Education Week: Dropout Costs Priced for 50 Major U.S. Cities

Education Week: Dropout Costs Priced for 50 Major U.S. Cities:

"'The Economic Benefits of Reducing High School Dropout Rates in America’s Fifty Largest Cities'

If half the students who dropped out of the class of 2008 had graduated, they would have generated $4.1 billion more in wages and $536 million in state and local taxes nationally in one average year of their working lives, according..."

Education Week: When Roads Diverge: Tracking the Charter Movement

Education Week: When Roads Diverge: Tracking the Charter Movement:

"When two roads diverge in a yellow wood, in poetry and in life, one must choose. After picking a path to follow, inevitably you ask the unanswerable question: What would have happened if you had chosen the other path?

Now we know what happens, at least in education, thanks to a remarkable study of charter schools in New York City. And that study, released in September, suggests that it’s time to widen one of the roads. ('N.Y.C. Study Finds Gains for Charters,' Sept. 30, 2009.)"

Education Week: New Head of U.S. Research Agency Aims for Relevance

Education Week: New Head of U.S. Research Agency Aims for Relevance:

"If improving the “rigor” of education studies has been the watchword for much of the work carried out by the U.S. Department of Education’s key research agency over the past seven years, “relevance” and “usefulness” seem to be shaping up as twin themes for the half-dozen years ahead."

At least that’s the message John Q. Easton, the new director of the department’s Institute of Education Sciences, is communicating as he speaks to national groups around the country. Five months into his six-year term, the 60-year-old Mr. Easton has perfected what he calls his “five-bullet talk” on his plans for the $617-million-a-year agency, founded in 2002. While not yet a hard and fast agenda, his presentation outlines his own goals for the direction the government plans to take in shepherding federal education research.

One point that Mr. Easton makes clear is that while promoting rigorous research through randomized experiments will be an important part of that agenda, it won’t be the agency’s guiding star as it was under his predecessor, Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst.

Teacher absences: Are they excessive and do they hurt students? | Get Schooled

Teacher absences: Are they excessive and do they hurt students? Get Schooled:

"Most discussions about school attendance focus on students. Now, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants to talk about teachers.

Duncan has made teacher attendance one of the measures to determine which low-achieving schools receive federal improvement funds. So, for the first time, the federal government will collect data on how many days teachers miss classes each year.

The reason is simple: Research shows that students suffer a small, but significant decline in academic performance as a result of teacher absences."

Kids should get moving to avoid obesity | Health | Reuters

Kids should get moving to avoid obesity Health Reuters:

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vigorous exercise may be an especially good way to keep kids lean, but sitting around, in and of itself, doesn't appear to have a major role in making them fat, new research shows.

Nevertheless, there are still plenty of reasons to avoid too much sedentary 'screen time,' Dr. Ulf Ekelund of the MRC Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge, UK and colleagues say, given potential negatives including 'violence and aggressive behavior, poor academic performance, and poor body image.'"

Why Parent-Driven Schools - Parent Driven Schools

Why Parent-Driven Schools - Parent Driven Schools


Why Parent Driven Schools

As parents, it can be difficult to obtain information about your children’s education options or to evaluate that information once you have it. Deciphering “education-speak” isn’t easy. But, every parent wants their children to be grounded in an education that opens doors to future opportunity and success.

Nothing will change in schools today if parents do not take control of their children’s education. If your child is in a district or system that is parent-driven, that means you should be driving.

Where does Parent Driven Schools Come in?

We understand that parents are busy people.

That’s why we exist to give you the information, tools and resources you need to become the solution to the education crisis in this country. If you don’t know how to “drive” your school, we do! If you’re not sure what a “market-based education system” is, have no fear. We can get you there.

The Educated Guess » UC students need a teach-in on California’s budget mess

The Educated Guess » UC students need a teach-in on California’s budget mess:

"(The Mercury News published this column on Sunday’s editorial page.)

Two voices called out when I heard that dozens of students on University of California campuses had been arrested for occupying college buildings in protest of the 32 percent fee increase that UC regents had passed.

One was that of the indignant college sophomore who was hauled off to the city jail in Boston in 1970 after refusing to leave the plaza at Government Center during a Vietnam War protest. The other was that of my disbelieving father who asked, “You were taken where for doing what?”"

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled...

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled...:

"Bright and Early

I return to you filled with turkey, cranberry sauce and renewed thankfulness that I get to start my day by combing education news. Now for your newsblitz!

The Union-Tribune reports on two good things going on in North County schools: A Carlsbad private school is building one of the greenest campuses in the country -- and no, we're not talking like Kermit. And Escondido high schools are cooking lunches from scratch.

The Los Angeles Times zeroes in on the city's only single-sex middle school. The hope is that girls and boys both get more attention. But critics question whether it fosters stereotyping.

Critics See Problems in New York City Charter Study

Critics See Problems in New York City Charter Study:

"A report issued by the New York City Charter Schools Evaluation Project in September, and since been held up as clear evidence that charter schools are doing a better job than traditional schools, is now facing criticism that its claim of being an “apples to apples” study just isn’t true.

The report, How New York City’s Charter Schools Affect Achievement, examines the performance of students who applied for openings in New York’s charter schools, which are 94 percent filled through random lotteries. When researchers compared the academic performance of those who were “lotteried in” with those who were “lotteried out,” they discovered a higher rate of achievement in the charter group."

Pricey preschools: Nobody's, everybody's fault

Pricey preschools: Nobody's, everybody's fault:

"It costs $12,000 to $20,000 to send one child to a preschool in San Francisco, a little less if you join a co-op. That's insane."

I'm sure it's not the schools' fault. Schools have to pay San Francisco prices, rent San Francisco space and follow San Francisco regulations. And why shouldn't they reap the benefits of the intense competition that keeps prices high?

I'm sure it's not the regulators' fault. They need to set and enforce the rules that keep our kids safe.

I'm sure it's not the parents' fault. They - we - just want the best for our kids, and we're willing to pay for it if possible.
It's nobody's fault. Which makes it everybody's fault.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/29/INSS1AGHA0.DTL&type=education#ixzz0YM90BnNH

'FOX News Reporting: Do You Know What Textbooks Your Children Are Really Reading?' - Specials - FOXNews.com

'FOX News Reporting: Do You Know What Textbooks Your Children Are Really Reading?' - Specials - FOXNews.com:

"FOX News Reporting investigated the $10 billion dollar-a-year textbook industry and how the drive to be politically correct might be taking over American schools.
Host Tucker Carlson, asked experts, teachers, publishers and parents the same question: 'Do you know what is inside your children's textbooks?' From kindergarten through college, we found staggering errors and omissions which may be pushing agendas, hidden and otherwise."

We spoke to the author of “The Language Police,” education historian Diane Ravitch, who said textbook publishers censor images or words they deem to be controversial in children’s textbooks. She told us that publishers pander to special interest groups, and assemble bias and sensitivity review committees. These committees decide what words to ban or redefine, and even what images are deemed offensive.

And we examined some college textbooks both in print and in digital forms. We found a glaring mistake in an expensive history book written by Alan Brinkley, Provost at New York’s Columbia University.

And in Fairfax County Virginia, questions remain about what textbooks are used in the private Islamic Saudi Academy. The ISA teaches about 1000 students each year pre-K — 12. Questions have been raised about its textbooks at least since 2006.

City clears self in bizarre test spike - NYPOST.com

City clears self in bizarre test spike - NYPOST.com:

"The probe of a Bronx elementary school's sudden, unprecedented, one-year gain in reading scores found no evidence of cheating -- but critics are blasting the drawn-out investigation as a 'sham.'

The three-year probe by the city's Department of Education looked at the roller-coasterlike passing rate for fourth-graders at PS 33 in Fordham, which catapulted from 34 percent in 2004 to 83 percent in 2005 before plunging back down to 42 percent in 2006.

The school was heralded by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the time as a model of the city's dramatic test gains."

Budget cuts cause classroom sizes to grow, kindergartners suffer the most

Budget cuts cause classroom sizes to grow, kindergartners suffer the most:

"Class sizes in city schools jumped by the most in more than a decade this year - and youngest children are getting hit hardest.

The average elementary school class ballooned by about 4% to more than 23 students. Middle and high school classes grew by 1% to 2% to almost 27 students.

'It's a really sad story,' said Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters. 'The kids with the highest educational needs tend to fall the furthest back. They benefit most from the individual attention.'"

City’s Schools Share Their Space, and Bitterness - NYTimes.com

City’s Schools Share Their Space, and Bitterness - NYTimes.com:

"Suzanne Tecza had spent a year redesigning the library at Middle School 126 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, including colorful new furniture and elaborate murals of leafy trees. So when her principal decided this year to give the space to the charter high schools that share the building, Ms. Tecza was furious."

Jay Mathews - Jay Mathews: Five strikes against an education writer - washingtonpost.com

Jay Mathews - Jay Mathews: Five strikes against an education writer - washingtonpost.com:

"It's almost December, time to sum up and see whether I added value to life on the planet this year. Others can assess my successes, if any. I prefer to dwell on my failures. Here are five I consider important.

-- I spent too much time covering political and ideological battles. Exhibit A is, of course, the controversy over Michelle A. Rhee's tenure as D.C. schools chancellor, particularly the firing of hundreds of teachers. My colleague Bill Turque has done a terrific job following that story, but I could not resist butting in, both in this column and in my washingtonpost.com/class-struggle blog. The distractions hurt everybody in the short run, something worth noting, but in the long run, such disputes rarely yield policies that raise achievement."

N.Y. lags nationally in virtual education | LoHud.com | The Journal News

N.Y. lags nationally in virtual education LoHud.com The Journal News:

"New York trails most of the country when it comes to one of the hottest trends in education — online classes — a nationwide survey found."

A state-by-state ranking by the Center for Digital Education put New York at 47 at providing access to courses on the Web. Only Connecticut, California and Maine lag behind.

But fears about the swine flu pandemic could prod New York to catch up. Online learning, already taking off across the country, is getting an extra push by alarm about the pandemic.

The Lower Hudson Regional Information Center in Elmsford has gotten scores of questions about online courses since swine flu closed schools last year, said Sarah Martabano, a regional coordinator. Classes on the Web would enable students who are sick at home to keep up.

”It gets people thinking: ‘What would we do?' “ Martabano said.

Mike's war for the kids: Albany must pass the mayor's bold program of school reforms

Mike's war for the kids: Albany must pass the mayor's bold program of school reforms:

"Mayor Bloomberg is taking the fight for education reform right to the teachers union and its allies in the state Legislature - and all the more power to him for picking up the cudgels.

Stunningly, in an speech attended by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Bloomberg said he had ordered Chancellor Joel Klein to start using student performance data in tenure decisions."

Change looms for schools

Change looms for schools:

"First, it was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Later it became No Child Left Behind in 2002.

But with the Obama administration now in the White House, talk of a new rewrite of the law has already begun. Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed the issue publicly in September, calling for changes to the landmark law during a speech to education leaders.

Just don't expect to call the next version No Child Left Behind."

A Note From The Chancellor >>

A Note From The Chancellor;:

"Dear Students:

This has been an intense week for our university. Protests against fee hikes have occurred on our campus and throughout the system. The reasons for the protests are clear: the promise of an affordable UC education for all is under siege, victim of a state and nation reeling in the midst of a historic recession.

This is a low point for public higher education in California. Spending for prisons now outpaces that for higher education. UC faculty and staff have already absorbed significant pay cuts and layoffs. Funding is diminishing at every level as we struggle to ensure that you continue to enjoy academic opportunities and experiences commensurate with our world-class reputation.

I understand your frustration. I share it."

Big advantages in schoolbooks going digital» Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Big advantages in schoolbooks going digital» Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

"Digital textbooks are on the way to Texas public schools, perhaps as soon as next fall. As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in our Nov. 23 edition, the state Legislature has already passed two bills allowing the Texas Education Agency to create a repository of online textbook content. The agency is seeking bids from both online and traditional publishers and planning to have the first open-source textbooks available to students in the fall of 2010.

With California, Virginia and now Texas in the process of going digital, it’s unlikely that the rest of the nation will be far behind. The advantages of digital textbooks are, after all, numerous. For legislators and taxpayers, the chief one is the likely cost savings. In 2007, Texas schools spent $375 million on textbooks. During the 2008-2009 school year, thousands of books were replaced, costing $264 million. By using online, open-source material, like California, Texas plans to develop its own curriculum, and cheaply at that. The open-source material would be purchased — presumably at a reasonable cost — by the state, which could then edit and copy it online to fit its own uses. School districts could then buy from a state-approved list, if they choose to do so."

Daily 49er - Unified student front necessary to salvage Cal higher education

Daily 49er - Unified student front necessary to salvage Cal higher education:

"As students, we stand on the steps of our university and look out at this world with uncertainty. We think times are hard now, but they will only get worse if we do not take action before we suffer the consequences of our indecision.

Students at UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley protested their board of regents’ recent decision to raise tuition fees by 32 percent. The California State University board of trustees has not made any comments about raising tuition fees, yet. Instead, the trustees are “hopeful” that Schwarzenegger will invest a total of $884 million into the CSUs.

The CSU budget proposal for 2010-11 originally requested $625 million, but on Wednesday, Nov. 18 they decided to ask for more. The board of trustees knows California will have a larger deficit next year."

Mike's challenge - NYPOST.com

Mike's challenge - NYPOST.com:

"New York state will have a better chance of winning federal Race to the Top dollars for its schools if it embraces the seven recommendations Mayor Bloomberg made last week.

Under the final guidelines for the federal Department of Education's $4 billion competition, New York (along with California, Texas and Florida) can apply for $350 million to $700 million in funds -- money that a state in serious fiscal crisis can't afford to lose out on.

Bloomberg's seven-point plan addresses key areas where New York needs to change its policies to be competitive in the race:"

Charter schools hold promise, but they're no magic bullet -- latimes.com

Charter schools hold promise, but they're no magic bullet -- latimes.com:

"The Obama administration may be over-relying on them as a means of remedying the nation's educational mediocrity."

Charter schools are on the cusp of national stardom. After gaining increased acceptance in the last decade, they now are central to school reform under the Obama administration, which wants states to remove any limits on their growth.

Charter schools are publicly funded but operate free of many state and school district regulations. The idea behind their creation was to empower schools to make their own hiring and curriculum decisions in exchange for guarantees in their contracts -- or charters -- to deliver high scholastic achievement in a certain amount of time or risk closure. The schools were intended to model innovations that might be replicated on a grand scale and to eliminate cumbersome labor contracts that work against better education. They would give disadvantaged students their first real alternative to violence-prone, low-performing public schools and create pressure for those schools to bring about quicker, more dramatic reform lest they lose enrollment.

After a decade of rapid growth, charters have begun delivering on some of these promises. They were among the first smaller, more personal schools; "smaller" has become a rallying cry among urban school districts. Families in low-income areas flocked to the new schools, where expectations were higher and children felt safer. Some have delivered impressive test scores.

University cuts will take long-term toll» Redding Record Searchlight

University cuts will take long-term toll» Redding Record Searchlight:

"University of California students took the streets in the run-up to Thanksgiving to protest the regents' decision - driven by state budget cuts - to raise fees by nearly a third for the coming school year.

It's hard to blame the kids. For the first time, fees will rise north of $10,000 a year. That's steep for in-state tuition at a public school, and the jarring increase will force some students (or their parents) to run the numbers and reassess whether they can still afford UC.

And the worst part? The UC kids are the privileged ones. They might have to pay more to attend Berkeley or Davis, but with the academic talents that got them admitted and the prestige of their degrees, they'll be able to pay back a few thousand dollars more in student loans if they must. At least, for the most part, there are still seats available in the lecture halls."

Autism Treatment Works in Kids as Young as 18 Months - Neurology | Alzheimer's Disease | Stroke - FOXNews.com

Autism Treatment Works in Kids as Young as 18 Months - Neurology Alzheimer's Disease Stroke - FOXNews.com:

"The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis.
The study was small — just 48 children evaluated at the University of Washington — but the results were so encouraging it has been expanded to several other sites, said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of the advocacy group Autism Speaks. Dawson, a former University of Washington professor, led the research team.

Early autism treatment has been getting more attention, but it remains controversial because there's scant rigorous evidence showing it really works. The study is thus 'a landmark of great import,' said Tony Charman, an autism education specialist at the Institute of Education in London."

Tufts Daily - The crisis of scientific illiteracy

Tufts Daily - The crisis of scientific illiteracy:

"Today the United States is faced with a serious crisis in scientific literacy and education. In the midst of debate over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, health care reform and the economy, this issue has receded further and further into the background. And yet the topic remains as salient as it has ever been. Our world is driven by scientific innovation and technology. Twenty-first century economies will be knowledge-based, science-oriented and dependent on workers in sectors like energy, biological sciences and information technology. The early by-products of this paradigm shift are already evident with the advent of personalized genetic testing, pharmacogenomic research, hybrid vehicles, advanced power sources and hundreds of other innovations and discoveries."

A priority of Obama's education plan, charter schools gain traction - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

A priority of Obama's education plan, charter schools gain traction - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Charter schools have come into vogue as an attractive alternative for parents and kids looking for innovative learning environments and higher test scores.

They've also become a priority in President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's education system."

And California legislators have pushed through laws that simplify charter funding and lift a cap on how many can operate in the state.

A new report by the California Charter Schools Association shows that more charters have opened this school year than in any year since 1992, when legislation first made them possible. The addition of 88 charter schools this year brings the total to 809 schools in California. Collectively, they enroll 341,000 students – about 5 percent of the state's student population.

City Hall Memo - Bloomberg and Teachers Wrestle Over 4% Pay Raises - NYTimes.com

City Hall Memo - Bloomberg and Teachers Wrestle Over 4% Pay Raises - NYTimes.com:

"As he sought to persuade wary voters that he deserved a third term as mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg sold himself as a no-nonsense financial watchdog who was ready to swing the budget ax."

But City Hall’s contract negotiations with the United Federation of Teachers are sorely testing those claims.

The powerful union is asking the city for 4 percent annual raises for its 87,000 teachers, the same pay increase that the Bloomberg administration gave municipal workers throughout the mayor’s second term.

A year ago, the teachers’ raises seemed inevitable. In fact, the city has already set aside enough money to give teachers 4 percent increases over the next two years.

City’s Schools Share Space, and Bitterness, With Charters - NYTimes.com

City’s Schools Share Space, and Bitterness, With Charters - NYTimes.com:

"Suzanne Tecza had spent a year redesigning the library at Middle School 126 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, including colorful new furniture and elaborate murals of leafy trees. So when her principal decided this year to give the space to the charter high schools that share the building, Ms. Tecza was furious.

“It’s not fair to our students,” she said of the decision, which gives the charter students access to the room for most of the day. “It’s depriving them of a fully functioning library, something they deserve.”"

Forest Kindergarten at Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs - NYTimes.com

Forest Kindergarten at Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs - NYTimes.com:

"SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Fat, cold droplets splashed from the sky as the students struggled into their uniforms: rain pants, boots, mittens and hats. Once buttoned and bundled, they scattered toward favorite spaces: a crab apple tree made for climbing, a cluster of bushes forming a secret nook under a willow tree, a sandbox growing muddier by the minute."

They planted garlic bulbs, discovered a worm. The rain continued to fall. It was 8:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday, and the Waldorf School’s “forest kindergarten” was officially in session.

Schools around the country have been planting gardens and planning ever more elaborate field trips in hopes of reconnecting children with nature. The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. This in a place where winter is marked by snowdrifts and temperatures that regularly dip below freezing.

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness - washingtonpost.com

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness - washingtonpost.com:

"As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied.

This year, two major studies offer contradictory conclusions on a movement that now counts more than 5,000 charter schools nationwide, including dozens in the District and Maryland and a handful in Virginia."

City schools may imitate best of charter schools | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

City schools may imitate best of charter schools democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle:

"Rochester schools could take a big step forward in student achievement next school year.

Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard wants to take five schools and model them after successful charter schools."

Administrators, the teachers union and parents must be willing partners to ensure success.

This page, in its "Rescue City Schools" project in 2008, advocated that the district try to replicate the success of True North Rochester Preparatory School. That school had some of the best math scores in the county last year, despite serving mostly poor kids.
In fact, Brizard mentioned that school in a recent meeting with the Editorial Board where he announced the "autonomous schools" project.


Brizard's idea is to choose five schools and give them as much autonomy as possible, in terms of having control over how monies are spent and how faculty are selected.
So far, the teachers union is on board. It's expected to approve a contract extension on Monday that calls for working with the district on this.

SAC CHARTERGATE

SAC CHARTERGATE:

SAC CHARTERGATE

Sacramento citizens shining the light on Kevin Johnson, St. Hope and the takeover of Sacramento High School.

"New allegations that mayor Kevin Johnson offered hush money to a young Hood Corps volunteer who complained of his unwanted sexual advances splashed across media outlets around the country last week. The story has national legs given the zeal of congressional Republicans to underscore the involvement of Obama Administration officials in the dismissal of Inspector General Gerald Walpin, whose findings related to the illegal use of federal funds by St. Hope included the revelations."

The Associated Press: AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid

The Associated Press: AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid:

"RALEIGH, N.C. — Students aren't the only ones benefiting from the billions of new dollars Washington is spending on college aid for the poor.

An Associated Press analysis shows surging proportions of both low-income students and the recently boosted government money that follows them are ending up at for-profit schools, from local career colleges to giant publicly traded chains such as the University of Phoenix, Kaplan and Devry.

Last year, the five institutions that received the most federal Pell Grant dollars were all for-profit colleges, collecting over $1 billion among them. That was two and a half times what those schools hauled in just two years prior, the AP found, analyzing Department of Education data on disbursements from the Pell program, Washington's main form of college aid to the poor."

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

I heard about President Obama’s Educate to Innovate science initiative yesterday while driving 13 tired students back from a four-day intensive workshop in geospatial technology in Sacramento.

My students gave up four days of their Thanksgiving vacation, slept on the floor in classrooms, ate cheap food we cooked ourselves, and put in 15-hour days in the field and computer lab to develop real science technology skills. They collected GPS waypoints and created a computerized map of River City High School. They produced seasonal climate maps of U.S. cities from data they collected on the Internet — original products that took up to eight hours to complete. Read the rest of this entry »

Picture Show: Urban Chickens | GOOD

Picture Show: Urban Chickens GOOD:

"We frequently extol the virtues of local food, but nothing is more local than one’s own backyard. To wit, in urban settings all across the country, a growing number of city-dwellers young and old are exploring the wonders of raising and farming backyard chickens. Recently, the photographer Todd Parsons scoured the San Francisco Bay Area for evidence of this burgeoning movement. The following photos offer a glimpse at a variety of hens, eggs, and coop architecture, revealing the chicken to be a strangely beautiful bird, and illuminating the deep and powerful connection we can make with our food—especially when it comes from the home."

Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary - St. Petersburg Times

Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary - St. Petersburg Times:

"Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary

Cars began rolling into the Fox Wood Park parking lot at 9 a.m. sharp. Moms pulled up to the curb and the doors flew open, little children emerging with backpacks and lunch boxes.
Guiga Vieira and her kids, 7-year-old Lucas and 5-year-old Isabela, greeted them all as they arrived to walk to Trinity Elementary School together. In just a month, the walking school bus that Vieira started up has grown from a handful of participants to more than 40.

'Every week, we get two or three more families,' Vieira said. 'Now that they see it's working, the kids want to walk.'

Trinity Elementary leaders are thrilled with the community effort to have children walk to campus, which is just three blocks from the park, rather than drive."

State charter schools program is 'out of control'

State charter schools program is 'out of control' StarTribune.com

State charter schools program is 'out of control'

Junk bonds fuel a building spree, but schools are more crowded, insiders are taking fees, and state regulators can't do much about it.

Minnesota's charter school movement, which sparked a national rethinking of public schooling nearly two decades ago, has been infected by an out-of-control financing system fueled by junk bonds, insider fees and lax oversight.

State law prohibits charter schools from owning property, but consultants have found a legal loophole, allowing proponents to use millions of dollars in public money to build schools even though the properties remain in the hands of private nonprofit corporations.

Hunger in America: How to help - Making a Difference- msnbc.com

Hunger in America: How to help

Organizations fight trend of growing hunger

A USDA survey last week found one in seven Americans struggled to get enough to eat in 2008, the highest level since the report began in 1995.

Wondering what you can do this holiday? Below is a list of links to get you started and connected with organizations like food pantries and soup kitchens.

• Feeding America
• Meals on Wheels
• Community Dining Room (Connecticut)
• Connecticut Food Bank
• Pantry of Broward, Inc. (Florida)
• Food Bank of Northern Indiana
• Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks
• Second Harvest Heartland
• Salvation Army link: Food banks in the North West
• Action Against Hunger
• Bay Area Rescue (San Francisco)

Serve.gov

• Press release on intiative to end hunger
• Hunger Toolkit (.pdf)

Listing sites (unverified)

• Soup kitchens
• Food pantries

technology resource technology resources

technology resource technology resources:

"America is on the move! The grant and resource opportunities covered in Technology Grant News represent a variety of approaches to supporting technology use and development. Technology Grant News invites you to use our publications as an entrance into the world of growing philanthropic support available for technology.

Technology Grant News provides, accurate, one-stop information on technology grants, free technology resources, technology partnerships, strategic alliances and technology advancement for your organization. Our publications provide a valuable and unique service for colleges & universities, K-12 schools, non profits, libraries & museums and towns & cities -- we research and compile the latest information from all sources on this technology funding, support and assistance and present it in ‘one place’ in time for you to quickly respond and take advantage of the programs."

Official Google Blog: Gone Google at EDUCAUSE 2009

Official Google Blog: Gone Google at EDUCAUSE 2009:

"Last week the Google Apps for Education team headed to Denver for EDUCAUSE 2009 where the higher education community meets annually. It was at this conference three years ago that we first unveiled Google Apps for Education. Since then, we've witnessed staggering growth in the world of cloud computing in education. Lots has happened over the past year especially: more than 100 new features have rolled out in Google Apps, we've engaged well over six million students and faculty (a 400% increase since this time last year), launched free Google Message Security for K-12 schools and have integrated with other learning services such as Blackboard and Moodle."

These developments are just the beginning. According to the newly-released 2009 Campus Computing survey statistics, 44% of colleges and universities have converted to a hosted student email solution, while another 37% are currently evaluating the move. Of those that have migrated, over half — 56% precisely* — are going Google.

To toast the students and faculty that are shaping this movement, we hosted our customers and EDUCAUSE conference attendees at the Denver Public Library. Check out the photos to see what these schools have to say:

Foodie fave brings lessons to school :: WRAL.com

Foodie fave brings lessons to school :: WRAL.com:

"An outdoor classroom at a middle school in Berkeley, Calif., serves a the basis for lessons in social studies, math and science.
The 'edible schoolyard' is the brainchild of Alice Waters, famed chef and owner of Berkeley's Chez Panisse."

Waters, a pioneer in the organic movement, conceived the garden in 1994 as a way to improve on school lunch programs.

"This is a delicious revolution that we're talking about," she said.

"This isn't hard to do. All of the ideas that I have had about food have proven to be true. That if they grow it, they cook it, they want to eat it."

Sixth graders at Martin Luther King Middle School spend their first period planting, harvesting and eating organic delights.

The garden and its adjacent kitchen provide plenty of learning opportunities.

"Teachers use every little drop of water or dew and every plant and every bed to to teach," said Fritjof Capra, of the Center for Eco-Literacy.

Wet plants yield lessons on the water cycle and condensation.

"It completes a circle for a lot of students who don't know the least little thing about nature and farming and they get to see that whole cycle," teacher Esther Cook said.

Apple Tablet To Redefine Newspapers, Textbooks and Magazines - apple tablet - Gizmodo

Apple Tablet To Redefine Newspapers, Textbooks and Magazines - apple tablet - Gizmodo:

"Steve Jobs said people don't read any more. But Apple is in talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a 'new device.' And they're not just going for e-books and mags. They're aiming to redefine print.

Several years ago, a modified version of OS X was presented to Steve Jobs, running on a multitouch tablet. When the question 'what would people do with this?' couldn't be answered, they shelved it. Long having established music, movie and TV content, Apple is working hard to load up iTunes with print content from several major publishing houses across several media."

Mission: Educational engagement - JSOnline

Mission: Educational engagement - JSOnline:

"First of four parts

Lennise Crampton, a 40-year-old Milwaukee mother of eight, sometimes wonders how her children would have performed in school if she'd known how to be a better parent from the start.
A single mother until she married this year, Crampton usually managed decent meals and clothing and getting her kids to class. It was up to the school, she thought, to handle the education part.

Then in December of 2005, a representative from Lloyd Street School marched up to Crampton's door and asked her to participate in a program that improves relationships between teachers, schools and families."

Editorial - Over-Punishment in Schools - NYTimes.com

Editorial - Over-Punishment in Schools - NYTimes.com:

"New York City joined a national trend in 1998 when it put the police in charge of school security. The consensus is that public schools are now safe. But juvenile justice advocates across the country are rightly worried about policies under which children are sometimes arrested and criminalized for behavior that once was dealt with by principals or guidance counselors working with a student’s parents.

Children who are singled out for arrest and suspension are at greater risk of dropping out and becoming permanently entangled with the criminal justice system. It is especially troubling that these children tend to be disproportionately black and Hispanic, and often have emotional problems or learning disabilities."