Bloomberg is Understanding « JD2718

Bloomberg is Understanding « JD2718

Bloomberg is Understanding

by jd2718

BLOOMBERG iS UNDERSTANDING (by Lynne Winderbaum, retired teacher)

No one should say that our mayor is not understanding of how unique challenges can affect the statistical measurement of one’s job performance. And so it was that I listened to Mayor Bloomberg explain with a bit of impatience and annoyance that the city’s performance in the wake of the snowstorm was not up to par because of a series of unique challenges. He begged for understanding because, you see, it was the biggest effort to clear snow that the city has ever seen, there were a large number of city agencies and personnel involved, there were near white-out conditions, and hundreds of city buses and dozens of ambulances were stuck in the snow.

But the mayor should be aware that all that matters is the outcome, not the difficulties inherent to the job. The data shows that the average response time to structural fires in 2008 was four minutes 33 seconds. The average

How much would you give to ensure a corruption-free Chicago? - Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood

Del Valle for Mayor | For All Chicago For Every Neighborhood: Featured

Chicagoans vs. Special Interests Donation Drive

DECEMBER 28, 2010

How much would you give to ensure a corruption-free Chicago?

We can get there--but I need your help.


Today, please consider contributing $25 to my campaign for mayor as we kick off a 96-hour "Chicagoans vs. Special Interests - People's Donation Drive."


In the final 96 hours of 2010, let's make sure special interests, city contractors and lobbyists don't decide the results of the election in 2011.

Issues & Solutions

DECEMBER 11, 2010

Solutions to create good JOBS and spur economic development.

• Trigger growth in green industries, high-tech manufacturing, the allied health industries and other promising economic sectors
• Re-energize industries by building on Chicago’s strengths, such as our position as a transportation hub
• Support small business by expanding access to capital and cutting unnecessary bureaucratic red tape • Prioritize jobs that deliver living wages and benefits and protect workers

Will tackle the issues of crime & PUBLIC SAFETY head on.

• Put more police on our streets and better deploy officers to maximize responsiveness • Improve public safety and crime prevention by strengthening relationships among police, trusted community organizations, and residents • Build a 21st century police department by expanding and thoroughly integrating the use of technology to maximize responsiveness and solve more crimes • Enhance development opportunities to ensure a well-trained police department that reflects the city’s population through its competence and diversity.




Already a leader in EDUCATION and has the experience to improve our school systems


• Work to convert every low-performing neighborhood school into a high-performing school • Promote state education funding reform to equalize funding across the state and reduce reliance on property taxes to fund education • Ensure an effective evaluation system and quality professional development for teachers and principals • Strengthen City Colleges of Chicago through an emphasis on career preparation programs in areas of job growth, expansion of adult education, and continuation of developmental courses


Will work to create a responsible city BUDGET


• Maximize revenues without overburdening the regular taxpayer • Increase transparency regarding the use of TIF dollars and ensure their use to enhance neighborhood development • Cut spending on line items that do not meet basic city services and human needs • Audit city functions and expenditures to improve efficiency, weed out waste, and uncover corruption


Click Here for a Full List of solutions breakdowns.

Miguel del Valle: For Every Neighborhood

DECEMBER 10, 2010

City Clerk and mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle called for increased focus and investment in community learning centers like the one at Monroe Elementary School in the city’s Logan Square neighborhood after touring the school on Thursday.

Monroe Elementary partners with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) to provide programs for families after school and in the evening, including adult education classes for parents, homework help for students, as well as sports, music and art programs for children.

Del Valle toured the school with Monroe Principal Edwin Rivera and LSNA Resource Coordinator Maria Alviso, viewing the building’s facilities for after-school programming and meeting community members.

Del Valle proposed a partnership with the private sector to fund the creation of more Community Learning Centers like the one at Monroe, increasing their number by 50 percent during his first term as Mayor.

“Just as we have a responsibility to be engaged in our children’s learning,” del Valle said, “Chicago’s business community must continue to be engaged and help support community learning as well. This is a natural partnership.”

“I believe in these partnerships because they work,” del Valle said. “Community Learning Centers are great for the neighborhood and they improve our schools.”

According to a study conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Chicago Public School students participating in Community Learning Center activities improved academically. Of those students, 70 percent improved their completion of homework, 72 percent improved their participation in class, 66 percent improved their classroom behavior, and 73 percent improved their overall academic performance. In addition, eighth graders proved better prepared for high school.

“These programs prepare students because they engage the whole neighborhood. And we’ve seen what an engaged neighborhood can do,” del Valle mentioned as a reference to the successful Whittier school lock-in, where parents lobbied for a field house to be refurbished into a library during the fall of 2010.

“We can bring neighborhoods together through Community Learning Centers. Not only will we be able to provide better education, but we will grow stronger neighborhoods in the process,” dell Valle added. “We need to create a culture of involvement.”

2011 Preview: Beaverton School District prepares for new superintendent and funding cuts | OregonLive.com

2011 Preview: Beaverton School District prepares for new superintendent and funding cuts | OregonLive.com

2011 Preview: Lake Oswego School District weighing school closures

By Nicole Dungca, The Oregonian

December 29, 2010, 7:00AM

A citizens advisory committee made a recommendation to close three elementary schools in the district, and the decision now lies in the school board's hands. Full story »

2011 Preview: Beaverton School District prepares for new superintendent and funding cuts

By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian

December 28, 2010, 3:59PM

Beaverton School District will face a challenging 2011 Full story »

At 37, starting Act II: Medical school at Oregon Health & Science University

By Andy Dworkin, The Oregonian

December 28, 2010, 12:19PM

I gave up a comfy career for med school, where, OK, I'm old. But American life is full of second acts Full story »

Forest Grove School District seeks budget committee applicants

By Kelly House, The Oregonian

December 28, 2010, 12:16PM

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday Full story »

Court Denies Schwarzenegger's Plea to Allow Sale of State Buildings - The Bay Citizen

Court Denies Schwarzenegger's Plea to Allow Sale of State Buildings - The Bay Citizen

Court Denies Schwarzenegger's Plea to Allow Sale of State Buildings

Adithya Sambamurthy/The Bay Citizen

The Earl Warren Building at Civic Center Plaza is included in a controversial plan for the state of California to sell 11 office buildings to a group of private investors, then lease the space for 20 years

by Elizabeth Lesly Stevens

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, seven acting California Supreme Court dustices denied Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last-ditch attempt to get court clearance to close the controversial sale of 11 premier state office complexes before the governor leaves office on Jan. 3. The sitting state Supreme Court justices had all recused themselves from the case because their court is housed in the Earl Warren Building in San Francisco’s Civic Center. That complex is one of those slated to be sold to California First LLC, a mysterious consortium of private investors who have offered to pay $2.33 billion for them. The state would continue to rent the buildings for at least 20 years, should the deal close. Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling “is a huge victory,” said attorney Joseph Cotchett, who has

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Concept Schools

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Concept Schools

Concept Schools *PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDS UNDER SCRUTINY*; November 23, 2010; NBC4i (Columbus, OH) "Concept Schools" runs 25 schools in five different states, serving 7,000 students. In Columbus, the schools are known as Horizon Science Academies. Horizon's ...

Texas charter schools (nepotism) *FUNDS MISUSE, NEPOTISM FEARED AT TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOLS*; December 19, 2010; Dallas Morning News (TX) *Superintendent Ted Purcell's *family has collected about $500,000 in a year running Faith Family Academy sites in Oak Cliff (pictured) and ...

Confluence Preparatory Academy *19 CONFLUENCE HIGH STUDENTS ARE HOSPITALIZED*; December 18, 2010; STLtoday.com (St. Louis, MO) Nineteen students from Confluence Preparatory Academy charter high school were treated at two area hospitals Friday after security guards at the school ...

Horizon Science Academy – Columbus *HORIZON CHARTER SCHOOL IN FINANCIAL FIX: STRUGGLING SCIENCE ACADEMY $236,000 IN THE RED LAST FISCAL YEAR, STATE AUDIT SHOWS;* May 30, 2007; Columbus Dispatch (OH) Columbus' Horizon Science Academy is facing tough financial times, but the ...

Stetson Middle School (Edison-managed school) *EDISON SETTLES PHILADELPHIA LAWSUIT OVER STUDENT ASSAULT*; July 1, 2008; American School & University (Online Exclusive) Days after arguing in court that it was not responsible for the safety of its pupils, Edison Schools Inc. has settled a lawsuit ...

Texas charter schools (incorrect attendance reports) *CHARTER SCHOOLS OWE TEXAS $26M FOR OVERSTATED ADMISSIONS NUMBERS*, April 5, 2008, The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – Texas charter schools have reaped $26 million in undeserved state money by filing incorrect student attendance reports, according to ...

Highville Mustard Seed Charter School *FORMER SCHOOL EXECS MUST REPAY $176,707; OPERATORS OF HIGHVILLE MUSTARD SEED IN HAMDEN ACCUSED OF MISUSING STATE FUNDS*; December 23, 2010; New Haven Register (CT) HAMDEN — The former operators of a charter school will have to pay back the state ...

Classical Academies (Escondido and Oceanside, CA) *EX-SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WHO ADMITTED MOLESTATION GETS 12 YEARS;* May 18, 2009; San Diego Union Tribune (CA) VISTA – A former North County school administrator was sentenced to 12 years in prison Monday after admitting he molested a girl for several ...

Newark Charter School Fund *NEWARK CHARTER SCHOOL FUND SPENDING MORE ON ITSELF THAN IT'S GIVING OUT;*December 8, 2010; New Jersey Newsroom In its first two years of operation, the Newark Charter School Fund spent more on consultants and internal compensation than it gave in ...

UC Student Faces Serious Charges Still « occupy california

UC Student Faces Serious Charges Still « occupy california

UC Student Faces Serious Charges Still

by *

from ThoseWhoUseIt:

Peter Howell, the UC Merced undergrad facing a felony count for the Regents’ meeting, had his arraignment today around 10:45 am. Brought out in orange scrubs and cuffs, Howell’s lawyer asked that the felony charge be reduced to a misdemeanor given that the prosecution’s case is so weak and that there is video evidencedemonstrating that Howell never touched the weapon. The prosecutor attempted to defend the position that he grabbed Kemper’s baton, but the reasoning was incoherent. Here’s Howell on the scuffle:

“I put my hands on my chest and backpedaled,” Howell said in the interview. “I was trying to get away. (Officer Kemper) shoved through me, and he may have lost control of his baton. You can hear it rattle on the ground in a video. At no point did I strike him on the head, so I believe that statement was false.”

Regardless, the judge refused to engage the debate, pushing it back to the hearing date, now scheduled for

School Tech Connect: The Year in Pictures

School Tech Connect: The Year in Pictures

The Year in Pictures

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Man, this is a busy season. Clearly we're on light blogging mode until the holidays are over. Meanwhile, enjoy some scenes from School TechConnect HQ in Chicago.

This is the hearth and yes, that's an antique fake fireplace. There was a time when only a real fireplace would do, but now there are 14 trillion people on the

The Answer Sheet - Can you correct the errors found in this Virginia textbook?

The Answer Sheet - Can you correct the errors found in this Virginia textbook?

Can you correct the errors found in this Virginia textbook?

My colleague Kevin Sieff has a nice story on errors in some Virginia textbooks. Here’s a quiz to check your knowledge of history … Can you correct these mistakes scholars found in “Our Virginia: Past and Present”? Finish the quiz to see the answers from Civil War experts. document.write('');This survey is powered by SurveyGizmo's online survey software. Please take my survey now

State Board Meeting--January 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

State Board Meeting--January 2011 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education)

State Board Meeting--January 2011

Agenda and other related materials for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting to be held on January 12-14, 2011.

This page provides the agenda and other related materials for the California State Board of Education (SBE) meeting to be held on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, Thursday, January 13, 2011, and Friday, January 14, 2011. Meetings will be held at the following location unless otherwise noted:

State Board of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, CA 95814

Agenda and Other Related Material

• Agenda*
• Comprehensive Vision, Mission, and Goals Statement
• Meeting Minutes
• SBE Bylaws
• SBE Meeting Live Webcast
• SBE Meeting Webcast Archive

* State Board of Education Meeting Agendas

The meeting agendas of the State Board of Education cover a wide range of educational issues related to the State Board's duties as outlined by the state Constitution, state statutes, and federal law. The issues on the State Board's agendas are of interest to educators, state and local policy makers, parents and guardians, students, and community members.

Generally speaking, the agenda will be uploaded ten days prior to the State Board's monthly meeting. Additionally, the agenda items will be uploaded ten days prior to the State Board meeting along with any supporting materials that are electronically available. The supporting materials (e.g., attachments, addendums, SBE commentary, or related reports) will be listed below the item number as they become available electronically. The agenda items and supporting materials may be downloaded by selecting the appropriate hyperlink.

For agenda materials that are not available electronically, please contact the State Board of Education office at
916-319-0827.

All supporting materials for the agenda items are available for public inspection at the State Board of Education,
1430 N Street, Suite 5111, Sacramento, California, 95814.

Questions: State Board of Education | 916-319-0827

Wrong Questions = Wrong Answers: Legend of the Fall, pt. IV | Dailycensored.com

Wrong Questions = Wrong Answers: Legend of the Fall, pt. IV | Dailycensored.com

Wrong Questions = Wrong Answers: Legend of the Fall, pt. IV

Written by Paul ThomasEducationDec 28, 2010

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Newsweek journalist Daniel Lyons posed a series of questions recently to Bill Gates, a leading and powerful voice in the new school reform movement, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers—highlighting not what we need to address in our public schools but proving further that the media, celebrity/billionaire experts, and bureaucrats are themselves incompetent and should not be leading a discussion about education.

Alfie Kohn recently began to unmask the new reformer movement dominating public discourse about education and education reform:

“For a shrewd policy maker, then, the ideal formula would seem to be to let