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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

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Education Headlines

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

San Rafael, Novato schools send food workers back to the kitchen

In an effort to incorporate healthier foods in students' diets, two of Marin's largest school districts are training their food staffs to cook from scratch.

3 districts exceeded sodium levels

In a story posted earlier this month about new school meal standards, California Watch found 60 percent of cafeteria lunches reviewed by the state in the past five years failed to meet at least one nutritional requirement.

Overhaul of teacher misconduct system nearing completion

Fifteen months after examiners found gaping holes in the state’s oversight of teacher misconduct cases, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing is close to implementing the last of 22 recommended improvements called for by the California State Auditor.

Report: California school facilities need funding, roadmap

Creating a statewide inventory of public school facilities was among several recommendations made in a state-commissioned report released last week. The report, by UC Berkeley's Center for Cities & Schools, highlighted an issue with which state and school officials have long grappled: How do we know the facility needs of our nearly 10,000 public schools?

Is a charter school chain called Rocketship ready to soar across America?

Rocketship’s scores, combined with an unusual educational and financial model, have made it the darling of the school reform movement. Cities across the country, including in the District and New York, are clamoring for Rocketship to set up shop. The Obama administration has invested $2 million to speed its growth. But some wonder if five-year-old Rocketship is producing miracles or mirages.

Looks like school, feels like school

The transitional kindergartners joined roughly 28,000 other Lodi Unified students in returning to school for the 2012-13 school year on Monday.

School grades not up to par

By No Child Left Behind’s standards, which get more rigorous every year, eight Tuolumne County schools, five Calaveras County schools and one Calaveras district were in "Program Improvement" status.

San Mateo student transfers probed

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into whether the San Mateo Union High School District is enforcing proof-of-residency policies selectively against Chinese Americans who live in multifamily homes, or with relatives other than their parents.

Walters: Jerry Brown may be the issue in California's tax initiative duel

Gov. Jerry Brown appears eager to make himself, not taxes, the issue, exploiting minute gestures of frugality, such as reducing bureaucrats' cellphone use, and his veto of the Legislature's 2011-12 budget, to persuade voters to follow him on Proposition 30. That is a risky strategy, since Proposition 30's chances are no better than 50-50 and his popularity is well below 50 percent.

Schrag: School reform, why it’s so hard

Listening to even the best people in California’s school reform discussions doesn’t leave much clarity about the direction our money-starved education system school go or much confidence that things will get perceptibly better any time soon.
Monday, July 30, 2012

Superintendent of Schools finishing up huge reorganization

The Kern County Superintendent of Schools office is undergoing a massive restructuring this summer, a $300,000, months-long project to consolidate office space and realign school departments.

Lode kids behind state in college preparedness

Most schools in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties are still behind the rest of the state in preparing students to study at a four-year university, according to recently released data from the California Department of Education.

Covina Valley school district to place $129 million facilities bond on November ballot