4LAKIDS - SOME OF THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT
SCHOOLS INCREASINGLY CHECK STUDENTS FOR OBESITY, LAUSD issues ‘fat letters’
By JULIE WATSON Associated Press / ABC News | http://abcn.ws/1gBZ5iH CHULA VISTA, Calif. March 29, 2014 (AP) :: The Chula Vista school district not only measures the academic progress of Marina Beltran's second-grader, it also measures her son's body fat. Every two years, Antonio Beltran, like his classmates, steps on a scale. Trained district personnel also measure his height and then use
INDIANA DROPS COMMON CORE, ED SECRETARY ARNE DUNCAN (and ®eform in general) UNDER FIRE FROM LEFT, RIGHT & CENTER
from the PBS NewsHour for March 28, 2014 | http://to.pbs.org/1hJtVlN TRANSCRIPT | JUDY WOODRUFF: This week, Indiana became the first state to drop the so-called Common Core public education standards adopted across much of the country. State officials there will now create their own plan. Indiana may be the first to do so, but likely won’t be the last. There’s growing anger about the
HOW A DYSLEXIC NEUROSCIENTIST’S iPAD APP WILL BOOST YOUR KID’S MATH SCORES: A nonprofit demonstrates an effective program for bringing technology into the classroom.
By Claire Martin / | TakePart http://bit.ly/O7bIqo (Photography by Larry Hirshowitz) March 28, 2014 :: On a recent weekday morning, a six-year-old girl with brown pigtails stared at an iPad perched on the desk in front of her. As she studied the screen, she squinted her eyes, and her brow furrowed into a pair of delicate question marks. A minute ticked by. She was still perplexed. Then
YESTERDAY
GRIT: IT’S MORE POPULAR THAN SCHOOL REFORM – and here’s the data and and a chart to prove it!
data analysis driven by smf for 4LAKids While this proves nothing, it looks impressive and you should feel free to embed it in any and all presentations and PowerPoints.
WHAT ‘CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION’ LOOKS LIKE AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA + smf’s 2¢
A school that is famous for football is notable in an entirely different way. There is much talk of late about “Grit” – old fashioned stick-to-it-ive-ness. Perseverance-meets-perspicacity, spunk+moxie: Growth+progress towards a goal over the long haul. “Grit”’s the newest Ed-Jargon-Buzzword du jour; the missing magic bullet from the bandolier
Study Marks Problems Posed By Inexperienced Teachers
by Kimberly Beltran | SI&A Cabinet Report :: http://bit.ly/1jgvf3S March 28, 2014 :: (Calif.) A nationwide survey found the high number of inexperienced teachers in public classrooms is a largely unrecognized problem that undermines school stability, slows educational reform and, according to new research, hurts student achievement. Focusing on the causes and consequences of a
AFTER NEARLY 30 YEAR ABSENCE, MUSICAL THEATER RETURNS TO ROOSEVELT HIGH: Students and faculty join in production of ‘West Side Story.’
By EGP Staff Report | Eastern Group Publications http://bit.ly/1lrXIq1 The West Side Story musical was presented at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights on Friday night.(Courtesy of Roosevelt High School) 27 March 2014 :: The performance of the Romeo and Juliet inspired tragic love story “West Side Story” last Friday on the Roosevelt High School stage marked an important first step
BILLIONAIRES BUY CHARTER SUCCESS IN NEW YORK LEGISLATURE WITH THE HELP OF GOVERNOR CUOMO + smf’s 2¢
from Diane Ravitch's blog | http://bit.ly/1iIoSoW March 28, 2014 Diane Ravitch writes: Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters describes the deal to benefit the billionaire-funded charter schools that is being negotiated right now by the New York legislature and will be voted on next week. It is not too late to make your voice heard! Governor Cuomo, who received $800,000 for his
BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL BOARD: A new report finds school board members with a background in public education are not better informed than their colleagues.
Emily Richmond | The Atlantic Online | http://bit.ly/1f0DGyL Eric Gay/AP Photo Mar 27 2014, 12:17 PM ET :: When it comes to the decisions that most directly affect the business of public education and what happens in classrooms, few people are as influential—and often as unacknowledged—as local school board members. Indeed, a new report from the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute
VERGARA v. CALIFORNIA LAWSUIT ENDS …but not really
Testimony ends, “final” arguments heard, both sides are to submit written briefs by April 10, with a ruling due within 90 days after that – in July. Both sides already have said they would appeal if they lose. Students' interests at center of trial over teacher protection laws Plaintiffs want to be able to remove ineffective teachers more quickly, but the state says rules governing
MAR 23
U.S. Schools Plagued By Inequality Alomg Racial Lines, Study Finds
In discipline, access to education and other factors, data on U.S. public schools show patterns of inequality tied to race. By Lalita Clozel, L.A. Times | http://lat.ms/1hb83PZ Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., left, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan discuss results of a new civil rights study on access to education and unfair disciplinary practices in U.S. public schools during a visit to J.O
Avoiding the front-runners: UTLA BOARD RECOMMENDS - ¡Not Endorses!- 3 TEACHERS FOR LA UNIFIED SEAT
UTLA board endorses 3 teachers for LA Unified seat, not Omarosa by LA School Report | http://bit.ly/1dn0U3P March 20, 2014 9:37 am :: The board of directors of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, voted last night to recommend that the union endorse three teachers for the vacant District 1 board seat. The special election is June 3. In recommending Sherlett Hendy-Newbill, Rachel Johnson
MAR 22
Aala Votes To Endorse Dr. George Mckenna
Associated Administrators of L.A. Update - Week of March 24, 2014 Members of the AALA Political Action Steering Committee reviewed records and interviewed nine candidates for election to the District 1 seat on the Board of Education and made recommendations to the full PAC Council during Representative Assembly on March 13, 2014 (see following article). The Council, AALA’s legal arm for
MAR 21
SAY GOODBYE TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Diane Ravitch warns Salon some cities will soon have none
"Why destroy public education so that a handful can boast they have a charter school in addition to their yacht?" Josh Eidelson interviews Diane Ravitch for Salon | http://bit.ly/1ewAMkT Diane Ravitch (Credit: Paul Wolfe) Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 05:30 AM PST :: Once a George H.W. Bush education official and an advocate for greater testing-based accountability, Diane
PUBLIC DENIED ACCESS TO LA SCHOOL OFFICIALS’ iPAD SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATION + smf’s 2¢
by Annie Gilbertson, KPCC 89.3 FM Pass/Fail | http://bit.ly/1iKxBrj Tom Pennington/Getty Images March 20th, 2014, 3:11pm :: Members of the L.A. Unified school board and a committee investigating the iPad project were given the first demonstration of the tablet's educational software Wednesday evening - but the public wasn't invited and a KPCC reporter was not allowed in the room. The