts Raises Concerns by Swapping State Curriculum for National Standards

FOXNews.com - Massachusetts Raises Concerns by Swapping State Curriculum for National Standards


Massachusetts Raises Concerns by Swapping State Curriculum for National Standards

Published July 21, 2010
| FoxNews.com
Massachusetts approved a plan Wednesday to scrap its state curriculum standards for national ones amid fierce opposition from critics who say the new guidelines will “erode” student achievement in a state that already churns out some of nation’s highest test scores.
The state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 9-0 to adopt the new federal Common Core Standards -- promoted by the Obama administration – as part of its application to qualify for a portion of the government’s $4.3 billion Race to the Top funding.
Massachusetts is one of several states submitting applications for Round 2 of the program’s grants. The billion-dollar education initiative, funded by Education Department as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, was announced last summer and seeks to strengthen the nation’s education system through a number of so-called reforms – including the establishment of a national curriculum.
But the new guidelines, which specify what is taught in math and English classes at each grade
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