Education Week: Majoring in Math Not Always a Classroom Plus

Education Week: Majoring in Math Not Always a Classroom Plus:

"Ask a parent, politician, or school board member to describe the ideal qualifications of a math teacher, and most would probably rank having a college major in that subject high on the list.

Yet when it comes to improving student learning in elementary and middle school, research shows that the value of that academic credential is limited—at best."

On the one hand, recent nationwide test scores show middle school students taught by a teacher with an undergraduate mathematics major scoring better, on average, in that subject than those whose teachers did not have that degree. Yet many observers view those results with caution, saying the weight of evidence does not show a connection between teachers’ having majored in math and higher student math achievement, particularly before high school.

That disconnect might seem counterintuitive, given the broad concern among policymakers about improving math teachers’ credentials, and about how states and school districts can improve educators’ professional training and skills.

But researchers who have studied school and college math instruction say that while math content is obviously essential for teachers, educators also need a more refined set of classroom-ready tools than a college math major, on its own, is likely to offer.

Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond

Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond:

"Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond (2009) describes programs that have been proven to help young people successfully complete high school and be prepared for success in postsecondary education and careers. These programs represent a wide range of interventions, including school-wide reform initiatives, community-based afterschool services, work-based learning opportunities, and college access programs. From an analysis of the included programs, the report identifies common programmatic and structural elements that may contribute to their effectiveness and summarizes key outcomes."

The programs in this compendium increase the number of young people who graduate from high school prepared to make informed decisions about education and who experience success in college and employment. The evaluations found a wide range of positive outcomes, which can be organized into the categories of secondary-level academic outcomes, planning for college and careers, postsecondary academic outcomes, career-related outcomes, and developing personal resources. The publication also sets forth a logic model that illustrates the complexity of the process of preparing youth to succeed in careers, lifelong learning, and civic engagement, as well as the various systems and service providers that support youth at each step of the developmental pipeline.
The publication is an easy-to-read guide designed to help national, state, and local policymakers and practitioners better understand how to support college- and career-readiness for all students.

Community Journalist Emily Alpert "TWEETS" SDUSD Board Meeting

Community Journalist Emily Alpert "TWEETS"

San Diego Unified School District Budget Forum

@emilyschoolsyou

Editor's Note: Emily likes to get to the bottom of things and goes from there, You should too if you want to read the reports from the start....enjoy great community journalism... voiceofsandiego.org

Professor: "I don't think we can make more cuts."


about 11 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet Stone, age 6: "I speak French and I need my school."

about 11 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet Another parent says individual schools should have control over their spending.

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Retweeted by you

Reply Retweeted (Undo) Doug Porter of OBRag: "We need to have one message. And the message is real simple. No more cuts!"

about 11 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet A parent gets teary. "We need Parents and teachers to stop fighting each other about the minutiae of it all," she says.

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Reply Retweeted (Undo) One science teacher says she bought all the lab supplies for her class herself.

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Reply Retweeted (Undo) Richard Barrera: "What is worth fighting for?" Urges parents to talk about that, not squabble about cuts.

about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet Kowba: "we're in it together"

about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet 75% of school district budget is from state

about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet $183 million cut from schools in last two years

about 12 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet But costs such as salaries, benefits and utilities have increased.

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet Schools have suffered a 14% drop in per-pupil costs over last three years.

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

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Reply Retweeted (Undo) Range of possible cuts for San Diego schools: $147million--$203million. Numbers can and probably will evolve.

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

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Reply Retweeted (Undo) Interim Sup. Bill Kowba: There is "no champion" for education in the Legislature

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

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Reply Retweeted (Undo) Interesting crowd: Andrea Guerrero of the ACLU, political consultant Larry Remer, principals, tons of teachers at San Diego budget workshop.

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet But first, frivolity RT @fmanjoo: Sexy's back: Justin Timberlake spotted wearing an NPR t-shirt. http://bit.ly/7U09Rb

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

Reply Retweet En route to a San Diego Unified budget forum! Look for sound, fury and tweets.

about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

Crib some notes on all things educational in San Diego, from the latest and greatest classroom innovations to scuffles on the school board, from school lunches to the teachers union.

Reporter Emily Alpert hits the books, dials the decision makers and navigates the bureaucracy so you don't have to, keeping you posted throughout each day on the education beat.

Contact her at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org.

twitter.com/emilyschoolsyou

This Week In Education: Millot: Read Toch's CMO Report Here

This Week In Education: Millot: Read Toch's CMO Report Here:

"Education Sector’s November 24 report, Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation’s Best Charter Schools examines the problems CMOs face trying to replicate their various philosophies of teaching and learning in new public schools. Considering the source, the content and conclusion are predictable and deserve little attention: While each CMO faces operational problems, the concept’s success is more a matter of removing charter advocates’ longstanding list of government barriers – inadequate per pupil payments, a lack of access to facilities or financing, etc, etc.

Yet, the report demands close review - because it’s real author, content and conclusions have gone missing. Until now."

Apparently, no one wrote Growing. In fact, it is a much-edited version of EdSector co-founder Thomas Toch’s Sweating the Big Stuff: A Progress Report on the Movement to Scale Up the Nation’s Best Charter Schools. Based on interviews with CMO insiders, publicly available data, and his own analysis, Toch presents a compelling indictment of the “new philanthropy’s” primary investment strategy for education reform. His arguments should be available to all and addressed on the merits. Instead, someone at EdSector hacked away at Toch’s evidence until it fit the rhetoric of CMO advocates.


Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation's Best Charter Schools Education Sector Reports -

Lawsuit challenges Legislature on poor education record / Blog / News & Events / Worst to First / Home - Worst to First

Lawsuit challenges Legislature on poor education record / Blog / News & Events / Worst to First / Home - Worst to First:

"You can look it up. The Florida Constitution says it is “a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders” and that the state shall provide “a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education …”

For the past decade the state Legislature has been ignoring its constitutional responsibilities, paying less for education while forcing costs on to local districts, lowering the state's contribution to education funding from 62 percent in 2001 to 45 percent this year."

Enough is enough, says a group suing the Legislature and Board of Education for their failure to support education. The lawsuit, which you can download here, says they've failed to meet the constitutional requirements. The plaintiffs, whose attorneys include former Democratic House Speaker Jon Mills, Republican E. Thom Rumberger and members of Southern Legal Counsel, want state leaders to create a "remedial plan" for fulfilling their constitutional obligations.

SAC CHARTERGATE: Let's Not Forget CASA

SAC CHARTERGATE: Let's Not Forget CASA:

"This important comment on a previous post caught our eye:

Contrary to popular belief, there are millions of dollars to be made in education. Charter schools, corporate take overs, non-profits, and the like are all cleaning up under the guise of reform. They have six-figure salaries, and the kids are getting squat…"

It made us think about the California Administrative Services Authority pension scandal brought to us by the Sac City District administrators and board members who gave away of Sacramento High School to Kevin Johnson and St. Hope. CASA also involved the creation of a murky charter school management venture. Under the CASA umbrella, high level Sac City District officials positioned themselves into lucrative management contracts to administer the business operations of the same charter schools they helped establish.

Read More at: SAC CHARTERGATE: Let's Not Forget CASA

Microsoft, Google in battle to win over students - San Jose Mercury News

Microsoft, Google in battle to win over students - San Jose Mercury News:

"As they plunged into a project on ancient Egypt this fall, Jay Martino's Cupertino Middle School students probably didn't realize they were on the front lines of a high-stakes battle between Google and Microsoft.

But the sixth-graders, who did the entire research project on a 'walled' network of student Web sites using document-sharing software and e-mail provided by Google for free, are among the thousands of students worldwide that Google and Microsoft are fighting over."

With the recession taking a bite out of university endowments and public school budgets alike, the competition between Google and Microsoft to convert the nation's colleges, universities and schools to the companies' free e-mail and other IT services that run on the Internet "cloud" — outsourcing that can save a large university hundreds of thousands of dollars a year — has only grown more fierce. With the two companies fighting to baptize a future generation of computer users with their products, the stakes for both are significant.

The battle has already reshaped classroom technology. Just a year ago, Martino's sixth-graders would have generated reams of paper as they researched mummies, Cleopatra and King Tut. This fall, the students' work exists on the "cloud" — bits of data flowing across Google's network, accessible from any computer with a Web browser and a password.

LEI Overview

LEI Overview

Overview


LEI – The Game consists of fifteen interactive missions in which students complete a variety of activities to help them learn important personal finance concepts. Within each mission, students are introduced to a character who is facing a particular financial crisis. As a part of the Gen I Revolution, the student learns about the crisis, strategically selects “Operatives”, and then completes activities with the ultimate goal of solving the mission.

The competitive nature as well as the engaging activities provides a motivating learning environment for students. Combined with the Learning, Earning and Investing® print materials, LEI – The Game provides a comprehensive investor education program that your students will love.

To learn more about each of the fifteen missions, see the details below. Teachers have the ability to enable/disable each of the missions for their students. In addition, teachers can create teams and track student progress. Complete the registration form to have your students join the Gen I Revolution.

Audience: 6-12 Grade Students

Time Frame: Each Mission will take about 30 minutes to complete.

Computer game draws students into an interactive world of financial know-how - JSOnline

Computer game draws students into an interactive world of financial know-how - JSOnline:

"Mark Schug is looking for high school and middle school operatives to help computer game heroine Monique return financial power to the people.

The retired education professor's search begins Friday at a meeting of economics teachers at Miller Park.

Schug says the 90-plus teachers attending the meeting of the Association of School Economics Teachers are perfect recruiters for the new game he created with two other financial literacy advocates.

'Monique is demanding - she only wants right answers,' said Schug, a retired education professor."

Texas education head warns of 'federal takeover'

Texas education head warns of 'federal takeover':

Texas education head warns of 'federal takeover'

Embrace of 'common standards' by Obama administration is first step to losing local control, Scott says.

"Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said Wednesday that the Obama administration is marching toward a federal takeover of the nation's public schools — and Texas should fight it.
The first step, he said, is an effort to develop common math and English curriculum standards that is being led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers."

Participation in the ongoing common standards effort is part of the criteria for a $4 billion federal grant program called Race to the Top.

Texas and Alaska are the only states not participating in the common standards effort. Scott said Texas is already ahead of the other states in developing tough standards.

The U.S. Education Department appears to be "placing its desire for a federal takeover of public education above the interests of the 4.7 million schoolchildren in the state of Texas by setting two different starting lines — one for nearly every other state in the country and one for Texas," Scott wrote last week in a letter to the state's congressional delegation.

"Because Texas has chosen to preserve its sovereign authority to determine what is appropriate for Texas children to learn in its public schools," said Scott, "the state is now placed at a serious disadvantage in competing for its share of (the grant money)."

Class Struggle - Finally some sense about 21st century skills--part one, the Jerald report

Class Struggle - Finally some sense about 21st century skills--part one, the Jerald report:

"Just when I was losing hope of any practical advice on how our schools might adapt to the new century and the new economy, two smart people have come to save me. The first, Washington-based education analyst Craig Jerald, has produced a report, astonishingly clear and insightful for a topic usually riddled with hyperbole. The second, educator Tony Wagner, is the author of a ground-breaking book I should have read last year, but that's me, always having to catch up.

Today I will examine Jerald's report, since it is relatively new. Next week I will review Wagner's book. The week after that I hope to have a dialogue with Wagner, since we have some differences that will be easier to resolve if he can defend himself against my possibly ill-informed gibes."

Report: Universities try to cover up rapes - USATODAY.com

Report: Universities try to cover up rapes - USATODAY.com:

"A Washington-based investigative journalism organization said in a report issued Tuesday that it found a 'culture of secrecy' surrounding sexual assault cases on university campuses across the U.S.

The report by the Center for Public Integrity showed that nearly half of the 33 female students it interviewed in the past year about being raped were unsuccessful in pursuing criminal charges."

That left the campus judiciary system as their only recourse. But victims who take that route "face proceedings that are shrouded in secrecy, where they encounter mysterious disciplinary proceedings, where they themselves are shut out of the hearing process," Kristen Lombardi, lead reporter on the nine-month investigation, said during a news conference broadcast Tuesday.

Nearly a third of the 33 victims said school administrators discouraged them from pursuing complaints, and about a dozen experienced confidentiality requirements "sometimes followed by threats of punishment if they were to disclose any information about the case," Lombardi said.

Gates Foundation commits $12.9M to college technology - USATODAY.com

Gates Foundation commits $12.9M to college technology - USATODAY.com:

"SEATTLE (AP) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation wants to help community colleges use technology to improve and go beyond basic online classes.

The $12.9 million in grants the foundation announced Thursday will support a variety of programs — from supporting teachers to using social media and creating virtually learning labs."

BILL GATES: Using influence to push education reform

COLLEGE TECH: 'Catching up' with students

 
The foundation's leader of its college program says they are targeting the best new ideas for improving learning opportunities for low-income young adults. The grants will focus on science and math and affect colleges across the nation.

In addition to making online and digital classes better, the foundation wants to help create new networking tools and education games to make learning interactive, enjoyable and relevant.

Jamaica High School to close doors, ending it's rich history in Queens

Jamaica High School to close doors, ending it's rich history in Queens:

"A once preeminent Queens high school will close its doors, city officials announced Thursday.

But the century-old Jamaica High School won't go down without a fight.

'This is a travesty,' said teachers union chapter leader James Eterno. 'We're outraged. . . . In the middle of the game, the Department of Education pulled the rug out from under us.'

After the state removed Jamaica from the 'persistently dangerous' list and the school's graduation rate jumped 10 percentage points, teachers and students relaxed."

The Associated Press: Obama pushes to turn around failing schools

The Associated Press: Obama pushes to turn around failing schools:

"WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will spend at least $3.5 billion to push local officials around the country to close failing schools and reopen them with new teachers and principals.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan hopes to see the 5,000 worst-performing schools, about 1 percent of all U.S. schools, turned around in five years. The administration is beefing up the federal school turnaround program, which was created under the No Child Left Behind law championed by former President George W. Bush.

'As a country, we need to get into the turnaround business,' Duncan said in a statement. 'Adults need to have the courage to make these tough decisions and do right by our kids.'"

DPS board, superintendent get coaching on making up - The Denver Post

DPS board, superintendent get coaching on making up - The Denver Post:

"COLORADO SPRINGS — Denver's seven-member school board and superintendent spent nine hours Thursday with a psychologist, learning how to better communicate and work together.

The word 'Kumbaya' was, indeed, uttered, and board members participated in various relationship-building exercises as they were coached on how to build trust and cohesion using constructive language, listening skills and empathy.

'This is skill-building,' said Susan Heitler, the Denver psychologist and marital therapist hired for $2,400 to lead the session. 'It's basically the same (as marriage counseling). The main difference is it's eight people rather than two.'"

Position Paper December 2009 « New Action – UFT

Position Paper December 2009 « New Action – UFT:

New Action – UFT

Fighting for educators, building chapters, increasing democracy, with a progressive agenda

"Educators are under attack. This is not news. What has changed in the last 30 years is a decrease in the effectiveness of the UFT to counter the power of the DOE. There are many reasons for this decrease starting with a young, new workforce with many barriers to union activity and a lack of connection to unionism. Teachers today have no connection to the necessary strikes and job actions of yesterday that produced workable conditions in our schools. There is no solidarity, union or otherwise.

Second is the change of pedagogic philosophy from an education model to a corporate model. We recognize some of the elements: top-down structure with no feedback or collaboration from teachers, data driven based on massive testing and without regard to proven educational practices (educate the whole child), establishing a subjective pay system based on merit and bonuses, and strongly anti-union."

Insideschools.org » Parent “ambassadors” to help with HS admissons

Insideschools.org » Parent “ambassadors” to help with HS admissons:

"Eighth-graders and their families are in the final frenzy of filling out high school applications before tomorrow’s Dec. 4 due date after a fall of attending fairs, visiting schools, taking exams, and auditioning.

The process is a daunting one, despite reforms in the system and efforts by the central enrollment office to get information out to parents. It’s especially confusing for families at risk, (as described in a June 2009 Schools Watch report), parents who don’t speak English, and those who don’t have time to research all the options. No wonder many are wondering, “is there a better way?” as our High School Hustle blogger Liz Willen asked in her recent post."
DOE officials agree that parents need all the help they can get. Yesterday they announced the launch of a “High School Admissions Ambassador” program, recruiting parents to teach parents about high school admissions.


The volunteer program, which involves three mandatory training sessions, won’t begin until 2010, too late for those filling out applications now, but in time for the new schools fair to be held in early February. At that time students can change their applications and apply to new schools.

The DOE is seeking 50 volunteers who will be selected based on “their statement of interest, commitment to the program, interpersonal skills and communication skills.” They must agree to attend five evening or weekend workshops and fairs throughout 2010.

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools

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

"The head of the union chapter at Jamaica High School said teachers there have been expecting the school’s closure for years and criticized the city for planning to open new small schools without offering help to the struggling large one.
James Eterno, a history teacher at Jamaica for 24 years, said teachers anticipated bad news after the school received a D on its progress report this year. But signs that the 1,500-student high school was in trouble had been apparent for years, he said"

D.C. charter schools frustrated with city in search for home - washingtonpost.com

D.C. charter schools frustrated with city in search for home - washingtonpost.com:

"Walking through a vacant District school building Thursday, Mary Shaffner could visualize the peeling paint replaced by fresh blackboards. Dusty hardwood floors marred by bird droppings could be polished to a gleam. Teachers and students would once again fill the halls of the Franklin School.

But to the developers also attending Thursday's open house, a hotel or condominiums might be more attractive, and it's likely they'll get their way. Two applications from charter schools to use the building have been rejected, including one from Shaffner's Yu Ying Public Charter School. The city said the renovation costs were too high, and there's little indication a new application will be accepted this time around."

The Educated Guess » Assembly bill to State: Keep hands off bulk of Race to the Top dollars

The Educated Guess » Assembly bill to State: Keep hands off bulk of Race to the Top dollars:

"Assembly Education Committee Chairwoman Julia Brownley may be offering what it takes to pique school districts’ interest in the federal Race to the Top competition: a promise of more money.

Her bill, ABX5-8, would require that at least 80 percent of dollars from the Race to the Top be reserved for school districts. That’s 30 percentage points more than the minimum of 50 percent that the federal regulations call for. That would mean a lot less money for the Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the state Department of Education, which may have been coveting a very green Obama Christmas."

Entire Los Rios District faculty wins success award - News

Entire Los Rios District faculty wins success award - News:

"The faculty of the Los Rios Community College District was presented the Student Success Award for creative approaches towards student success on Nov. 21.

Every year Dr. Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges League, gives a California community college district's faculty the award.

Cosumnes River College's Vice Chancellor of Education and Technology William Karns said that a community college district must meet a length roster of requirements to be considered for the award."

A Change in Plans - The Daily Californian

A Change in Plans - The Daily Californian:

"Once every decade, the state Legislature revisits the blueprint for California's public universities-the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. And this once-in-a-decade event couldn't be coming at a more appropriate time. With frustration rippling throughout the system, it's time for legislators to take responsibility for their role in creating this crisis in the first place.

The easy route for legislators, who will be convening hearings on various issues starting Monday, would be to praise the current system and wash their hands of culpability. Yes, California has been a world-renowned model for public higher education-until now. As our elected leaders, they've got to assess the system honestly and recognize the critical state our universities are in."

In his testimony Monday, we hope that UC President Mark Yudof refrains from spewing overly cheery news-he owes it to the university to be frank about the problems we face. The testimony is an opportunity for Yudof to be a truly independent advocate for the university, and he ought to take advantage of it.


As much as we support the ideals behind the master plan, it's clear that the system is much different than it was 50 or even 20 years ago. Legislators must come to terms with the reality of the situation, and the role the state has played in systematically defunding higher education.

The Maneater – Students should get involved with budget

The Maneater – Students should get involved with budget:

"Before Thanksgiving break, CNN ran headline after headline about University of California students protesting raised costs for higher education. Students protested outside the budget vote confirming a 32-percent hike in undergraduate tuition fees. Their voices were heard, and they made a splash, media-wise, but they'll still be paying $585 more in January and another $1,344 next fall.

Around the same time, MU students got some news: Gov. Jay Nixon and university system presidents agreed to cut budgets in exchange for freezing in-state tuition for the next academic year. The announcement secured little comfort for graduate and out-of-state students, but it was better news than what coastal students heard."

Views: Engineering Needs Flexibility - Inside Higher Ed

Views: Engineering Needs Flexibility - Inside Higher Ed:

"Two years ago, my daughter, Katherine, and I appeared on the cover of ASEE Prism magazine. A feature story by the American Society for Engineering Education on two generations of women engineers, perhaps? Not quite.

The cover story focused on how, at a time when the ranks of women faculty and deans in engineering have increased, the percentage of women who earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering is in decline. The lesson, supported by facts and data, is that our nation, our crumbling infrastructure and our ability to lead globally in the future are at risk because too few young people are choosing to study engineering. We will continue to lose talented would-be engineers who are female, as well as some who are male, until we change the traditional undergraduate engineering curriculum, one that is overly structured and lacks flexibility."

BUSD Trails State Averages in Fitness. Category: Front Page News from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday December 03, 2009

BUSD Trails State Averages in Fitness. Category: Front Page News from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday December 03, 2009:

"Results of the 2009 Physical Fitness Test released Monday by the state Department of Public Education show Berkeley public schools trailing their peers in six fitness categories.

Thirty-four percent of Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) fifth-graders met the criteria for all six areas of the test compared with 29 percent statewide. However, only 31 percent of seventh-graders met the same criteria compared with 34 percent throughout California.

Just 13.8 percent of ninth-graders met the criteria compared with 37.9 percent statewide"

Report shows wide disparity in college achievement - washingtonpost.com

Report shows wide disparity in college achievement - washingtonpost.com:

"A new report, billed as one of the most comprehensive studies to date of how low-income and minority students fare in college, shows a wide gap in graduation rates at public four-year colleges nationwide and 'alarming' disparities in success at community colleges."

The analysis, released Thursday, found that about 45 percent of low-income and underrepresented minority students entering as freshmen in 1999 had received bachelor's degrees six years later at the colleges studied, compared with 57 percent of other students.

Fewer than one-third of all freshmen entering two-year institutions nationwide attained completion -- either through a certificate, an associate's degree or transfer to a four-year college -- within four years, according to the research. The success rate was lower, 24 percent, for underrepresented minorities, identified as blacks, Latinos and Native Americans; it was higher, 38 percent, for other students.

Public News Service

Public News Service:

"LAS VEGAS - Only a month ago, Gov. Jim Gibbons said Nevada had no chance to score hundreds of millions of dollars in 'Race to the Top' federal education money. Now, however, the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) is proposing a solution.

Nevada has a law that prohibits linking teacher evaluation to student achievement, which automatically disqualifies the state from applying for the cash. NSEA President Lynn Warne suggests changing that law, which would put the state back in the competition for up to $175 million"

Parents Unite Behind Race To The Top Funds | KPBS.org

Parents Unite Behind Race To The Top Funds KPBS.org:

"SAN DIEGO — Groups of San Diego County parents are uniting behind an education reform strategy that could earn California $700 million of federal stimulus grants."

The federal grants are called Race To The Top funds. California stands to get a chunk of the $4 billion program. However, state lawmakers must first change a number of education laws so California can be eligible.

Changes to those laws allow the state to lift a cap on charter schools, link teacher performance to student test scores and turnaround failing schools.

A growing number of San Diego County parents are pushing community leaders to support the changes. Groups such as Californians for Quality Education and Voices For Our Kids are backing the Race To The Top movement.

Teaching Reforms Should be Based on Research and Experience | California Progress Report

Teaching Reforms Should be Based on Research and Experience California Progress Report:

"The State Assembly Education Committee is currently considering legislation regarding the federal “Race to the Top” education funding program. The Legislature should not pass a bad law just to compete for federal funding. In a year that Governor Schwarzenegger and the legislature have made billions of dollars in catastrophic cuts to school funding, it is ironic that the Legislature is rushing to adopt bad policy to compete for a relative pittance in federal funding.

The money offered by the federal government will not begin to replace what has been taken away. Legislators are rushing to make permanent changes without a solid basis in facts or research in return for the possibility of three years of funding."

Judge: Only 'Bigots' Would Pull Their Kids Out of LGBT Education Programs / Queerty

Judge: Only 'Bigots' Would Pull Their Kids Out of LGBT Education Programs / Queerty:

"Alameda Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch is Queerty's favorite person today. Might he be yours? Charged with overseeing challenges from parents who don't want their kids to be forced to learn about LGBT tolerance, Roesch found a cute name for such people responsible for the upbringing of human beings: 'bigots.' Adorable!"

You you'll recall, California's Alameda Unified School District, outside Oakland, is trying to implement Safe School Community Lesson 9, which would have K-5 students treated to six, 45-minute lessons a year about queers. You know, so the region doesn't create new generations of hate. But some parents didn't like that, so with conservative legal group Pacific Justice Institute, some 20 parents filed suit demanding they be able to opt their kids out of this brainwashing.

Sacramento Press / Town Hall on arena ideas draws 80 people

Sacramento Press / Town Hall on arena ideas draws 80 people:

"About 80 people turned out for a town hall meeting Thursday night to weigh in on plans for a new entertainment and sports complex. Business leaders and residents presented their ideas to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s 'Sacramento First' arena task force at the Sacramento Public Library downtown.

The task force is assigned to analyze developers’ ideas for the complex. The 12-member group includes real estate, finance and communications executives. Task force members are not paid."

Public Gives Imput on Sacramento Arena Ideas | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Public Gives Imput on Sacramento Arena Ideas News10.net Sacramento, California News:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - Mayor Kevin Johnson is calling on all ideas for what exactly a Sacramento sports and entertainment complex should look like.

The first citizens' task force, assembled by Johnson, began evaluating proposals for a new sports and entertainment complex Thursday night during a public meeting at the Main Sacramento Library on I Street.

The goal of the town hall meeting, according to Johnson, was to identify issues needed to be addressed to develop a proposal for a world-class venue."

MPR Associates, Inc. -- Measuring Success, Making Progress

MPR Associates, Inc. -- Measuring Success, Making Progress:

Educational Improvement in California


Can California eliminate barriers to student achievement? The educational success of California students—especially those attending public schools and community colleges—has been a significant focus of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for nearly 10 years. As part of this work, the Foundation develops a set of priorities for its investments and chooses outcome measures to monitor. MPR Associates Inc., in partnership with The RP Group and CalPASS, has compiled and analyzed all relevant data to produce the measures reported on this website. The measures are widely recognized as being the best student success indicators with available data.
 
Indicators of Progress


With simple navigation, you’ll find indicators of college readiness among 11th- and 12th-graders as measured by assessments and course taking, the high school graduation rates of 7th- and 9th-graders, college enrollment rates, the progress of underprepared California community college students (CCC), the interim milestones of CCC students who don’t complete, and the completion and transfer rates of those who do.

OpenCongress - Track bills, votes, senators, and representatives in the U.S. Congress

OpenCongress - Track bills, votes, senators, and representatives in the U.S. Web Site -

The Educated Guess » AB 5x-8 now public

The Educated Guess » AB 5x-8 now public


AB 5x-8 now public

The office of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has released Assembly Democrats’ version of the Race to the Top bill. Here is the text of ABX5-8.

The 73-page bill, sponsored by Education Committee Chairwoman Julia Brownley, would change state laws to conform with the requirements of Race to the Top, a $4.3 billion federal competitive program. It would:

Put in place the four options for transforming persistently low-performing schools spelled out in Race to the Top regulations;

Lift the cap in charter schools in exchange for requiring annual financial audits of charters and limiting renewal of charters that are facing sanctions for low academic performance;

Set the stage for moving away from strict reliance on standardized tests (annual STAR tests) in exchange for adopting “high-quality” assessments. The state would use Race to the Top money to develop these. It would also take advantage of the new CALPADS student data base to develop longitudinal measurements of student performance.

Authorize Superintendent of Instruction Jack O’Connell and the State Board of Education to adopt national common-core standards in math and English by September 2010. This is one of the requirements of Race to the Top.

The Education Committee received many recommendations for legislation during four hearings over the past two months. The resulting bill is surprisingly narrow in scope, design

Sacramento Press / Media Panel Dec. 9 at The Urban Hive

Community Journalism at its very Best

Journalism workshops

Sacramento Press / Media Panel Dec. 9 at The Urban Hive

Many of you have asked about workshops and events being posted on our site in addition to the email invitations. Here is some information about our planned December events.

We've organized a media panel Dec. 9. and a Google workshop Dec. 15.

The media panel is a collaboration between the folks at the Urban Hive and The Sacramento Press. It will be held at the Urban Hive, Dec. 9 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

The panel features representatives from each type of news outlet and will focus on the changes each has had to make over the past few years with technology, the economy and social media. Each panel member will also be asked where they see the future of journalism is headed. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask their own questions during the panel as well.

The panel will consist of:

Jen Picard is the Senior Producer of Insight on Capitol Public Radio. Picard has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Humboldt State University. She's worked as a features copy editor and entertainment editor at the Appeal-Democrat newspaper in Marysville. Picard has been with Insight since July 2006 and has served as Senior Producer since January 2007. Picard lives in Sacramento with her photojournalist husband Max and her neurotic cat Smokey.

Nick Miller is arts editor at SN&R, Sacramento's alt-weekly magazine, where he assigns thousands of stories each year--send those pitches, stat! He's been in journalism for eight years. In his spare time, he enjoys sitting around in a Snuggie with his pug, Leroy, and watching NBA.

Anne Shulock is a reporter for Sactown magazine. After interning for Sactown in college, she joined the staff as an editorial assistant in 2008. She graduated from Pomona College in Southern California with a degree in Media Studies, focusing on art and film. In college, she spent a summer interning in the fashion department of CosmoGIRL! in New York City, where she mostly organized piles of earrings and skinny jeans and decided she didn't want to work in fashion.

Jon Schuller helped launch Sactown magazine in 2006 after graduating UC Davis with degrees in Spanish and English. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the office, he's also writes, researches, fact-checks and copy edits content for publication. Recently, he's helped research and develop an action plan for the magazine's upcoming digital presence and hopes to expand the brand's presence in social media. He also assists with the advertising team. And orders Post-It notes.

David Watts Barton, editor in chief of The Sacramento Press. Barton has been in local media his entire life. From teenage work in independent publications like Rock 'n' Roll News and Tower Pulse! Through his nearly 25 years at The Sacramento Bee, where he was the paper's first Pop Music Critic, Barton has made his living exploring and reporting on different aspects of his hometown's culture. For the last year, Barton has entered the world of online news, helping to shape and guide The Sacramento Press, first as Managing Editor, and more recently as Editor-in-Chief.

KCRA will also be a part of the panel. The representative is still being decided.

Food and drinks will be served at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will begin at 7 p.m.

The Urban Hive is located at 1931 H Street in Sacramento.

Please RSVP by emailing journalism@sacramentopress.com, so we know how many people to expect.

We'll post something later this month with more information on the Google workshop.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you at the Urban Hive!

The AXA Foundation, a Proud National Sponsor of PTA

The AXA Foundation, a Proud National Sponsor of PTA, offers a signature program, AXA Achievement^sm, which provides resources that help make college possible through both access and advice.

Access: more than $1.3 million a year in scholarships
Advice: a comprehensive resource for information to help students and parents plan for college.

Two scholarships are presently being offered through AXA Achievement^sm:

• AXA Achievement^sm Scholarship, in association with U.S. News & World Report
  • 42 $10,000 scholarships – 10 $25,000 scholarships
  • Deadline is December 15, 2009
• AXA Achievement^sm Community Scholarship
  • 350 $2,000 scholarships offered each year
  • Deadline is February 15, 2010

The winners, known as AXA Achievers, are ethnically and economically diverse, but share these qualities:

• Ambition and drive
• Determination to set and reach goals
• Respect for self, family and community
• Ability to succeed in college

More information and downloadable applications, which can be filled out online, are available at www.axa-achievement.com.
A key element of AXA's partnership with PTA is AXA's offer of free workshops to PTA units on topics such as planning for college and other financial issues facing families. Visit the AXA website designed exclusively for PTA members, www.axa-achievement.com/PTA, to learn about the workshops that are available, and speak with your local PTA leadership about having a workshop presented to your PTA unit.

Groups to Spread Word on Standards in States, Districts - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

Groups to Spread Word on Standards in States, Districts - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

I attended a forum on the common standards effort today in Washington. Originally it was supposed to be closed to the press, but the gates opened and journos were allowed in. The event drew people from across the DC education-policy circuit, but it was also attended by teachers, college faculty, and those otherwise curious about the progress of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

The event didn't yield much in the way of major revelations, though there were a few details worth noting:
—The American Federation of Teachers plans to partner with the Council of Great City Schools on a pilot project to examine how the standards can be implemented in schools. The project will focus on 10 districts, looking at issues such as aligning professional development with the standards that emerge, Patricia Sullivan of the AFT, told the audience at the forum.

—Along similar lines, the National Association of State Boards of Education is going to be staging four regional conferences that will focus on common standards sometime in early 2010. Brenda Wellburn, the executive director of the group, said the events will focus on helping their members understand the purpose of the state standards effort. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is providing some financial backing for those events, she said. State boards are a crucial audience for the common standards effort, because in most states those officials are expected to be the ones charged with deciding whether to adopt them.

—The organizers of the the standards effort originally predicted that a draft of the K-12 documents would be ready in mid-December. Now they're saying the release won't happen until early January. The draft K-12 document is already being reviewed by state officials, whose comments will be incorporated when the draft is unveiled, said Dane Linn, of the National Governors Association, who led the forum along with Gene Wilhoit of the Council of Chief State School Officers. Those two organizations, as most readers know, are guiding the standards effort.

Transcript: An Hour With Arne Duncan - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Transcript: An Hour With Arne Duncan - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

"Who said:

'If you're going to do something, do it.'

'I think there's a lot of scientific evidence that the status quo doesn't work.'

'I just want to make this clear. We've never said charter schools are the magic answer.'

'Frankly in education we're better at doing more things than we are stopping doing things.'

That would be U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in his hour-long interview with EdWeek reporters. The transcript is now online, so check it out.

If you just want the highlights, then read Alyson's story on the role incentives will play in No Child Left Behind Act reauthorization, the earlier blog entry, or watch the short video clip below. The Teacher Beat blog has a good perspective on Duncan's comments on teacher quality.

Education Week: Study Casts Doubt on Strength of Charter Managers

Education Week: Study Casts Doubt on Strength of Charter Managers:

"A report from Education Sector raises questions about the ability of charter schools and charter-management organizations to scale up as dramatically as their supporters might hope.

“The extraordinary demands of educating disadvantaged students to higher standards, the challenges of attracting the talent required to do that work, the burden of finding and financing facilities, and often aggressive opposition from the traditional public education system have made the trifecta of scale, quality, and financial sustainability hard to hit,” concludes the report, “Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation’s Best Charter Schools.”"

As hard-hitting as the findings seem to be, the report is at the center of a controversy over whether the final text—released by the Washington think tank on Nov. 24—was watered down.
The main author, Education Sector co-founder Thomas Toch, asked to have his name removed from the final product. It “didn’t fully reflect my sense of the current conditions or future prospects for CMOs,” he said in an interview. “Charter schools are an important addition to the public education landscape and the best CMOs have produced great results. ... But the CMO movement has created only a few hundred schools in a decade, and even with more funding it would be difficult for CMOs to expand much faster without compromising the quality of their schools.”

Under copyright rules, Mr. Toch is prohibited from publishing his earlier version of the two-year study, which draws on interviews with dozens of charter-network executives, visits to a dozen schools, charter-network business plans, and other documents. But Marc Dean Millot, an education industry observer and publisher, posted a June draft of the report online Nov. 30 in Alexander Russo’s This Week in Education blog.

Education Reform in the 21st Century

Education Reform in the 21st Century:

"Today in America, only half of students who enroll in college earn a degree and half of black and Latino teenagers drop out of high school. Where did we go wrong and what will it take to regain our global edge? To answer these questions, President Obama has put out the call to fix our nation's schools and he's linking billions of dollars in federal aid to states that meet criteria recently released by the U.S. Department of Education. Join three of the country's top education leaders for a frank discussion on this new opportunity to revitalize the country’s education system, and hear them talk about the state of our schools, barriers to reform, and what's at stake for our children and America's future."