Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, December 15, 2012

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 12-15-12



4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:

4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT

L.A. AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS REACT TO CONNECTICUT SCHOOL SHOOTING

smf at 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit - 39 minutes ago
Several school districts around the Greater Los Angeles area are releasing statements in the wake of a school shooting in Connecticut that left 27 dead. By Sara Fay, Eagle Rock, CA Patch http://bit.ly/UvyB3G  Credit Hoa Nguyen December 14, 2012  ::  Representatives from school districts in Greater Los Angeles are reacting to the news of a deadly elementary school shooting in Connecticut

PRESIDENT OBAMA ON THE SHOOTING IN CONNECTICUT

to smf Fri, Dec 14, 2012 3:16 pm December 14, 2012 This afternoon, President Obama made a statement from the Briefing Room on the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. THE PRESIDENT This afternoon, I spoke with Governor Malloy and FBI Director Mueller. I offered Governor Malloy my condolences on behalf of the nation, and made it clear he will have every single

JUDGE ALLOWS LAWSUITS AGAINST LAUSD TO PROCEED IN MIRAMONTE TEACHER ABUSE CASE, SETS TRIAL DATE

By City News Service, from the Contra Costa Times, http://bit.ly/VFffsL 12/13/2012 05:18:32 PM PST  ::  A judge Friday lifted a hold on lawsuits filed by former Miramonte Elementary School students and their parents after lawyers for the plaintiffs complained the Los Angeles Unified School District was not making realistic offers to settle the cases. The suits allege that negligence by the

The Board Meeting of Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012: DEASY UNDONE?

smf: It began with Board Vice-president Tamar Galatzan inexplicably in the chair even though President Garcia was present. Eventually Ms. Garcia took the chair back  after moments characterized below as “controversial”, “a shouting match” and “name calling” – with the words “raucous” and “angry” sprinkled throughout . When last seen Garcia was angrily bouncing a green rubber ball on the dais –

LA UNIFIED FOREIGN TEACHER PROGRAM ENDING; INSTRUCTORS HEAD HOME + smf’s 2¢

“It appears that the district is allowing competent, well regarded teachers to be treated as disposable based on their immigration status” Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | Pass / Fail : 89.3 KPCC  - http://bit.ly/ZaQsDB Mae Ryan/KPCC : LAUSD hired Roda Mongen from the Philippines six years ago during a shortage of math and science teachers. She claims that a subjective evaluation from her principal

OBESITY IN YOUNG IS SEEN AS FALLING IN SEVERAL CITIES

+ Study: Declining childhood obesity rates—where are we seeing the most progress? By SABRINA TAVERNISENew York Times | http://nyti.ms/VQC4zC Jessica Kourkounis for The New York Times | At William H. Ziegler Elementary in Northeast Philadelphia, students are getting acquainted with vegetables and healthy snacks. December 10, 2012 PHILADELPHIA :: After decades of rising childhood obesity

U.S. STUDENTS STILL LAG GLOBALLY IN MATH AND SCIENCE, TESTS SHOW

By MOTOKO RICH, New York Times | http://nyti.ms/TSOow1 Dave Sanders for The New York Times - Melanie Holder helps her fourth-grade class prepare for a standardized exam at P.S. 257 in Brooklyn, N.Y. December 11, 2012  ::  Fourth- and eighth-grade students in the United States continue to lag behind students in several East Asian countries and some European nations in math and science,

MEXICAN PRESIDENT PEÑA NIETO ANNOUNCES EDUCATION REFORM PLAN + Addl. coverage

By Tracy Wilkinson, LA Times | http://lat.ms/XO8PO2 Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, center, at the announcement of an education reform plan. (Mario Guzman / European Pressphoto Agency / December 10, 2012) 3:45 p.m. PST, December 10, 2012  ::  MEXICO CITY -- President Enrique Peña Nieto on Monday announced a broad reform aimed at improving Mexico’s sclerotic educational system, a plan

LOS ANGELES TEACHERS’ EVALUATION VICTORY BUCKS A TREND

Los Angeles teacher appraisals won't be based on 'value added,' increasingly being used across the country. Now a key question is how test scores will figure in. By Teresa Watanabe and Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/UQ1JWH Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, praised L.A. Supt. John Deasy and union President Warren Fletcher, above, for

GROUP AIMS TO RESTORE 1915 SCHOOLHOUSE, TEACH LOCAL HISTORY INSIDE

The hand-built, one-room Old Leona Valley Schoolhouse near Palmdale is among the last of its kind. Supporters want to make it a state Point of Historical Interest. By Ann M. Simmons, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/T1Abvo John Seymour, president of the West Antelope Valley Historical Society, unlocks the door to the Old Leona Valley Schoolhouse. His group is collecting period artifacts

Jordan High School: AFTER GENERATIONS OF FAILURE, A SCHOOL AND ITS STUDENTS HEAD FOR SUCCESS + smf’s 2¢

Jordan has made big strides in academic performance. There is more to achieve, but its progress is plain to see.   By Sandy Banks, LA Times | http://lat.ms/TSPaH3   Jordan High students Devin Perkins and Esmeralda Diaz are high-achieving seniors who are a part of the success at the campus. (Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times)

Unthinkable?: RETHINKING PROPOSITION 13

California's landmark tax measure is back on the table. And it should be. LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/VsdNtH Howard Jarvis, one of the authors of Proposition 13. (Los Angeles Times) December 6, 2012  ::  You knew this was coming. Now that Californians have approved Proposition 30 to temporarily raise sales and income taxes, and now that voters have elected a supermajority of

STATE CONSIDERS SHORTER SERVICE FOR ‘EMERGENCY PERMIT’ TEACHERS

Joanna Lin – California Watch | http://bit.ly/TP4VRw Matt Kowal/Flickr December 7, 2012  ::  Under proposals the state's teacher credentialing agency is set to consider today, school districts would need to show on a case-by-case basis that no fully credentialed teachers are available before they resort to less-qualified educators, and under-prepared teachers could serve a maximum of three

$25 MILLION GATES GRANTS BACK PUBLIC-CHARTER COOPERATION

By MOTOKO RICH | New York Times | http://nyti.ms/Vx6FMg December 5, 2012   ::  In an effort to encourage collaboration between charter schools and traditional neighborhood schools, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $25 million in grants to seven cities. The Gates Foundation, which is one of the largest philanthropic players in public education, was scheduled to announce the

BOARD MEMBERS AIM TO ‘CUFF SUPERINTENDENT? + smf’s 2¢

by Samantha Oltman- LA School Report http://bit.ly/SJ107C Posted on December 7, 2012  ::  A controversial item on the LAUSD School Board agenda this week proposes drastically limiting Superintendent John Deasy’s ability to seek funding for the district by applying for public or private grants. Board Member Richard Vladovic>> The resolution, initiated by School Board Members Richard Vladovic

Vive la Différence: MORE AND BETTER LEARNING TIME

Themes in the News by UCLA IDEA Week of Dec. 3-7, 2012 | http://bit.ly/RPVseL 12-7-2012   ::  Earlier this year, the president of France proposed eliminating homework for elementary and middle school students (NPR). Yes, he would do away with that commonplace, indelible feature of schooling. President Francois Hollande offered some compelling reasons. “An education program is, by definition, a

LAUSD SEEKS TO SETTLE 189 MIRAMONTE CLAIMS QUICKLY, CORTINES WANTS SEX HARASSMENT SUIT DROPPED

LAUSD wants to settle 189 legal claims over former Miramonte teacher Mark Berndt's alleged lewd acts By Christina Hoag, Associated Press Writer/LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/Z1oqKB In this Jan. 31, 2012 file photo, students are escorted to a waiting bus as they leave Miramonte Elementary school in Los Angeles after classes, a day after teacher Mark Berndt was arrested on charges of lewd

CENTER TEACHES YOUNG CHILDREN SKILLS THEY’LL NEED IN SCHOOL

Magnolia Place School Readiness Program serves small children and their parents in the West Adams/Pico Union community By Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/Vsf7wS December 9, 2012  ::  From the window of a moving car, the Magnolia Place Family Center in the Pico-Union neighborhood is indistinguishable from much of the rest of urban Los Angeles, wrought in the same pastel hues as

LAUSD DRILL TEAMS, MUSICIANS COMPLETE FOR TOP HONORS

By Mariecar Mendoza, Staff Writer | LA Daily News |http://bit.ly/RMC5TI Panorama High School plays a tune. Approximately 2,500 high school students representing 30 high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) participated in the 2012 Annual Band and Drill Team Championships held at East LA College in Monterey Park, CA 12/8/12 (John McCoy / Staff Photographer) San Fernando

STEINBERG ASKS BROWN OFFICIALS TO DELAY HEALTHY FAMILIES MOVE

The latest on California politics and government SEE ALSO: KEEPING CALIFORNIA'S KIDS HEALTHY: Budget cuts forced the demise of the Healthy Families program, but children must have access to care.  here + here   Posted by Kevin Yamamura, The Sacramento Bee | http://bit.ly/YYuovz November 30, 2012  ::  Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg asked Gov. Jerry Brown administration

LAO SAYS ADULT EDUCATION NEEDS COMPREHENSIVE RESTRUCTURING + Report

By Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report | http://bit.ly/XCdMtf Thursday, December 6, 2012 :: The Legislature’s effort in 2009 to give cash-strapped schools flexibility in the use of billions of dollars in categorical money has helped diminish the status of adult education programs operated by K-12 districts, the non-partisan Legislative Analyst reported Wednesday. Charged with serving

CALIFORNIA DOESN’T DO WELL IN STATE-TO-STATE WELLBEING MATCH-UPS

by Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert | http://bit.ly/RhOwqF November 27, 2012  ::  So how does California compare to other states in measures of economic, fiscal, educational and personal wellbeing? Not so well, it appears, according to new national study by a heavyweight academic consortium and another report from the U.S. Department of Education. [both follow] "The States Project" is

STATE REPLACES APPOINTED INGLEWOOD ADMINISTRATOR FOR EXCEEDING AUTHORITY

Education department replaces Inglewood Unified administrator who OK'd unapproved union pact THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / The Republic, Columbus IN | http://bit.ly/VpPOeL December 7, 2012 - 7:00 pm EST   ::  INGLEWOOD, California — State education officials have accepted the resignation of the Inglewood Unified School District administrator after he signed off on a labor contract with the teachers'

CALIFORNIA EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS SCORE FIFTH FROM BOTTOM IN NATIONAL VOCABULARY TESTS

By Sharon Noguchi, San Jose Mercury News |  http://bit.ly/VSd0nU 12/06/2012  ::  California ranks fifth-lowest in the nation in students' vocabulary -- a critical part of reading, according to results of national standardized tests released Thursday. smf: In the  chart at the right the blue at the top/red at the bottom trending is interesting – albeit statistically meaningless.  Unless

15 CANDIDATES MEANS A CROWDED BALLOT FOR LAUSD BOARD ELECTION

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer, LA Daily News | http://bit.ly/XAZ0D7 12/06/2012   ::  Fifteen candidates, including two incumbents, met Wednesday's filing deadline to run for three seats on the Los Angeles Unified board in the March 5 primary. District 2 incumbent Monica Garcia has already qualified to appear on the ballot, along with challengers Robert Skeels and Isabel Vasquez for the East

LAUSD SCHOOLS FACE CHALLENGE OF MAKING ARTS PART OF THE CORE CURRICULUM

Tami Abdollah with Ricky O'Bannon | Pass / Fail | 89.3 KPCC http://bit.ly/YW3BQ Mae Ryan/KPCC : Students dance in the after-school Greenway Arts Alliance program, a magnet program within Fairfax high school. December 7th, 2012, 6:00am  ::  Arts advocates and educators are excited that the Los Angeles Unified School District Board voted unanimously in October to make arts a "core subject."

2 stories + Ruling: COURT OVERTURNS RULING GIVING MORE SPACE TO CHARTER SCHOOLS

LAUSD WINS KEY LEGAL BATTLE WITH CHARTER SCHOOLS: California appellate court panel strikes down a ruling that could have opened up many classrooms for charters and created potential hardships for traditional campuses. By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://lat.ms/UKOir3 December 7, 2012  ::  Los Angeles school district officials won a key legal battle with charter schools this week, when

WEBINAR: “Kids Are Drinking WHAT?!”

from EatRight: The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Formerly the American Dietetic Association | http://bit.ly/YFHFdB 5 December 2102  ::  The National Dairy Council is holding a free one-hour webinar December 12 covering beverage consumption trends among children. The webinar "Kids Are Drinking WHAT?!" will share data from recent analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination

PARENT+STUDENT ADVOCATE/4LAKids BLOGGER SCOTT FOLSOM QUALIFIES FOR SCHOOL BOARD BALLOT, IS ENDORSED BY UTLA

by smf for 4LAKidsNews Dec 6, 2012 ::  Yesterday I turned in my nominating petitions to the City of LA elections office and preliminarily qualified for the March 5th primary election for LAUSD  Board of Education, Seat #2.  That seat is currently occupied by Board of Education President Monica Garcia. Later in the evening I was endorsed by a vote of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) House