Ed100 walks parents through a range of California school issues and policies in 10 chapters divided into manageable subsections. Source: Ed100.org
A joke around Sacramento is that it takes a Ph.D. in Proposition 98 to understand how California schools are funded and governed.
The truth is that agood short course is probably all that’s needed for the basics of California’s complex education policies. And now there is one – Ed100.org.
Created by Jeff Camp, a former Microsoft Corp. manager and a longtime champion of public involvement in schools, Ed100.org is a free, 10-chapter online course that people can explore and complete at their own pace. The California PTA and the Full Circle Fund in San Francisco partnered with him.
The goal, said Camp, is to cut through education jargon and help prepare parent leaders – and parents who may not yet know that they’ll be called on to be leaders – with basic information they need “to be influential and smart.” At that stage, they’ll be able to “confidently interact with anyone who makes decisions on education,” he said in an interview.
Camp, who is a parent himself, went through the process a decade ago when he wanted to know more about education policies. He said he constantly felt as if he were jumping into the middle of a book – without context and background, let alone knowledge of the acronyms that educators and policy makers tend to use – to understand the nature of the issues and conflicts. Camp served on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Committee on Education Excellence, which recommended significant changes in governance and finance in 2008. He also chairs the Education Circle of the Free online course arms parents with basics to get involved in education issues | EdSource Today:
Vergara ruling’s strong words in the end will make little difference - by Peter Schrag / commentary
From the start, the Vergara case (Vergara v. California) was more significant for its political implications than for the possible benefits it would gain for the poor and minority students on whose behalf it was ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content, and more! ]]