What Made Michelle Obama Anxious and Nervous -- Politics Daily

What Made Michelle Obama Anxious and Nervous -- Politics Daily:

"First Lady Michelle Obama revisited a stressful period of her youth on Monday, opening up to teen girls at a Denver mentoring event when asked about her views of standardized testing.

Mrs. Obama used the question to talk about her own insecurities and anxieties about taking tests, focusing on her time as a high school student in Chicago.

It's well known that Mrs. Obama was a high achiever. She went to a top public high school with selective enrollment, then to Princeton, and then to Harvard Law School. However, a continuing theme when she talks about her life is how she had her own struggles to achieve success."

Accountable Talk: Randi Reduhhhhx

Accountable Talk: Randi Reduhhhhx:

"In a stunning move that shows how much Michael Mulgrew learned from Randi Weingarten, the UFT delegate assembly today authorized the union to file for an impasse. That means, of course, that the union can send the matter to PERB to try to hammer out a settlement.

This is the same process by which, if you recall, we worked out the wonderful 2005 contract, where we gave away just about all our hard earned contractual rights in order to have a longer school day. It wasn't all a disaster, however. In exchange for 6% more time, we got a 6% raise. Yessir, those Unity types are really on the ball."

NYC Public School Parents: Is an Ill Wind Blowing Through NYC Public High Schools?

NYC Public School Parents: Is an Ill Wind Blowing Through NYC Public High Schools?:

"Even as the recent round of DOE Progress Reports has generated another wave of criticisms over Lake Wobegon-style grade inflation (with only one school in the city getting an F and over three-quarters grabbing A's), the just-released high school report cards contain some serious, and considerably more negative, news.

As Jennifer Medina and Robert Gebeloff reported in their Monday (11/16) New York Times article, 'More New York High Schools Get A's:'"

The school environment grades, which are based on attendance and results of student, parent and teacher surveys, and make up 15 percent of the grade, showed the steepest decline. This year, 55 high schools received a D or an F in school environment, compared with 12 last year.

Thus, in the one area where students vote with their feet (attendance) and the public -- parents, teachers, and students -- have some direct input via surveys tailored to each of those constituencies, the feedback from high schools is not happy news for Chancellor Klein. And the picture is actually far worse than the Times reported. As is too often the case, their "analysis" picked a piece of easy, low-hanging fruit while eschewing a more substantive and informative presentation.

Flypaper: Education reform ideas Duncan’s Maryland mistake

Flypaper: Education reform ideas that stick, from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute:

"Late last week, Secretary Duncan (and his able team) acted on what I have every reason to believe were noble intentions. Unfortunately, the secretary missed a golden opportunity and possibly did more harm than good for reform in my beloved Maryland.

On Friday, Duncan, with Rev. Al Sharpton and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, visited Baltimore’s superb KIPP Ujima Village charter school, consistently one of the state’s highest-scoring schools despite its inner-city location. Because of union attacks, Ujima was recently forced to cut several teaching positions and end Saturday school. So egregious were its actions that numerous national outlets admonished the union, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and CNN."

Local News | Seattle Schools return to neighborhood-based system | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Seattle Schools return to neighborhood-based system Seattle Times Newspaper:

"Seattle Public Schools has officially returned to a neighborhood-based system of assigning students to schools, similar to one it abandoned about 30 years ago in the name of racial integration.

With unanimous vote at 11 p.m. Wednesday, the School Board approved a new set of boundaries for most of the district's schools that will determine where students will be guaranteed a spot. The boundaries will be phased in starting next fall with students in kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades."

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » Racing To The Top

Eduwonk » Blog Archive » Racing To The Top:

"Race to the Top final regulations are on the way Thursday [You can read them here]. Ed Week writes them up. To some extent they do reinforce the view that the tragedy of

Race to the Top is that the Department of Ed has to spend this money at all – the anticipation may well have leveraged more state-level change than the actual program will.
The punchline is that the readers/reviewers for the state applications are now the entire ballgame. If they’re not strong and keenly attuned to change and reform then this initiative won’t suceed. I’m not as glum as some of the voices in the Ed Week story, but the regs have changed (and not in a reformist direction) so without a strong process to really evaluate state plans it is possible that some weak plans could slip through this scoring metric. In the Department’s defense, they are planning a creative qualitative process to vet the applications after the initial scoring is done. That’s crucial for quality."

Few things that are getting attention: It’s easy to see why the Department wanted to create a more comprehensive state capacity rubric, but it could also open the door to a lot of fuzziness. Again, the expertise of the readers matter a lot. I’m not freaked out (although some are) by the minimizing of common standards or new assessments, that’s a nod political and capacity realities. It would have been nice to see high-quality charters weighted more…and they could have been more aggressive on the human capital front. It’s still a lot of points but could have included more teeth to really delineate states.*

Bouncing ball to keep your eye on: New York. A strict reading of this means the state shouldn’t be eligible, but will be interesting to see how that plays out…the argument is being made that because the NY teacher data ban only applies to tenure it’s not really a ban on evaluation at all. Of course, a reasonable person might conclude that if a tenure decision isn’t an evaluation then exactly what is? Then again, a reasonable person would have no place in New York education policymaking. Update: More from Tom Carroll on that.

Urbanite Duncan Continues Rural Outreach - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Urbanite Duncan Continues Rural Outreach - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"Education Secretary Arne Duncan, whose education experience is firmly planted in urban ground, is continuing to reach out to rural folks to figure out how the reforms he's pushing will play out in the farther reaches of the country.

Nine rural superintendents, from Michigan, Texas, West Virginia, California, Mississippi, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Arizona, gave him an earful during a more than hour-long chat with him yesterday.

The Rural Nine, first and foremost, said they were thrilled to get to hear straight from department officials about plans for turnaround schools and for reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. And, they were pleased they got to help educate Duncan on how schools work, and how reform might play out, in rural America."

Parent-Teacher Conference and Report Cards for G&T | GothamSchools

Parent-Teacher Conference and Report Cards for G&T GothamSchools:

"Last week our child’s G&T kindergarten class at PS 33 Chelsea Prep held parent-teacher conferences. Our conference went well though it was short — just 10 minutes — so the teacher could meet with every child’s parents. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a detailed report card for our child.

Below is a copy of the actual report card we received for our child (sorry for the poor quality!). I whited out the grades for obvious reasons and I’m not sure if all schools use the same report card, but this will give you an idea of how children in a G&T kindergarten class are evaluated. The grading scale is 1 to 4, with 4 being “exceeds grade-level standards” and 1 being “far below grade-level standards.”"

Teachable Moment: Ups and Downs

Teachable Moment: Ups and Downs:

"Arizona, when its elected officials aren't saying moronic things, is the undisputed charter school leader of our country. The state boasts 500 charter schools, which account for 25% of the public schools in the state and 10% of the student population (class size comparisons, anyone?). Seems like this should have rocketed Arizona to the top of the state rankings, right? Well, the only problem is that the state's charter schools don't show as much academic progress as the state's traditional public schools. At least, that's what a study out of Stanford University found."

Now, in fairness, apparently the charter supporters are saying that the methodology of the report is flawed.

So let's mark the findings with an asterisk for now. But what the sides both seem to agree on is that the quality of charter schools varies widely. No kidding.For some reason, the real diehard charter supporters seem to think that all charters are always better than all traditional public schools. Even in the face of evidence that it simply isn't true. And it's obviously not true. It doesn't even make sense. Rather, there are some charters that are excellent schools. Just as there are some traditional public schools that are excellent. Likewise, both have their duds. What makes a school good is not that it has a charter label affixed to it. That's ultimately just a label. As I've said before, we should stop focusing on the labels and start focusing on what actually makes schools good and successful and replicate that in as many schools as we can so that all schools can be good schools.

Charters can certainly be part of that picture, but they are not a complete answer in themselves.

Tough job for Detroit's academic czar | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Tough job for Detroit's academic czar detnews.com The Detroit News:

"It's 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and Barbara Byrd-Bennett is e-mailing Detroit Public Schools' Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb one more thing to add to their to-do list.

She e-mails him at 4 a.m., when she cannot sleep. She e-mails him at 11 p.m., before she goes to bed. She e-mails him at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays from Cleveland, where she lives some weekends with her husband, Bruce, before returning to Detroit to do one of America's toughest big city jobs.

Byrd-Bennett is Bobb's academic czar and more: She is his co-chief."

When Byrd-Bennett told Bobb he was proposing budget cuts that would hurt children's learning, he backed off. When she recommended they negotiate a dramatically different teachers' contract, he followed. When she said Detroit had to radically change to compete with charter schools, Bobb agreed.

While Bobb is the school district's showman who woos the public with his no-nonsense message and anti-corruption results, Byrd-Bennett is the behind-the-scenes policy strategist charged with the arguably tougher job: dramatically improving student achievement in the country's most troubled urban school district.

"What is important to her is not the glory; it's the students and what's best for them," says Sharif Shakrani, co-director of Michigan State University's Education Policy Center, who worked with Byrd-Bennett in Washington, D.C.

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools:

"Parents at Lower East Side schools that may soon be asked to share building space told DOE officials last night that a charter school expansion could not come at the expense of successful district schools.

Hundreds of parents packed into the auditorium of P.S. 20 last night to protest three proposed scenarios that would allow Girls Prep Charter School to grow its middle school program by re-arranging building space at neighboring district schools."

All of the proposals would require district school students to give up resource rooms like art and music rooms or science and computer labs, parents told DOE officials and members of the District 1 Community Education Council.
Parents speaking at the meeting repeatedly characterized that loss as a civil rights issue, charging the DOE with removing resources from predominantly poor and immigrant students. (more…)

Trying to Eliminate Auditors Who Aren't There

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Trying to Eliminate Auditors Who Aren't There

Auditors say there's one small problem with the idea of San Diego Unified saving money by cutting auditors who look at issues other than finances: It doesn’t have any.

Eliminating those employees was one recommendation from the BRACE Team, which scrubbed the school district budget for savings that will impact the fewest number of children possible. It also recommended ending the fraud hotline, which allows anonymous callers to report financial waste and abuse. Cuts to the audits and investigations department would save the district $448,000, according to the report.

Academic Researchers’ Conflicts of Interest Go Unreported

Researchers’ Financial Interests Often Not Reported to U.S. - NYTimes.com

Few universities make required reports to the government about the financial conflicts of their researchers, and even when such conflicts are reported, university administrators rarely require those researchers to eliminate or reduce these conflicts, government investigators found.

In a report expected to be made public on Thursday, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, said 90 percent of universities relied solely on the researchers themselves to decide whether the money they made in consulting and other relationships with drug and device makers was relevant to their government-financed research.

Board of Education members want to fine parents for kids' detention

Nutley Board of Education members want to fine parents for kids' detention | New Jersey Real-Time News - - NJ.com

NUTLEY -- To save money in the district’s $59 million budget, two Nutley board of education members want to pin some parents with the detention bills.

The board members, Steven Rogers and Walter Sautter, say they are hoping to adopt a policy by next school year that would charge parents for detention, which they estimate costs the district $10,000 a year in overtime and maintenance fees.

"It may not seem like a lot of money, but it adds up over time," Rogers said. "Parents need to step up to the plate and to be held responsible and accountable for their children’s habitual actions."

During a board meeting last month, Rogers, who also works as a police officer in town, and Sautter, a former science teacher at Nutley High School, outlined a proposal to fine parents whose children are consistently sent to after-school detention. Rogers and Sautter have not determined the size of the fines or how to define a student who is habitually in detention.

The proposal, which is being reviewed by the school board’s attorney, would be the first of its kind in the state, said Frank Bellusciop, spokesman for the New Jersey School Board Association.

The idea has drawn opposition from other board members and residents who say detention is an integral part of a public education.

"I understand what they’re trying to do, because we’re very conscious of the budget, and there’s going to be a tremendous amount that we’re going to have to cut in the upcoming year," said board member Kenneth Reilly. "But I don’t think it’s legal, because we’re responsible for detention."

Belluscio said although districts may charge for some extracurricular activities and field trips, charging for detention may be in violation of the state Constitution.

"Discipline is part of a public education," he said. "Since detention would have to be used to enforce discipline, it is doubtful that you could charge for that, the same way you can’t charge for someone taking a history class or math class."

Is a $26,000 UC education still a deal?

Is a $26,000 UC education still a deal? | Opinion L.A. | Los Angeles Times

That's $26,000 for a single year at a University of California campus, not the four usually needed to graduate. The UC Board of Regents voted today to increase basic education fees for undergraduates by 32% to more than $10,000 for the 20010-11 academic year. Throw in the roughly $16,000 per year required for room, board and books, and the UC system fees approach $30,000 per year -- and feel a lot like the cost of an Ivy League education with few of the perks. (None of this is to say, mind you, that the regents won't be forced to raise fees again in 2010, with the state facing a massive budget deficit of $21 billion over the next year and a half.)

As evidence points to suicide, Scott family said considering 2nd autopsy

WBBM 780 - Chicago's #1 source for local news, traffic and weather - As evidence points to suicide, Scott family said considering 2nd autopsy

CHICAGO (WBBM) -- Evidence of gunshot residue on Michael Scott's left hand offers the strongest indication to date that the Chicago Board of Education President took his own life. But, the Chicago Sun-Times reports, the family of the Chicago School Board president was weighing an independent autopsy nonetheless.

Police have determined that the .380 caliber gun found beneath Scott's body had belonged to Scott for nearly three decades, and say gunshot residue was found on Scott's left hand.

Despite that, Police Supt. Jody Weis said Wednesday that he wants to see the results of ballistics tests and video surveillance cameras, which he expects next week, before concluding that Scott shot himself in the head.

Uphill Battle To Reform Public School Food

Uphill Battle To Reform Public School Food — Empire Report

Tavon Frazier is a skinny 9-year-old squirming in front of his Styrofoam lunch tray. He's eaten most of his chicken taco and his friends, all wearing the navy polo shirts of East Oakland's Korematsu Discovery Academy, are wiggling around him, chewing on their flour tortillas and nibbling on baby carrots. Tavon didn't stop at the salad bar on his way to the cafeteria table today. He says sometimes he'll get applesauce when they have it, but mostly he doesn't like vegetables, especially broccoli and carrots. His ideal cafeteria meal would be "donuts and cupcakes and a cake," he says with a mischievous sideways grin.

Tavon Frazier

---

Efforts to make sure that Tavon doesn't end up eating donuts every day and maybe even learns to like broccoli are underway in Oakland's public schools, though how successful these efforts will be remains to be seen. Between a convoluted and chronically underfunded system, divergent visions for what exactly healthy food is, and a cast of characters that range from bureaucrats to poor kids to soccer moms to farm-to-table visionaries, the school food situation in Oakland is messy. But the consequences for inaction are no joke.

Today, Tavon is part of an experiment. His lunch is made from scratch in a kitchen that stands some 50 feet from his table.

"It's a totally different menu than what's being served in the rest of the elementary schools," says Jennifer LeBarre, director of nutrition services with Oakland Unified School District, as she watches kindergarteners line up for lunch. "We're doing it here as a pilot project because we're trying to see whether or not we have the capability with our equipment, our facilities, our staff." LeBarre says scratch cooking will be rolled out at Manzanita, Bella Vista and Lincoln elementary schools next. "And then our big hurdle is to see how we can take the same food and do it at the central kitchen level."

U.S. education chief to visit An Achievable Dream -- dailypress.com

U.S. education chief to visit An Achievable Dream -- dailypress.com:

"Duncan and U.S. Rep. Robert C. 'Bobby' Scott will tour An Achievable Dream Academy elementary school and the middle and high school. The visit is part of Duncan's Listening and Learning Tour of schools across the nation. Duncan aides said he uses the visits to gather feedback and ideas from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders on education reform and policy.

Duncan will visit a hybrid in the public district: two schools that sprung out of a summer program of tennis lessons and tutoring founded in 1992 by businessman Walter Segaloff.

In 1994, An Achievable Dream evolved into a public school for grades 3-5, part of the Newport News district but resembling a cross between a magnet and charter program. In 2007, the middle and high school opened in a former grade school remodeled to resemble an office complex."

BBC News - Teachers' scores 'added to Sats'

BBC News - Teachers' scores 'added to Sats':

"Next year's Sats results for England's schools will be published alongside teachers' assessments of pupils' work.

The move could head off a threatened boycott of the national tests by teachers and heads.

Education Secretary Ed Balls said the change did not signal the end of the tests but he was 'not closing the door' on further reforms.

Heads say league tables drawn up from results of tests taken by 11-year-olds do not reflect a school's achievement.

Earlier this year, the government's expert group on testing recommended ministers look at improving teacher assessment to see if it would be possible to 'move away' from externally marked tests, in the future.

Teacher assessment in this case means when teachers say which level they believe individual pupils to be working at."

In New Statewide Survey, Virginians Speak Out on Education Reform Topics

In New Statewide Survey, Virginians Speak Out on Education Reform Topics:

"Richmond, VA (PRWEB) November 19, 2009 -- While a majority of Virginia’s voters believe the state’s public school system is good or excellent, similar numbers favor school choice reforms such as tax-credit scholarships, school vouchers, and charter schools. Fifty-five percent of likely voters would opt for schools other than regular public schools, according to the results of a public opinion survey released today by a diverse group of twenty one state and national education, business, religious and policy organizations.

The survey of 1,203 likely voters was conducted October 1-4, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent. Braun Research, Inc., a New Jersey-based survey research company, administered the interviews and collected the data for the project. Braun Research has previously conducted surveys and completed other projects for the Gallup Organization, the Pew Research Center, and the Eagleton Poll. It is also the field house responsible for collecting data for the Newsweek Poll."

Lawsuit Attacks Fla. School Funding - Central Florida News 13

Lawsuit Attacks Fla. School Funding - Central Florida News 13:

"TALLAHASSEE -- Of all the things state government pays for, there's one that's more important than everything else -- education.

The Florida Constitution requires lawmakers to make it their top priority, but critics said that's not happening. The question is headed to court.

As if two young kids don't keep Courtney McHugh busy enough, she's got something more to worry about -- their education.

'I think schools don't get enough funding,' McHugh said. 'I think the teachers don't get paid enough, as well, you know, because they help our children grow. They help them learn different things, and if they don't get the money, then what's the incentive for them to be there and help our kids?'"

Review finds state failing to maintain small classes - California - SignOnSanDiego.com

Review finds state failing to maintain small classes - California - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"Most of California’s largest school districts are increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, eroding the most expensive education reform in state history.
California Watch, a nonprofit investigative reporting group, surveyed the 30 largest K-12 school districts in the state and found that many are pushing class sizes to 24 in some or all of the early grades. Other districts have raised class sizes to 30 students — reverting to levels not seen in more than a decade.

The changes at more than two dozen of the districts surveyed have parents and teachers concerned that the academic performance of millions of children will suffer.
California ranks 48th in the nation in student-teacher ratios. New measures are in place that will allow districts to raise class sizes even higher and still collect more than $1 billion in state aid — money originally intended to reward schools that kept class sizes low."

State's school funding process is failing -- latimes.com

State's school funding process is failing -- latimes.com:

"Anyone who has spent time in or around government, from the deeply embedded bureaucrat to the young policy wonk, knows that there are two important issues in funding a public program.

One, is it getting enough money? Two, is the money being spent wisely?

On both counts, California's method of financing its schools gets a big fat F. On a per-pupil basis, our schools are among the most poorly funded in the country, and no one can be sure that the money they do get serves its purpose.

Ask those who have devoted time to examining the system: The way this state doles out money to K-12 education isn't merely inefficient and ineffective, it's insane."

Seifert column: Remembering an educational visionary - Andover Townsman, Andover, MA

Seifert column: Remembering an educational visionary - Andover Townsman, Andover, MA:

"When I read the article written by Meredith Price about Ted Sizer, former Phillips headmaster from 1972 to 1981, I was deeply moved by the memories.

For almost 10 years I had the good fortune to be working in the same town with one of the greatest education visionaries in our history. When you personally know and witness someone with unselfishness, vision, objectivity, and a sense of humanity you are compelled to say something about such a person."

Sizer was one of the most intellectually honest and ego-detached persons I have known. His perspective on education, schooling and moral imperatives exuded from his personality. We shared many luncheons at the Andover Inn. Sometimes they were more like seminars on what makes a good school. I must admit I did more listening than speaking on such occasions. No matter how small the item he was passionate about what he thought. It was infectious. He was an extremely logical man and could discuss issues based on the merit of the idea and not his feelings. However he was a very empathetic man and considered the impact an idea would have on people. He was also a courageous man. He spoke his beliefs without fear or concern he might be alone in his thought.

On one occasion we discussed the sharing of resources for the mutual benefit of children. He said if Phillips Academy had extra seats in some of its classes with a low teacher pupil ratio, Andover public school children could audit the course. We worked out a process over a cup of Henry Broekhoff's soup. I went back to the high school and within a week we had five students auditing Chinese Language classes. They had to provide their own transportation. I think Ted could see the role China would play in the world's future.

Campaign for High School Equity Outlines Need to Extend Expanded Learning

Campaign for High School Equity Outlines Need to Extend Expanded Learning:

"Civil rights coalition urges equitable distribution, evaluation of programs to close the achievement gap

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Expanded learning opportunities can strengthen and enrich the high school curriculum, help close the academic achievement gap, and keep students engaged in school, yet the students most at risk of poor academic outcomes are the least likely to participate in such opportunities. At a Capitol Hill briefing today, the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a diverse coalition of national civil rights groups addressing education quality and equality, urged Congress and education leaders to implement federal education policies that increase access to expanded learning opportunities for high school students and students of color.

'Research has shown that well-designed expanded learning programs can help to counter factors associated with low academic achievement -- things like low expectations set by teachers, students' alienation from school, and lack of a structured environment after school hours,' said Betsy Brand, executive director of the American Youth Policy Forum. 'As we explore strategies to improve our high schools, we must increase access to expanded learning opportunities for students of color, Native students, and low-income students -- those who are most at risk of dropping out or leaving high school without the skills they need to succeed.'"

WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - Shakeups planned at some Boston schools

WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - Shakeups planned at some Boston schools:

"14 Boston public schools have received an ultimatum from school department officials: improve student test scores, or else your school might be closed.

The ultimatum is contained in a five-year strategic plan unveiled Wednesday night by Superintendent Carol Johnson.

The plan outlines the school district’s direction and priorities for closing access and achievement gaps and graduating all public school students from high school prepared for college and career success.

Dr. Johnson presented a working draft of the plan during a meeting of the Boston School Committee at Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury."

Senate expected to adjust school reform grant rules- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Senate expected to adjust school reform grant rules- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut:

"The U.S. Senate is expected to act soon to lift a federal restriction that bars certain grant money from going to districts not meeting No Child Left Behind standards.

That prohibition on federal Investing in Innovation (dubbed “I3”) school reform grants effectively barred all Connecticut urban districts from applying for the competitive funds.

The House of Representatives voted recently to eliminate the No Child Left Behind restriction, and the Senate is expected to take up the matter this week, said state Department of Education spokesman Thomas Murphy."

Obama 1, CTA 0? / Assembly right to take up school reform plan - Editorials - SignOnSanDiego.com

Obama 1, CTA 0? / Assembly right to take up school reform plan - Editorials - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"President Barack Obama’s unexpectedly insistent push for education reform is the most welcome surprise of his 10 months in office. A Democratic president is far better positioned politically to demand changes in how schools work than a Republican, whose policy pronouncements are likely to be trashed by the powerful National Education Association or the American Federation of Teachers as a secret plot to undermine public education.

But as we have seen this fall in Sacramento, even a Democratic president can seem like an underdog when it comes to taking on teachers unions. A package of reform measures meant to qualify California for a share of $4.5 billion in “Race to the Top” federal education stimulus funds that passed the Senate stalled for weeks in the Assembly."

California Faces $20B Deficits For Years To Come | WSAV

California Faces $20B Deficits For Years To Come WSAV:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Despite multiple attempts to balance California's budget, the state can still expect to confront shortfalls approaching $20 billion during each of the next five years, according to a long-range forecast released Wednesday.

The report by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office warned that the nation's most populous state will face huge fiscal challenges even as the national economic outlook begins to improve and the state economy heads toward a recovery in a year or two.

In his report, Mac Taylor, the Legislature's nonpartisan budget analyst, urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to act swiftly on permanent solutions by making deeper reductions in all state programs and looking to raise revenue."

Pushback Greets Rhee's Radical Reforms of D.C. Education System

Pushback Greets Rhee's Radical Reforms of D.C. Education System:

"District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was appointed two years ago to revamp and radically reform the D. C. public school system. Her unconventional, some would say illegal, policies have the teacher's union and the council up in arms.

As the Washington Post noted on Saturday, October 31, 'Mayors from Boston to San Jose have been taking over school districts since the early 1990s, recognizing that their city's economic growth and their political longevity are inextricably linked to the quality of the local educational system.'"

In Washington this didn't happen until 2007. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced the Education Transition Strategy on April 27, 2007. A few months later Michelle Rhee was brought in as Chancellor, tasked with converting the policy into practice and practicalities. According to Washington Post staff writer Bill Turque, "in 28 months, she has upended almost every sector of public school operations, from school closures to classroom instruction to teacher evaluations to labor relations" in the District of Columbia, Public Schools (DCPS)

The latest battleground has been labor relations and the opponents have been Rhee, the teachers' union and D.C. Council Chairman, Vincent C Gray. Over the summer of 2009 Rhee hired 934 new teachers, approximately double the number typically hired each summer. In July she told the Lehrer News Hour that DCPS is "so fortunate, in that the economy, as bad as it is, has not impacted DCPS in the way that it has other jurisdictions, which I think might make us the only school district in the country that is not making any cuts." New hires, no budget cuts, 25 schools closed and half the principals in the system replaced in 28 months. To all appearances Rhee was successfully and relatively peacefully carrying out rapid and radical change successfully.

Battle lines drawn over school cafeteria chocolate milk

Battle lines drawn over school cafeteria chocolate milk:

"Parents, kids and advocates are staking out sides in the great chocolate milk debate. The crux of the controversy is whether kids who refuse unflavored milk will drink chocolate – especially kids whose impoverished families may not be able to afford milk of any kind at home. Or is the availability of chocolate milk creating kids who will refuse plain milk after they’ve tried flavored?

“Renegade Lunch Lady” and school food activist/blogger Chef Ann Cooper has staked out the strong anti-chocolate-milk turf, even likening it to napalm. The dairy industry is fighting back with a campaign. I hope we’ll see some quality testing in lunchrooms soon, providing conclusive data about now many kids (and not kids who are knowingly engaged in a rebellion after their chocolate milk was pulled from the lunch line) really will drink their milk if it’s chocolate and refuse it if it’s plain."

Triple Play

Triple Play:

"Three of the most incongruous characters on the American political stage have teamed up into an improbable though not altogether unholy alliance, being that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions.'

They are U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former Republican House Speaker and NCLB-cultist Newt Gingrich and Rev. Al Sharpton, a fixture on the New York City landscape for decades.

They may not neatly fit the descriptions of 'left-fielder' or 'right-fielder,' but they sure are all fixin' to bat 'cleanup.'

Their position is that 'reforms,' ( such as merit pay, charter school expansion, and revised accountability measures) are needed to cleanse the entrenched failed culture of America's public schools."

Class Struggle - High school research papers: a dying breed

Class Struggle - High school research papers: a dying breed:

"Doris Burton taught U.S. history in Prince George’s County for 27 years. She had her students write 3,000-word term papers. She guided them step by step: first an outline, then note cards, a bibliography, a draft and then the final paper. They were graded at each stage.

A typical paper was often little more than what Burton describes as “a regurgitated version of the encyclopedia.” She stopped requiring them for her regular history students and assigned them just to seniors heading for college. The social studies and English departments tried to organize coordinated term paper assignments for all, but state and district course requirements left no room. “As time went by,” Burton said, “even the better seniors’ writing skills deteriorated, and the assignment was frustrating for them to write and torture for me to read.” Before her retirement in 1998, she said, “I dropped the long-paper assignment and went to shorter and shorter and, eventually, no paper at all.”"

Curriculum debate draws warning of budget scrutiny | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Curriculum debate draws warning of budget scrutiny Houston & Texas News Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"AUSTIN — State Rep. Norma Chávez warned the State Board of Education on Wednesday to include more Hispanics in new history curriculum standards or risk possible budget scrutiny.

Hispanic children make up a majority of the early elementary grades in the state's public schools, and the proposed standards give them precious few role models, the El Paso Democrat said.

“They want to see people like themselves,” said Chávez, addressing the board on behalf of the 44-member House Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
Of the 162 historical figures required in the proposed standards for future kindergarten through high school grades, only 16 are Hispanic, she complained."

Alternate exams questioned as test scores rise in Virginia - washingtonpost.com

Alternate exams questioned as test scores rise in Virginia - washingtonpost.com:

"Lynbrook Elementary School, which serves one of the poorest communities in Fairfax County, seems to be a model for reform. Three years ago, the Springfield school failed to meet state testing goals in English. Since then, it has charted double-digit gains in passing rates for every one of its closely monitored racial and ethnic groups of students.

But the success at Lynbrook and other schools throughout the state is not only due to better teaching. More and more, students who have struggled to pass Virginia's Standards of Learning exams are taking different tests."

Four teachers named U.S. Professors of the Year - USATODAY.com

Four teachers named U.S. Professors of the Year - USATODAY.com:

"Teaching is more than lecturing: It is helping students experience their education, say the four 2009 U.S. Professors of the Year, who are being recognized today by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

'These are not people who are simply standing in front of a classroom and lecturing to students,' says Rae Goldsmith, vice president of advancement resources for CASE. 'These are all people who are letting the students participate in their own learning process, engaging students in research.'"

SN&R > Local Stories > They spent our money on what? > 11.19.09

SN&R > Local Stories > They spent our money on what? > 11.19.09:

"You can think of it as the community chest, or as a local government slush fund. Each Sacramento City Council member, including the mayor, has their own special taxpayer-funded account, which they can spend on pretty much whatever they please.

These discretionary funds get little public scrutiny. Whether it’s a $7 lunch at Panda Express, $1,000 donated to a local charity or nearly $100,000 spent on a local teen center, none of this money requires a public hearing or a council vote.

Still, it’s your money, so we thought you might like to know how it’s being spent.

These special funds come in two parts."

New superintendent hired to Galt district

New superintendent hired to Galt district:

"An associate superintendent from Modesto has been named Galt Joint Union High School District's new superintendent after an extensive search by an outside firm.

The decision to hire Daisy Lee was made during closed session late last week and became public this week when district staff was informed, according to board president Terry Parker-Owning.

The district did not issue an official press release."

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Sam Mazza Garden NEWS!

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Produce for Sale

Friday, November 20 from 3-4 pmVegetables for sale$1.00 bunchesBring a basket to fill.

Greetings! The Produce Market was a huge success last Friday! Thank you for your patronage: we hope you enjoyed the vegetables. We will sell individual bunches of vegetables this week for your Thanksgiving dinner! Read more about this weeks veggie sale and a review from one of our visitors last week.

Gratitude

On Friday, November 13, a professor from Bank Street College of Education in New York City visited out campus. Professor McKersie is currently on sabbatical and working to open a school of arts and technology for at-risk teens in the Hudson Valley. She spent a couple hours on campus, and has seen many high schools around the country as part of her research. Here is her note of appreciation:

It was a great pleasure meeting you and getting to observe your terrific staff and students in action. I deeply appreciate the timeyou took from your busy schedule to discuss both the joys andchallenges of leading a dynamic institution, such as George Washington Carver. I was struck by the kindness exhibited between students, and the caring and supportive interactions between teachers and students.

This alone says a lot about your school!

It's deeply inspiring the efforts you are making to introduce Waldorf methods to your staff and students.

This is such important work! Indeed, if young people are going to be prepared to participate in an increasingly complex world, they will need to be open and responsive and demonstrate originality and inventiveness. As you said, these skills are not acquired through textbooks or standardized tests, but through hands-on inquiry and experimentation. The ability to document the effectiveness of Waldorf methods (in both lower and upper grade levels) would be invaluable to school reform efforts everywhere, I imagine.

Thank you for the delicious vegetables. The bok choy was heavenly!

Friday's Produce Sale

On Friday, November 20 from 3- 4 pm we will be selling produce. This week we will sell individual bunches for $1.00 per bunch. Bring your basket or bag to fill up for Thanksgiving dinner.

For Sale on 11/20:

bok choy lettuce spinach radishes cilantro red Asian greens

Music and merry-making will be on display as well!

We look forward to seeing you at our second produce market:

Friday, November 20 from 3-4 pm in the front court yard. You will be glad you came!

Sincerely,

Allegra Alessandri

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Waldorf High School Garden and Farm

44 - First lady promoted exercise and nutrition during visit with Va. school children

44 - First lady promoted exercise and nutrition during visit with Va. school children:

"First lady Michelle Obama visited Hollin Meadows Elementary School in Alexandria on Wednesday to tour the school's outdoor classrooms and promote the importance of nutrition and physical education to learning.

'Anyone who has kids knows they need recess and exercise to focus. If you own a dog, you know that,' Obama said, drawing laughs from school officials."

The aging brick school, which has a science and math focus, has more than 14,000 square feet of gardens on its campus, and teachers often bring their lessons outside. The courtyard hosts an outdoor library, and math and science lessons can involve measuring worms or studying the anatomy of real plants, rather than diagrams. It was one of 61 schools in Fairfax County recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an emphasis on health and nutrition.

Community colleges: Top-tier places for green-job training - Nov. 17, 2009

Community colleges: Top-tier places for green-job training - Nov. 17, 2009:

"(Fortune Magazine) -- Community colleges have long held second-class-citizen status in the world of higher education. But they've suddenly become top tier when it comes to one important thing: training for new green-economy jobs.

In recent months, administrators at two-year schools across the country have been adding certification programs for everything from wind technicians to solar cell designers to energy auditors, positioning themselves at the forefront of a rapidly changing job market and spurring unprecedented spikes in enrollment.

In part the increase in demand at junior colleges is due to the recession: Many students can no longer afford pricey four-year colleges and are opting to attend two-year programs instead."

L.A. County keeping sugary drinks around -- for now -- latimes.com

L.A. County keeping sugary drinks around -- for now -- latimes.com:

"Supervisors approve health initiatives to improve the county's chances of receiving federal stimulus funds, but vote against a proposal to discourage the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages."

In an effort to strengthen their bid for as much as $40 million in federal stimulus funds intended for communities that promote healthy living, Los Angeles County supervisors approved a package of health initiatives Tuesday that included new community gardens and bike paths.

But they stopped short on a controversial proposal, backed by Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Mark Ridley-Thomas, to ban advertising for sugar-sweetened drinks at county facilities and to develop a plan to prohibit such beverages from all county facilities.

"Where you lose me is if you are going to tell me that a patron of the Hollywood Bowl . . . can't buy a Coke. You've lost me," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said."This is overreaching," Supervisor Don Knabe said.