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Friday, November 5, 2010

Sacramento Press / COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF "Superintendent Rock Star" JONATHAN P RAYMOND

Sacramento Press / COMMUNITY UPDATE FROM THE DESK OF "Superintendent Rock Star" JONATHAN P RAYMOND

Dear Colleagues:

Recently, I attended a screening of a new documentary film that has sparked a conversation across the country about the challenges facing our public education system.

I know what you’re thinking, but, no. This isn’t about “Waiting for Superman.”

The movie is called “Race to Nowhere,” and it brings up some important issues about kids and schools. Made by a parent, the film examines what we’re teaching our kids, how we’re teaching them and, perhaps most importantly, why we’re teaching them.

It begs the question: What’s the goal of a K-12 education?

Is the point of our work simply to prepare our children to memorize facts for

AFTERNOON UPDATE: Education Week: From the Wires

Education Week: From the Wires

FROM THE WIRES

Students Are Not Products And Teachers Are Not Social Engineers : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR

Students Are Not Products And Teachers Are Not Social Engineers : 13.7: Cosmos And Culture : NPR

One of my high school English teachers was macho and abusive. He said he was a poet; and he certainly could read beautifully, in both English and Spanish. But he was cruel. He reduced me to tears twice. And I witnessed him frighten and humiliate others. I haven’t hated many people, but I’m pretty sure I hated him. I think I still do.
But the remarkable thing is that he was, without any doubt, a terrific teacher. Not that I’d wish him on my worst enemies, let alone my children, or that I excuse his sadism. I’d have fired him in a heartbeat. But the fact is, he was remarkable, and what made him such a powerful teacher was not what he said, or even what he did. What made him special was what he was: a passionate, committed, lover of literature and good writing.
He showed us that that was a possible way to be. And so he


White Supremacist Funding Keeps Schools Lily-White and Immigrant-Free | Immigrant Rights | Change.org

White Supremacist Funding Keeps Schools Lily-White and Immigrant-Free | Immigrant Rights | Change.org

White Supremacist Funding Keeps Schools Lily-White and Immigrant-Free

Ever heard of the Council of Conservative Citizens? They're a White Supremacist group that believes "the American people and government should remain European in the composition and character," and that in order to ensure this, even "legal" immigration "must be severely restricted or halted." Not convinced of their "white supremacist" status yet? "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind," says their statement of "principles."

Easy enough to dismiss these folks as a bunch of lunatics taking out their life woes on dark-skinned boogeymen of their own creation. But what if I told you that told you that this group was having a marked influence on the education of young Americans?

The Answer Sheet - Montgomery County admits kids were pushed too hard in math

The Answer Sheet - Montgomery County admits kids were pushed too hard in math

Montgomery County admits kids were pushed too hard in math

The highly-touted Montgomery County Public School system in Maryland has just admitted that it has been pushing a lot of kids to do accelerated math when they weren’t ready for it, and now will stop it. That means that a lot of parents in the wealthy county could lose valuable bragging rights at cocktail parties when the subject of kids comes up, as it too often does in these parts: “You won’t believe what happened to Joey today in algebra. You know of course that my fourth grader is taking algebra.” Or: “What level is Susie on in math? Ohhh. Only on grade level?"

NYC Kids Can Get Old Navy Clothes If They Go To School | Education | Change.org

NYC Kids Can Get Old Navy Clothes If They Go To School | Education | Change.org

NYC Kids Can Get Old Navy Clothes If They Go To School

Here's a tale of two well-known clothing retailers, Old Navy and Kohl's, and how they've pledged to help schools. One idea encourages school attendance; one is a thinly-disguised marketing ploy that ended up backfiring.

It's no secret that big corporations often hop onto the education bandwagon with benefits for local school districts and school programs. Pepsi Refresh is the most high-profile of the part-marketing campaign, part-benefit that happens when companies want to be associated with positive change in education.

Old Navy is the latest retailer to join the fray with a partnership with New York City schools. Students who show good or improved attendance get $50 to spend at Old Navy on school clothes, if they sign a pledge that they'll continue to try to attend school. Rewarding students for showing up is a product plug with a good result.

Lesbian who sued over prom talks about gay bullies - Boston.com

Lesbian who sued over prom talks about gay bullies - Boston.com

Lesbian who sued over prom talks about gay bullies

FILE - In this March 22, 2010 file photograph, Itawamba County Agricultural High School senior Constance McMillen, gestures as she leaves the federal courthouse in Aberdeen, Miss., following a hearing regarding the ACLU's preliminary injunction to force the prom at her high school. McMillen's fight against intolerance is a reason Glamour magazine has named her as one of its 'Women of the year 2010.FILE - In this March 22, 2010 file photograph, Itawamba County Agricultural High School senior Constance McMillen, gestures as she leaves the federal courthouse in Aberdeen, Miss., following a hearing regarding the ACLU's preliminary injunction to force the prom at her high school. McMillen's fight against intolerance is a reason Glamour magazine has named her as one of its "Women of the year 2010. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
By Shelia Byrd
Associated Press / November 5, 2010
Text size +

JACKSON, Miss.—The lesbian who successfully challenged a rural Mississippi school district's ban on same-sex prom dates says she wept when she read about the recent spate of gay teen suicides linked to harassment.

Constance McMillen, who was recently named one of Glamour magazine's "Women of the Year 2010," told The Associated Press that she became a bullying victim after she challenged the Itawamba School District over a policy that prohibited her from bringing her girlfriend to the prom and wearing a tuxedo.

McMillen, 18, said she became emotional after reading about the suicides of 13-year-old Seth Walsh, of California, who hanged himself outside his home after enduring taunts from classmates, and of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Colleges have demonized Four Loko, but students need to be smarter about risks

You’d think the academic world was on the brink of collapse. Campuses around the city have issued warnings. Medical professionals are up in arms. Academic officials quiver in fear. Regulators and watchdogs are on alert. (By Taylor Adams, Globe Correspondent)

Trove of sports management history donated to UMass Amherst

The family of the man who represented star athletes such as golf legend Arnold Palmer and who is widely regarded as the founder of the modern sports management industry is turning over his archives to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the school announced yesterday. (By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff)

Joseph Lee School awarded $100,000

The Joseph Lee Elementary School was awarded $100,000 yesterday, after winning the fifth annual Thomas W. Payzant School on the Move Prize. The Dorchester school was awarded the money through EdVestors, a Boston nonprofit. The school, which beat both the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School in Charlestown and the Charles H. Taylor Elementary School in Mattapan for the grand prize, ... (Boston Globe)

School Committee approves in-district charter school plan

The School Committee unanimously approved last night the conversion of a middle school and a high school into in-district charter schools, under a new state law that aims to turn around low-performing schools. (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

After Islands launch, Jack Wills brings its casual clothing to Newbury Street

Standard operating procedure for international chains opening stores in the United States generally goes something like this: Mammoth flagship store arrives in prime Manhattan shopping district, followed shortly by shops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. There’s usually a Paramus, N.J., store tossed in for good measure. A few years later, a Boston store arrives. (By Christopher Muther, Globe Staff)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

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"Renegade Lunch Lady" Aims to Put a Salad Bar in Every School | Sustainable Food | Change.org

"Renegade Lunch Lady" Aims to Put a Salad Bar in Every School | Sustainable Food | Change.org

"Renegade Lunch Lady" Aims to Put a Salad Bar in Every School

Congress continues to drag its heels on passing comprehensive school lunch reform. It's been more than a year since legislators introduced the Child Nutrition Act, yet students still suffer through the same, gross meals at their school cafeterias. One non-profit aims to give those lunches a much-needed face lift — without waiting for the House and Senate to get their acts together.

The Food, Family, Farming Foundation (F3), led by Chef Ann Cooper, launched its Great American Salad Bar Project this summer. The initiative aims to provide free salad bars to 564 deserving school cafeterias throughout the country. These salad bars would offer up fresh veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins. The salad stations could act as a much-needed alternative or supplement to the processed chicken nuggets, rubbery hot

New on the Big Fix: In-depth profiles of schools in flux | GothamSchools

New on the Big Fix: In-depth profiles of schools in flux | GothamSchools

New on the Big Fix: In-depth profiles of schools in flux

screen-shot-2010-11-05-at-34001-pmSince the school year began, GothamSchools and WNYC reporters have been telling stories from inside three struggling high schools as they try to improve. To help readers put these changes in context, the clever minds behind the extensive Big Apple Ed database have created profiles for each of the schools.

The profiles for the three schools — Chelsea CTE High School, Christopher Columbus High School, and William E. Grady CTE High School — display data on the schools’ graduation rates, how much money the federal