Education Dept. Clarifies Law on Disabled Students’ Access to Sports - NYTimes.com

Education Dept. Clarifies Law on Disabled Students’ Access to Sports - NYTimes.com:

Education Dept. Orders Sports Access for Disabled

By MARY PILON

Published: January 25, 2013

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The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights clarified legal obligations Friday for school districts in providing access to sports for students with disabilities.

Related

• Forging Path to Starting Line for Younger Disabled Athletes(January 16, 2013)

The guidance concerns Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a law that deals with the rights of disabled people who participate in activities that receive federal dollars.

A school district “is required to provide a qualified student with a disability an opportunity to benefit from the school district’s program equal to that of students without disabilities,” according to the Education Department.

Advocates for disabled athletes, some of whom have pressed legal claims against state athletic associations in recent years, praised the clarification of rules and said that as a result, participation for disabled athletes could rise.

“This is a landmark moment for students with disabilities,” Terri Lakowski, chief executive of Active Policy Solutions, a Washington-based advocacy group, said. “It will do for kids 

The in box. John Dillon on Nekritz’s Three Card Monte. « Fred Klonsky

The in box. John Dillon on Nekritz’s Three Card Monte. « Fred Klonsky:

The in box. John Dillon on Nekritz’s Three Card Monte.

by Fred Klonsky

Here are some considerations that Rep. Nekritz omits in her response to Ralph Matire’s suggestions. The General Assembly is already acting on borrowed time for the 2% increase the Democrats forced through an earlier lame duck session, an increase designed to sunset in 2015. With the current state of affairs in Illinois, the fiscal irresponsibility and scapegoating of nearly 600,000+ public sector employees; an assurance of a “next” Democratic governor is certainly questionable. Would-be governors are already gearing up for their runs in 2014. Are we all so sure that the end result will be a Democratic governor? Attacking the public sector workers will certainly make for a different election process in 2014.
Perhaps Rep. Nekritz might consider some other methods. By making the 2% tax increase a permanent fix dedicated for the state’s unfunded liability is to provide $7 billion for an initial payment to a bond issue for the unfunded liability – one for $96+ billion which could be paid back in 25 years. While Rep. Nekritz wonders at the possibility of selling such an amount of debt, the 

New look « Seattle Education

New look « Seattle Education:

New look

Life is a series of actions and reactions, adjustments and readjustments, and so it is with our blog.

When I posted the very first post on this blog four years ago one quiet Saturday evening, I had no idea who, if anyone, would read what I had written. What was important to me at the time was that I sent it out in hopes that someone, anyone, would become informed of what was happening in Seattle, of what I saw.

Four years since and from what I know, from the stats that are available to me every hour of the day, more than just one person is reading what I and Sue write. There are many and those many want to see a variety of thoughts and observations that are shared here so we are changing and adjusting with the demand.

The new look will provide views of many of the most recent posts so that you can hopefully find what you are looking for quickly.

Keep coming back. We like the company.

Dora Taylor New look « Seattle Education:

Oregon Save Our Schools: Another Way to “Balance” Jefferson Cluster

Oregon Save Our Schools: Another Way to “Balance” Jefferson Cluster:

Another Way to “Balance” Jefferson Cluster

from Oregon Save Our Schools by Oregon SOS

Oregon SOS supports "no more closures" of our public schools.   Join members of the community this Saturday at 1 pm at Jefferson High School to support keeping the Jefferson Cluster of schools open.  The following blog post is by Elizabeth Thiel, a parent and teacher at Vernon School in NE Portland.

Again, Portland Public Schools is talking about fiddling around with schools in the Jefferson Cluster in a process called “enrollment balancing.”  The district has proposed closing Vernon, merging Vernon with King, closing Woodlawn, merging Chief Joseph and Ockley Green, relocating Access, and/or moving Boise Elliott/Humbolt to Tubman, all as possible ways to achieve “optimal enrollment numbers”. 

People in the Jefferson cluster have been through this before.  We were among those experimented on with the great K-8 transition 7 years ago.  We had all our neighborhood middle schools taken away.  We’ve seen a boys’ academy and a girls’ academy come and go.  Jefferson High School has been redesigned more times, I think, than anyone can keep track 

State plan to help charter schools irks Palm Beach County... | www.palmbeachpost.com

State plan to help charter schools irks Palm Beach County... | www.palmbeachpost.com:

State plan to help charter schools irks Palm Beach County School Board

By Jason Schultz

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Some Palm Beach County School District officials are incensed at a state proposal to offer once again millions of dollars next year for capital improvements at charter schools — and none at traditional public schools.

That plan, those officials say, has set up a political fight for the legislative session that begins in March. School officials in Palm Beach County have estimated their buildings and grounds have $1.4 billion in capital improvement needs over the next 10 years.

“It’s absurd,” said Chuck Shaw, county school board chairman. “I don’t know where the state seems to think we’re supposed to come up with the money to maintain our schools.”

Advocates of the funding point out that public schools can levy property taxes to raise money for their capital improvements and that charter schools cannot.

Charter schools are alternatives to traditional public schools. They receive taxpayer funding but are freed from meeting some state requirements — such as in curriculum, hiring and classroom sizes — in exchange for targeting specific classroom results from their students. They often are run by private companies, some of them for-profit.

The state Department of Education last week gave a Florida Senate subcommittee a report on the state Board of Education’s

How My Theory Of Knowledge Students Evaluated Me This Semester — “We learned things that are different than normal classes” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

How My Theory Of Knowledge Students Evaluated Me This Semester — “We learned things that are different than normal classes” | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

How My Theory Of Knowledge Students Evaluated Me This Semester — “We learned things that are different than normal classes”

by Larry Ferlazzo

As usual, during the semester finals, I had my students provide anonymous evaluations of classes and me. I always tell them (and always follow-through) that I will be posting the results — warts and all — on my blog and also share it directly with colleagues. I doing that enhances the odds of their taking it seriously. I tell them that I put a lot of time into helping them become better learners, and now it’s their turn to help me become a better teacher.
Today, I’ll share the results from my International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge class. I’ll go through results from other classes later tonight and post about them during the weekend.
You might also be interested in The Best Posts On Students Evaluating Classes (And Teachers).

Here is the simple form I had my TOK students complete.
Here is each question, followed by representative answers, which are in turn followed by a short analysis by me:
1) What are the two or three most important 

Last Stand for Children First: Let's All Celebrate School Choice Week

Last Stand for Children First: Let's All Celebrate School Choice Week:

Let's All Celebrate School Choice Week

by Last Stand for Children

It's National School Choice Week and I believe if there is one thing worth celebrating, it's school choice.  Choice means a great deal in education and even more amazing, it means different things to different people.  I think it's important that we celebrate school choice in all it's forms.

Charter schools across this country can celebrate school choice because they have the right to choose if they are public schools or private schools.   An NLRB decision this month declared charter schools private schools making it much harder to unionize.  However, a Supreme Court decision on recess appointments means that decision no longer is in effect.  I think that charters work best as public schools when it comes to tax dollars and private schools when it comes to labor and transparency.

This week we also celebrate the right of charter schools to choose who they want to educate and to get rid of students that they are tired of trying to teach.  I think we all should celebrate this aspect of school choice.

Of course whole states get to join in the party this week.  Take North Carolina for example where parents can choose what race they want their children educated with.  Anybody who saw the movie Remember the Titans saw just how tough integration was in the South, but just imagine how much better that movie would have been as two movie---one about a plucky white football team and another about a scrappy black football team. 

In New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago they are choosing which schools they want to support, which ones they want to continue to neglect, and which ones they want to turn over to private operators.  They way I look for it, if a middle man works in health insurance, why wouldn't it work in education?

Of course, with choice comes foolish choices.  In Seattle some teachers have had the temerity to attempt to choose which assessments to give to their students.   Fortunately, freedom can only go so far.  Have a great school choice week everybody!

Monica

CORPORATE WELFARE?: Public Charter Schools Grant Program Dissemination Sub-grant (CA Dept of Education)

RFA: Public Charter Schools Grant Program Dissemination Sub-grant (CA Dept of Education):

Request for Applications

Public Charter Schools Grant Program Dissemination Sub-grant

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Projected Funding Profile: No due date information is available.

The federal Public Charter School Dissemination Grant Program (PCSGP) is administered by the Charter Schools Division. Grants are reviewed by peer evaluators and awarded on a competitive basis to charter schools that will disseminate best practices likely to significantly improve academic achievement in California's K-12 public education system.

Program Questions: Steve Smith, e-mail: stsmith@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-445-1014

Downloading Questions: Thomas Pacheco, Charter Schools Division, e-mail: tpacheco@cde.ca.gov, tel. 916-322-1755

Document	Description
Request For Applications (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Request For Applications (RFA)
Application Checklist (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Application Checklist
Application Cover Sheet (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 1 Application Cover Sheet (Required) (Must be signed in blue ink by the primary applicant.)
Narrative Response Part 1 (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 2 Narrative Response-Part 1 (Required) Limit 4 Pages
Narrative Response Part 2 (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 3 Narrative Response-Part 2 (Required) Limit 15 Pages
Budget Instructions | DOC	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 4 Budget Instructions
Proposed Budget Summary (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 5 Proposed Budget Summary (Required)
Proposed Budget Narrative (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 6 Proposed Budget Narrative (Required)
Charter School Work Plan/Activities (DOC)	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 7 Charter School Work Plan/Activities (Required)
Object of Expenditure Codes | DOC	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 8
General Assurances and Certifications | DOC	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 9 General Assurances and Certifications. Applicants do not need to sign and return the with the application; they must be downloaded and kept on file for compliance reviews, complaint investigations, or audits.
Sub-grant Conditions and Assurances | DOC	PCSGP Dissemination Grant Form 10 Sub-grant Conditions and Assurances. Applicants do not need to sign and return them with the application; they must be downloaded and kept on file for compliance reviews, complaint investigations, or audits.

Certifications and Assurances

Document	Description
General Assurances and Certifications	Required as a condition of receiving funds. Applicants do not need to sign and return them with the application; they must be downloaded and kept on file for compliance reviews, complaint investigations, or audits.
General Education Provisions Act OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 31-Mar-2014)	Notice to applicants for federal funds to include in the application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to its federally assisted program for participants with special needs.

More about Public Charter Schools Grant Program Dissemination Sub-grant

ACCS Meeting Notice--Advisory Commission on Chart - Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (CA Dept of Education)

ACCS Meeting Notice--Advisory Commission on Chart - Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (CA Dept of Education):

CALIFORNIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

1430 N Street, Suite 5111
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-319-0827
Fax: 916-319-0175

Meeting Notice
Advisory Commission on Charter Schools
An advisory body to the State Board of Education

Wednesday, February 6, 2013
9:30 a. m. ± – 4:30 p. m. ±

California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
916-322-6029

Commission Members

Brian Bauer
Gary Davis
Ari Engelberg
Mick Founts
John Porter
Julie Russell1
Mark Ryan
Christopher Thomsen
Curtis L. Washington

Liaisons from the State Board of Education

Bruce Holaday
Trish Williams 

1 Represents the State Superintendent of Public Instruction

AGENDA

Call to Order
Salute to the Flag
Welcome and Introductions
Review and Adoption of Meeting Notes
Review/Reordering of the Meeting Agenda
Public Comment2

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ITEM 1 (DOC)

Type of Action: Action/Information

Subject: Consideration of Requests for Determination of Funding as Required for Nonclassroom-based Charter Schools Pursuant to California Education Code sections 47612.5 and 47634.2, and associated California Code of Regulations Title 5.

• Item 1 Attachment 2 (PDF)
• Item 1 Attachment 3 (PDF)
• Item 1 Attachment 4 (PDF)
• Item 1 Attachment 5 (PDF)
• Item 1 Attachment 6 (PDF)
• Item 1 Attachment 7 (PDF)

ITEM 2 (Coming Soon)

Type of Action: Action/Information

Subject: Consideration of "Reasonable Basis"/Mitigating Circumstances Requests for Determination of Funding as required for Nonclassroom-based Charter Schools Pursuant to California Education Code sections 47612.5 and 47634.2, andCalifornia Code of Regulations Title 5.

• Item 2 Attachment 2 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 3 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 4 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 5 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 6 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 7 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 8 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 9 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 10 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 11 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 12 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 13 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 14 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 15 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 16 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 17 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 18 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 19 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 20 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 21 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 22 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 23 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 24 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 25 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 26 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 27 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 28 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 29 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 30 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 31 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 32 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 33 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 34 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 35 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 36 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 37 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 38 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 39 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 40 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 41 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 42 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 43 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 44 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 45 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 46 (PDF)
• Item 2 Attachment 47 (PDF)

ITEM 3 (Coming Soon)

Type of Action: Action/Information

Subject: The School of Arts and Enterprise: Consider a Material Revision of the Charter to Expand From Grades Nine Through Twelve to Grades Six Through Twelve.

• Item 3 Attachment 2 (Coming Soon)
• Item 3 Attachment 3 (Coming Soon)
• Item 3 Attachment 4 (Coming Soon)
• Item 3 Attachment 5 (Coming Soon)

ITEM 6 (Coming Soon)

Type of Action: Action/Information

Subject: Petition for Establishment of a Charter School Under the Oversight of the State Board of Education: Consideration of Neighborhood Arts and Sciences Academy, which was denied by the Chino Valley Unified School District and the San Bernardino County Office of Education.

• Item 6 Attachment 2 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 3 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 4 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 5 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 6 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 7 (Coming Soon)
• Item 6 Attachment 8 (Coming Soon)

ITEM 7 (Coming Soon)

Type of Action: Action/Information

Subject: Recommendations Regarding Revocation of Charter Schools Identified Pursuant to California Education CodeSection 47604.5 and California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 11968.5.

• Item 7 Attachment 3 (Coming Soon)

In addition to the above, the ACCS hereby provides notice that it reserves the right to consider and make recommendations at this meeting concerning other areas of the State Board of Education’s authority with respect to charter schools, which include but are not limited to:

• Taking appropriate action, including, but not limited to, revocation with respect to State Board-granted and locally granted charters under specific circumstances set forth in statute.
• Jointly with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, approving district-wide charter petitions when those petitions are determined to be satisfactory.
• Developing and adopting regulations to implement various provisions of the Charter Schools Act of 1992 (Part 26.8 of the California Education Code, commencing with Section 47600). Approving or denying requests to waive otherwise applicable provisions of law based upon requests submitted by charter schools and other local education agencies.
• Assigning numbers to charter school petitions to ensure that the statutory cap on the number of charter schools is not exceeded.

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THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the order of consideration of matters on this agenda may be changed without prior notice.

REASONABLE LIMITATIONS MAY BE PLACED ON PUBLIC TESTIMONY

The presiding officer of the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) reserves the right to impose reasonable time limits on public testimony to ensure that the agenda is completed.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS MAY BE MADE

Consistent with the requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, notice is hereby given that special presentations not mentioned in the agenda may be made at this meeting. However, any such presentation will be for information only.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY

Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in this meeting of the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) may request assistance by contacting the Charter Schools Division at:

Charter Schools Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 5401
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
Phone: 916-322-6029
Fax: 916-322-1465

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information concerning this agenda, or to join the ACCS specialized e-mail distribution list , please contact:

Tina Simonoff
Charter Schools Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 5401
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
Phone: 916-322-6029
Fax: 916-322-1465
csimonoff@cde.ca.gov

This notice appears on the CDE ACCS Web page .

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2Time(s) will be set aside for public comment at this meeting. Depending on the situation, and at the direction of the presiding officer, public comment may be entertained as appropriate at the beginning of, during, and/or at the end of the meeting. Reasonable limits will be placed on the amount of time allowed for individual comments.   

Tennessee state senator: Reduce welfare payments to families if children don’t do well in school | Get Schooled

Tennessee state senator: Reduce welfare payments to families if children don’t do well in school | Get Schooled:

Tennessee state senator: Reduce welfare payments to families if children don’t do well in school

6:52 pm January 25, 2013, by Maureen Downey

A Tennessee state senator has come up with what I believe is a first: Republican State Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville proposes to cut welfare benefits to parents whose children don’t make “satisfactory academic progress” in school.

Campfield believes that his bill would compel parents to work harder to ensure their kids excel in school. As you might imagine, his Senate Bill 1312 is triggering a lot of comment.

(If you want to read about another odd law, here is a story about an Arizona legislator who wants all public high-school seniors to recite an oath supporting the U.S. Constitution to be able to graduate.)

Here is a news article from the Knoxville News Sentinel:

While the Knoxville Republican says SB132 is a step toward “breaking the cycle of poverty,” Linda O’Neal, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says it could make life more difficult for parents and children who are already struggling.

Washington state Sen. Ed Murray seeks capital gains tax to help education | OregonLive.com

Washington state Sen. Ed Murray seeks capital gains tax to help education | OregonLive.com:

Washington state Sen. Ed Murray seeks capital gains tax to help education

from Oregon Education by The Associated Press

The Democrat says the 5 percent excise tax would affect a small fraction of residents.

Washington state Sen. Ed MurrayThe Associated Press 

The leader of the Senate Democrats in Washington state is proposing a capital gains tax to help add hundreds of millions of dollars to education.

Sen. Ed Murray of Seattle said Friday that he'd like to see voters approve the tax along with a package of reforms supported by a Republican-leaning coalition in the Senate. Murray said both sides need to come together on a larger compromise.

Republican lawmakers have said the state needs to focus on having government live with the revenue it already has.

Murray's proposal adds a 5 percent excise tax on capital gains. It would exempt the first $10,000 in gains for individuals. Murray projected that a small fraction of voters would be impacted by the tax.

-- The Associated Press

Modern School: The Coming Influenza Pandemic Part V

Modern School: The Coming Influenza Pandemic Part V:

The Coming Influenza Pandemic Part V

by Michael Dunn

In Parts I-IV I discussed the biology, morphology, etiology, genetics and ecology of influenza, the various influenza pandemics that have occurred over the past century and the current socioeconomic factors that increase the likelihood and potential severity of another deadly flu pandemic. In Part V, I further examine these socioeconomic factors and propose some solutions.

Over the past several decades there has been a dramatic decline in public health funding and infrastructure which could exacerbate any pandemic. Vaccine technology has changed little since the 1950s, and is still done in eggs, a slow process that is prone to contamination.³⁽¹³⁹⁾ Even with modern technology, however, we have lost much ground in the 

Got Choice? Ubetcha! Kickoff - National School Choice Week

Kickoff - National School Choice Week:

Kickoff

Can't make it to Phoenix, AZ tonight for our official kickoff? No worries! You can be a part of the celebration right here. A partial live stream of our official kickoff celebration in Phoenix, AZ begins at 8:30pm EST/5:30pm PST on January 25, 2013.

Got Choice? Ubetcha! - Celebrating National School Choice Week

National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) Group: 1 in 5 charter schools not doing well enough to stay open

A group that oversees more than half of the nation's 5,600 charter schools said
 as many as one in five U.S. charter schools should be shut down because of 
poor academic performance. 
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019784379_charterschools29.html

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal
Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below

  

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

If you don't find yours today

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CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

Be sure to check out two other Great blogs:

-THE BROAD REPORT (as in Eli) 

-THE PERIMETER PRIMATE