Education | Schools, students see impact of cash crunch | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education Schools, students see impact of cash crunch Seattle Times Newspaper:

"Meredith Westerside loved her work as a Bellevue School District librarian. But this year, for the first time in 20 years, she's back teaching English — part of the fallout from the deepest cuts in public-school funding in decades.

With the new school year under way, parents, students, teachers and staff in many districts across the state are feeling those cuts in ways large and small. Classes are bigger, new textbook orders are on hold, fees to play sports are up, music programs shut down and bus service cut back."

Dallas-Fort Worth school districts calculate different ways to use netbooks in classes | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas-Fort Worth school districts calculate different ways to use netbooks in classes News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Latest News:

"More local students are using 'netbooks' at school. The small computers are much lighter and cheaper than traditional laptop computers.

One sign of that shift took place when the Irving school district decided in May to begin replacing aging and bulkier student laptops with about 4,600 netbooks.
'It's a lot easier to carry,' said Luis Hernandez, 11, a Travis Middle School student. 'I like how it looks, and it has a camera.'"

Nation's teachers unions feel squeezed by some former allies - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

Nation's teachers unions feel squeezed by some former allies - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

"David Sanchez, president of the 340,000-member California Teachers Association, said teachers had high hopes for Obama but that so far there has been little change.

Indeed, when it comes to education policies, he said it's hard to distinguish Obama from his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who placed a premium on high-stakes student testing.
'To be perfectly honest, it's disappointing again,' Sanchez said. 'Our perception is it's more of the same, and that's not good, because we thought we were going to be able to change something, make some true reform in public education.'"

State politics could block Detroit's chance for educational progress | detnews.com | The Detroit News

State politics could block Detroit's chance for educational progress detnews.com The Detroit News:

"Another barrier to reform: ideological struggles between state Democrats and Republicans, who both try to write legislation to cater to their constituencies (union teachers for the Dems, charter schools for the GOP) rather than agree to research-based reforms that we know work for children. Then there are Michigan's public universities and colleges, which have not been forthcoming with commitments to adopt a K-16 data system that will allow Michigan to track students' graduation rates and other performance measures through college. The universities have avoided such accountability for years, but we rarely hear about them because they happen behind closed doors. Detroit's failures are on display for the world to see. The public universities' failures are covered up behind pretty ivy curtains."

The two worlds of education in America

The two worlds of education in America:

"Approximately two thousand high schools (about 12 percent of American high schools) produce more than half of the nation‘s dropouts. In these ?dropout factories, the number of seniors enrolled is routinely 60 percent or less than the number of freshmen three years earlier…Dropout factories produce 69 percent of all African American dropouts and 63 percent of all Hispanic dropouts, compared to 30 percent of all white dropouts."

Adjudicating School Reform

Adjudicating School Reform:

"The new policies, which the district plans to fully implement by next year, include eliminating seniority from hiring decisions, revising the teacher evaluation system, and offering financial incentives to teachers in low-performing schools. These reforms may be unpopular with some teachers and principals—though eventually all of Philly’s educators did show up for work—but they are the types of policies that are needed to ensure every student has access to an effective teacher."

Philadelphia’s new policies are remarkable for another reason—the district is required to implement the changes as part of a consent agreement that ends a 39-year old desegregation lawsuit. That suit, filed by the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission, alleged that Philadelphia schools were unlawfully segregated by race and denied minority students educational opportunities equal to white students. The parties agreed to end the lawsuit in July.

These test-score jitters are a sign of high standards - The Boston Globe

These test-score jitters are a sign of high standards - The Boston Globe:

"The federal No Child Left Behind law sets targets requiring every student to reach “proficiency’’ by 2014. States, which set their own proficiency standards, are expected to reach consistently higher points each year along that federal trajectory. It’s a lot easier for states with lower academic standards and easier tests to hit the annual mark. But that’s not the way of education reform in Massachusetts. State education commissioner Mitchell Chester wisely insists that he is “dead opposed’’ to making the MCAS test easier in order to look good on a federal report card. It’s that attitude that elevates Massachusetts students to the top of comparison charts on national and even international standardized tests."

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Tests don't tell the whole story - National voices - Merced Sun-Star

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Tests don't tell the whole story - National voices - Merced Sun-Star:

"Good news doesn't come out of nowhere. Credit goes to teachers, to students and to parents as well. And in Baldwin Park, many in the community -- and we would agree -- are giving credit for the scores improvement to Superintendent Mark Skvarna. In tough budgeting times that are forcing layoffs in many districts, Skvarna and his board did not hand out a single pink slip this past year. He said that fact helped morale along with keeping class sizes small. Both are important in fostering a happy and safe learning environment. Skvarna, who has a background in business, also worked on saving energy costs in schools."

A district under siege: Discord continues in Luther Burbank - San Jose Mercury News

A district under siege: Discord continues in Luther Burbank - San Jose Mercury News:

"In the tiny Luther Burbank School District, the office copy/fax machine is on the fritz, the phones go to voicemail for lack of a district secretary and teachers picket after school to protest stalled contract talks.

And yet, while some things in the central San Jose school district may be falling apart, eager students are tackling synonyms and long division, and the staff is celebrating test scores that indicate solid academic progress.

Three months after a scathing grand jury report questioned its very existence, and seven months after a audit critical of its financial practices, the one-campus district has shakily stayed its course, while the larger political and educational community has responded with a shrug of the shoulders.

'It just seems like the board and district are running amok and no one seems to care,' said Don Kawashima, foreman of the grand jury that in June suggested board President Antonio Perez step down, and the 566-student district merge with a neighbor. After alleging the board engaged in conflicts of interest, secrecy, intimidation, questionable spending and election malfeasance, the grand jury concluded that the district could not fix itself."

Tough times catching up to teacher pay, benefits | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/21/2009

Tough times catching up to teacher pay, benefits Philadelphia Inquirer 09/21/2009:

"Nevertheless, Garden State teachers are faring better than school workers on average nationally. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, elementary and secondary school salaries averaged a 2.8 percent increase from June 2008 to June 2009.

And even that is better than the paltry 1.5 percent increases on average being handed out nationally to private-industry workers, according to the labor bureau."

William J. Adelman, 1932-2009: Teacher formed a union at school, became labor history expert -- chicagotribune.com

William J. Adelman, 1932-2009: Teacher formed a union at school, became labor history expert -- chicagotribune.com:

"'We wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Bill and his devotion to preserving our history,' said Larry Spivack, president of the society, the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. 'He was for many years the public face of the labor movement in Illinois.'

Mr. Adelman, 77, who died in his Oak Park home Tuesday, Sept. 15, apparently of a heart attack, became such a renowned labor expert that he often was an adviser, writer and narrator of films and documentaries on the labor movement, particularly those dealing with Chicago's history, family members said."


William J. Adelman

“The popular and peripatetic prophet of labor history; teacher, author, lecturer, and tireless tour leader.”

Throughout his career, Adelman has promoted the history of Chicago labor. For twenty-five years he served as professor at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations at the University of Illinois. In 1969, he was a co-founder of the ILHS and has published numerous books on labor history: Touring Pullman: Labor Sites in the Chicago Area, Haymarket Revisited, and Pilsen: A Tour Guide. During the 1990s Adelman has lectured on Chicago labor and ethnic history before a variety of unions and community groups.

My vision for a strong MPS - BizTimes

My vision for a strong MPS - BizTimes:

"A strong, reform-minded superintendent - of the caliber that D.C. Mayor Fenty found in Michelle Rhee, New York Mayor Bloomberg identified in Joel Klein and Chicago Mayor Daley (and ultimately President Obama) landed in Arne Duncan - that is looking to come to a district where they can implement real reform.

Such leaders would be frustrated under the current system where they have to cater to the changing directives of board leadership. And they would certainly be frustrated by recent actions by the current school board such as redirecting $300,000 for an office of accountability that shifts key powers away from the administration to an elected board, or redirecting $250,000 to pay private lawyers to support the status quo and resist reform efforts."

Google’s Digitization Gains C.U.’s Support, Despite Suit | The Cornell Daily Sun

Google’s Digitization Gains C.U.’s Support, Despite Suit The Cornell Daily Sun:

"In 2007, Cornell joined five other universities in an agreement with Google to digitize its eight million-volume collection. The goal of the project was to allow Cornell to buy access to Google’s ever-increasing online library. Although copyrighted books — only those published after 1923 — were initially shown in “snippet,” a highly fragmented format, the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild filed a lawsuit against Google for copyright violation on Sept. 20, 2005."

An activist turns a page - The Globe and Mail

An activist turns a page - The Globe and Mail:

"Ralph Nader, the consumer activist and corporate scourge, is saying nice things about the kind of folks you'd expect him to despise.
“Never in America have there been more super-rich people with relatively enlightened views,” says Nader, lean and hopeful at age 75, dark eyes aglow as he speaks at the offices of Public Citizen, the progressive research and advocacy group he founded nearly 40 years ago.
“Not all the super-rich are craven greedhounds, dominators and bullies. Some of them take on their counterpart greedhounds, dominators and bullies.”
It's as if Glenn Beck had found the bright side of socialism."

From K-12, students can opt to take their classes in cyberspace | Family | Wichita Eagle

From K-12, students can opt to take their classes in cyberspace Family Wichita Eagle:

"Officials project that 310 public middle and high school students will take all of their classes online this year, with 200 other students choosing to supplement their traditional or home-school studies with virtual courses. Their teachers work for the county's virtual school, based in Davie. Broward Virtual School contracts with Florida Virtual School for its middle and high school courses. Florida Virtual operates out of Orlando."

Wing nuts are too stupid to win their fake Civil War

Wing nuts are too stupid to win their fake Civil War:

"Even so, with a long social history of being looked down upon by the slave owners and valued below their expensive chattel, the so-called white trash class was full of believers quick to identify with those above them in wealth, power and education. The trash was convinced of their rightness, once the mythology got up a good head of steam, to the point of suicidal obnoxiousness. These men actually thought that their constitutional rights would be torn asunder if slavery ended.

But you know how it goes: The rough and ready fighting men were taken into meat grinders like Gettysburg. After three days of battle in that small Pennsylvania town, Robert E. Lee discovered that the men he commanded were far from invincible."

Health Officials: Vaccine is Best Protection against H1N1 - Pravda.Ru

Health Officials: Vaccine is Best Protection against H1N1 - Pravda.Ru:

"The only thing experts can say for sure about this flu season is that it won't be similar to any other. There will be multiple flu viruses circulating, one of which most people are defenseless against. 'This year we are in uncharted territory,' says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden. 'What will happen in the coming weeks and months will only become clear in the weeks and months ahead.' Here is a handy guide to prepare for flu season by USA TODAY's Steve Sternberg, compiled from information provided by the CDC and other sources."

Education Technology News: Verizon Offers Free Online Resources for California Educators

Education Technology News: Verizon Offers Free Online Resources for California Educators:

"A new initiative from the California K-12 High Speed Network, or K12HSN, a state-funded education program, and the Verizon Foundation will reportedly provide free online resources for California teachers, parents and students, through Verizon's (News - Alert) Thinkfinity.org."

Young people should strive for a more complete skill set - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Young people should strive for a more complete skill set - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"If we are going to educate a new generation of informed, responsible Americans who are ready to work in an increasingly interdependent world, Sorensen says, we must start with a basic grounding in subjects such as history and political science. In addition, she promotes the teaching of foreign languages, so each student reaches a point of fluency in at least one of them. Later, as students move into the university, Sorensen believes they should take one or more courses in economics, and develop as broad a base as possible in world literature and culture.

How does one accommodate such needs in already crowded curricula at the secondary-school level?"

Education: Report forecasts surge of new students for community colleges – North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties - North Bay Business Journal - Archive

Education: Report forecasts surge of new students for community colleges – North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties - North Bay Business Journal - Archive:

"The report, entitled “Ready or Not, Here They Come,” will be presented at the commission’s quarterly meeting to be held later this month in Sacramento.

According to the report, the state’s 110 community colleges will need to increase their capacity over the next decade in order not to turn away the 222,000 additional students who will seek to enroll. It estimates that the number of students during the next decade will increase by 12.3 percent."

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"Join the conversation: Should teacher pay be linked to student performance? Leave your comments in our forum.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is a man in a hurry. Children, he says, have only one chance to get an education: 'We cannot wait because our children cannot wait.'"

Sacramento committee plan opposes strong-mayor proposal - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento committee plan opposes strong-mayor proposal - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"A draft report by the Charter Review Committee recommends keeping the city governance structure virtually untouched, except for granting the mayor the power to appoint – but not have final approval over – a nomination for city manager."

Students, education officials take precautions | Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, North Dakota

Students, education officials take precautions Grand Forks Herald Grand Forks, North Dakota:

"“Awareness certainly is heightened,” Pace said. “We have Minnesota Health Department information on our Web site, and I’m looking at attendance figures earlier than ever, asking what are the reasons for people being out. We’re in our second week and we’re getting some students who are sick, but that’s normal.”

While nobody is panicking over H1N1, “They’re scared of the unknown,” Carlstrom said. “How bad is it going to get? We don’t know.”"

Money problems sowing discontent in Univerity of California system - San Jose Mercury News

Money problems sowing discontent in Univerity of California system - San Jose Mercury News:

"The expected showdown this week — on the first day of classes at eight of the 10 campuses — follows a raucous UC Board of Regents meeting last week where officials presented their tuition plan and 14 of about 100 demonstrators were arrested.

'It's going to explode pretty soon, if it hasn't already,' said Will Smelko, a senior political science major at UC-Berkeley and the student-body president.

The growing rumbles come after a rough year for the university, which has cut enrollment and raised student fees to make up for state budget cuts. In November, the Board of Regents is expected to vote to increase tuition by 32 percent over the next year, pushing it to more than $10,000 annually."

The Associated Press: Calif. panel set to recommend major tax overhaul

The Associated Press: Calif. panel set to recommend major tax overhaul:

"According to a draft of the plan, the state's personal income tax structure would be flattened and taxes on the wealthy would be reduced. The state sales and corporate taxes would be replaced with a new business levy that taxes net receipts.

The commission is recommending a simpler income tax to replace California's more progressive structure, in which people who make more, pay more — up to 10.55 percent for millionaires. The commission is recommending just two rates: 2.75 percent for individuals making up to $28,000 a year and couples making $56,000, and 6.5 percent for those making more."

Mayor Johnson persuades homeless campers to leave downtown property - E-mail Alerts -- Breaking News - sacbee.com

Mayor Johnson persuades homeless campers to leave downtown property - E-mail Alerts -- Breaking News - sacbee.com:

"In his blog, Johnson wrote: 'I was there last night, meeting with about 15 homeless campers. I listened as they told me of their strong desire to have a legal place to camp in Sacramento. They listened as I pledged to work on solutions to homelessness. As we shared a meal, I was impressed by the strong sense of community and mutual support among the campers. After discussions and dinner, they told me they are ready move on and leave the camp.'"

The White House - Blog Post - Eid Mubarak

The White House - Blog Post - Eid Mubarak:

"'As Muslims in the United States and around the world complete the month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, Michelle and I would like to extend our personal greetings on this joyous occasion. Eid is a time to celebrate the completion of 30 days and nights of devotion. But even on this festive occasion, Muslims remember those less fortunate, including those impacted by poverty, hunger, conflict, and disease. Throughout the month, Muslim communities collect and distribute zakat-ul-fitr so that all Muslims are able to participate in this day of celebration. As I said in Cairo, my Administration is working to ensure that Muslims are able to fulfill their charitable obligations not just during Ramadan, but throughout the year. On behalf of the American people, we congratulate Muslims in the United States and around the world on this blessed day. Eid Mubarak.'"

Appointing vs. electing MPS leaders should be about real change - JSOnline

Appointing vs. electing MPS leaders should be about real change - JSOnline:

"There is a difference between an elected board and a non-elected board, experience elsewhere shows. Elected officials are likely to be more responsive to constituents, to organizations, to the people who call them and who do show up at the meetings. Non-elected members are likely to be less responsive to those seeking their attention, in the name of being more responsive to the general public and broad needs. Or, in the view of some, in the name of being part of an elite group that wants to shut the community out of decisions.

You want to keep your school from being closed? Your best bet is an elected board. You want more schools in the city to be closed? Your best bet is an appointed board. The same with a lot of other decisions."

Open for business: Cash-strapped schools looking for ways to make money -- OrlandoSentinel.com

Open for business: Cash-strapped schools looking for ways to make money -- OrlandoSentinel.com:

"Cash-strapped school districts across Central Florida are scrambling to find a new source of money by marketing everything from online websites to gymnasium naming rights -- and even Friday night football games.

They're hoping advertisers will line up for the ready-made audience of students, teachers and parents, as well as the general public."

Budget cuts push some classrooms way over capacity -- latimes.com

Budget cuts push some classrooms way over capacity -- latimes.com:

"The impact of California's budget cuts has varied from school to school. Because of the patchwork of federal and state funding for education, some campuses have felt the pinch far less than others. But at schools like Fairfax, hard hit by the $6 billion in education reductions enacted by the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, this is shaping up to be one difficult year.

'I'm very frustrated,' Collier said. 'I mean, it's a good class -- it's an honors class, and the kids are really good. But it's unreasonable to ask me to teach a class of 48 kids and give attention to everybody.'"

Remembering 'Norma Rae' Crystal Lee Sutton

Remembering 'Norma Rae' Crystal Lee Sutton:

"She was a warrior to the end, Price said.

'I've never seen any woman fight cancer as hard as she did. She was in a wheelchair in the last few months, and she wanted me to push her to a protest about a school's teacher cuts.'

Last year, a Burlington Times News reporter asked Sutton how she'd like to be remembered. 'It is not necessary I be remembered as anything,' she said, 'but I would like to be remembered as a woman who deeply cared for the working poor and the poor people of the U.S. and the world. That my family and children and children like mine will have a fair share and equality.'"

NSBA and NEA Publish Undocumented Students Legal Issues Guide « Docuticker

NSBA and NEA Publish Undocumented Students Legal Issues Guide « Docuticker:

"The National School Boards Association (NSBA), with a generous grant from the National Education Association (NEA), released a publication designed to help school districts answer questions about the legal rights of undocumented students in public K-12 schools. Legal Issues for School Districts Related to the Education of Undocumented Children offers practical information for schools as they deal with this complicated issue.

Sixteen national education organizations have signed onto the guide, which will go to every school district in the United States and is available on NSBA and NEA’s websites. The guide provides answers to 13 questions that school districts face as they navigate the growing trend of undocumented student enrollment."

Full Document (PDF; 717 KB): http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11634376/NSBA-and-NEA-Undocumented-Students-Legal-Issues-Guide

Kids Celebrate Reading | Literacy News

Kids Celebrate Reading Literacy News:

"Originally created as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss, NEA’s Read Across America has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day with more than 45 million participating annually.

“As teachers and parents, we know that kids who read – and are read to – do better in school and in life,” said NEA President Reg Weaver."

Frisco, other Dallas-area districts are emphasizing preschool programs | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | News: Education

Frisco, other Dallas-area districts are emphasizing preschool programs News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News News: Education:

"'Fewer children who receive early childhood education are entering the juvenile justice or welfare system. They are going to college. When they start early, more succeed.'
And, she said, Americans are finally recognizing it.

'Economists, business leaders, Bill Gates, all the major folks are out there touting the benefits of early education,' Johnson said, including the current administration."

Bloomberg mailer attacks Thompson with fuzzy facts

Bloomberg mailer attacks Thompson with fuzzy facts:

"Education statistics are notoriously malleable, and Team Thompson has argued that Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have cooked the books.
Expect to be buried under an avalanche of education statistics for the next six weeks. Bloomberg will point to better performance, helped by money and control that Thompson never had.
Thompson will say the mayor has turned schools into testing mills that ignore arts and music - though in his first TV ad, he never mentions his time as board president.
Which argument wins the election?"

Race To The Top puts too much pressure on schools | Delawareonline.com | The News Journal

Race To The Top puts too much pressure on schools Delawareonline.com The News Journal:

"It’s precisely in the 5,000 chronically failing public schools targeted by the initiative that this particular mandate needs to be debated most openly. These schools are almost always located in inner cities and in rural areas. They are overwhelmingly populated by poor students who come from chaotic backgrounds."

When teachers inherit classroom after classroom of these students year after year, it’s extremely difficult to focus on instruction. That’s because of the powerful effect of out-of-school factors on learning. Too many poor students go to school each day without a nutritious breakfast, without sufficient sleep and without parents who are involved in their education. As a result, teachers are forced to perform triage rather than teach.
This bleak situation has long existed, but the recession has increased the number of students who are homeless and who have lost access to health care. About 1.6 million people, including 340,000 children, were homeless across the nation before the recession began, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. With unemployment on the rise, the situation will only get worse.

azdailysun.com Top Stories

azdailysun.com Top Stories:

"The private school tuition organizations take advantage of a different state tax credit than do mainstream public and charter schools. The latter allows tax credits for donations to extracurricular programs, and it has drawn criticism that it primarily benefits schools in more affluent areas where residents can afford to make donations."

Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Arlington > News

Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Arlington > News:

"“We need more parents trained to advocate for their kids, and we need volunteers,” said Dr. Talmadge Williams, a former president of the Arlington NAACP and chairman of Parent Allies for Student Success (PASS). The group on Sept. 10 held its second-annual graduation ceremony, honoring 42 parents who spent weeks learning to be a bigger part of their children’s academic lives."

Teachers say parental involvement makes a difference in how children do at school - The Morning Sun News: Serving Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties

Teachers say parental involvement makes a difference in how children do at school - The Morning Sun News: Serving Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties:

"And indeed, the terminology may be so new that few parents have even heard of it. How many, after all, know what the word 'regrouping' is as it relates to elementary school arithmetic?

'Regrouping is another word for old fashioned borrowing and carrying,' Philson said. '(Some of the terminology) may be new to us too. Parents need not be afraid to ask.'"

Suzanne Fields: Facts being diluted in name of diversity | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Suzanne Fields: Facts being diluted in name of diversity democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle:

"A new report by the American Textbook Council, an independent research organization that monitors the quality of textbooks, is a new wake-up call. In 'Textbook Troika: How publishers, activists and multiculturalists keep students in the dark about Islam,' Gilbert T. Sewall, the director of the council, documents the malign influence Muslim activists exert on social studies texts. Not only do texts distort historical fact, but 'disinterested scholarship' is in jeopardy, threatened by a gathering perfect storm of academic failure and fatuousness."

Scary California stories aren't true - The Denver Post

Scary California stories aren't true - The Denver Post:

"No self-respecting state would want that. The massive budget cuts, the IOUs, the celebrity governor autographing government-surplus sale items . . . yikes! Just the thought makes your blood curdle.

The 'change makes us California' story is intended to scare us, but like many good tales, it's blatantly untrue. Budget reforms will not transform us into the Golden State. Almost the opposite is true. In many ways, Colorado is already like California, and if we don't change, more California-type problems are likely."

Emily Young: Initiative overload ruining California » Redding Record Searchlight

Emily Young: Initiative overload ruining California » Redding Record Searchlight:

"Also contributing to our state government woes is a representative democracy that is not functioning properly. According to think tanks watching these things, California's election districts are frequently producing little two-party competition, and state legislators tend to come from the two parties' ideological poles.
Furthermore, California is the only state where passing a budget and passing a tax increase both require a two-thirds majority vote in each house. As a result, the minority party has more power than is true in other state legislatures. With one-third plus one votes, it can block programs since most legislation has budget implications. Hence, the California Legislature's lack of accomplishments and annual budget fights."

» The Political Mechanics of ACORN The Speakers Lobby « FOXNews.com

» The Political Mechanics of ACORN The Speakers Lobby « FOXNews.com:

"ACORN is the acronym for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. It’s a community organization that says its mission is to assist low and middle-income families with housing, health and voting issues. ACORN’s come under heavy fire for alleged voter fraud in the 2008 presidential election. Some of its employees are now under criminal indictment. And the heat’s intensified in recent days. Undercover videos are plastered all over the internet showing ACORN employees willing to help filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles posing as a pimp and a prostitute as they seek aid to set up cathouses. The Census Bureau announced earlier this month it was severing its ties with ACORN. It’s believed ACORN has received $54 million dollars in federal assistance in the last 15 years."

Schools shakeup | Editorials | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Schools shakeup Editorials PE.com Southern California News News for Inland Southern California:

"The Legislature should start by giving local districts more power to make decisions, instead of setting policy from Sacramento. The state needs to streamline an overgrown education code that puts more emphasis on administrative paperwork than good education practices.

The state also needs to change an education financing system that dispenses money without regard to needs, costs or educational goals. And the Legislature should give districts more flexibility to use school money to meet local needs, instead of dictating spending priorities from the state Capitol."

California must lead way, education chief urges - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

California must lead way, education chief urges - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"California has an eighth of all the students in the country. You can't overstate how important California's success as a state is to our success as a country. I do absolutely think California is at a crossroads, a fundamental fork in the road. This is a time where we need real courage and real leadership. The status quo isn't going to get us where we need to go. California has to, at its heart, decide: Is the state going to continue to lead the country? Or is the state going to retreat to the sidelines or take a step backwards?"

Politics at play in county schools association formation - San Jose Mercury News

Politics at play in county schools association formation - San Jose Mercury News:

"Before that happens, however, the association will have to tackle numerous questions, including whether there should be proportional representation for districts based on size and whether charter schools will have direct membership. Some area educators also have suggested the county education board shouldn't be allowed to join.

So far, organizers have welcomed the county's participation but are dismayed by its hesitation. Organizers have further argued that, based on how the Santa Clara County School Board Association and similar organizations are designed, each school district should have only one vote."

Gerald W. Bracey: State's exit exams deserve a failing grade - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Gerald W. Bracey: State's exit exams deserve a failing grade - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The impact was disproportionately large for minorities and for girls. This is important because while it might be thought that minorities suffered from attending lower-quality schools, girls are distributed over all schools. The researchers were also able to rule out that minorities and girls might have been counseled into less-demanding courses that didn't prepare them as well for the test."

Rick Braziel: The time to act is before the dropout gets arrested - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Rick Braziel: The time to act is before the dropout gets arrested - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"Fortunately, a lot can be done to bring dropout rates down. First, kids who start school ready to learn are much less likely to fall behind and off track. Quality preschool has been shown to boost graduation rates by as much as 44 percent and cut crime significantly. It's a place where kids learn to interact with each other, respect authority and become responsible for their actions before entering an academic school environment. For example, when a child takes a toy from a classmate and then gets reprimanded, that child learns the value of sharing."

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The bottom line for public education is that whatever difficulties swirl around a school and a community – principal turnover, changing curriculum, poverty and violence, student troubles at home – the classroom has to be a refuge of learning. And those in it have to have, as Duncan puts it, 'a fundamental, unalterable belief that every child can learn.'"