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(WOMENSENEWS)--Recently I attended a conference on health disparities in communities of color. The National Health Policy Training Alliance for Communities of Color hosted over 40 journalists of all hues and ethnic origins to convene in New Orleans to discuss how we can better cover health care-related issues and the health disparities that still plague our communities.
Seattle Public Schools and the city's teachers union could reach a tentative agreement as early as Sunday on a new teacher contract, possibly ending their fight over whether to use student test scores as part of teacher evaluations.
Times education reporter
Seattle Public Schools and the city's teachers union could reach a tentative agreement as early as Sunday on a new teacher contract, which could end the first major clash in Washington state over whether to use student test scores as part of teacher evaluations.
Both parties reported progress in their talks this week, which included a marathon session Thursday that lasted 13 hours.
On Friday, the district's spokeswoman said the two sides are close to an agreement. The union wouldn't go that far, saying only that they are much closer.
"We still have some issues that have to be worked out, but both sides have moved a long way," said Glen
So the fourth installment of this series, based on my friend Ron Miller’s take on American cultural conventions, I’m going to look at his thoughts on Capitalism and how it plays out in American conventional thinking, based on the first chapter of his very insightful book, What Are Schools For?
Ah “capitalism”… a word that to me connotes a big driving machine. A word that is loaded with so much
The question regarding increased funding for cyber schools because of weak performances in some areas raised the issue of how tax dollars should be used in education. Over the last decade or so, school districts have poured tax money into charter schools, cyber schools, and other alternative educational ideas. Most of these educational experiments are not held to the same standards as public schools. For example, the requirement that all teachers be state-certified does not apply to charter schools. Each has produced mixed results. Meanwhile our local public schools have struggled with budget problems, teacher layoffs and program cuts.
Parents are within their rights to decide where their children are educated. Some opt out of public schools and choose private education, which is expensive and limits enrollment to a select few who can afford to attend. Public
TALLAHASSEE -- Teachers and the broader public are divided over issues such as merit pay for teachers, the federal Race to the Top program and teacher tenure, according to new results from a national poll.
The results of the fourth annual survey conducted by Harvard University's Program on Education Policy and Governance and Education Next were released this week.
The national poll provides "strong evidence ... that most Americans support merit pay for teachers, while teachers oppose the policy by a large margin; there is strong opposition among the public to teacher tenure, while teachers favor it; and teachers are significantly more opposed to the Race to the Top program than the broader public."
The survey of 1,184 U.S. adults was conducted between May 11 and June 8 by Knowledge Networks and features "oversamples" of 684 teachers and 908 residents living in areas with at least one charter school during the 2009-2010 school year. The research was funded
SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Deval L. Patrick told Springfield teachers during their annual convocation ceremony Friday to continue their commitment to children and be "fearless" as they strive to inspire and change the lives of thousands of students.
Patrick was among speakers who took part in the rally-like convocation at the MassMutual Center on Main Street, attended by approximately 3,000 teachers, administrators and staff who are preparing for the return of students on Monday.
The governor also visited the site of an $11 million affordable housing project under construction at the Borinquen Apartments on Main Street in the North End, which is being assisted by state and federal funding and tax credits. Local, state and federal officials praised the project by co-developers Heriberto Flores and the New England Farm Workers' Council, that involves the complete renovation of two buildings to provide 41
Colorado has twice now been rejected in its bid for millions of dollars from the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” competition for education funding.
It’s a development that seems to have come as a shock to some observers given President Obama’s apparent fondness for the Centennial State, the kind of affinity that had to have Gov. Bill Ritter thinking he had a place at the top locked up.
Politics, however, now appears to have played a role in Colorado’s disappointment.
We know, that’s shocking, given the arm’s length relationship we’ve come to expect when billions of dollars, thousands of jobs, the vast reach of national policy and struggles for power are involved.
Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien suggested that something might be afoot when she said the administration had a “tin ear” when it came to understanding the relationship between states in the West and the schools in
Updated: Friday, 27 Aug 2010, 6:03 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 27 Aug 2010, 2:19 PM CDT
MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Mobile's George Hall Elementary School Friday. Back in 2004, George Hall was one of the worst-performing schools in the state. After five solid years of hard work, the school is now a blue-ribbon site.
However, teacher Melissa Mitchell said getting to this point was not as easy as 1-2-3.
"People didn't think it could happen and all of us came in together. We had to believe that this would be possible and do whatever it took to make it happen," said Mitchell.
Since the transformation, the school has had teachers from other areas visiting.
Elizabeth Reints said outside educators want to copy the success at George Hall.
State and federal education officials met in Washington on Friday but did not come to an agreement over $830 million in extra school funds Texas stands to receive.
"While today's meeting did not produce an immediate solution, we will continue to work with the Department of Education and others to determine the best path forward to try to access these funds for Texas schools," Education Commissioner Robert Scott said in a statement.
Scott and the governor's senior adviser Mike Morrissey met with U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Tony Miller and are
In the beginning, before there was such a thing as a Gutenberg Bible, Johannes Gutenberg laid out his rows of metal type and brushed them with ink and, using the mechanism that would change the world, produced an ordinary little schoolbook. It was probably an edition of a fourth-century grammar text by Aelius Donatus, some 28 pages long. Only a few fragments of the printed sheets survive, because no one thought the book was worth keeping.
“Now had he kept to that, doing grammars...it probably would all have been well,” said Andrew Pettegree, a professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrews and author of “The Book in the Renaissance,” the story of the birth of print. Instead, Gutenberg was bent on making a grand statement, an edition of Scripture that would cost half as much as a house and would live through the ages. “And it was a towering success, as a cultural
For years, Orange County schools have been slicing and dicing to save money – decimating arts and sports, slashing teaching and counseling jobs, even closing some campuses for good.
This year, they're deploying a new strategy to conserve on cash – shortening the school year itself.
As nearly half a million K-12 students across Orange County return to their classrooms in the next two weeks, most will have their instructional year lopped off by up to a week, shrinking the traditional 36-week school year to 35.
All but six of the county's 27 school districts are moving in this direction, although some are shaving as few as two school days.
The shorter instructional year will come on top of continued cuts to basic programs and services. The popular class-size reduction program that guaranteed a 20-to-1 pupil-teacher ratio in primary grades has been wiped out or scaled back at every O.C. district, except for one, Laguna Beach Unified.
At home, parents are also feeling the economic pinch. Many recession-hit families have less spending cash to dole out for supplies, uniforms and extracurricular activities even as some
