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North, South, East, West NPE News Briefs are the BEST ← from The Network for Public Education
NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education: *NPE News Briefs* * * * * 1 2 3 4 5 6 … 103 Next » The pieces are all starting to come together. ..and the picture ain’t good | Crazy Crawfish’s Blog MAY 14 2013 by Crazy Crawfish – Thanks to Lefty, Dave Lefkowith, John White’s data scam is starting to take on a clearer shape. I just got another document from good ole Lefty from another new vendor called Cambium Education and Sopris Learning. It appears John White is planning to provide all of our student data to yet another inBloom-like vendor ... read more → **Broad Foun... more »
UPDATE: MAY REVISE Governor Brown Boosts Investment in Schools California State Budget
California State Budget: Governor Brown Boosts Investment in Schools, Continues Call for Fiscal Restraint in Revised State Budget 5-14-2013 SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. released a revised and balanced state budget today that strengthens California’s fiscal integrity by investing in California's schools, chipping away billions from the "Wall of Debt" and maintaining a prudent reserve. "This budget builds a solid foundation for California's future by investing in our schools, continuing to pay down our debts and establishing a prudent reserve," said Governor Brown. "Bu... more »
Separate and Unequal: Sorry, Poor Black Kids, Your School Just Got Closed
Public schools have the legal responsibility to educate all children, but if you head to the home page for Michigan's Buena Vista School District and take glance at the "Upcoming Events" section, you'll see some large print that indicates otherwise: "School will be Closed until Further Notice."
Never mind that school wasn't supposed to get out till June 13th, and never mind that the teachers were even willing to work for free. After the tiny, 450-student Saginaw County district ran out of money last week, all 27 teachers were laid off and three schools were shuttered, leaving the students out of luck.
Over the past few years Buena Vista, like many school districts across America, has struggled with declining enrollment and slashed budgets. District officials accepted $401,962.51 from the state for a defunct youth
L.A. Unified continues Breakfast in the Classroom program
The Los Angeles Board of Education approved funding for discretionary programs such as classroom breakfasts at its meeting Tuesday.
Walmart promises to inspect Bangladesh garment factories
Giant retailer Walmart announced Tuesday that it would conduct in-depth safety inspections of all 279 of its Bangladesh suppliers, in the wake of the building collapse that killed more than 1,100 people. The US retailer said it would release publicly the names and inspection information on each of...
May budget offers big boost to common core
Nearly three years after California formally adopted national common core curriculum standards, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed Tuesday the state’s first major investment in transitioning students to the new classroom
Kansas Common Core critics voice concerns
Opponents of the Common Core standards, which were developed by a national...
After push-back from his own party over his plan to give more money to districts with disadvantaged California students during the next seven years than to others, Gov. Jerry Brown stands firm on plan, saying it's principled and moral.
Greuel, Garcetti press Los Angeles school district issues
Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti ventured into school district politics Tuesday, lending support to noncontroversial actions and mostly taking a respite from their recent sniping in the Los Angeles mayoral contest.
British College First To Offer Heavy Metal Degree
British College First To Offer Heavy Metal Degree
by Chad Bowar
Imagine getting college credit for studying Metallica and Iron Maiden and playing metal gigs. Sounds like something metalheads might dream up after a long night of partying, but a college in the U.K. is doing just that. Beginning this fall, New College Nottingham will offer a two-year degree in heavy metal, reports the Nottingham Post.
Musician Liam Maloy designed the course, and says it will be academically rigorous. “In the past, heavy metal has not been taken seriously and is seen as lacking academic credibility when compared with genres such as jazz and classical music. But that’s just a cultural construction.”
The coursework will include the history of heavy metal, its relationship with religion and the role of metal music in video games. Practical skills will be taught as well, such as recording, music theory and on-stage performance.
Karen Lewis for CTU President
Up until now, I've stayed out of the internal politics of teachers unions. I outlined my many reservations about the Newark contract, but I didn't feel it was right to tell teachers to vote it up or down. I had my preferences in the New York City teachers union elections as well, but I kept my mouth shut, because I didn't think I had anything to add that was helpful.
But I'm going to make an exception today: Chicago teachers, please re-elect Karen Lewis as the President of the Chicago Teachers Union.
No one has done more to make unions relevant again than Karen Lewis. The Chicago teachers strike was a wake-up call to monied corporate interests everywhere; they learned, the hard way, that organized working people are a force not to be trifled with. That strike never would have happened without the brains, skills, and resolve of Lewis.
Chicago teachers, you need someone who is going to stand toe-to-toe with the likes of the obnoxious and odious Bruce Rauner and the insufferably smug and hypocritical Rahm Enamuel. Karen Lewis has proved, time and again, that she is not in the slightest bit intimidated by these foes of the working class and Chicago's children.
Now, I'm all for a spirited campaign with a sincere debate about the record of the incumbent. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be what Chicago's teachers are getting:
During the contract negotiations last summer, Karen Lewis established the "Big Bargaining Team," and designed it to be inclusive. That team included Tanya Saunders Wolffe and Mark
Math-test failures in Montgomery raise concerns about policies
Montgomery County school board members voiced alarm Tuesday about steep failure rates on last semester’s final exams in high school math courses, saying such problems go back many years and raising questions about school policies that might affect student test performance.
Mr Portelos Picks the Ottawa Senators and Enjoys Lessons From Richard Nixon
We here at SBSB know this might come off as snarky and a tad sarcastic, for that is the style here. As should be known, The Crack Team has the utmost of respect, admiration, and love for Francesco Portelos.
One can learn so much from Francesco Portelos. For instance, if one were to ask Mr Portelos which team were to win this years Stanley Cup he would say with a great degree of self confidence that it
will be the Ottawa Senators. Or, where one can fine a good pastrami sandwich he would declare that it would be Katz's Deli on Houston St.
So when it comes to the New York State law on he legality of recording someone, he is the man to turn
DESE Commissioner Doesn't Like Citizen's Question on Data Gathering
Dottie Bailey covered the hearing on SB210 House Education Committee yesterday. She caught up with Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro after her testimony, wanting to ask her about the state's move from collecting aggregate student data collection to a student level data collection system. A question that has not been satisfactorily answered in any of the May 2 DESE hearings is if individual student data is being gathered by DESE and if so, where that individual data is being sent. Dottie attempted to ask the commissioner that question and this is what happened:
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On Monday May 13th, 2013 I made my way down to Missouri’s Capitol, Jefferson City. I
Third Graders Being Investigated in New York
On the heels of the largest test boycott in American history, there comes the other testing phenomenon that has swept the media lately. When kids exercise their rights as citizens, no one cares. When there’s even the slightest, itsy-bitsy hint that they might be cheating (even without any real evidence), stop the presses! Call the […]
Community colleges get boost under governor’s budget revise - by Kathryn Baron
Community Colleges will receive millions more to begin to restore cut classes, rebuild flagging enrollment and strengthen student support services under Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget released Tuesday. Brown would add an additional $30 million to the system’s 2013-14 apportionment, raising it to $226.9 million from the Proposition 98 school funding guarantee. Unlike the January...
DOE agrees to pay legal costs and late fees for not producing records in settlement of LouisianaVoice’s public records suit | Louisiana Voice
by tomaswell – On most occasions, it is generally accepted that one should be a gracious winner by exhibiting the customary display of humility and sportsmanship. This is not one of those times. Repeated attempts at obtaining what are clearly public records from White and his DOE have met with obstacles and frustrations ranging from ...read more
The most important problem facing American children today | The Answer Sheet | The Washington Post|
by Valerie Strauss – What is the most important problem facing American children today? According to the Academic Pediatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is the effects of poverty on the health and well being of young people. But, they concede, there is no sustained focus on childhood poverty, or a unified ...read more
