New Show about U.S. Success of U.S. Hispanics | Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations website and podcast

New Show about U.S. Success of U.S. Hispanics | Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations website and podcast:

"Fort Lauderdale, FL–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–May 9, 2005–“Raza de Campeones”, the first and only Spanish-language television show that highlights the achievements and cultural values of U.S. Hispanics premiered in April. Viewers in Los Angeles, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Santa Barbara and Reno, can watch the first season of the show every Sunday during prime time. Currently, syndication negotiations take place with other local broadcast channels in the country, including Puerto Rico, to make this program available to a broader audience."

Raza de Campeones, a production of Picabú Productions, has traveled throughout the United States to meet with Spanish-speaking people that have achieved success in the arts, business, sports and other areas. Moreover, this hour long show includes a street survey about topics of general interest that reflect the lifestyles and culture of the Latin community. The show also presents a section about the Latin traditions incorporated into American culture and reports about social organizations that help Latin people in the United States.

26 Students Arrested in Protest Over Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com

26 Students Arrested in Protest Over Tuition Increases - NYTimes.com:

"SAN FRANCISCO — Twenty-six students were arrested at San Francisco State University before dawn on Thursday after some students barricaded themselves inside a building to protest budget cuts and tuition increases across the state’s public university system."


“The doors were locked with chains from the inside so police broke through a window to get in,” a university spokeswoman, Ellen Griffin, said. “We’re approaching final exams and the end of the semester, and as many as 3,200 students have classes in that building.”
On Wednesday, classes in the building were canceled after the occupation began.
Along with indignation over budget cuts, a blog listing the protesters’ demands included forgiveness of all student loans and ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. With demands far beyond the purview of school administrators, negotiations with the students was nearly impossible, Ms. Griffin said.

Texas lawmakers seeking fix for prepaid tuition plan | News | Star-Telegram.com

Texas lawmakers seeking fix for prepaid tuition plan | News | Star-Telegram.com:

"Texas lawmakers plan to look at college costs and tuition deregulation as they try to solve a projected billion-dollar-plus shortfall in a state prepaid college tuition plan.

The Texas House Appropriations Committee will review the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan in the context of providing more avenues for Texans to get a college education, said state Rep. Richard Pena Raymond, D-Laredo, the committee’s vice chairman. Tuition deregulation will likely be discussed as college expenses soar during hard economic times, he said Thursday.

He said he expects recommendations by next November in preparation for the 2011 legislative session."

The Answer Sheet - The effects of tracking students in school

The Answer Sheet
- The effects of tracking students in school

The effects of tracking students in school

A new report out today makes the case that students do better in school when they are separated into groups based on their achievement.

The study is published by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, is byBrookings institute scholar Tom Loveless. It looks at tracking in Massachusetts middle schools and middle schools there that once had tracking systems but eliminated them.

Loveless found that de-tracked schools have fewer advanced students in math than do tracked schools--and that de-tracking is more popular in schools that serve disadvantaged students.

You can read the report here.

Let's discuss the issue of tracking. Please relate here--or send me attheanswersheet@washpost.com--any experiences you and your children have had with tracking and what you think about its effects.

Follow Valerie’s blog all day, every day athttp://washingtonpost.com/answersheet/

For all the Post’s Education coverage, please seehttp://washingtonpost.com/education

Class Struggle - Finally some sense about 21st century skills--part two, the Wagner book

Class Struggle
- Finally some sense about 21st century skills--part two, the Wagner book:

"My wife was enjoying a quiet flight back to Washington after a week off in California when I, sitting next to her, started thrashing around. I was reading a book, but in a way that any person would find disturbing. I was marking and remarking pages. I was filling margins with unreadable scrawls. I was flipping back and forth. I was talking to myself: 'Whoa! No! Yes!'

'What is that?' she asked.

It's a good question. The simple answer is: the latest book by school improvement activist Tony Wagner: 'The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need.' Wagner is co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also a great writer and speaker. I consider this book more of an experience than a read."

Illegal Immigrant Students Publicly Take Up a Cause - NYTimes.com

Illegal Immigrant Students Publicly Take Up a Cause - NYTimes.com

It has not been easy for the Obama administration to deport Rigoberto Padilla, a Mexican-born college student in Chicago who has been an illegal immigrant in this country since he was 6.



On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said they would delay Mr. Padilla’s deportation for one year.

Mr. Padilla’s case had seemed straightforward toimmigration agents who detained him for deportation in January after he was arrested by the Chicago police for running a stop sign and charged with driving under the influence.

But since then, students held two street rallies on his behalf and sent thousands of e-mail messages and faxes to Congress. The Chicago City Council passed a resolution calling for a stay of his deportation and five members of Congress from Illinois came out in support of his cause. One of them was Representative Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, who offered a private bill to cancel his removal.

Obama administration officials said they would review cases like Mr. Padilla’s as they arose. They said the situation of Mr. Padilla, 21, pointed to the need for an immigration overhaul that would include a path to legal status for people in the United States illegally.

Low-performing Queens high schools face closure after poor grades on city's annual report card

Low-performing Queens high schools face closure after poor grades on city's annual report card

Two Queens high schools that received D grades on the city's annual report card are now on the chopping block.

The city is recommending the closure of Beach Channel High School, in Rockaway Park, and the Business, ComputerApplications and Entrepreneurship High School in CambriaHeights. The Education Department announced its proposal to shutter Jamaica High School last week.

"They're not fulfilling the promise that we make to students and their families that we're going to prepare students for life beyond high school," said Deputy Schools Chancellor John White.

The final decision on whether the schools will be phased out one year at a time lies with the Panel for Educational Policy. A vote is set for Jan. 26.

Read more:http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/12/11/2009-12-11_two_more_lowperforming_boro_high_schools_face_closure.html#ixzz0ZNxzRzRC

Both current and former teachers ask judge to nix 'rubber rooms' for teachers booted from classroom

Both current and former teachers ask judge to nix 'rubber rooms' for teachers booted from classroom:

"The infamous�'rubber rooms' where teachers twiddle their thumbs while under investigation are unconstitutional, inhumane and even toxic, a new federal suit charges.

Six current and former teachers are asking a judge to shut down the detention centers for teachers who have been booted from the classroom.

Their lawyer, Joy Hochstadt, said terrible rubber room conditions are designed to humiliate teachers into quitting before a disciplinary hearing."

Adding Value to Discussions About Value-Added

Adding Value to Discussions About Value-Added:

"The quality of the U.S. teacher workforce is under the microscope, and rightly so. Teachers represent the most important school-based resource determining students’ academic success, and a shortage of graduates with knowledge and skills necessary to drive innovation or to command premium wages in a global economy threatens the nation’s economic prosperity. Moreover, children from low-income families and children of color are disproportionately assigned to the least effective teachers, a finding that helps explain yawning gaps between average educational outcomes of groups defined by family income or ethnicity. Broad improvements in teacher quality will thus serve the strategic goals of raising student achievement overall and reducing disparity in achievement between groups."

Editorial: Pie fight ignores economic reality - Chico Enterprise Record

Editorial: Pie fight ignores economic reality - Chico Enterprise Record:

"Our view: Everyone agrees the state's colleges need more funding. Nobody can answer where that funding should come from.

As college administrators plead their case, students protest higher fees and legislators get an earful about the state of higher education, it's safe to say there's nearly universal agreement on one thing — California's colleges are in disarray and need more funding.

Who doesn't?

Even legislators would agree that the state is reneging on its contract as written in the 50-year-old Master Plan for Higher Education. A different compact negotiated with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 for steady funding in exchange for predictable student-fee hikes has also been thrown out the window."

The Way Forward | California Progress Report

The Way Forward | California Progress Report:

"President Obama's latest speech on the economy and the White House's recent job summit highlight the fragility of the economy. Meanwhile, in California crippling budget cuts and a structural budget deficit have sapped the ability of the state to advance the general welfare of its citizens. Indeed, California is forecast to lag the rest of the nation in economic recovery. That is why Sacramento must take seriously a recent report by the Los Angeles Times that found evidence of billions of dollars of waste associated with the state's use of private contractors."

India Journal - South Asian News for Southern California

India Journal - South Asian News for Southern California:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - The idea to run for California’s 3rd Congressional District office occurred to Dr Amerish “ Ami” Bera about a year ago. When asked why the thought even struck him, he said it was his concern that the opportunities that he had had in this country as a youngster to exploit through access to education and hard work may not be available to the next generations. He believes that consistently, things that are the responsibilities of the Government, are being dismantled which will make it much tougher in the future to achieve a better life. Even educational institutions like Universities which, he said, should be serving the public seem to be losing sight of their mission and the public schools are getting worse by the day in California. He looked back momentarily on his medical education and could not imagine what had cost him only $ 393 a quarter has catapulted today to several thousands annually."

California assembly elects its first openly gay speaker - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com

California assembly elects its first openly gay speaker - Politics AP - MiamiHerald.com:

"Assembly Democrats this afternoon chose Assemblyman John A. Perez as their new speaker, making the first-term Democrat the first openly gay man to hold the post.

Members emerged from a closed-door caucus at the historic Stanford Mansion to announce that Democrats had chosen Perez, of Los Angeles, on an unanimous vote.

The move came after Assemblyman Kevin de Leon agreed to bow out. A public vote on the Assembly floor is expected later this afternoon."

Duncan Visits San Diego, Pushes Education Reform | KPBS.org

Duncan Visits San Diego, Pushes Education Reform

| KPBS.org:

"SAN DIEGO — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the eyes of the nation are on California as Sacramento lawmakers battle to approve legislation aimed at education reform.

Duncan made those remarks during the National Conference of State Legislatures in downtown San Diego yesterday. During his address, Duncan called on legislators around the country to lead education reform by competing for federal education stimulus grants.

States will get the money if they take on reforms outlined by the Obama administration. The reforms include closing struggling schools, lifting bureaucratic roadblocks for charter schools and linking teacher pay to student test scores."

Calif Assembly passes Race to the Top package - San Jose Mercury News

Calif Assembly passes Race to the Top package - San Jose Mercury News:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Assembly on Thursday approved a controversial package of legislation that would allow the state to compete for a piece of the $4.3 billion being offered by the Obama administration to reform the nation's worst-performing schools.

By a 47-25 vote, the Assembly approved legislation by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, that would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in California, revamp the state's academic standards and target federal funding to the worst-of-the-worst failing schools.

The legislation is intended to clear the way for California to compete in the Race to the Top program. The state is eligible for up to $700 million."

San Mateo Daily Journal

San Mateo Daily Journal:

"SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly on Thursday approved a controversial package of legislation that would allow the state to compete for a piece of the $4.3 billion being offered by the Obama administration to reform the nation’s worst-performing schools.
By a 47-25 vote, the Assembly approved legislation by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, that would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in California, revamp the state’s academic standards and target federal funding to the worst-of-the-worst failing schools.
The legislation is intended to clear the way for California to compete in the Race to the Top program. The state is eligible for up to $700 million."

Oregon Cuts Off ELL Funds to Portland District - Learning the Language - Education Week

Oregon Cuts Off ELL Funds to Portland District - Learning the Language - Education Week:

"The Oregon education department has cut off federal funds for English-language learners to the Portland public schools because it deems the district's programs for such students to be out of compliance with federal law, reports an article in The Oregonian. That's a loss to the district of more than $600,000 per year.

Explore the links in the article and you'll see this money is from Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act, which authorizes funding specifically for English-acquisition programs. In a decade of reporting on ELLs for EdWeek, I've never heard of a state department of education withholding Title III funds from a district."

Blue Ribbon Nominees for 2010 - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)

Blue Ribbon Nominees for 2010 - Year 2009 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Nominates
35 California Public Schools for National Honor

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the selection of 35 public schools as California’s nominees to the national 2010 No Child Left Behind (NCLB)-Blue Ribbon Schools Program (BRSP). The list of schools is attached.

"I congratulate all the Blue Ribbon nominated schools, and the staff, teachers, parents, and students who are succeeding despite challenges and economic adversity," O’Connell said. "By committing themselves to excellence and innovation, these schools are helping students make consistent academic gains and preparing them for success in the competitive global economy."

The BRSP recognizes elementary and secondary schools that are both academically superior and have demonstrated dramatic gains in student achievement, while serving an economically disadvantaged population of students. Schools recognized through the BRSP are considered national models of excellence. All of the 2010 BRSP nominees had previously been named either a California Distinguished School or a California Title I Academic Achieving Award school.

In order to be eligible for BRSP consideration, a California public school must have:

• Met all of its 2008 Academic Performance Index (API) state targets and all Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) federal accountability targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.
• A 2008 Base API rank of 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10.
• Met all of its 2009 API and AYP targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.
• Demonstrated significant growth in the percent of students achieving proficient/advanced in English-language arts and mathematics from 2005 to 2009. This growth is based on the performance of the students in the highest grade at the school. For example, in a kindergarten through sixth grade elementary school, this growth would be measured by comparing the performance of sixth grade students in 2005 to sixth grade students tested in 2009.

The nominations announced by O’Connell represent the first step in a process that is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Education. For final BRSP certification, a school must also meet all of its 2010 API and AYP targets, including those for the school overall and for each numerically significant subgroup.

Approximately, 72 percent of the students enrolled at the 35 schools certified today as BRSP nominees are designated as disadvantaged by the U.S. Department of Education criteria. Over the last five years, the 35 schools have, on average, increased the number of students scoring advanced or proficient in English-language arts and mathematics by at least 49 percent.

Since the BRSP is a component of the federal NCLB law, priority for selection is made for disadvantaged schools that have either shown dramatic improvement in student achievement from 2005 to 2009 or schools that have maintained a superior level of achievement from 2005 to 2009. The U.S. Department of Education designates a public school as disadvantaged if 40 percent or more the students either: (a) participate in the National School Lunch Program; (b) have parents who did not earn a high school diploma; (c) receive Migrant Education services; or (d) are classified as an English learner.

The BRSP is administered by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the program has recognized outstanding schools for more than 25 years. To obtain further information on the program and review a list of 2009 winners nationwide, please visit the U.S. Department of Education Web site: Awards - Blue Ribbon Schools Program (Outside Source).

# # # #

Attachment

2010 No Child Left Behind-Blue
Ribbon Schools Program Nominees

County	District	School
Alameda	Oakland Unified	Lincoln Elementary
Fresno	Sanger Unified	Centerville Elementary
Fresno	Sanger Unified	Fairmont School
Fresno	Clovis Unified	Jefferson Elementary
Los Angeles	Glendale Unified	Benjamin Franklin Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	Franklin Avenue Elementary
Los Angeles	Hawthorne School District	Hawthorne Math and Science Academy
Los Angeles	Inglewood Unified	Highland Elementary
Los Angeles	Long Beach Unified	International Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	Park Western Place Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	South Shores/CSUDH Visual and Performing Arts
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	Superior Street Elementary
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Unified	Synergy Charter Academy
Los Angeles	Bassett Unified	Torch Middle
Los Angeles	ABC Unified	William F. Elliott Elementary
Los Angeles	Little Lake City Elementary	William W. Orr Elementary
Orange	Santa Ana Unified	Carl Harvey Elementary
Orange	Buena Park Elementary	Gordon H. Beatty Elementary
Orange	Capistrano Unified	Richard Henry Dana Elementary
Orange	Garden Grove Unified	Sunnyside Elementary
Riverside	Lake Elsinore Unified	Withrow Elementary
Sacramento	Sacramento City Unified	Camellia Elementary
Sacramento	Sacramento City Unified	Capitol Heights Academy
Sacramento	Sacramento City Unified	Earl Warren Elementary
San Bernardino	Apple Valley Unified	Sycamore Rocks Elementary
San Bernardino	Victor Valley Union High	University Preparatory
San Diego	San Diego Unified	Jones Elementary
San Diego	San Diego Unified	Kearny School of Digital Media and Design
San Diego	San Diego Unified	Kearny School of International Business
San Diego	Chula Vista Elementary	Otay Elementary
San Diego	San Diego Unified	Preuss School UCSD
Santa Clara	Alum Rock Union Elementary	KIPP Heartwood Academy
Shasta	Enterprise Elementary	Lassen View Elementary
Sonoma	Two Rock Union	Two Rock Elementary
Tehama	Evergreen Union	Evergreen Middle

Does Michelle Obama's Discipline Style Work for You? - Parents - Families.com

Does Michelle Obama's Discipline Style Work for You? - Parents - Families.com:

"In Barbara Walters' interview with First Lady Michelle Obama, who she chose as the 'Most Fascinating Person of 2009', they had the opportunity to speak about parenting.

Mrs. Obama admits to trying to spank her kids in the past but found it unproductive. She says that she now issues 'lots of lectures' in the place of spankings.

I definitely understand where she's coming from. While I am not against spanking, I can count the number of spankings I have given on one hand. For the most part, I found that spanking or the threat of it only works for some kids. For others, it becomes a challenge and they become tougher and more defiant."

Race to the Top Insights: Part 2 - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Race to the Top Insights: Part 2 - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"After listening to the second half of the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top technical seminar, it's clear that there are many, many state-specific circumstances for which state teams want answers. South Dakota asked if Indian-chartered schools count as charter schools. Hawaii officials had a few questions about how the application applies to them since they have a single state-run school district. New Hampshire wanted to know if its existing New England consortium on common standards counts as much in earning points toward a grant as the larger Common Core effort."