Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School Factors

The Educated Reporter: Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School Factors:

Guest Post: K-12 Opportunity Gaps and Out-of-School Factors

With President Obama focusing on the struggles of the middle class -- and those working to reach it -- in a speech at Knox College on Wednesday, it seems like a good time to catch up on a valuable discussion on the opportunity gap which took place at EWA's 66th National Seminar. We asked some of the education reporters who joined us at Stanford University in May to contribute blog posts from the sessions. Today's guest blogger is Rebecca Catalanello of The Lensin New Orleans. Stream sessions from National Seminar in your browser, or subscribe via RSS or iTunes. For more on demographics and diversity, visit EWA's Story Starters online resource.

Over the past decade, American education policy makers have focused significant attention on the gaps in achievement between black and white students, and economically advantaged and disadvantaged ones.

But the researchers who composed one panel discussion at EWA's annual seminar pressed the notion that gaps between student groups is a multidimensional issue

LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kids - LA Daily News

LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kids - LA Daily News:

LAUSD parents, teachers fight mainstreaming of disabled kids

By Barbara Jones, Staff Writer

Posted: 07/24/2013 07:24:44 PM PDT

Updated: 07/24/2013 07:47:02 PM PDT

Protesters line Balboa Boulevard in front of the office of LAUSD board member Tamar Galatzan, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. Parents and Teachers United for Action picketed to oppose the district's transitioning of special education students to regular education campuses. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)

Rhonda Berrios pickets in front of the office of LAUSD board member Tamar Galatzan in Lake Balboa, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)

Photo gallery: Parents, teachers protest closing of special education centers

LAKE BALBOA - Waving signs and chanting "Our kids, our choice," scores of Los Angeles Unified parents and teachers protested the looming transfer of hundreds of disabled students from special-education centers to traditional schools, as the district complies with laws to integrate students who have physical and developmental challenges.
The protesters oppose the merger of four special-education centers with nearby traditional schools, a move that will affect about 300 disabled youngsters when school starts next month. Opponents of the plan say the district will be segregating rather than integrating their kids by putting

ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and Education - Higher Education

ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and Education - Higher Education:

ETS Explores the Link Between Poverty and Education

July 24, 2013 | Category: News,Subfeature | :

Bruce Baker, professor of educational theory, policy and administration at Rutgers, discusses isolation and segregation in education at ETS forum.

WASHINGTON — To change the life trajectory of children from families of lesser means, more attention must be given to their plight and crafting policies that increase their likelihood for academic success.

That was the heart of the message delivered Wednesday by the Educational Testing Service, or ETS, during a research forum titled “Poverty and Education: Finding the Way Forward.” The event featured the release of the report by the same name.

The report compiles previously publicized but perhaps not-so-well-known facts and figures that delineate the scope and depth of poverty in America. For instance, 22 percent of the nation’s children are in poverty, 20 million Americans have incomes of less than half of the poverty threshold, and about 1.5 million households with about 2.8 million children are classified as being in “extreme poverty,” that is, living on $2 or less of income per person per day in a given month.

Though the poverty threshold for a family of four is $23,550, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the report notes that “large differences” exist in the income needed by families in various parts of the United States.

The report also contains recommendations of things that can be done to ensure better educational outcomes for children from poor families, such as improving the quality of the teacher workforce and reducing isolation

Does Where You Go to School Impact Your Opportunities?

Giovanna Robledo In a society of labels, brands, ranks and pedigrees, does having a particular institution’s name on your diploma bring more than just pride? While most agree that a quality education can be obtained at small, lesser-known universities, a well-connected institution can offer a gateway to a world of opportunities, among them, increased access, exposure and income. Paying for the mos

by cmaadmin / 13min mark as read // save

Report: Steady College Enrollment Growth for Underrepresented Minorities, College Completion Rates Increasing More Slowly

Students of all races are made to feel welcome at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. (photo courtesy of UNC-G) Newly-released analysis of U.S. Education Department data shows that from 2009 to 2011, the rate at which Black and Latino students entered four-year colleges and universities considerably outpaced that of Whites, while six-year graduation rates for underrepresented minority

by cmaadmin / 13min

Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schools | Education Blog

Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schools | Education Blog:

Senate leader tries to ban use of lesson plans in Texas schools

By Terrence Stutz
tstutz@dallasnews.com
7:50 pm on July 24, 2013 | Permalink

The chairman of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday filed a bill that prohibits use of a controversial series of lesson plans in Texas schools – even though hundreds of districts and charter schools are prepared to use them in the coming school year. Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, filed the measure in the current special session in a last-ditch effort to bar use of the CSCOPE lesson plans, which have been under attack by social conservative and tea party groups for months. The bill is unlikely to advance since it must be added to the call of the session by Gov. Rick Perry – and the 30-day session must end by July 30.

Patrick’s legislation was prompted by an announcement from Texas Education Agency officials last week that CSCOPE is now in the public domain and is available to any school district that wants to continue using it. That could be a large number of schools since 876 districts and charter schools have been using CSCOPE lesson plans for several years. That includes nine districts from the Dallas area, although one of those – Irving – recently decided to replace the CSCOPE models with locally developed plans. The reason the lessons are now available for free on the Internet is that the governing board for CSCOPE – responding to the criticism – decided to remove the nearly 1,600 lesson plans from its

7-24-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online:

Randi Weingarten Proves She's an Ed Deformer, Mulgrew and UFT Should Condemn Her...

...but it will not happen because Mulgrew and Unity are totally aligned with her.I won't get into the details given other bloggers hammering Randi:Pissed off teacher: Union Should Stick To Defending Teachers - When a person hires a lawyer, the lawyer does not decide whether the person is guilty or innocent. The lawyer just defends that person to the bes..Perdido St: It's Time To Fire "Bad"

by ed notes online / 11min mark as read // save

Support Teacher/Parent Marie Corfield for Assembly in New Jersey

JJ is one of the awesome bloggers out there. I'm not big on political campaigns but if he asks I am there. I am heading over to donate to Marie right now.Dear friends of Jersey Jazzman,I promise I'll keep it short, and I promise this will be the only time you will hear from me about this:My good friend, Marie Corfield, is running for Assembly here in New Jersey. I don't have to tell any of you wha

by ed notes online / 11min

7-23-13 Ed Notes Online

Ed Notes Online: Joe Williams' DFER Propaganda Laugh Riot, Lauding E4E, Ignoring MORE Support...new organizations like Educators for Excellence are increasingly giving voice to teachers who have a totally different framework for social justice...... 18% of active teachers who actually voted, one out of five of those teachers voted for someone other than Mulgrew to be president... Joe Williams, DFE

by mike simpson / 7h