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Education Headlines
Monday, March 18, 2013
Bakersfield City SD's new campuses taking shape
The Bakersfield City School District is nearing the finish line on its newest campus, a two-school complex in the northeast that will house the Douglas K. Fletcher Elementary and Paul L. Cato Middle schools.Lodi Unified to adopt social media contract
Athletes and extracurricular club members in Lodi Unified are being told to tame their Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds, or they might find themselves on the sidelines.Vista USD drops bus routes, grades at academy
Trustees for the Vista Unified School District voted Thursday night to cut 11 bus routes and eliminate grades six through eight at the Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.Educators prep for new Common Core standards
The Common Core State Standards, adopted in California in 2010, aim to unify the lessons and educational experiences across the nation so kids are prepared -- even if they change schools or move to a different state -- for success in college and in the workplace upon receiving their diploma. The move to Common Core standards, however, is requiring feverish work as teachers and administrators prepare for a paradigm shift in public education assessment.Teachers, administrators receive layoff notices despite new revenue
Despite additional revenue in their coffers, nine Inland Empire school districts have warned teachers and other employees that their services may not be required in the coming school year.New state bill on transgender students
California public schools would be required to allow transgender students to use school facilities and participate in activities and on sports teams that match their gender identity under a bill introduced at the Capitol.Teacher layoff warnings subside as state budget improves
After struggling through years of layoffs that resulted in larger class sizes and teacher angst, California schools have started to reverse course thanks to voter-approved taxes and economic recovery.Baron: City College of San Francisco report tells why it should stay open
The day of reckoning is drawing closer for City College of San Francisco. The embattled community college on Friday submitted its final report to the regional accrediting agency detailing what it has done and what it’s continuing to work on to fix the fiscal, structural and governance issues that landed the campus on “show cause” status, the most severe sanction before losing accreditation.Weintraub: Quick-draw on school suspensions
Even as Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing to decentralize control of California's public schools, Roger Dickinson and his allies are, on one issue, pushing back. The Democratic assemblyman from Sacramento County wants the state to intervene to reduce the number of students suspended for defying the authority of adults on campus.Some see adult-school funding shift as disastrous
The governor's plan would make it the responsibility of community colleges. Providers think the plan unrealistic; students fear being out of their comfort zone.Vargo: Let’s shelve the CSTs so the real work can begin
I was troubled the other day to hear a colleague describe how hard it was to motivate a group of teachers to take on some aspect of the Common Core because they were “so focused on the high-stakes assessments.” I’m not blaming the teachers, but this reaction is a signal that leaders need to step up and admit that this particular emperor has no clothes.Open-enrollment demand jumps after decision to close 7 schools
Demand for open enrollment has jumped significantly after trustees of the Sacramento City Unified School District voted to close seven schools last month.State schools chief wants to hold off on some standardized tests
Tom Torlakson says waiting until the system is computerized could save $15 million, but some figure the new exams could end up costing up to $1 billion.School Improvement Grants running out
The Obama administration wagered that pouring billions into struggling schools over three years would pay off in higher test scores and students who would excel for years to come. This year, the money runs out and education experts, academics and policymakers will all ask the same question: Did it work?Mongeau: Passage of Prop. 30 opens preschool doors to hundreds in Fresno
Students at a district-run preschool in Fresno match letter magnets to an alphabet chart. Thanks to Proposition 30, getting a spot in free public preschool in Fresno just got a lot easier. A district-wide preschool expansion, aimed at enrolling low-income 4-year-olds, was made possible when the Fresno Unified School District adopted a budget for 2012-13 that assumed Prop. 30 wouldn’t pass.State’s community colleges spend millions on duplicative administrators
The state’s 72 community college districts spend tens of millions of dollars on administrative positions that could be consolidated or shared by districts a short drive away, a California Watch analysis has found.Friday, March 15, 2013