Feds Investigate Ex-CalPERS Officials - HispanicBusiness.com

Feds Investigate Ex-CalPERS Officials - HispanicBusiness.com:

"Federal officials are investigating possible ties between CalPERS' former chief executive, a controversial former board member and a financier who just pleaded guilty in a New York pension fund corruption case.

Court records show the Securities and Exchange Commission issued a subpoena in June to financier Elliott Broidy, who pleaded guilty Thursday to
felony charges that he showered nearly $1 million in illegal gifts on state officials in New York.

The federal enforcement agency demanded records of any contacts Broidy had with former CalPERS CEO Fred Buenrostro and former CalPERS board member Alfred Villalobos, among others."

t r u t h o u t | ACORN Did Nothing Illegal, Independent Probe Finds

t r u t h o u t ACORN Did Nothing Illegal, Independent Probe Finds:

"The Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) doesn't show a pattern of intentional and illegal behavior in undercover videos that conservatives shot of ACORN staffers. That's according to an independent, two-month review of ACORN released Monday.Scott Harshbarger, senior counsel at Proskauer and former Massachusetts attorney general, created the findings of the report. The independent review is the result of two months of research and interviews by Harshbarger and lawyer Amy Crafts working in Proskauer's Boston, Washington and New York offices. It shows the independent analysis requested by ACORN on September 21 in the wake of the video controversies, significant negative news coverage and lost support among some funders, allies and supporters.

The independent report makes clear that the controversy involving hidden-camera videos, which were edited before being partially released to the public, showed fundamental problems in the organization and structure of ACORN that date back to its founders. Also, the report notes that the video controversy was seen largely as ACORN's 'third strike' after the disclosure in June 2008 of an embezzlement cover-up, which triggered the firing of ACORN's founder, and allegations of voter registration fraud during the 2008 election."

Boys’ Educational Failure Is No Mystery

Boys’ Educational Failure Is No Mystery:

"A lot has changed since 1960. If Connie Francis were to sing “Where the Boys Are” today, she would not likely be talking about Ft. Lauderdale. And she probably wouldn’t be talking about college, either. This is because, in a decades-old phenomenon, boys have increasingly been stumbling academically.

Colleges have taken note of this and, in certain cases (mostly private institutions), have actually been favoring boys in the admissions process. It’s an interesting, albeit unofficial, twist on affirmative action. But this, in turn, has been noted by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, inspiring it to investigate whether colleges discriminate against girls by admitting less qualified boys."

It’s tempting to delve into the double standards evident here. When politically favored groups underperform, quotas are virtuous; when other groups do — such as boys — quotas are a vice. There is also Title IX, which has been used to ensure that the number of female student athletes in a school is proportional to girls’ percentage of its student body, despite the fact that far more boys are interested in sports. Yet Big Brother doesn’t apply this principle to other extracurricular activities, most of which are dominated by girls. Even more outrageously, when colleges voluntarily institute something approximating proportionality in the most important sphere, academics (to keep the male/female student ratio fairly close to 50/50), Big Brother investigates them. Yet I don’t want to devote too much ink to this today, because boys don’t really need affirmative action. They need correct action.

Stories about boys’ academic malaise will no doubt surprise some, yet the statistics are staggering. Treating the issue in the Wall Street Journal, Richard Whitmire writes:
Nearly 58% of all those earning bachelor's degrees are women. Graduate programs are headed in the same direction, and the [sex] gaps at community colleges — where 62% of those earning two-year degrees are female — are even wider.

...The numbers are startling. This summer the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University published the results of a study tracking the students who graduated from Boston Public Schools in 2007. Their conclusion: For every 167 females in four-year colleges, there were 100 males.

Education Week: Lure of 'Race to the Top' Roils California Legislature as Fiscal Crisis Continues

Education Week: Lure of 'Race to the Top' Roils California Legislature as Fiscal Crisis Continues:

"Leaders in California are still at odds over what new policies and school improvement efforts they must embrace to make the state a strong contender for some of the $4 billion being offered in federal Race to the Top Fund grants as the deadline to apply closes in.

With up to $700 million in economic-stimulus money on the line in the cash-starved state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers are pushing to lift California’s cap on charter schools and to make it easier for parents to move their children out of low-performing schools, among other measures.
But some Democratic lawmakers in the Assembly, who are the majority in that house of the legislature, along with the two state teachers’ unions and organizations that represent school board members and administrators, have so far declined to..."

Calif. Higher Ed Leaders Call for More State Funds - ABC News

Calif. Higher Ed Leaders Call for More State Funds - ABC News:

"California's promise of an affordable higher education for its residents is being jeopardized by state budget cuts, the leaders of the state's college and university systems warned."

The cuts threaten to violate a half-century-old document known as the Master Plan for Higher Education that has made California's higher education system a model for the world.

In a rare joint appearance, the heads of the University of California, California State University and community college systems on Monday told lawmakers the education promise was in doubt because they don't have the money they need.

"You better increase the size of the pie because that's what the issue is all about," Jack Scott, chancellor of the state's 110 community colleges, told a joint legislative committee examining the state's master plan.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature have cut spending at UC and CSU by 20 percent to help balance the state's budget amid the steep economic downturn. Community colleges received about 8 percent less funding in 2009-2010 fiscal year.

To deal with the cuts, the UC system, which has about 220,000 students, has raised student fees 15 percent since January, reduced freshman enrollment by 6 percent and forced most of its 180,000 employees to take furloughs and pay cuts up to 10 percent.

Governor Schwarzenegger Says Money For Schools Is Up To The Assembly- myMotherLode.com

Governor Schwarzenegger Says Money For Schools Is Up To The Assembly- myMotherLode.com:

"Governor Schwarzenegger was Tuesday's KVML 'Newsmaker of the Day'. Here are his words:

'Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week our state Assembly has been debating education legislation that is crucial to the future of California schools.

We have an incredible opportunity right now to make our schools better, because the Obama Administration has put together the largest pot of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history."

The program is called Race to the Top and it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for California's students.

But right now our state can't compete for this funding because we don't have laws in place that will make us competitive against other states.

That is why I called a special session of the Legislature on education reform and the Senate passed laws that make us eligible for up to $700 million in federal funding for our schools.

Imagine what that investment could mean to our children, especially in these difficult economic times.

Now it is time for the next step. It is time for our state Assembly to pass the comprehensive package already passed by the Senate.

Keep the Promise of Affordable Higher Education | California Progress Report

Keep the Promise of Affordable Higher Education California Progress Report:

"Testimony given at Joint Committee for Review of the Master Plan on Higher Education - December 7, 2009)

The Master Plan for Higher Education promised affordable access to a high quality post secondary education for all Californians who wished to pursue it.

It wedded a visionary economic blueprint for the state’s workforce to the moral, intellectual and political purposes of providing our state’s citizens with the means to participate in our democratic institutions.

It was meant to be accountable due to its substantial cost.

Its goals remain the right ones, but changing political and economic circumstances have undermined its promise today, and threaten, if unaddressed, to renege on its promise for future generations."

Legitimacy of our perspective:

The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) represents librarians and lecturers in the UC system, and in the community college system, we represent full and part-time classroom faculty, counselors, librarians, and paraprofessional classified staff.

We have followed closely the deteriorating circumstances in which they work, with increasing workloads; and now more recently with furloughs and layoffs.
The CFT and our members are committed to equipping our students to take their places in the economic, social and political life of California.

We value equal educational opportunities for all people and we continue to support any legislative efforts to benefit the students and educational employees in the State of California.

I am an Accounting Professor at Sacramento City College in the Los Rios Community College district and have been a teacher in California for more than thirty years.

I have participated directly and indirectly in past reviews of the Master Plan for Higher Education and most recently in 2002, was a CFT representative to assist in the work of the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education (Pre-K-16) chaired by Senator Dede Alpert.

Mo. schools complain over supplies with Obama logo - Yahoo! News

Mo. schools complain over supplies with Obama logo - Yahoo! News:

"COLUMBIA, Mo. – Several Missouri schools are complaining about notebooks and pencils with designs similar to the logos from President Barack Obama's campaign. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that complaints from unhappy officials at three Missouri schools have prompted the supply company responsible for the materials to travel across the state recalling notebooks and pencils.

The design at issue includes a picture of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Above the coins is the phrase: 'CHANGE' and underneath it reads: 'WE CAN BELIEVE IN.' Below the words is a circle used by Obama's campaign, in which the top half is blue and the bottom is red with three white lines cutting through it."

U.S. Census Finds Increase in Foreign-Born Workers - NYTimes.com

U.S. Census Finds Increase in Foreign-Born Workers - NYTimes.com:

"Nearly one in six American workers is foreign-born, the highest proportion since the 1920s, according to a census analysis released Monday.

Because of government barriers to immigration, the share of foreign-born workers dipped from a 20th-century high of 21 percent in 1910 to barely 5 percent in 1970, but has been rising since then, to the current 16 percent.

In 2007, immigrants accounted for more than one in four workers in California (35 percent), New York (27 percent), New Jersey (26 percent) and Nevada (25 percent)."

Supreme Court to Hear Rights vs. Religion Case - NYTimes.com

Supreme Court to Hear Rights vs. Religion Case - NYTimes.com:

"WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from a Christian student group that had been denied recognition by a public law school in California for excluding homosexuals and nonbelievers. The case pits anti-discrimination principles against religious freedom."

The group, the Christian Legal Society, says it welcomes all students to participate in its activities. But it does not allow students to become voting members or to assume leadership positions unless they affirm what the group calls orthodox Christian beliefs and disavow “unrepentant participation in or advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle.” Such a lifestyle, the group says, includes “sexual conduct outside of marriage between a man and a woman.”

The law school, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, part of the University of California, allows some 60 recognized student groups to use meeting space, bulletin boards and the like so long as they agree to a policy that forbids discrimination on various grounds, including religion and sexual orientation. The school withdrew recognition from the Christian group after it refused to comply with the policy.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, ruled in favor of Hastings in March.

Class Struggle - Do we need lunch periods, or even cafeterias?

Class Struggle - Do we need lunch periods, or even cafeterias?:

"A flood of emails Monday resisting my suggestion of longer school days to raise achievement leads me to wonder if parts of the regular school day could be put to better use. Is the typical raucous high school lunch period, in an overcrowded and sometimes dangerous cafeteria, really necessary? My colleague Jenna Johnson wrote last week of imaginative principals letting students avoid the cafeteria in favor of staying in classrooms to catch up with work or having club meetings. Can lunch become a time for stress-free learning, rather than Lord of the Flies with tile floors?"

Okay, I confess I have long considered lunch a waste of time. I avoided the cafeteria during high school. My favorite lunch was eating a sandwich in a classroom while convening the student court, of which I was chief justice, so we could sanction some miscreant for stealing corn nuts from the vending machine. (I heard a radio ad for that classmate's business when I was home recently---he has become a successful attorney.) At the office these days I stay in my cubicle and have crackers and fruit juice, maybe a cookie if somebody has brought them from home.

For homeless college students, each day brings tests of will - washingtonpost.com

For homeless college students, each day brings tests of will - washingtonpost.com:

"Lots of college students have special tricks to help them get through these next few weeks of finals. Red Bull, coffee amped up with espresso shots, secret study spots . . .

Ronnell Wilson has learned that this is the time to be extra careful about his backpack. Right before midterms, he lost all of his class work when someone at the shelter swiped his backpack as he slept.

Miracle Lewis front-loads all of her presentations and reports early in the semester, always volunteering to go first and turning her projects in early. All she has left now are final exams in statistics and professional ethics."

Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses - USATODAY.com

Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses - USATODAY.com:

"LINCOLN, Neb. — Bojaio Sun knew next to nothing about football – or the state of Nebraska, for that matter – until he started looking for U.S. colleges and universities on the Internet. Now, as one of a growing number of Chinese students at the state's flagship university here, he catches every game he can.

'I am very proud to be a 'Husker,' he says.

President Obama announced plans last month to 'dramatically expand' to 100,000 the number of U.S. students who study in China over the next four years, calling such exchanges 'a clear commitment to build ties among our people in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations, and the world.' But Sun, who grew up in China's Jiangxi province, is part of a surge already taking place in the other direction. Last year alone, 98,510 Chinese graduate and undergraduate students poured into U.S. colleges and universities, lured by China's emphasis on academic achievement and the prestige of U.S. higher education."

LAUSD facing 5,000-plus job cuts - LA Daily News

LAUSD facing 5,000-plus job cuts - LA Daily News:

"The Los Angeles Unified school board is expected to vote on a two-year budget plan today that calls for the elimination of more than 5,000 district positions unless employee unions agree to furloughs and pay cuts.

The layoffs could be avoided if all district employees were to take an 11.75 percent pay cut, which could come in the form of furloughs or other cuts.

The district is facing a shortfall of some $1.2 billion through 2012, according to a report by Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly.

The layoffs would include nearly 1,400 teachers, which would balloon class sizes in kindergarten through third grade to a student-teacher ratio of 29 to 1 from 24 to 1."

Nonprofit to offer practical advice to D.C. charter schools - washingtonpost.com

Nonprofit to offer practical advice to D.C. charter schools - washingtonpost.com:

"Charter schools will have a new place to turn for advice next year when members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board start a nonprofit organization that will research how the schools can best be run.

The group will focus on finances and governance and is being set up by Chairman Thomas A. Nida, who steps down from the Charter School Board in February, and Dora Marcus, who was on the board until last month. Both reached their two-term limits."

"There's a lot of focus with academic achievement for schools," Nida said. "There's not nearly as much work done helping establish best practices for financial management and governance."

The Charter School Board has been criticized for tending to shut down charters for financial reasons rather than for academic ones. Nida said that's because it was easier to catch financial problems early and that it underscored the need for more research about how to evaluate charter schools' finances.

Detroit Public Schools to demolish vacant buildings | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Detroit Public Schools to demolish vacant buildings freep.com Detroit Free Press:

"Detroit Public Schools officials announced today they will begin tearing down the most dangerous vacant school buildings beginning in January."

Robert Bobb, the district's emergency financial manager, made the announcement outside the old Sherrard School, which closed in 2007.

The graffiti-marked school is an example of the kind of vacant schools Bobb said are being targeted. Glass and other debris litter the grounds of the school. And stolen windows make it an easy target for thieves -- and neighborhood children -- to enter.

"They have been a real blight," Bobb said of the buildings.

The district will use $3.1 million in money left over from the 1994 bond and nearly $30 million from the bond proposal voters approved in November.

In all, 14 buildings will be demolished, though more may be added to the list, officials said. Among the 14 schools: the old Cass Tech High, Finney High, Chadsey High and Munger Middle.

Portland pushing big-school model for high schools; parents have lots of questions | Portland News - – OregonLive.com

Portland pushing big-school model for high schools; parents have lots of questions Portland News - – OregonLive.com:

Portland Public Schools wants every high school student to have access to band, choir, career pathways and at least 10 college credit courses. Those opportunities don't exist for all students today.

But to implement this new core program, the state's largest school district is going big, making a 180-degree turn from the small school programs it began just five years ago.

Portland proposed this model after gathering feedback from community forums this fall and during the past 18 months. Parents and students overwhelmingly favored the idea of bigger schools where students would have access to a wider variety of courses and opportunities. And Portland's small schools have struggled to meet academic achievement benchmarks and received mixed reviews from students, who say they want more electives and advanced courses.

The district has tried to redesign individual schools before, but this is the first time the district has tried to change its entire system, a move prompted in part by the results of a study that revealed that only 54 percent of students in the class of 2004 graduated within four years. The statewide graduation rate, measured differently, was 68 percent in 2008.

Portland's new model of a neighborhood high school requires each campus have 1,200 to 1,350 students. Bigger schools means fewer schools -- likely six to seven high schools, not the 10 campuses in the district now.

The overall goal is to improve the graduation rate, narrow the achievement gap and eliminate inequities within the system.

WNYC - News - NY Charter Schools Score Well in National Study

WNYC - News - NY Charter Schools Score Well in National Study:

"NEW YORK, NY December 07, 2009 —New York gets higher scores than most other states for the quality of its charter schools, according to a national study.

The Washington- based Center for Education Reform, which supports charters, looked at funding, operations, and limits on charters. The group's President, Jeanne Allen, says schools do well in New York because there's a tough application process.

'They have to demonstrate their ability to teach, they have to demonstrate their ability to pursue their mission, they have to demonstrate that they know what to do with budgets, that they know what to do with law and the regulations that do apply,' Allen says."

City to study ways to improve food system - Crain's New York Business

City to study ways to improve food system - Crain's New York Business:

"While public officials repeatedly talk about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating jobs in New York, the city's public schools spend nearly $300,000 a year on Romaine lettuce trucked in from California and Maryland.

That's one of the many inconsistencies between political rhetoric and reality that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn hopes to eliminate with a comprehensive reform of city food policy. On Monday she announced a six-month effort to examine the local food system and recommend improvements.

In the case of Romaine lettuce, that could involve building a plant in the city to wash, cut and bag lettuce so it is eligible for purchase by the Department of Education. Jobs would be created at the plant and at farms upstate, and emissions from transporting the lettuce would be reduced."

Sacramento business owners, developers back Kerridge - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com

Sacramento business owners, developers back Kerridge - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com:

"Sacramento's business leaders love the job City Manager Ray Kerridge is doing. They aren't so sure about the City Council.

A letter signed by nearly 60 developers and business owners will be delivered today to Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council expressing support for Kerridge and concern that 'petty politics' on the council will hinder the city's drive out of economic turmoil.

The letter was the product of a closed-door meeting last week called by members of the business community.

They expressed concerns that a recent city building department scandal and infighting within the City Council would result in the reversal of city development policies designed to streamline development."

Sacramento Press / A Look Back: Mayor Johnson- Transparency and Accountability -- or Propaganda?

Sacramento Press / A Look Back: Mayor Johnson- Transparency and Accountability -- or Propaganda?:

"A Look Back: Year One: Mayor Johnson's First 12 Months of Propaganda

The first of several parts in response to Mayor Johnson's recent evaluation of his first year in office.

Part One — Effective Government and Accountability — or Propaganda?"

Propaganda as described by Wikipedia: Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.

Mayor Kevin Johnson has continued to be a disappointment throughout his first year as mayor of Sacramento. While running for office, he promised transparency. Unfortunately the mayor is transparent in the sense we can see right through his propaganda. Sadly the mayor is not appearing accountable to provide the people of Sacramento a mayor of truth and integrity.

As I read the mayor's blog submission "Year One and A Look Back: Mayor Johnson's First 12 Months," I grew greatly disappointed seeing our mayor blatantly omit truth to communicate with us in a manner that insults and underestimates our intelligence. Below are segments from Johnson's blog posting and the obvious propaganda techniques he uses to sway and influence public interest and opinion. It is my hope that Johnson will learn his fastest move is our slowest, and he should pump his brakes, slow his roll and put as much focus and concern into becoming a world-class, first-tier classy mayor prior to attempting to make Sacramento a world-class city. If a city is a reflection of its mayor, Sacramento is in a world of trouble.

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education | PTA

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education PTA

National PTA developed this publication as a tool for State PTAs and other family and child advocates to increase systemic, effective family engagement in all of our nation’s public schools. Family engagement in education is a critical strategy for ensuring students’ academic achievement, graduation from high school, and overall success in life. Low levels of family engagement in schools must be addressed at the federal, state, and local levels through the development of sound public policy and implementation, evaluation, and replication of best practices.

Implementation of state policies at the local school level is among the most critical components of achieving greater family engagement in education by requiring State Education Agencies (SEAs) to develop effective policy that, in turn, governs activities of the Local Education Agencies (LEAs), or school districts.

The purpose of this reference guide is two-fold:

It provides families and advocates with information on family engagement provisions within state education laws so that they can better advocate for their children’s education on the school and district levels.

It guides policymakers’ and advocates’ development of their legislative reform initiatives as well as their efforts to monitor the implementation of laws already in place.

The reference guide provides key facts, background, analysis, noteworthy statutes, and policy recommendations for crafting successful family engagement legislation at the state level. Finally, the reference guide contains a survey of laws including legal citations pertaining to family engagement in education in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

PTA Resources

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education

Downloadable PDF of PTA's State Laws on Family Engagement Report (full version, 2.5 MB)

The Education Report

The Education Report

Former Oakland school board member dies at 34
By Katy Murphy

Jason Hodge, the youngest person to win a seat on the Oakland school board, died unexpectedly yesterday at age 34. His cause of death was unavailable.

Hodge, a 1992 Skyline High School graduate, was first elected to the board in 1996 at age 21 and served two terms. He later became the public information officer for Vallejo City Unified.

You can read the Tribune story about him here.

"WHAT'S THIS MEDIA WORLD COMING TO?" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

"WHAT'S THIS MEDIA WORLD COMING TO?" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

"WHAT'S THIS MEDIA WORLD COMING TO?"

"Cable & bloggers talking about education? That's supposed to be reserved for me and the "chosen few"! Don't you think? Cheers." - Dr. D.

"The Brookings Institute Spars with Edu-Blogger


The Brookings Institute raised the ire of education blogger and journalist Alexander Russo, about a report released and presented this week offering 'creative solutions to improve education reporting and to promote quality public discourse.'"

Russo pulled the first punch:

"Perhaps it's the fact that, while I admire Russ Whitehurst and EJ Dionne greatly, I don't think of either of them as particularly expert on the topic of education journalism. These are not folks who've thought long and hard about this issue, or whose knowledge is particularly deep.

Or maybe it's that the panelists they've gathered for the event include two esteemed former journalists (Richard Colvin and Dale Mezzacappa) whom I would describe as traditional if not downright reactionary in their views on new media such as blogs, plus a think tank guy (Andy Rotherham) who until recently didn't even allow reader comments on his blog. (Still no response, by the way.)Most problematic of all, there's no one currently in a newsroom involved on the panel, nor anyone with a strong background in new media."

Education Week: Philly Students Plan Walkout in Wake of Attacks

Education Week: Philly Students Plan Walkout in Wake of Attacks:

"Philadelphia

Some Philadelphia high school students say they fear for their safety after a series of assaults last week and won't be attending classes.

The president of the Chinese American Student Association at South Philadelphia High School said Sunday that students will meet elsewhere during school hours this week.
Wei Chen says the group will continue to talk with district officials.

Tensions between black and Asian students at the school erupted in assaults last week. Ten students were suspended and several sought medical treatment."

Education Week: Unproved Early-Reading Program Likely to Prevail

Education Week: Unproved Early-Reading Program Likely to Prevail:

"Early Reading First never attracted the same attention as its cousin, Reading First, and proof of its effectiveness is elusive, but advocates of early-childhood education hope the federal government will continue to build on what participants in the grant program have learned."

When Congress zeroed out funding for Reading First—the program authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act for K-3 pupils primarily in disadvantaged schools—it increased spending for Early Reading First, which targets 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families. Reading First received $1 billion per year at its peak, but it was plagued by conflict-of-interest charges, and Congress eliminated funding for it in fiscal 2009. That same year, Early Reading First received $112 million. The Obama administration requested $162.5 million, an increase of $50 million, for the 2010 budget for the early-childhood program.

Education Week: Four Flawed Assumptions of School Reform

Education Week: Four Flawed Assumptions of School Reform:

"The good news: Despite the economic downturn, the U.S. Department of Education is stoking the development of a multitude of initiatives that might help improve schools. The bad news: Many of those initiatives still focus on the same flawed assumptions that have undermined education reform efforts for years. These assumptions reflect a simplistic view of what it takes to improve schools, and they contribute to the repeated failure to address the basic conditions needed to sustain long-lasting improvements in schooling."

Education Week: Study Eyes Effect of Extra Learning Time on Scores

Education Week: Study Eyes Effect of Extra Learning Time on Scores:

"The first national database of schools that have added learning time to their schedules, which was set for release this week, suggests that the extra time might play a role in boosting middle and high school achievement.

The National Center on Time & Learning, which assembled and analyzed the database, found a moderate association between increased time and how well students did on their states’ standardized English and mathematics tests compared with their peers in nearby schools on regular schedules"

Harlem's Education Experiment Gone Right - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Harlem's Education Experiment Gone Right - 60 Minutes - CBS News:

"(CBS) For years, educators have tried and failed to get poor kids from the inner city to do just as well in school as kids from America's more affluent suburbs. Black kids still routinely score well below white kids on national standardized tests.

But a man named Geoffrey Canada may have figured out a way to close that racial achievement gap. What he's doing has been called one of the most ambitious social experiments to alleviate poverty of our lifetime. His laboratory is a 97-block neighborhood in Harlem, which he has flooded with a wide array of social, medical and educational services available for free to the 10,000 children who live there. It is called the 'Harlem Children's Zone.'"

Watch CBS News Videos Online

An Important Message About Education from a sixth grader to President Obama

Watch eleven year old Ethan Matsuda tell the president about the horrific cuts to public education and how going to war in Afghanistan will drain resources away from investing in America's children. As Ethan says, "There's nothing left to cut, Mr. President.." Please forward this far and wide.

This video was made by Ethan Matsuda, who won a CTA Peace and Justice Caucus Youth Activism four years ago when he was in second grade, for his book, The North Pole is Melting, about Global Warming. The next year he wrote The Easter Bunny Breaks His Leg (and has no health insurance).

Back to the Land - And the Pursuit of Happiness Blog - NYTimes.com

Back to the Land - And the Pursuit of Happiness Blog - NYTimes.com

To Write About Curriculum, Reporters Need Classroom Access - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

To Write About Curriculum, Reporters Need Classroom Access - Curriculum Matters - Education Week:

"A former reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer remarked to my colleague Lesli Maxwell that for journalists to better cover classroom issues in schools, they need to have better access to classrooms. Lesli included the views of Dale Mezzacappa in a story about a report by the Brookings Institution that documents a lack of education stories on the front pages of mainstream newspapers nationwide. The report also concludes that education gets scant attention in the top news stories produced by radio and television reporters.

Mezacappa's remarks resonated with me because I've found that the ability I have to provide examples of how a school's curriculum plays out in the classroom depends on whether I'm permitted to spend a lot of time observing in classrooms."

Interests and Assessment Map - Parent Driven Schools

Interests and Assessment Map - Parent Driven Schools:

"The Interests and Abilities Map is a tool that students and their parents can use to better understand the student’s unique profile of interests, skills, challenges, potential and opportunities.
The IAM empowers the student in the setting and achieving of his or her own educational goals.

Shared with a parent, it can provide the basis for nurturing the child's unique gifts, challenges and interests.

Shared with a teacher, it can become the basis for indivdualizing the educational experience to meet the unique needs of the student."

The Educated Guess » State Board to consider regs for revoking charters

The Educated Guess » State Board to consider regs for revoking charters:

"The State Board of Education is the latest to weigh in with a proposal to weed out low-performing charter schools. It joins the Senate and the Assembly, whose Race to the Top bills differ on the right approach.

Even charter school advocates, including the California Charter Schools Association, agree that mediocre charter schools are undermining the case for expanding successful charters. Their low test scores feed arguments of charter opponents, who cite numbers showing that, on average, charters aren’t outperforming district schools."

The issue has gained importance, because U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is using the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition as leverage to push the expansion of high-performing charter schools. In response, both Senate and Assembly bills – SBX5-1 and ABX5-8 – would remove California’s limit of 100 new charters per year. While doing so would have no practical effect – the annual cap has never been reached, and unused numbers accumulate – its elimination would earn a few points on California’s Race to the Top application.

Assuming there are no financial irregularities and other problems, charter schools are entitled to have their charters renewed if they satisfy one of several criteria. They include reaching their API targets for the previous year; ranking in the fourth decile or higher for schools with similar demographics; or having API scores that are as high as those of neighborhood district schools. In a district like Los Angeles Unified, that last criteria can be a very low bar.

Chartering authorities – mostly local districts and county offices of education – have the responsibility for renewing and revoking charters. At its Dec. 15 meeting, the State Board of Education will take up proposed regulations would allow the board to intervene and revoke a charter of a school that fails to meet

voiceofsandiego.org

voiceofsandiego.org:

Bright and Early

"Water is falling from the sky. Do not panic. Or if you must, go into your underground bunker and soothe yourself with education news. It's the daily newsblitz!"

•We blog that the people who are helping oversee the $2.1 billion school construction bond for San Diego Unified are going to hold bond auditors to a higher standard after hearing from an outside nonprofit, which alleges that the auditor just hired by the school district has skimped on audits elsewhere.

The Union-Tribune wrote an editorial on it this weekend, too.

•If you missed it on Friday, guest blogger Jim Miller argued that the changes California is trying to make to become more competitive for a second dose of school stimulus dollars are "punitive and ill-considered."

We'll have another viewpoint on the stimulus money today -- stay tuned!

“Guilty As Charged” | Today's Cliche - Marriage, Family, & Work... from BOTH Women's and Men's Perspectives.

“Guilty As Charged” Today's Cliche - Marriage, Family, & Work... from BOTH Women's and Men's Perspectives.:

"Guilty, Guilty, and Guilty

Invincible: What I now admit to thinking when I was as a teenager.

Invincible: What I admit to still be thinking (?) as an adult.

I mean, what ELSE can logically explain how — for some reason — I conceive that there will be no repercussions, each time I text a ‘quick’ response on my iPhone while traveling 75 miles an hour on the beltway?

Don’t you hear the same echo that I do in my head: “C’mon… I just need to look down for one second… one second“?! It’s tempting, isn’t it?"

California Learning Resource Network (CLRN)

California Learning Resource Network (CLRN):

"CLRN makes it easy for you to find the standards-aligned software, video and Internet learning resources you need. CLRN experts have identified, reviewed and organized hundreds of Electronic Learning Resources (ELRs) in a searchable database that allows you to compare key features of selected resources. The Web Information Links (WILs) let you search or browse hundreds of free primary, secondary and reference resources. Electronic Learning Assessment Resources (ELARs) are data management programs that simplify delivery, aggregation and disaggregation of assessment data."

t r u t h o u t | David Bacon | The Human Face of Budget Cuts

t r u t h o u t David Bacon The Human Face of Budget Cuts:

"Oakland, California - Cesar Cota was the first in his family to attend college. 'Now it's hard to achieve my dream,' he says, 'because the state put higher fees on us, and cut services and classes.' Cota, a student at Los Angeles City College, was encouraged by the internship program of the LA College Faculty Guild to describe the human cost of budget cuts in the community college system."
David Robinson, who's worked since he was 14, hoped he'd get automotive mechanic training, and a good job at the end of it. "But by cutting these programs and raising fees," he says, "you're cutting opportunity for a lot of people who need it."


Another endangered student is Tina Vinaja, a mother of three teenagers whose husband took a weekend job to help pay her tuition hikes. Monica Mejia, a single mom, wants to get out of the low-wage trap. "Without community college," she says, "I'll end up getting paid minimum wage. I can't afford the fee hikes. I can barely make ends meet now."

Daily 49er - CSUs to make exceptions to keep special programs alive

Daily 49er - CSUs to make exceptions to keep special programs alive:

"The California State University system is planning to prioritize its enrollment by setting aside enrollment slots for athletes, ROTC, musicians and other special-skills students this fall. The decision is being made amidst plans to cut enrollment in the system by 40,000 students next year.

A $564-million budget cut is affecting the CSU campuses this fiscal year. One of the main factors in the decision to prioritize enrollment was to ensure that, despite the budget constraints, various programs in the CSU, such as athletics, engineering and orchestra, are filled.

“If you’re going to have an orchestra, you need to be able to enroll all the students to get a full band,” said CSU Director of Enrollment Management Services Jim Blackburn."

Joining forces : The Collegian Online

Joining forces : The Collegian Online:

"As activism rises on Fresno State’s campus, faculty show support of student involvement

Recent student activism on the California State University, Fresno campus has received support from many faculty members.

Professors could be seen in and outside of the Henry Madden Library during the protest staged after closing hours in November. October’s walkout also featured faculty members who addressed the crowd in the Peace Garden."

Dr. Loretta Kensinger, a professor for the women’s studies program, said that her participation was strictly in support for the students involved. She joined the family and friends of students who stood outside of the library for moral support for the students demonstrating inside, she said.

“I think the students are raising awareness for all of us about what the plight is for the California State University system right now,” Kensinger said.

She said students, as well as faculty, have been impacted by the budget cuts. It is important to support the students as they push for the state to fully fund education, Kensinger said.

Texas colleges counting economic blessings - for now

Texas colleges counting economic blessings - for now:

"SAN ANTONIO — Denise Trauth, president of Texas State University, tries not to gloat. But when she meets with counterparts from across the nation, as she did at the annual gathering of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities recently, she feels fortunate to be in Texas.

Many public colleges and universities across the nation are laying off employees, reducing student financial aid and taking other painful steps to cope with the economic downturn and declining state appropriations"

The University of North Alabama, for example, has raised tuition 9.5 percent in each of the past two years. California State University, Bakersfield, has scaled back academic programs and enrollment in response to a $15 million, or 25 percent, cut in the state portion of its budget. And Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has proposed merging three public, historically black universities to cut costs.

Institutions of higher learning in Texas haven't been immune to the belt-tightening. Hiring for many positions throughout the 15-campus University of Texas System is frozen. UT-Austin is laying off some staff members to free up money to retain and recruit top professors.

But schools in Texas, with its relatively strong economy, have largely been spared the harsh cuts taking place in many other states. Indeed, the Texas Legislature increased higher education funding this spring by $1.2 billion for the two-year budget and boosted financial aid by 35 percent, to $1 billion.

Different approaches considered amid some school officials' unease | San Bernardino County | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Different approaches considered amid some school officials' unease San Bernardino County PE.com Southern California News News for Inland Southern California:

"SACRAMENTO - Inland school officials are apprehensive about signing on to any state effort to get school grants from the federal government, with California lawmakers still divided on the issue as next month's application deadline approaches.

Wednesday, the Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to consider bills meant to improve the state's chances at receiving money from the $4.3 billion Race to the Top program, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's education reform agenda. A vote of the full Assembly is expected Thursday."

WestsideConnect - The West Side's News Source - Professionals find their calling in special education

WestsideConnect - The West Side's News Source - Professionals find their calling in special education:

"NEWMAN – In the daily bustle of activity on local school campuses, one group of educators go about their work with little public fanfare – but with a particularly profound impact on the lives of the students they serve.

More than 30 classroom teachers, aides and specialists – often working closely with general education classroom teachers – devote themselves to serving students with special needs in the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District.

Today (Thursday), special education professionals across the state are being acknowledged by the California Organization for Special Educators during its designated “Day of the Special Educator.”"