Monday, April 19, 2010

Remainders: Glitch meant no students matched to a top school | GothamSchools

Remainders: Glitch meant no students matched to a top school

from GothamSchools by Maura Walz

Was the rubber room closing deal a “pure win” for the union? One teacher thinks not.
Two top high schools admitted too few students, but they’re not accepting second-round applications.
South Philadelphia HS is learning from New York’s Lafayette HS on how to combat race-based violence.
A teacher speculates that the hiring freeze might make this year easier for teachers to transfer schools.
Nationally, more children are home-schooled than attend charter schools, a new study reports.
Seventh-graders are already starting specialized high school exam test prep for next year.
The Albany Times-Union profiles charter school advocate Peter Murphy.
Kim Gittleson is experimenting with ways to make Learning Environment Survey data accessible.
And a 12-year-old girl in India is teaching her neighbors what she learns in school.

Lower Merion report: Web cams snapped 56,000 images | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/19/2010

Lower Merion report: Web cams snapped 56,000 images

By John P. Martin

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Lower Merion School District employees activated the web cameras and tracking software on laptops they gave to high school students about 80 times in the past two school years, snapping nearly 56,000 images that included photos of students, pictures inside their homes and copies of the programs or files running on their screens, district investigators have concluded.
In most of the cases, technicians turned on the system after a student or staffer reported a laptop missing and turned it off when the machine was found, the investigators determined.
But in at least five instances, school employees let the Web cams keep clicking for days or weeks after students found their missing laptops, according to the review. Those computers - programmed to snap a photo and capture a screen shot every 15 minutes when the machine was on - fired nearly 13,000 images back to the school district servers.
The data, given to The Inquirer on Monday by a school district lawyer, represents the most detailed account yet of how and when Lower Merion used the remote tracking system, a practice that has sparked a civil rights lawsuit, an FBI investigation and new federal legislation.
The district's attorney, Henry Hockeimer, declined to describe in detail any of the recovered Web cam photos, or identify the people in them or their surroundings. He said none appeared to show "salacious or inappropriate" images but said that in no way justified the use of the program.
"The taking of these pictures without student consent in their homes was obviously wrong," Hockeimer said.

Will Oakland school board impose a contract? The Education Report

The Education Report

Will Oakland school board impose a contract?

By Katy Murphy
Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 4:10 pm in OEA, OUSD central office, union contract
No Comments

They might. At a 6 p.m. special meeting on Wednesday, the Oakland school board votes on a resolution that would immediately implement the district’s ”last, best and final offer” to the teachers, which was made last December and soundly rejected by the union’s membership.

You can read the resolution here.

Do you think the board should change course and go back to the bargaining table? What should the union do?

Four Oakland, two Berkeley schools “exemplary”

By Katy Murphy
Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 12:48 pm in achievement gap, test scores
1 Comment

Peralta Elementary School, Tribune file photo

Four Oakland elementary schools — Chabot, Montclair, Peralta and Thornhill – are among 484 schools commended by the state this year for their academic achievements and for narrowing the achievement gap. The winners have also agreed to share two “signature practices” with other schools. Chabot and Peralta are located in the Rockridge area, and Montclair and Thornhill are in the hills.

A third-grader reminds grown-ups to return their parent surveys | GothamSchools

A third-grader reminds grown-ups to return their parent surveys

by Maura Walz

Following reports of principals using a heavy hand to drum up school participation in the city’s annual Learning Environment Survey, here’s one Brooklyn student’s more lighthearted approach.
This “Peanuts”-inspired home-made ad is brought to you by a family at Brooklyn’s P.S. 29. That school’s survey response rate was at about 39 percent today, four days before Friday’s deadline for returning the form, according

What does a well done use of technology in education look like? � SCUSD Observer

What does a well done use of technology in education look like?

Creating vs. Consuming

Larry Ferlazzo teaches at Luther Burbank, the largest inner-city (high poverty, high language learner) high school in Sacramento City Unified School District. He started using online tools to help teach students that included a large wave of Hmong immigrants, who had no formal schooling prior to going to coming to

Thrasher denies lobbying for testing firms | Saint Petersblog

Thrasher denies lobbying for testing firms

From The St. Augustine Record: Two out-of-state companies that offer education testing paid a lobbying firm where state Sen. John Thrasher was a partner between $60,000 and $190,000 over a two-year period, state records indicate.

During the current legislative session, Thrasher, a St. Augustine Republican, sponsored Senate Bill 6, which, among other things, would have required school districts to develop or acquire end-of-course assessment tests.

After drawing stiff criticism from educators and teachers’ unions, the bill was vetoed Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Thrasher left the lobbying firm, Southern Strategy, in 2009 and has denied personally lobbying on behalf of the testing companies.

“I never had any connection to (the testing companies),” he said. “I was bought out last May and don’t even have any connection with them anymore.”

The companies — Ohio-based IQ Innovations and New Jersey-based Educational Testing Service — say the lobbying Southern Strategy did on their behalf was unrelated to Thrasher’s bill.

IQ Innovations paid between $60,000 and $150,000 to Southern Strategy in 2008 and 2009, and Educational Testing Service paid the firm between $4 and $40,000 over the same period, according to state

John Thrasher: SB6 sponsor AND testing company lobbyist? : The Reid Report

The Reid Report

Think at your own risk
John Thrasher: SB6 sponsor AND testing company lobbyist? : The Reid Report

John Thrasher: SB6 sponsor AND testing company lobbyist?

APRIL 19, 2010 · POSTED IN FLORIDA, NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS, POLITICAL NEWS

For John Thrasher: good lobbying, good times ...

Hat tip to Peter Schorsch, who links to a piece in the The St. Augustine Record, which raises questions about State Sen. John Thrasher’s ties to lobbying firms who you’d think might have a vested interest in expanding high stakes testing in Florida. Thrasher was already a target of some tea party groups, who opposed his becoming the new chairman of the Florida Republican Party, precisely because of his shady history as a lobbyist and politician, possibly at the same time. But this latest story raises even more questions, since

Board rejects SEIU's appeal of UNITE HERE representation of District aides | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Board rejects SEIU's appeal of UNITE HERE representation of District aides

by Ron Whitehorne on Apr 19 2010

The SEIU/Joint Board side filed an appeal with the the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board seeking to overturn the election results, charging UNITE HERE with illegal campaign practices. They also alleged the School District violated the law by favoring UNITE HERE. Last October Philadelphia School District food service workers and noon-time aides voted by atwo to one margin to remain with UNITE HERE Local 634. The election was a consequence of the earlier split in the national union. The Philadelphia Joint Board, which affiliated with SEIU, sought to take control of the local, but their bid was rejected in a heated campaign.

In late March the PLRB rejected both these claims.

A teacher network rooted in service learning

by Guest blogger

Today we have a guest blog from Kimberly Kirn at Need in Deed (NID). She has information about their Teacher Network program.

Each year Need in Deed accepts 30 Philadelphia public school teachers in grades 3-8 into our Teacher Network. We're accepting applications for next year's cohort now. Applications are due this Friday, April 23.

THE EDUCATION FRONT Blog | The Dallas Morning News

The trouble with online textbooks

by Betsy Simnacher/Copy Editor

Today, Jessica Meyers writes that more Texas school districts are considering electronic textbooks.
Of course, there are a number of advantages to online textbooks, starting with a lighter load in the backpack. Information can be updated easily, and it should -- emphasis on should -- be less expensive without all the glossy paper, ink and logistics of getting books to schools. Probably the biggest plus is the opportunity for multimedia supplements to the dry old page. And companies could furnish only the chapters schools would actually use.
The other way to lighten loads on students is to furnish classroom copies of textbooks. And, while the opportunity to make textbooks more timely is undeniable, some question whether publishers will really charge less for online textbooks, according to Myers' story:

One of the greatest perks to electronic textbooks is supposed to be a lower purchase price, said Alice Owen, the Irving district's director of technology. But publishers aren't providing cheaper electronic replacements.

What is the real cost of providing paper textbooks? Owen says $425 per student per student per year in her district.
There are drawbacks to the e-textbook plan, too:
Districts would have to provide some kind of tech tool, at least to those who do not have computers at home, and how much would that cost? Even an e-reader costs several hundred dollars.

Expert Panels Announced for Listening and Learning About Early Learning – ED.gov Blog

Expert Panels Announced for Listening and Learning About Early Learning

Today ED announced the panels of experts who be presenting at the Listening and Learning About Early Learning meetings.
Each of the four meetings will focus on one topic. Below are dates, places, and names of panel members for the meetings, which will run from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.

Understanding Preschool – Grade 3 Structures: Friday, April 23, 2010, at the LBJ Auditorium at the Department’s headquarter building in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Building, 400 Maryland Ave. S.W., Washington, D.C.
Debbie Leong, Professor of Psychology at Metropolitan State College of Denver
Jerry Weast, Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools
Gail Connelly, Executive Director of National Association of Elementary School Principals
Ruby Takanishi, President of the Foundation for Child Development

Workforce and Professional Development: Monday, April 26, 2010, in the auditorium at the Center for Early Education, 3245 E. Exposition Avenue, Denver, CO
Marcy Whitebook, Director of Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute
Phil Strain, Director of the Positive Early Learning Experiences Center in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver
Sue Russell, President of the Child Care Services Association

Family Engagement: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at the Orange County Public Schools Educational Leadership Center, 445 W. Amelia Street, Orlando, FL
Don Bailey, Distinguished Fellow in Early Child Development for Response to Intervention International
Gene Garcia, Vice President for University-School Partnerships at Arizona State University
Carol Day, President of the National Black Child Development Institute
Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project and Senior Research Associate and Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

Standards and Assessments: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at the Polk Bros. Lecture Hall at the Erikson Institute, 451 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL
Sam Meisels, President of the Erikson Institute
Kathy Hebbeler, Manager of the Community Services and Strategies Program at SRI International and Director of the Early Childhood Outcomes Center
Linda Espinosa, Associate Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia
Catherine Scott-Little, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the School of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Registration: To attend or speak at a meeting, you must register at
http://www.fsaregistration.ed.gov/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=0×91942aeb2&varPage=agenda. Please register at least 4 business days prior to each meeting you plan to attend. Seating and speaker slots are limited, so registering early is important.
Please go to http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/04/listening-and-learning-about-early-learning-tour-announced-for-dc-denver-orlando-and-chicago/ for complete information on registration, webinar attendance, submission of written comments, and special accommodations and assistance to individuals with disabilities.
See you in Washington, Denver, Orlando or Chicago!
Steven Hicks
Special Assistant on Early Learning

Elk Grove schools 'pink slip' hearings commence - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Elk Grove schools 'pink slip' hearings commence

Teachers confer during a break at an administrative hearing at the Elk Grove School District offices on Monday. The administrative hearings will be today, tomorrow and Wednesday. School districts have until May 15 to rescind layoff notices. Elk Grove Unified has rescinded 145 pink slips so far of the 760 they sent out last month.

Administrative hearings for pink slipped teachers began today at Elk Grove Unified School District, where 760 teachers received notices that they may lose their jobs.
The hearings will continue through Wednesday. School districts have until May 15 to rescind layoff notices. Elk

Justices Weigh Rights of Christian Group at Schools - The School Law Blog - Education Week

Justices Weigh Rights of Christian Group at Schools

By Mark Walsh on April 19, 2010 3:55 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sharply divided today on whether public schools and universities may deny full recognition and benefits to student religious groups that require members to subscribe to their beliefs.

"To require this Christian society to allow atheists not just to join, but to conduct Bible classes, right?" Justice Antonin Scalia characterized the central question during oral arguments. "That's crazy."

But Justice Sonia Sotomayor pressed the lawyer for the Christian Legal Society chapter seeking full recognition at the University of California's Hastings College of Law in San Francisco about whether schools should be allowed to pick the best way to achieve their goal of prohibiting discrimination.

"Don't we give deference to an educational institution in terms of the choices it makes about affecting its purposes?" Sotomayor said. "And the purpose here is, we
don't want our students to discriminate."

Christian Legal Society v. Martinez (Case No. 08-1371) has attracted wide interest from college groups, K-12 education associations, and religious rights advocates.

A friend-of-the-court brief filed by the National School Boards Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and others school groups

Charlie Crist: National Republicans Predict 'Zero Chance' Florida Gov Will Stay In GOP Primary

An operative from the National Republican Senatorial Committee predicted on Monday that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) would forfeit his primary battle against Marco Rubio for the state's Republican nomination for Senate.

In an e-mail obtained by CNN, Rob Jesmer, executive director of the NRSC, wrote to political operatives that Crist's surrender is imminent.

From Jesmer's e-mail:

We believe there is zero chance Governor Crist continues running in the Republican primary. It our view that if Governor Crist believes he cannot win a primary then the proper course of action is he drop out of the race and wait for another day. We have communicated this message indirectly and would have given it to the Governor directly had he returned Senator Cornyn's phone call.

Jesmer also explained that the NRSC would support former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio should Crist opt to run as an independent.

But Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), a former Crist adviser, had a different take on the governor's political future.

LeMieux, who served as Chief of Staff to Christ before being appointed by the Florida governor to fill former Sen. Mel Martinez's Senate post when he resigned in 2008, projected that Christ will continue to run as a Republican candidate for Senate.

"I believe Charlie Crist will be a Republican in this race," LeMieux said during an appearance on MSNBC. "I'm not parsing words that carefully. My understanding is that he's a Republican who will

Elk Grove teachers, staff fight layoffs | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Education

Elk Grove teachers, staff fight layoffs

ELK GROVE, CA - Elk Grove Unified School District teachers and staff who received layoff notices are arguing their cases before an administrative law judge at district headquarters over the next three days.

Arguments from elementary grade teachers and staff were to be heard Monday. At issue is who should be on the layoff list. The determination will be made on date of hire, advance degrees, credentials, years of service, and who holds single subject credentials.

Tuesday and Wednesday, secondary education teachers will present their cases before Judge

Teachers & Parents: Where Schools Are Headed - Time To Get Our Heads Out Of The Sand - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Teachers & Parents: Where Schools Are Headed - Time To Get Our Heads Out Of The Sand

Watch: Scott McLeod Ph.D. Warns "You Got Bupkas":
Disruptive Innovation & The Status Quo

In this powerful presentation to teachers, Scott McLeod, J.D. & Ph.D. shows us how and why schools and teaching are about to be transformed radically from disruptive technology, and it's a better idea to be on the side of change than to be caught with our heads in the sand.

McLeod races through this compelling and lively chat so even though it runs about twenty minutes, it flies (most slides are only second or two) - if you are really crunched, start about #69 but we recommend the build-up before it.

Sprinkled with frequent laughter by the teachers, McLeod presented his points --many which

Stanford's Big Brains Get the Boot :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Stanford's Big Brains Get the Boot

by Frederick M. Hess • Apr 19, 2010 at 9:16 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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In my recent book Education Unbound, I argue that a big problem with "best practices"-style reform is that good ideas often don't play out as intended. Even pedigreed ideas that are cooked up by big-brained professors and prove successful at hand-picked pilot sites often fail to deliver at scale.

Most involved in K-12 schooling, of course, are much more enamored of expertise than I. Those in schools of education, in particular, are generally confident that they can identify the right recipes for professional development, instruction, and curricula--and aren't shy about urging those on policymakers and educators.

This is what made the Stanford University Graduate School of Education's charter school such an interesting test case. After all, here was an acclaimed school of education, stuffed with credentialed experts and spending an extra $3,000 per pupil above the state average. Clearly, as Stanford intended when its first charter opened in 2001, this was a chance for Stanford Ed to showcase its faculty's far-reaching prescriptions. Turns out, not so much.

In a truly brutal lead, Carol Pogash wrote last Thursday in The New York Times, "A charter school created and overseen by Stanford University's School of Education was denied an extension of its charter on Wednesday night after several members of the school board labeled it a failure." Citing poor academic performance and lousy classroom behavior management, the trustees of the Ravenswood City School District voted 3-2 to deny

Sacramento Press / Local organization aims to empower youth through poetry

Local organization aims to empower youth through poetry

A youth mentor for a local educational program said he used poetry to see himself through a difficult past.

Coon, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was walking home when he was shot three times. One bullet hit his spine and ricocheted into his lung.

"I was hanging out with somebody who really wasn't my friend, and I pretty much took on their beef, their issues, and I was guilty by association," he said. "I've never been in a gang or anything like that. You don't have to be (involved) in a gang for something bad to happen to you."

Asking to be referred to only by his last name (and stage name), Coon channeled the pain from his wounds and started taking his writing and poetry seriously as soon as he left the hospital. He joined a musical group and, with his friend TroubleSin, became part of a spoken word team called E-legal Tag Team.

The two are now poet mentors for Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, which uses innovative methods to help Sacramento-area kids learn. Since last year, SAYS, part of the University at California at Davis School of Education, has empowered youth by giving them a voice through poetry.

SAYS will inaugurate its poetry slam season Wednesday night at the Roberts Family Center, and the season will culminate May 7 at the 2010 SAYS Youth Summit at the Mondavi Center. Youth ages 13 to 19 are invited

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