Barnidge: There's a reason for legislators' low approval ratings - ContraCostaTimes.com

Barnidge: There's a reason for legislators' low approval ratings - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"BECAUSE legislative gridlock has become an institutional tradition in Sacramento, it would have been a tall order for Darrell Steinberg to remedy the problem in the course of a 75-minute presentation to the Commonwealth Club in Lafayette last week.

Instead, the California Senate president pro tem touched on the root causes. An unwieldy two-thirds-vote requirement annually turns the state budget into a months-long marathon.

Adherence to party ideology — Republicans' aversion to taxes and Democrats' to budget cuts — heightens partisanship. He also mentioned the 'lost art of legislating,' which can be loosely translated as an inability to compromise.
Add it all up, and what do you get?"

Losing Faith - The Daily Californian

Losing Faith - The Daily Californian:

"Facing an increasingly unhelpful (and unreliable) partner in the state government, the University of California is gradually turning to other sources for needed funds. Though ideally public support would be sufficient to fund the university, the decision to seek more private donations demonstrates that administrators are taking the necessary steps to address budget cuts in a realistic way.

On Friday, UC President Mark Yudof announced the kick-off of Project You Can, a systemwide scholarship campaign to raise $1 billion in four years for financial aid. This effort is unprecedented, given that the campuses collectively raise only about $100 million annually in private donations to support students and it indicates how doubtful university leaders are that they can count on government support. And with reason-there's little extra money going around in Sacramento for anything, let alone for a low priority like higher education."

The Challenge in Counting Stimulus Returns - WSJ.com

The Challenge in Counting Stimulus Returns - WSJ.com:

"The Wichita, Kan., government is slated to get more than $26 million from the U.S. economic-stimulus program. By early October, eight months after the stimulus program was signed into law, it had received only about 2% of those funds.

And much of that money went toward cats and dogs.

The city recently launched a $55,000 project to spay and neuter pets owned by low-income residents. Unwanted pets ultimately cost $240 apiece to collect, board and euthanize, the city estimates, so the program covering 800 animals should save taxpayers money in the long run."

Obamas rockin’ White House with music series - MUSIC- msnbc.com

Obamas rockin’ White House with music series - MUSIC- msnbc.com:

"WASHINGTON - Michelle and Barack Obama sat one table over from J. Lo and Marc Anthony, and all four of them were rocking in their seats as Sheila E. shook the house — well, really the tent.

The latest installment of the White House music series was too big for the East Room, so a high-wattage assortment of Latin musicians sent pulsating, can’t-help-but-bob-along rhythms tumbling out of a giant tent on the mansion’s South Lawn.

As it happens, music of all sorts — rock, jazz, country, classical — has been busting out of the White House all year long."

My Teacher, My Hero | True Stories of Great Teachers

My Teacher, My Hero True Stories of Great Teachers:

"Did you have a great teacher inspire you and change your life?

We all did.

My Teacher, My Hero celebrates those teachers.

See stories from leaders around the world and share one of your own!"

Sacramento Bee -- Capitol Alert

Sacramento Bee -- Capitol Alert:

Boxer, Feinstein pushing for public option

"As the Senate prepares to debate a massive health care overhaul, California Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are pushing hard for a public option, which would allow the federal government to compete with private insurers.

The two senators are included in a group of 30 who wrote a letter earlier this month to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, asking that a public option be included in the Senate bill.

The senators got their wish today, when Reid announced that the Senate bill will indeed include a public option. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco says the final House bill will include a public option, too.

But there still are plenty of details to be worked out."

Reid: "The Public Option With An Opt-Out Is The One That's Fair"

Reid: "The Public Option With An Opt-Out Is The One That's Fair":

"The public option lives.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Monday that the bill he will bring to the Senate floor will include a public health insurance option that individual states could decline to participate in.

'I've concluded --with the support of the White House, Senators Dodd and Baucus -- that the best way to move forward is to include a public option with the opt-out provision for states,' said Reid, referring to the Senate health and finance committee representatives, respectively, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). 'The public option, with an opt-out, is the one that's fair.'"

The Women's Conference - Empowerment, Inspiration and Education for Women - The Home for Architects of Change

The Women's Conference - Empowerment, Inspiration and Education for Women - The Home for Architects of Change

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

8:00 - 10:00 AM

NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH ANGEL BLUE

Opera Singer

WELCOME WITH PAULA ZAHN

Host and Executive Producer, Discovery ID, On the Case with Paula Zahn and Co-Host, WNET’s Sunday Arts

ARCHITECTS OF CHANGE: THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE VIDEO

LAREE RENDA

Executive Vice President, Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer, Safeway Inc.

GEENA DAVIS

Founder, See Jane

ANNE SWEENEY

Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney/ABC Television Group

ROBIN ROBERTS INTRODUCES A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONVERSATION: TOUGH LEADERSHIP DECISIONS IN TOUGH TIMES

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sheila C. Bair, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Sir Richard Branson, Founder and President,The Virgin Group

Moderated by Robin Roberts, Co-Anchor, ABC News’ Good Morning America

CHERYL SABANAuthor and Founder, The Women’s Self Worth Foundation

EVE ENSLERPlaywright, Performer, V-Day Founder

SOMALY MAMFounder, AFESIP, President, The Somaly Mam Foundation

CLOSING WITH PAULA ZAHN

MORNING BREAKOUT CONVERSATION
10:30 -11:30 AM
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONVERSATION: LEGEND TO LEGEND

HOST: PATRICIA CLAREY

Senior Vice President, Chief Regulatory and External Relations Officer, Health Net, Inc.

MODERATOR: KATIE COURIC

Anchor & Managing Editor, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

ANNIE LEIBOVITZPhotographer

Links

Conference Overview
Meet the Speakers
A Day of Transformation
Night at The Village
The Minerva Awards
Maria's Page
How I Did It{ Tips from Women Entrepreneurs }
Our Kitchen Table
The XX Effect
Sponsors

Universities urge parental activity | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger

Universities urge parental activity clarionledger.com The Clarion-Ledger:

"Maureen Edwards is getting a little help with the transition from high school to college, but she's not a student."

Edwards' daughter, Arielle, is the one who started college at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall.

"We've always been involved," Edwards said of her daughter's high school years. "I think it's really important to continue that."

While some may question parental involvement beyond high school, USM is one of several universities now hoping to aid parents like Edwards with the transition, and hopefully gain something from their eagerness: improved student success rates.

"We are putting a lot of emphasis on creating a climate of academic success," USM President Martha Saunders said. "Working with parents is very helpful and a very important part of the process."

The university recently held a "Parents University" workshop, providing information on subjects ranging from midsemester check-ups to campus resources.

The (political) dangers of H1N1 | 44 | washingtonpost.com

The (political) dangers of H1N1 44 washingtonpost.com:

"President Obama's decision to declare the H1N1 flu a national emergency over the weekend is a recognition of the political peril the virus could inflict on the White House.
The declaration came after 72 hours of stories -- both locally and nationally -- focused on the long lines for the swine flu vaccine and the mounting fear surrounding the illness.
And, it came just days after a Washington Post/ABC national poll showed that a majority (52 percent) of Americans were worried that they or someone in their family would contract H1N1 -- up from 39 percent who said the same in a mid-August survey."

Sacramento Press / Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!

Sacramento Press / Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!:

"We're so glad you're interested in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open! Not only can you win some great prizes, you can also have an effect on your community and gain some skills in the bargain! Contributing to our site is quick and easy - we can show you everything you need to know to take the act of making journalism into your own hands!

I'm David Watts Barton, the managing editor of The Sacramento Press, our area's top hyper-local, citizen-written news website, where we focus on up-close, in-depth coverage of neighborhoods like yours. We aim to spread the traditional habits of good journalism - accuracy, fairness and a diversity of opinion - across the Web. We do it with a mix of professional and amateur writing from around the community."

Ed Week: What Works for Rich Kids Works for All Kids

"What Works for Rich Kids Works for All Kids"

Dear Diane,

We've got to stop agreeing so much! I can't wait to read your new book so I can go into "attack mode" again. I always wonder, however, whether our disagreements are "fundamental" or based on our very different entries into the world of schooling. I think it's a bit of both. Your view that progressive education ideas became dominant at any time defied what I witnessed in schools I subbed in, sent my kids to, etc. (Even as it may well have swept the elite schools of education.) Your belief that there can be a curriculum that all could follow seems puzzling to me given what I also know about the kind of teachers and teaching you sought for your own kids, and even your reaction to CPESS. I just don't believe that if you were a classroom teacher you'd agree to follow someone's curriculum if you didn't agree with it. I'd rather impose a pedagogy than a curriculum, and you the other way around. But I suspect we both have in our head versions of each other's ideas that are not quite what the other means. We'll see.

Imagine Schools' View of Charter Boards Draws Fire

Imagine Schools

The chief of national charter-school operator Imagine Schools advocates controlling school boards and limiting their authority in an e-mail obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Dennis Bakke, who is CEO of the Arlington, Va.-based company, told his employees in the September 2008 missive that they should select board members who will "go along with Imagine." He also recommends in the three-page e-mail that employees obtain undated letters of resignation from school board members "that can be acted on by us at any time." (Read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch story.)

The e-mail from Bakke appears to violate a primary tenet of the charter school movement, which is that schools should be independently governed by local leaders. It also appears to run afoul of nonprofit law and state charter school statutes.

"That is appalling. I am appalled," Jocelyn Strand, Missouri's state director of charter schools, said after reading the memo.

Bakke notes in the e-mail that it is just his "thoughts, observations and suggestions," not "an announcement of official policy" for the national company. It says on its Web site that it runs 74 public charter schools in 12 states, including Missouri, as well as the District of Columbia.

His executives said the company followed the law in each state and that the memo was nothing more than a discussion item.

Education Week: Education Issues Bidding for Voters' Attention

Education Week: Education Issues Bidding for Voters' Attention:

"In a relatively quiet electoral season, education is making some noise in a number of campaigns around the country, from the New York City mayoral race and New Jersey governor’s contest to ballot measures in Washington state and Maine.

Voters in Maine, for instance, will consider measures with big implications for public schools, including a proposal to repeal a 2007 law requiring consolidation of many small school districts and an initiative designed to rein in state and local spending that could constrain education aid."

Group: Baby Einstein video refunds prove point

Group: Baby Einstein video refunds prove point:

"Parent alert: The Walt Disney Co. is now offering refunds for all those 'Baby Einstein' videos that did not make children into geniuses."

They may have been a great electronic babysitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.

"We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds," said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has been pushing the issue for years.

Baby Einstein, founded in 1997, was one of the earliest players in what became a huge electronic media market for babies and toddlers. Acquired by Disney in 2001, the company expanded to a full line of books, toys, flashcards and apparel, along with DVDs including "Baby Mozart," "Baby Shakespeare" and "Baby Galileo.

"Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/24/MN7O1AA5E0.DTL&type=education#ixzz0V3fKWiSZ

Southwestern College instructors suspended following rally - SignOnSanDiego.com

Southwestern College instructors suspended following rally - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"CHULA VISTA — At least four Southwestern College instructors have been suspended following a recent campus rally to protest plans to eliminate more than 400 course offerings and to demonstrate growing dissatisfaction with the administration.

A crowd of about 300 assembled on the Chula Vista campus Thursday to demonstrate against the cuts. The group of mostly students walked across campus and circled the president's office before breaking up.

It wasn't until 25 students showed up for their 9 a.m. creative writing class Friday that they realized instructors – including their own – had been suspended. When the students walked toward the president's office, they said campus police intervened and accused them of participating in an unlawful assembly."

College president Raj Chopra is on vacation. His executive assistant, Mary Ganio, released a statement saying Southwestern is investigating a personnel matter that is unrelated to Thursday's protest.

Make Mine Freedom (1948)

Fun and Facts About America, John Sutherland Productions. Creative Commons license: Public Domain. This Cold War-era cartoon uses humor to tout the dangers of Communism and the benefits of capitalism. For more great vintage animation check out www.animationstation.info and subscribe to our podcast.

David Ellison: Education secretary may be giving up on school reform - San Jose Mercury News

David Ellison: Education secretary may be giving up on school reform - San Jose Mercury News:

"TO CHARTER OR not to charter? That is the question.

Hamlet pondered whether to battle 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' or to just give up. My fear is that, in pushing for more charter schools, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has given up.

Charters never really became laboratories for innovation.

They simply adopted the 'new ideas' all public schools would if they had the freedom and the funds: longer school days and years, smaller schools and class sizes, careful selection of motivated, gifted teachers, strict accountability for both students and their parents, site-based management. '..."

They simply adopted the "new ideas" all public schools would if they had the freedom and the funds: longer school days and years, smaller schools and class sizes, careful selection of motivated, gifted teachers, strict accountability for both students and their parents, site-based management. "...

Charters have such freedom. But their claims to operate with less state funds than most public schools are spurious.

For one, charters usually receive substantial outside support. Even more significant, since salaries account for more than 90 percent of most schools' budgets, charters typically employ younger, far-less expensive faculty, and turn them over after only four years, thus keeping expenses artificially low.

In other words, charters attract our best new teachers but quickly burn them out.

This is reform?

Gingrich Must Sever Ties With Sharpton | National Legal and Policy Center

Gingrich Must Sever Ties With Sharpton National Legal and Policy Center:

"It is time for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end his association with Al Sharpton. The two have been appearing together around the country as part of something called the Education Equality Project.

As Dr. Carl Horowitz of our staff has documented in a Special Report released earlier this year, Sharpton has promoted fake hate crimes against blacks, and has inspired racial antagonism against whites and Jews. Indeed, this long-established pattern of behavior continues to the present.

Just last week, the purported victim of a 2007 racially-motivated attack in West Virginia recanted her story that she had been kidnapped and raped in a backwoods trailer by white men. Sharpton had championed her plight, descending on Charleston to lead an anti-hate rally, much as he rallied to the side of the accuser of the Duke lacrosse players in 2006."

National Journal Online -- Education Experts -- Should Private Money Fund Public Schools?

National Journal Online -- Education Experts -- Should Private Money Fund Public Schools?:

"Hard economic times have prompted public schools to look for or accept private financial support. Education Week reported that private donations are covering $18,000 of the $225,000 annual salary paid to a school superintendent in Indiana. In Boston, public schools worked with corporations, along with pro and collegiate sports teams, to boost school athletic budgets by more than 60 percent over the next three years ($4 million to $6.5 million).

Even with federal stimulus dollars, which won't last forever, many schools are struggling financially and must seek alternative solutions. Should public-private partnerships be formed to shore up gaps in school budgets? Does this pose ethical concerns?

-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com"

Laughed Out of the Room | GothamSchools

Laughed Out of the Room GothamSchools:

"I missed Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s speech at Teachers College on Thursday because I was working on his behalf in Washington. I was one of about 17 researchers on a panel evaluating a batch of research proposals on school reform for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research arm of the federal Department of Education. IES seeks to identify malleable factors (e.g., education programs, policies and practices) that can improve education outcomes. To do so, IES has developed a progressive goal structure for research projects.

Goal One projects are exploratory, and intended to inform the development of interventions by examining existing relationships between policies and practices and educational outcomes.

Goal Two projects are intended to develop innovative educational interventions that can be implemented in school settings, and to collect some preliminary data on the educational outcomes observed in a pilot implementation of the intervention"

Its record mixed, DPS pulled both ways on reform | INDenverTimes

Its record mixed, DPS pulled both ways on reform INDenverTimes:

"Denver Public Schools’ record of dramatic changes to improve its lowest-performing schools has produced mixed results, though district leaders report hundreds of students are scoring higher on state tests.

Since 2005, DPS has closed nine schools, sending students to what district leaders promised would be better schools, and redesigned ten more, typically replacing the principal and most teachers. Another two schools are being phased out.

Friday, DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said one in five of the students who had attended the nine closed schools did not return to a district school the following year.
Of the 79 percent who did, however, their overall average state reading, writing and math exam results were better.

“We did see striking improvement,” Boasberg told members of the A+ Denver citizens’ advisory panel."

Ten Facts About California

Ten Facts About California:

"(1) Family of four median income in California ranks 15th among the states. Regardless of how income is measured, in California it is somewhat above average, but not extraordinarily so.

(2) Among the 50 states, California ranks 4th in per capita spending; add DC, and it ranks 5th.

(3) Per capita spending on K-12 education is about average.

(4) California’s high school graduation rate is 10th from the bottom.

(5) This can be explained partially by the fact that California leads the nation in foreign born population.

(6) But even after controlling for foreign born population, educational attainment in California is average.

(7) California’s incarceration rate is a bit above average, but not extraordinary by US standards.

(8) California relies less on property tax revenue to finance its government than the average state. Economists generally find the property tax to be less distortionary and unstable than other types of taxes.

(9) in 2005-06 (the last year for which I have data), California had more net business creation than any other state. After scaling for size, California’s business creation was comparable to Texas’.

(10) California relies disproportionately on Information Technology and Professional and Technical Services for employment. These are high paying jobs that require a well educated labor force."

SFSU holds first general assembly | SocialistWorker.org

SFSU holds first general assembly SocialistWorker.org:

"SAN FRANCISCO--On October 21, San Francisco State University (SFSU) held its first General Assembly as a way to endorse a call for a statewide conference following a September walkout at University of California (UC) campuses, and to discuss ways of advancing the fight against budget cuts affecting public education.

More than 8,000 students, professors and workers across the UC system delivered the opening blow in the struggle for the state's future on September 24, with a one-day walkout at UC campuses. The success necessitated the call for a statewide conference, aimed at coalescing the different sectors of public education in hopes of coordinating a sustained response.

Modeled after the successful assemblies held at UC-Berkeley prior to the walkout, the Assembly saw over 100 students, faculty, and staff participate in a way that SFSU hasn't experienced in decades. Organizing the assembly brought together the main forces of the campus left, who for the first time, have come together in a meaningful way in response to the severity of the crisis."

How to Fix Our Education System - WSJ.com

How to Fix Our Education System - WSJ.com:

"The problem is well-known: The U.S. lags far behind other developed countries at the K-12 level in terms of measured performance in math and science courses."

What can be done to change that? The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray posed that question to three experts: Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education; Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania; and Christopher Edley Jr., dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley, who was also a member of the Obama administration transition team working on education issues.

Here are edited excerpts of their discussion:

It's the Teachers

A Fundamental Reworking

The Federal Role

Signed, sealed and delivered to state Senate - News

Signed, sealed and delivered to state Senate - News:

"Students gathered in the Campus Village quad Thursday evening to write letters for a campaign designed to address California State University budget cuts and fee increases.

'We're trying to get students to write to their senators about their own experiences,' said Julian Rosenberg, a senior political science major and president of Students for Quality Education. 'This way the people who are making the decisions know who it is affecting.'

The group organized the event, along with the Resident Hall Association, said Quacy Superville, a junior business marketing major and vice president of the Resident Hall Association."

California Legislators Got Drunk on Stock Market Gains -- Seeking Alpha

California Legislators Got Drunk on Stock Market Gains -- Seeking Alpha:

"I've been studying California's budget. From 1998 to 2009, California added over 80,000 full-time government employees. That means future taxpayers must pay for an additional 80,000+ pensions, lifetime medical benefits, and annual salaries. However, adding 80,000 more government employees is not the major problem, as long as we reform their generous long-term benefits.

The biggest problem is that starting in 1999, California's legislators assumed revenue/tax numbers based on stock market gains/sales and spent accordingly. From 1998 to 2000, spending jumped dramatically, but from 1999 to 2008, expenditures declined only once--when the tech bubble popped, in 2003/2004. Basically, it seems our legislators banked on an ever-increasing stock market to finance spending. Oops."

The Badger Herald: News: Illegal immigrants offered tuition

The Badger Herald: News: Illegal immigrants offered tuition:

For the first time, tuition this fall is being offered and accepted by undocumented residents within the University of Wisconsin System after Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed into effect a change of law that allows undocumented residents to receive in-state tuition, making Wisconsin one of 11 states that support this.

The other 10 states that give illegal immigrants in-state tuition are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington."

Currently, the federal government has the right to punish states that provide in-state tuition to undocumented students by obligating those states to provide the same benefits as undocumented students to those who don’t live in the state, according to the terms of the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

However, the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act is currently before Congress, which would revoke that section of the law.

California Sales Tax Bonds May Yield Less Than 5% This Week - Bloomberg.com

California Sales Tax Bonds May Yield Less Than 5% This Week - Bloomberg.com:

"Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The state of California, returning to the bond market for the third time in a month, may pay yields of less than 5 percent this week to sell revenue bonds backed by sales taxes.

The most populous U.S. state, whose general pledge to repay debt carries the lowest credit rankings among its peers, is refinancing $3 billion in tax-exempt bonds issued in 2004 and 2008 to patch budget deficits. An 11 percent annual drop in sales-tax collections through June led to this deal, intended to smooth out repayment for the next 14 years.

California is facing resurgent fiscal strains brought on by the worst recession since World War II. Since February, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers have cut $32 billion from spending, raised taxes by $12.5 billion and covered $6 billion more with accounting maneuvers. State officials predict a total of $38 billion in deficits in the next three fiscal years."

Daily 49er - Students must be involved speaking out for higher education

Daily 49er - Students must be involved speaking out for higher education:

"As students of the higher education system in California, we have rights and responsibilities, but we have given our silent consent to others. We are not taking the initiative to become active in determining our future.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard students say, “All I want is a C because C’s get degrees.” In my opinion, this is pathetic. This is an example of students not wanting to make an effort to distinguish themselves.

To parallel this argument, I want to connect the lack of effort and complacency with the financial crisis we’re experiencing. Many people think we can sit on our hands and allow others to make decisions for us because it’s easier to blame them for their misdeeds than it is to blame ourselves for not taking action.

I never imagined myself writing or saying anything like this in public; I am terrified of speaking out to the public for fear of rejection, but I find this problem worth the effort and criticism."

Investigating the U.S. President: Flash Back Video, Full Disclosure Network(R) Online | Reuters

Investigating the U.S. President: Flash Back Video, Full Disclosure Network(R) Online Reuters:

"WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Full Disclosure Network® is
re-releasing a nine minute Video preview, online, of 'The Prosecutor & The
Presidency' Series and Forum covering how America investigates the Presidency,
from Watergate to Whitewater. Available on The Full Disclosure Network®
website at http://www.fulldisclosure.net/flash/Special_Series.htm featuring
excerpts from a two-hour forum videotaped in Washington D.C. on March 6, 2000
and hour-long interviews with former U.S. Attorneys General and Special and
Independent Prosecutors.

The Interview Series entitled 'The Rule of Law and The Special Prosecutor
Process' covers the Presidential prosecutors and U.S. Attorneys General,
documenting the cataclysmic struggle among the most powerful American men and
women who shaped domestic political policy spanning the Administrations of
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush,
and Bill Clinton."

Sunshine could help reassure special-needs community | greatfallstribune.com | Great Falls Tribune

Sunshine could help reassure special-needs community greatfallstribune.com Great Falls Tribune:

"There is no doubt that confidence in Great Falls Public Schools' special education programs has been shaken by the allegations of abuse leveled against a couple of special ed aides"

The two women have been charged in court with one felony and one misdemeanor assault charge apiece, and we'll have to wait to see how that turns out.

Agreement by the district to allow a reporter to visit special ed classrooms last Friday was a step in the direction that will best restore confidence in the program: shining light on all aspects of it. Those visits resulted in articles in Sunday's Tribune by reporter Eric Newhouse, and they still can be viewed at http://www.gftrib.com/.

Such sunlight was what state Rep. Bill Wilson's sought with his request of the state attorney general last week to take the lead in a criminal investigation of the case in which two aides allegedly put the head of a recalcitrant 13-year-old autistic student under the tap in the classroom sink.

"I believe the best disinfectant is sunlight," Wilson wrote to Attorney General Steve Bullock, "and quite frankly, it is sorely lacking here."
The Democratic representative was responding to the common perception, after charges were filed against the aides, that the investigation had been conducted in-house, by a school resource officer who is a policeman but who works full time in the schools.

Student Association Takes Yudof's Offer to March on Capitol - Daily Nexus

Student Association Takes Yudof's Offer to March on Capitol - Daily Nexus:

"There is an old adage that says, “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” The Regents and the state legislature have been following this model for years, but reacting to budget cuts by raising fees has only brought more budget cuts. These fee increases have only been met with more state budget cuts and cannot be a solution for the problem of accelerated state divestment from higher education. Higher education is in a crisis, and if we keep trying old solutions we’ll stay stuck in this crisis with the same old problems."

In the last 20 years, the state has cut funding in half for the UC. In the last 10 years, the UC Regents have doubled student fees. Currently, we are facing a 30 percent fee increase that would put fee levels above $10,000. This will bar low- and middle-income students from the UC system from affording or even applying to the UC. The state has broken its promise to fund enrollment growth of 2.5 percent for the UC; it’s already overenrolled by 14,000 students. The state and the UC have abandoned the Master Plan and its commitment to provide a space for the top 12 percent of California’s graduating seniors.

To address the nearly $1 billion state divestment from higher education, the UC reduced faculty and staff salaries by implementing a furlough program. However, in the last decade, we have seen the number of administrators in the UC and their collective salaries double. We are seeing a serious lack of vision and priorities from UC officials and the state legislature.

Toby Boyd was elected as the new CTA Board member in the greater Sacramento Area

Toby Boyd

Kindergarten Teacher, Elk Grove Unified School District

Upon completing his studies at California State University - Sacramento, Toby started teaching in the Elk Grove Unified School District in 1994 at one of its Title One Schools. He currently teaches Kindergarten at Prairie Elementary.

During his career with Elk Grove, Toby has been involved with an educational program called MESA (Mathematic, Engineering, and Science Achievement) that assists under represented children in the fields of Math, Science and Engineering. Toby has held the positions of MESA advisor and Elementary Coordinator for Elk Grove Unified School District, which was the liaison person between the school district and the universities involved with the program. He has been accredited with being co-chair in the organizational process of several successful events such as MESA’s Elementary Math Competition and Elementary MESA Day.

Viewed as a strong site representative that has gained the respect of his peers and several site and district administrators, Toby was appointed as a bargaining member and serves as a California Teachers Association (CTA) State Representative. At State Council, Toby has served on the Early Child Education Committee (ECE) where he was appointed the Chair of the Kindergarten Subcommittee. Toby currently holds the position of Member/Minority at Large on the Association for a Better Citizenship Committee for CTA. Toby has also served as a delegate to the National Education Representative Assembly.

Toby has also been involved with Preschool California, an organization seeking the implementation of universal access to preschool for all California’s children. He has also been a spokesperson at several functions which includes speaking in support of the organization’s position on at least two State Legislative panels, as well as appearing in an article of one of Preschool California’s publications.

The Associated Press: Top foundations involved in education

The Associated Press: Top foundations involved in education:

"The top 10 foundations making grants for elementary and secondary education programs in 2007, the latest data available.

1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: $192,874,244

2. Walton Family Foundation, Inc.: $57,738,432

3. W. K. Kellogg Foundation: $40,473,023

4. Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation: $37,214,020

5. The HCA Foundation: $33,405,068

6. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation: $25,667,463

7. The Wallace Foundation: $23,920,000

8. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation: $23,636,000

9. J. Bulow Campbell Foundation: $23,560,000

10. Peter R. & Cynthia K. Kellogg"

New Nevada laws needed to secure education grants - San Jose Mercury News

New Nevada laws needed to secure education grants - San Jose Mercury News:

"LAS VEGAS—Nevada could qualify for up to $200 million in federal education grants—but on if the Legislature is willing to quickly change state law.

At stake is money from the $4.5 billion 'Race to the Top' program, which provides funding for innovative school programming.

To get a shot at grant funds, states must allow the use of student test scores as part of teacher evaluations.

Nevada law bars the practice."

USA's New Enemy: Obama Fights US Banks | The CEO Game

USA's New Enemy: Obama Fights US Banks The CEO Game:

"The President of the US addressed all the banks that were helped during the ongoing financial crisis and requested them to return a favor. In his words, now it’s the time for the banks to do their part and chip in to help the financial recovery and give more credit to little businesses. He is practically saying, hey the US tax payer helped you bail out; now the time has come for you to give something back to the public."

Obama made this statement at his “weekly address” which is broadcasted live via the radio and the internet. In his speech, he commented that many business owners in America are having a hard time to get credit from the banks, even though the government had done a lot to improve the financial situation of the banks after the economic collapse in September 2008, which afterwards the banks stopped handing out loans for small and medium businesses.“These are the very taxpayers who stood by America’s banks in a crisis, and now it’s time for our banks to stand by credit worthy small businesses and make the loans they need to open their doors, grow their operations and create new jobs” Obama said. He pointed out the White House is willing to take the steps needed to encourage the banks to give credit, but he didn’t mention what steps will be taken if at all. “It’s time for those banks to fulfill their responsibility to help ensure a wider recovery, a more secure system and more broadly shared prosperity” he added.

Sacramento Press / Is the Sacramento Press Fostering Civil Debate -- Or Encouraging Hate Speech?

Sacramento Press / Is the Sacramento Press Fostering Civil Debate -- Or Encouraging Hate Speech?:

"Since the Sacramento Press made its splash on our city's media scene, I've contributed a dozen or so articles and made somewhere in the neighborhood of 125+ comments. I've written about the best burger in town, the arts, and, of course, politics. I've worn my Sacpress.com T-shirt proudly (thanks guys!) and patronized advertisers. But you won't see my contributions here for awhile because of the Sacramento Press' 'terms of use' policy regarding comments. Let me explain.

The Sacramento Press allows comments to be made by the site's visitors with screen names, not their real names (though some, like me, use their real names)."

E-learning keeps potential failures from dropping out | Julia Steiny | projo.com | The Providence Journal

E-learning keeps potential failures from dropping out Julia Steiny projo.com The Providence Journal:

"Sixteen-year-old Danny drops into a chair at Woonsocket High’s E-Learning Academy like he’s a bag of loose parts. The adults ask him to tell me his story, but with a goofy smile, he mumbles that he doesn’t know anything. A sky-blue hoodie matches his sleepy blue eyes, emphasizing his sweet, baby-faced youth, even as a sparkly stud in one ear tries to be punk and tough.

Last fall Danny started his ninth-grade year at E-Learning, because he’d failed several classes in the eighth grade and needed an accelerated program to catch up to his class. He was not alone. Eighth-graders in his predicament are only one category of kids who come to the academy because they’ve fallen behind academically."

Solution for dropouts - The Boston Globe

Solution for dropouts - The Boston Globe:

"EVERETT - Usually, big social problems are so complicated that it’s hard to imagine ever fixing them. And, daunted, we don’t."

But sometimes, solutions are closer than you think.

A state report released Wednesday painted a grim picture of dropouts in Massachusetts: Ten thousand kids quit our schools every year, joining the ranks of those most likely to be poorly paid, unemployed, on welfare, or in jail.

The numbers haven’t budged for over a decade. A lot of kids drop out because of a mass of intractable social ills. But for about a quarter of dropouts, it’s a little simpler: They leave school because they’re having children.

“I don’t know of a single group more tied to the dropout issue than pregnant and parenting teens,’’ said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy. She estimates that there are currently 10,000 pregnant or parenting girls in this state, and 4,000 parenting boys. Keeping them in school, and lowering teen pregnancy rates, would put a huge dent in the dropout rate, she said.

Lawsuit over state's school funding as inadequate far-reaching - The Denver Post

Lawsuit over state's school funding as inadequate far-reaching - The Denver Post:

"With a court ruling last week, Colorado is set to enter the battlefield of 'adequacy' in school funding, a place dozens of other states have been before with mixed results.

But the case against the state's school funding system ultimately could be about more than money for education, attorneys say.

It could wind up as a direct challenge to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights in the state constitution. TABOR limits government spending and requires that tax increases go to voters.
School finance lawsuits are not new to Colorado or indeed almost every other state. Over three decades, Colorado has faced several legal challenges to its school-funding system."

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Bill Gates sways govt dollars - Today in History | Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news

THE INFLUENCE GAME: Bill Gates sways govt dollars - Today in History Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news:

"The real secretary of education, the joke goes, is Bill Gates.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been the biggest player by far in the school reform movement, spending around $200 million a year on grants to elementary and secondary education.

Now the foundation is taking unprecedented steps to influence education policy, spending millions to influence how the federal government distributes $5 billion in grants to overhaul public schools.

The federal dollars are unprecedented, too.

President Barack Obama persuaded Congress to give him the money as part of the economic stimulus so he could try new ideas to fix an education system that most agree is failing. The foundation is offering $250,000 apiece to help states apply, so long as they agree with the foundation's approach."

"Obama Promised Change.Was Native Education Included ?" by haskellnews / LJWorld.com

"Obama Promised Change.Was Native Education Included ?" by haskellnews / LJWorld.com:

"What type of changes have the Obama administration given to Native American Education ?

To Haskell Indian Nations University they gave Stephanie Birdwell-Bighorn.

A forty some year old with a master's degree in social work and no experience in education or the running of any schools as far as that goes. So what to do ? Put her in charge of all federal Native schools.

Obama administration don't worry about supporting the Presidents of Haskell and Sipi, after all they both hold doctorates and have the required experience to run those two schools."

EDITORIAL: Teachers pact sets national standard- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

EDITORIAL: Teachers pact sets national standard- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut:

"It is difficult to overstate the importance of the new three-year teachers’ contract in New Haven. The New Haven Federation of Teachers, the mayor and school officials have done what has proven impossible in other cities. It is why, the day after the contract was signed, Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of education, was on the telephone making congratulatory calls to New Haven. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who participated in the New Haven negotiations, has described the contract as “a template” for contracts in other school districts."

In return for wage increases and no givebacks in health benefits, teachers are gaining both a greater voice as well as greater responsibility in the classroom.They have agreed to a number of steps that have would have been unthinkable here before or in other school districts.While top performing schools may gain more autonomy from central office supervision, the staff at the schools with the poorest student achievement may find themselves replaced and a third party brought in to operate the school. The agreement sets the stage for New Haven to operate local charter schools, the first in the state. Teachers at these schools would be eligible for merit pay and would likely work a longer day.

Passionate principal gets results - Latest News - Kentucky.com

Passionate principal gets results - Latest News - Kentucky.com:

"Outside the yellowish five-story, castle-like school building on the west side of Chicago, violence, drugs and prostitution are nearly as prevalent as pollen. The school was on lock-down twice this month because of the violence occurring nearby.

Inside that building, however, enveloped in strict discipline, demanding rules and hard work, every student who has graduated in the past 30 years has gone on to a four-year college. Every one.

The school is Providence St. Mel, once controlled by the Archdiocese of Chicago, but now a private school founded by Paul J. Adams III, the principal when the Catholic Church wanted to close it down in 1978."

Let teachers vote again - Hawaii Editorials - Starbulletin.com

Let teachers vote again - Hawaii Editorials - Starbulletin.com:

"Hawaii's school system has been boxed in by a teachers labor contract with potentially catastrophic legal, learning and political ramifications. Teacher furloughs instead of ordinary pay reductions to meet state constitutional budget requirements have produced outrage. Teachers should be allowed to vote to amend the contract to meet education needs."

The contract calls for 17 furloughs, all but three on days of instruction to children, for the current school year and 17 for the next. Teachers retain their current hourly pay, but their reduction of 34 workdays results in a wage reduction of 8 percent.

We urged earlier this year that the Lingle administration give priority to education in determining which areas of government should be most spared by the current budget crisis. The administration instead subjected all areas of state government to the same budgetary goals. The implications of the furloughs for teachers were not fully appreciated when the contract was ratified.

Attorneys for parents challenging the furloughs in court express justifiable concern that children are being deprived of adequate education because of the days off. They point to a survey by the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finding that all teacher furloughs initiated in 25 states are on non-instructional days.

Costs driving school reform; Michigan school districts struggle to adapt as revenues continue to fall | Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com

Costs driving school reform; Michigan school districts struggle to adapt as revenues continue to fall Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com:

"KALAMAZOO — School parents, brace yourself for larger class sizes — maybe even college-size lectures at the high school level.

Figure you’ll pick up much more of the tab for sports and other extracurricular activities, assuming they aren’t cut.

Small districts, the pressure to consolidate is going to be intense.

The reason: With state revenues in free fall, Michigan school districts could see their operating revenues drop 10 percent or more by fall 2010.

To put that reduction in perspective: A district could eliminate its athletic program and bus service and still need to find more savings.

“Fifty kids in a physics class. No sports. That’s what we’re headed to,” said Ron Fuller, superintendent of the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency."

Bill Gates makes big push on education reform - Education- msnbc.com

Bill Gates makes big push on education reform - Education- msnbc.com:

"WASHINGTON - The real secretary of education, the joke goes, is Bill Gates.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been the biggest player by far in the school reform movement, spending around $200 million a year on grants to elementary and secondary education"

Now the foundation is taking unprecedented steps to influence education policy, spending millions to influence how the federal government distributes $5 billion in grants to overhaul public schools.

The federal dollars are unprecedented, too.

President Barack Obama persuaded Congress to give him the money as part of the economic stimulus so he could try new ideas to fix an education system that most agree is failing. The foundation is offering $250,000 apiece to help states apply, so long as they agree with the foundation's approach.

Race to the Top: Teachers left behind?: The Swamp

Race to the Top: Teachers left behind?: The Swamp:

"In 'the race to the top,'' no child will be left behind, we're assured, but a lot of low-performing teachers - as measured by the poor performance of their students - may be
The government has set aside $4.5 billion, as part of the $787-billion economic stimulus, to spur public schools toward better achievement. As states compete for grants under the 'Race to the Top'' program, they are being held to a standard that took root during the Bush administration, with its requirements that schools demonstrate yearly progress, and has blossomed in the Obama administration, which also is setting measurements for progress.

And for both the No Child Left Behind initiative that Bush won during his first year in office and the Race to the Top initiative that Obama's Department of Education is sponsoring in his first year, that means more student testing. It's a clear indicator of the common goals at work that Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and school reformer, and former president's brother, has heartily endorsed the work that Obama's education department is doing."

Autism's comfort zone :: Geneva Sun :: News

Autism's comfort zone :: Geneva Sun :: News:

"It was raining bacon and eggs, and Julianna Perrault couldn't have been more delighted.

'Ha!' she exclaims loudly. She then looks at her mother, Victoria, and offers a bright smile."

Later, when another scene on the screen tickles her funny bone, she loudly laughs and begins vigorously rocking back and forth in her chair.

Throughout the early morning screening of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" on a recent Saturday morning at AMC Cantera 30 in Warrenville, 13-year-old Julianna is free to do as she wishes. When she asks her mom questions about the color of someone's eyes, it's OK she's not whispering.

Yes, it's OK she's talking during the movie.

Elsewhere in the auditorium — where the lights are turned up and the volume dialed down to a comfortable level — a young boy runs up and down the stairs of the stadium seating. Later, he makes his way through the rows of chairs.

AMC Theaters, in partnership with the Autism Society of America, host monthly Sensory Friendly Films. These movie screenings provide families affected by autism and other disabilities a chance to see a movie in a safe and accepting environment.

Building a future: Students and city benefit from ROP class - Chico Enterprise Record

Building a future: Students and city benefit from ROP class - Chico Enterprise Record:

"CHICO -- At a passing glance, the IT-1 room at Chico High School appears to be just another ordinary classroom.

About a dozen students in T-shirts and jeans filter in from their lunch breaks, chatting about football games, English homework and the upcoming weekend.

They all carry backpacks, barely have their driver's licenses and slide into their seats to begin their assignments.

But these are anything but ordinary students and lessons."