SAC City Community Voices

SAC City Community Voices:

"Great Sac City Community Voices "

SCUSD Observer

The Sacramento Press

Joe Sacramento

Sacramento Scoop

The Sac Rag

And of course:

This story is taken from Sacbee / Opinion"

Sacramento Issues

Sacramento Issues:
"SCUSD Vice President Patrick Kennedy
Announces Bid for Sacramento’s 5th City Council District"

DAC Chair Update & News

DAC Chair Update & News

Message from Wanda

Back to School 101: The 7 step short-cut to school volunteering

Back to School 101: The 7 step short-cut to school volunteering: "There is a way to volunteer that transforms a smaller time commitment into a bigger payoff!"

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment: "Here are excerpts from an interview with Jonathan Raymond by editorial writer Pia Lopez.

Non-traditional background

As a child, I learned the power of a teacher. At the Commonwealth Corp., I learned the power of innovation and partnerships. As a nonprofit, we were set up to develop partnerships, to create innovative programs for education and work force training. Our mission was to work with at-risk and vulnerable youth. We developed programs like 'Diploma Plus' for kids who had dropped out or were at risk of dropping out. It gets them on a track not only to get their high school diploma but to matriculate to higher education. It was a very successful program … in urban, high-poverty, high-minority areas. That work was where I gravitated. It became clear to me that that's where I wanted to do more.

I heard about the Broad program as I started to think about what I wanted to do next after seven years at the Commonwealth Corp. I took a chance and got my application in and was accepted with the cohort of 2006. Off I went.

Having an impact on children is what I want to do with my life."

Group making new teacher report cards extends hand to union | GothamSchools

Group making new teacher report cards extends hand to union GothamSchools: "Next year, the teacher data reports that sparked a battle between the city and the teachers’ union could find a much warmer reception.
The new firm hired to produce the Teacher Data Initiative is reaching out to the teachers’ unions that bitterly opposed the program, and the firm’s researchers say they are committed to producing tools to help teachers learn, not to rank them."

No Child Left Behind needs fix, but how? - Fosters

No Child Left Behind needs fix, but how? - Fosters: "Area school districts are hoping Congress makes changes to the No Child Left Behind Act so they can help students improve their reading and math skills without the constant threat of punitive action."

Charter and private schools might not make the grade either -- latimes.com

Charter and private schools might not make the grade either -- latimes.com: "The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District is opening 50 schools over the next few years and considering a proposal to allow some or all to be privately managed. Before taking this step, the board should take a hard look at the evidence about charter schools and privately managed schools."

Open-Source Textbooks a Mixed Bag in California: Scientific American

Open-Source Textbooks a Mixed Bag in California: Scientific American: "As California moves forward with the first open-source digital textbook program in the nation this fall, the best content seems a lot less like Wikipedia and a lot more like traditional publishing.

Bulky, hefty and downright expensive, conventional school textbooks may rank as the most outdated"

Sacramento Press / Easy guide to contributing to The Sacramento Press

Sacramento Press / Easy guide to contributing to The Sacramento Press: "You can help us make Sacramento a stronger community by contributing to The Sacramento Press. Our website is free and open to the public. To become a community contributor, all you have to do is:"

Denver teacher placement can add to disparities - The Denver Post

Denver teacher placement can add to disparities - The Denver Post: "Nearly three-quarters of unassigned veteran Denver Public Schools teachers who have not found jobs are forcibly placed into schools with the poorest students.
According to data obtained through a formal records request, in the past four years, 427 out of the 592 forcibly placed"

Caring adults can help prevent teens from dropping out | Julia Steiny | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Caring adults can help prevent teens from dropping out Julia Steiny projo.com The Providence Journal: "“I am a high-school dropout myself.”
Tim Gardiner sits in the teachers lounge of the very school he left in 1977, when it was Bristol High. Now the school is known as Mt. Hope High in the Bristol Warren district, and Gardiner teaches plumbing in its industrial-technology program.
“In the middle of my junior year, I dropped"

School District again taking heat for unequal achievement - Las Vegas Sun

School District again taking heat for unequal achievement - Las Vegas Sun: "At the time, it seemed like the solution to a problem perplexing a nation: how to extend the same educational opportunities to black students as white students.
It was the early 1990s, and the Clark County School District was dismantling what had been a federally mandated desegregation"

Education at charters is spotty, oversight lax | www.azstarnet.com ®

Education at charters is spotty, oversight lax www.azstarnet.com ®: "One couple made more than $337,000 last year to operate their charter schools, even though the schools don't rank among top academic performers.
Instructors at another charter school failed to keep students in class long enough and couldn't prove they'd met graduation requirements or that the staff was qualified to teach.
A student at a third charter school received a diploma two weeks after enrolling, even though she'd have had a year and a half to go in a traditional high school. She asked that it be rescinded.
Charter schools exploded onto the scene 15 years ago, when Arizona launched an experiment"

A conversation with Jonathan Raymond - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

A conversation with Jonathan Raymond - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee: "A conversation with Jonathan Raymond
ShareThis

Buzz up!Published: Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009 - 12:00 am Page 6E
Here are excerpts from an interview with Jonathan Raymond by editorial writer Pia Lopez."

Editorial: New city schools chief has right stuff - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: New city schools chief has right stuff - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee: "Editorial: New city schools chief has right stuff
ShareThis

Buzz up!Published: Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009 - 12:00 am Page 6E
More than a year after Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Maggie Mejia retired, the school board finally has named a new superintendent.
Jonathan Raymond, a non-traditional candidate with a background in diplomacy, international trade, law and work force development, brings fresh perspective and strong skills to the job."

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment: "Annie Oliver, Grandparent
Honored by SCUSD Board of Education for Outstanding Service at August 6, 2009 Board Meeting.
Presentation was made by Board Member Area 7, Vice President Patrick Kennedy."

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment: "Volunteering
By lending a hand on campus, parents can transform students and schools
Parent Involvement Primer

The role of the school site council

Online Resources for Parental Involvement

Become a Legislative Advocate for Your Child's School

Ten easy ways to help your child's school

25 Ways to Catch and Keep Volunteers

Bright Ideas From Our Readers: One Hour Volunteer Ideas"

Patrick Kennedy Sacramento’s 5th City Council District Candidate Web Site

Patrick Kennedy Sacramento’s 5th City Council District Candidate Web Site

Board of Education

Board of Education: "Board of Education Items


Board Meeting Packet, Items and Presentations for the Regular Board Meeting of August 20, 2009:
Agenda
Item 9.1
Item 9.2 part 1, part 2, part 3
Item 9.3
Item 9.4
Item 9.5 part 1, part 2, part 3
Item 9.7
Item 11.1a part 1, part 2, part 3
Item 11.1b
Item 11.1c
Item 11.1d part 1, part 2, part 3
Item 11.1e
Item 11.1f
Item 11.1g
Item 11.1h
Item 11.1i
Item 11.2a
Item 12.1"