Education Week: 'Race to Top' Driving Policy Action Across States

Education Week: 'Race to Top' Driving Policy Action Across States:

"As governors and state legislators gear up for a new year of budget action and policymaking, the federal Race to the Top competition is helping to drive a flurry of measures nationwide aimed, at least in part, at making states stronger candidates for a slice of the $4 billion in education grants.
Those efforts emerge as a priority in the 2010 legislative season, even as many cash-strapped states face the prospect of tough spending decisions—including school budget cuts—on top of the midyear cuts they enacted in recent months."

Gov. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee earlier this month called on his legislature to hold a special session in January to consider a package of education measures, including a requirement that student-achievement data be used in teacher evaluations, and a proposal he said would strengthen provisions allowing the state to intervene in chronically low-performing schools.

“The whole Race to the Top just provided a focal point for a whole range of things that might have been difficult to do in other times,” Gov. Bredesen, a Democrat, said of the discretionary grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money is intended to encourage states’ efforts to improve education.

Editorial: Tortoises stall 'Race to the Top' - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Tortoises stall 'Race to the Top' - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee:

"ALL SIDES NEED TO COMPROMISE AND GET DEAL DONE NOW – NOT IN 2010

It's looking increasingly likely the California Legislature will get an 'incomplete' grade in completing 'Race to the Top' education legislation before the new year.

That's unfortunate. States face a Jan. 19 deadline to submit applications in a competition for $4.35 billion in federal funds. Three-quarters of the states have said they will apply, but only from six to 12 will get funding.

The Michigan Legislature on Saturday was the latest to pass an overhaul package. California cannot afford to stall now."

Schwarzenegger to seek federal help for California budget -- latimes.com

Schwarzenegger to seek federal help for California budget -- latimes.com:

"Reporting from Sacramento - Facing a budget deficit of more than $20 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to call for deep reductions in already suffering local mass transit programs, renew his push to expand oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast and appeal to Washington for billions of dollars in federal help, according to state officials and lobbyists familiar with the plan.

If Washington does not provide roughly $8 billion in new aid for the state, the governor threatens to severely cut back -- if not eliminate -- CalWORKS, the state's main welfare program; the In-Home Health Care Services program for the disabled and elderly poor, and two tax breaks for large corporations recently approved by the Legislature, the officials said."

Year in Review: Edutopia's Staff Picks | Edutopia

Year in Review: Edutopia's Staff Picks | Edutopia

It was a year filled with historical events (the election of Barack Obama) and miraculous moments (the heroism of Captain Sullenberger) and celebrity shockers (the death of Michael Jackson). But for us at Edutopia, 2009 was another year of inspiration and awe as we went around the country to meet and tell the stories of amazing students, teachers, administrators, and parents trying to improve our public schools. You never cease to surprise us with your dedication and passion and ingenuity!
And so we asked our staff to tell us which stories made the biggest impressions on them. Here are some of our favorites from 2009:
Betty Ray, community manager:
Edutopia Welcome Lounge: Thank-a-Teacher Discussion
"The Edutopia community expresses gratitude for the teachers who inspired us the most."
Cindy Johanson, chief operating officer:
"The Right Way to Ask Questions in the Classroom"
"I love this column, because it's so practical, but especially for the response from readers -- more than 135 tips and comments!"
David Markus, editorial director:
"A Louisiana School Leader Answers the Call of Duty" (magazine title: "Call of Duty")
This profile packaged a slew of Edutopia core values and virtues (social and emotional learning, project learning, technology in the classroom, professional development) and illuminated them through the compelling story of one heroic New Orleans prinicipal, who overcame enormous odds and enabled all those around her -- especially her students -- to achieve as they had never before. To me, that is the definition of inspiration.
Amy Erin Borovoy, video coordinating producer:
Opening Minds Through The Arts
"I love watching the faces of the kids light up as they experience the connections between their core academic subjects and performing arts. Nothing beats second graders singing opera!"
YES Prep Boasts a College-Bound Culture
"The passion of these teachers is so clear -- this story puts a face on the goals of every great educator. It's very moving to see how the hard work of everyone at this school in Houston pays off."
Milton Chen, executive director:
Opening Minds Through The Arts
"Shows how reading and writing skills depend on surrounding children with a rich linguistic environment and how opera singers can work with teachers to create it."

Read More:Year in Review: Edutopia's Staff Picks | Edutopia

Rancho Cordova Installs New Mayor and Vice Mayor — The Rancho Cordova Post

Rancho Cordova Installs New Mayor and Vice Mayor — The Rancho Cordova Post:

"Ken Cooley, a member of the Rancho Cordova City Council since the City incorporated in 2003, was sworn in as Mayor at the Rancho Cordova City Council meeting on December 21st. Robert McGarvey, also a Council Member from the City’s beginning, was sworn in as Vice Mayor.

California State Assembly Member Alyson Huber performed the swearing-in ceremony for the new Mayor and Pastor Mike Mitchum from the Rancho Cordova Neighborhood Church swore in the Vice Mayor.

The new Mayor is the California State Senate’s top advisor on insurance matters as principal consultant to the Senate Banking, Finance, and Insurance Committee. Before that, Cooley was a long-time counsel to State Farm Insurance and a top advisor on banking and insurance for the California Assembly. He has been very active in the League of California Cities and was appointed by the Governor to the California Seismic Safety Commission."

Parents To Protect School Over Holidays - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Parents To Protect School Over Holidays - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento: "SACRAMENTO, Calif. --

More than two dozen parents are working a night job at their child's school over the holiday break.

Parents of students at Westlake Charter Elementary volunteered to patrol the campus during the holiday break after a rash of school break-ins.

School leaders said since the school year began they have been targeted by vandals six times and have had more than $20,000 in damage and stolen equipment."

Parents, like Phil Nanni, said he feels parents have to make sure the school is well protected.

THE DAILY RIFF'S "PERSON OF THE YEAR" IN EDUCATION - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

THE DAILY RIFF'S "PERSON OF THE YEAR" IN EDUCATION - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

Larry Rosenstock wins because he speaks to all of us
personally and profoundly:
 students, parents, teachers, administrators,
and everyone who cares about education.

Rosenstock wins because if more people knew about his successful schools,
they would be clamoring for them in their own backyards.

He edged out Geoffrey Canada by a hair, but that is another story.  Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, POTUS Obama are higher on the news-maker scale (Time's criteria), but we went for the person hitting the most chords.  Rosenstock walks the talk.  He is guided by principles that defy conventional wisdom in education.  

Rosenstock is founding principal and CEO of High Tech High in San Diego, which has been called a "great liberal arts school in disguise".  In other words, it's not your father's tech school.  With a college entry rate of 100%, this charter school (now a group of schools in southern California) is envied because it dispels many accepted notions of "what works" in education both in practice and by results.   

Education Week: Teaching for America

Education Week: Teaching for America:

"As a Teach For America corps member, I taught up to 32 kindergartners, without recess, in a rat-infested South Bronx basement. My school’s staff was cracking under intense scrutiny, because fewer than 30 percent of our students were on grade level. With a 60 percent staff-turnover rate and a majority of new teachers on an emergency credential, the experienced, expert teacher my students deserved was not waiting in line for my job.

I did the best I could. I worked tireless hours. I built a respectful classroom community and strong relationships with families. Using culturally relevant pedagogy, I worked to ensure that my students were on a 1st grade reading level at the end of the year."

Education Reform and the States - Part 1of 5

Amherst, MA (PRWEB) December 23, 2009 -- Education reform is a national priority. Pearson, the education, services and technology company, is stimulating discussions of school reform issues with today's launch of a series of video interviews with nationally recognized education leader David Driscoll, Ed.D. The company's Evaluation Systems group, the most experienced provider of standards-based teacher certification testing programs, developed these thought-provoking videos with the former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education to contribute to the national conversation on the most effective ways to improve student achievement.


In these five Web video segments, Driscoll addresses a wide range of school reform topics from his perspective as a leader in education for more than 43 years. He began his career as a secondary math teacher and then served in district leadership roles, as a state commissioner of education, president of Council of Chief State School Officers and is now the chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress: The Nation's Report Card. Driscoll discusses key areas of school reform, including state education initiatives; the role of teachers, principals and educator preparation in school improvement; and the best strategies for transforming education in the future.

"The national conversation about how to reform education has reached new heights over the past several years," said William Gorth, Ph.D., president of the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson. "We developed this video series to help education, community and government leaders consider the potential that initiatives such as the movement toward common core standards and efforts to improve teaching can and will have on student achievement. Who better than Dr. Driscoll, with his experience in education reform at all levels, to lead this discussion?"
Part 1 of 5 - A conversation with Dr. David Driscoll, past president of the Council of Chief State School Officers and 22nd Commissioner of Education for Massachusetts, on education reform, the experience in Massachusetts, lessons learned, implications for other states, and how to move reform ahead. For related information, see http://teacher.PearsonAssessments.com

Alonso's focus on principals carries benefits and risks -- baltimoresun.com

Alonso's focus on principals carries benefits and risks -- baltimoresun.com:

"Over half a century after the best-selling book 'Why Johnny Can't Read' shocked the nation, poor Johnny still can't read - or compute. Neither can poor Tyesha or Juan or millions of other predominantly low-income children of color.

This national tragedy is not because of lack of effort. For the past 25 years, the condition of public education has been regarded as a national crisis. In the name of reform, countless strategies have proliferated, most famously (or infamously) the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). It is impossible to find a single large, urban school system that has not been flooded over the years by an overflowing stream of reform initiatives."

The American Spectator : Bargaining for Reform?

The American Spectator : Bargaining for Reform?

Considering its role in sparking the most-important teachers union strike in American history five decades ago with its shutdown of New York City's schools, and the years it has since spent making teaching the public sector profession most-insulated from performance management, the American Federation of Teachers is an unlikely name to be found among the wonks and advocates at the helm of reforming America's public schools.

But these days, the nation's other national teachers union is getting some qualified praise for supporting a handful of initiatives that tip-toe toward the prescription of more-rigorous curriculum standards, standardized tests, school choice and consequences advocated by the school reformers the union has long opposed. Whether or not the AFT will fully embrace school reform -- or simply backslide into its inveterate support of traditional education concepts -- is another matter entirely.

In October, the AFT shocked the education world when its New Haven, Conn., local agreed to a new contract that would allow the New England city's school district to offer merit pay to the best-performing teachers and allows for the conversion of laggard schools into charter schools. Given the longstanding hostile opposition to performance pay of any kind, the concession even made normally skeptical education scholar Andy Smarick of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute call it "a set of very exciting developments."

My Turn: Predictable failure of school reform | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press

My Turn: Predictable failure of school reform | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press:

"The Vermont DOE is again engaged in studying the efficiency and effectiveness of our public schools. Unfortunately, this is likely to follow the 'predictable failure of educational reform' unless we consider fundamental changes in the governance and organization of our schools."

Despite the hard work of educators to meet countless demands of the educational system pulling them in disparate directions, our schools are failing our kids and our society. By trying to do everything, schools sometimes end up doing little very well. With over 30 percent of our students nationwide not graduating from school, huge numbers not proficient in basic skills, and endless streams of students saying they find school irrelevant, the current system is untenable.

It isn't as if there haven't been innumerable efforts to improve our schools. More testing, new programs, innovation grants, conferences, consultants, new regulations, cutting-edge technology, revised policies, new curricula, and on and on. As educational expert Michael Fullan observes, very few large-scale educational reform efforts have been effective. As Albert Einstein noted, the definition of

Opinion: California school reform: 'It's the teaching, stupid' - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: California school reform: 'It's the teaching, stupid' - San Jose Mercury News:

"As the California legislative battle lines are drawn over school reform, and as attempts are being made to put the state on track to Race to the Top by seeking its share of the $4.3 billion federal fund, what seems to be sorely missing is any informed discussion on the strategy to improve teaching.

Recognizing the importance of teaching, No Child Left Behind emphasized the improvement of teacher quality as a central objective. The same emphasis is incorporated in the rules states must follow for the Race to the Top fund. A perfect application for a grant would earn a state a total of 500 points, of which 138 points, the largest chunk, are allotted for recruiting quality teachers and for evaluating their effectiveness. States must clearly articulate innovative strategies for improving classroom teaching.

But in putting together its application, California seems to be paying no attention to classroom teaching."

Coatesville investigates Graystone charter | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/22/2009

Coatesville investigates Graystone charter | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/22/2009:

"A Chester County charter school is being investigated by the Coatesville Area School District, which is requesting a wide range of information about its operations.

The district also has directed Graystone Academy Charter School not to purchase any real estate for a new site 'in light of the serious nature of our investigation.'

Graystone's lawyer said the school had complied with the request for information and was not about to purchase land anyway."

THE NEXT WAVE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

THE NEXT WAVE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

"What Every Parent, Teacher & Administrator Needs To Know

The stereotypical image of the geeky nerd - the lonely male in a dark basement punching out computer code - may soon be a picture of the past. Instead, imagine both girls and boys learning, understanding, and embracing computer code as an everyday universal language and a necessary part of a well-rounded education. It's happening right now across the country, not in big waves yet, but it is happening.

Science is in the forefront of the news recently, with computer science gaining mainstream attention with its connection to future jobs and career enhancement. The link of computer science to science and math skills, logical thinking and problem solving is also a key driver to this conversation, which seems to building momentum even outside of tech circles. From The New York Times, click dates for full articles on Dec. 21st and Dec. 22nd:"

The Educated Guess � Open enrollment provision needs work

The Educated Guess � Open enrollment provision needs work: "Assembly Speaker Karen Bass’ office has been mum� about whatever progress there has been in resolving differences over SBX5-4, the compromise Race to the Top bill that the Senate passed last week.

One part of the bill that needs fleshing out through amendments involves a significant expansion of parental choice that Gov. Schwarzenegger� and Sen. Gloria Romero have pushed hard for."


Romero’s original bill, which died in the Assembly, would have given parents in the lowest 30 percent performing schools the right to transfer to a better school in another school district. The current bill scales back that right to the bottom tenth. But it still marks a major shift in state policy and philosophy – and a victory for Los Angeles parent groups that made their voices heard in Sacramento.

Just last summer, the advocacy group EdVoice looked like it was fighting a losing battle to renew a strictly voluntary parental choice program affecting only 5,000 students attending schools in districts that volunteered to take them.
Now, open enrollment will expand to theoretically hundreds of thousands of children. And all districts with space  for more students will be required to accept children from the worst schools, based on a lottery system.
Romero sold open enrollment as a civil rights issue, providing families stuck in failing schools the right to a good education. And she’s right.

But the language of the bill is largely aspirational. It lacks details on how the program would work. Sen. Joe Simitian, while voting for the bill, raised serious questions that need answers. Among them:

• How would be reimbursement work? Would the full tuition follow the student to the receiving district, or would it be partial? Would the sending district get the tuition for one more year after the student leaves, to soften the impact, as currently happens in declining enrollment dsitricts?

• Could a district claim financial hardship and deny an out-of-district admission? How would that be defined?

• What is the definition of available space? If a school technically has room for more students, but has limits on class size, would it have to abandon small classes to accommodate more students? Or reopen closed schools?

• Would largely wealthy basic-aid districts, like Palo Alto and Woodside, 

Education Week: Charter Schools: Education's Fox in the Henhouse?

Education Week: Charter Schools: Education's Fox in the Henhouse?:

"Successful urban charter schools are showing that high demand, high support education works for all students—not just Jewish and Asian and upper-class kids, but all kids who commit to academic success. Some of these schools’ achievement gains are very impressive.

So why am I, a retired public school teacher of 34 years, cautious and suspicious?

Perhaps there’s a hidden agenda, one that may be revealed..."

Parents should pay for ignoring kids' education | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Parents should pay for ignoring kids' education | freep.com | Detroit Free Press:

"Mike Thomas arrives at Detroit's Chrysler Elementary every weekday at 2 p.m. He helps direct traffic. He tutors. He buys toilet paper."

Mike Thomas isn't the principal. He is a Detroit Public Schools parent. And every time he sees a news story about the failures of the district and how lazy parents are, he gets angry.

That's because the stories aren't about him. Complaints about teachers aren't about his wife, Shannon, who continues to work after school until 11 p.m. every night creating exciting lesson plans, grading papers and making sure her students have food and coats.

"The parents at our school -- we work hard," he said. "I know those parents you're talking about, but it's not us."

Ninety-three miles away from that school, state Rep. George Cushingberry, D-Detroit, lauds parents like the Thomases.

But he wants to do something about the other parents, the ones who are too young, or who don't read well enough to help their children. He is sensitive to those for whom poverty has been an obstacle.

But Cushingberry -- and I -- want something done to help teachers whose classrooms are filled with kids whose parents have let them down. Whether they are behaviorally challenged or just woefully, academically

Randalls Island play to hand control of ballfields to private schools nixed again

Randalls Island play to hand control of ballfields to private schools nixed again:

"Mayor Bloomberg's pay-to-play deal for Randalls Island ballfields has struck out again.

For the second time in two years, a judge has thrown out a City Hall contract that gives 20 Manhattan private schools exclusive use of half of all the renovated ballfields at Randalls Island Park during school days.

The deal is a 'major concession,' which the Parks Department must first submit to the local community board and the City Council, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Shafer ruled Tuesday."

A Quiet End for Boys Choir of Harlem - NYTimes.com

A Quiet End for Boys Choir of Harlem - NYTimes.com:

"For more than three decades, they sang Mozart in Latin, Bach in German, and Cole Porter and Stevie Wonder in English, from Alice Tully Hall in New York to Royal Albert Hall in London."


For the audiences that marveled at theBoys Choir of Harlem, it was an additional wonder that the young performers with world-class voices had emerged from some of the most difficult neighborhoods of New York. December was always a busy month, as the choir toured the country’s premier concert halls and appeared on television Christmas specials.

But this year, the boys are nowhere to be found. Last week, Terrance Wright, a 39-year-old choir alumnus, picked up a microphone in front of the altar of Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in Harlem, the choir’s last home, and delivered news that surprised few people but saddened many.

“Tell the people. Let it be known,” Mr. Wright said, glistening and exhausted after leading a Christmas concert by former singers in the choir. “There is no Boys and Girls Choir of Harlem.”
The choir’s last official performance was in 2007, around the time of the death of its founder, Walter J. Turnbull. But no one ever announced that it was gone. Board members and alumni had hoped to revive it, but they acknowledged last week that they had not had any success.

For a famous organization that politicians had vowed would outlive its founder, it had a quiet end. Many of the choir’s materials, like copies of handwritten scores and its trademark burgundy blazers, now sit in black garbage bags and open boxes

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Education | Efforts To Save Schools Gain Momentum

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Education | Efforts To Save Schools Gain Momentum:

"Although critics have accused the Panel for Educational Policy of being a rubber stamp for the mayor's policies, it's recently showed small signs of independence. NY1 education reporter, Lindsey Christ, filed the following report on why that means the 20 schools slated for closure may have a chance at a reprieve.
Thousands across the city are waging campaigns to save their schools. They say they're not just making noise, because the Department of Education no longer has the final say on school closures.

The recently-revised state law on mayoral control puts school closures in the hands of the Panel for Educational Policy, and advocates believe they may be able to convince the panel to keep their schools open."

Department of Education to launch free online SAT prep program for 11th grade students - NYPOST.com

Department of Education to launch free online SAT prep program for 11th grade students - NYPOST.com:

"Reeling from four straight years of plunging SAT scores, the city will offer a free online prep course for the exam to all 11th-graders in public schools, The Post has learned.

As many as 50,000 teens are expected to sign up for the new SAT tutorial, which will allow them to access test-prep materials and college-planning assistance from the Internet, according to city Department of Education officials.

The program -- expected to cost the city less than $350,000 -- is set to start within months and target kids taking the exam in spring and fall of 2010."

Education Shouldn't be a Debt Sentence - Home

Education Shouldn't be a Debt Sentence - Home

UVic Students’ Society to host free soup kitchen to highlight the need to reduce student debt

VICTORIA—The UVic Students’ Society (UVSS) will be hosting a free soup kitchen for students tomorrow as part of a day of campus events throughout Vancouver Island for the Education Shouldn’t be a Debt Sentence campaign. Students at UVic, Camosun College, Vancouver Island University, and North Island College will be gathering signatures on the provincial petition to reduce student debt at the event.

The events come on the heels of last week’s government report on the public consultations held for the 2010 BC budget. The report recommended that the government address BC’s high student loan interest rates and inadequate funding for universities and colleges.

“We’re building pressure on the government right up to the release of the 2010 BC budget,” said UVSS Chairperson Veronica Harrison, “This government must commit to a plan to reduce student debt over the four years of its mandate.”

D.C.'s City Collegiate Public Charter School plans to close - washingtonpost.com

D.C.'s City Collegiate Public Charter School plans to close - washingtonpost.com:

"A four-year-old D.C. charter school plans to close at the end of June because of falling enrollment and financial concerns.

Officials with City Collegiate Public Charter School, a middle school in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, told the D.C. Public Charter School Board of the plans Monday evening.

'There's no right time to close a school, but we've looked at next year, and we believe we would not have the enrollment, the per-pupil funding that we'd need,' said Julie Klingenstein, co-chairman of the school's board of trustees. The school had budgeted for 100 students but has only 70, she said, suggesting that rapid turnover in school leadership hurt enrollment."

The Washington Teacher: RIF'ed DC Teachers Challenge Union Colleagues To Fight

The Washington Teacher: RIF'ed DC Teachers Challenge Union Colleagues To Fight:

"Teachers and school counselors who were recently laid off by the Rhee administration have stepped up their fight on behalf of unfairly laid off teacher colleagues. These group of laid off teachers and school staff are known as Fight for Fired DC personnel. Included in this activist group are Washington Teachers’ Union Executive Board members Sheila Gill, Willie Brewer and Agnes Dyson. This group plans to work to combat unfair November 2 teacher cuts by Chancellor Rhee’s administration.


Fight For Fired DC Personnels’ first actions included advancing their written request to the Washington Teachers’ Union for financial assistance to the cover the cost of their legal appeals to OEA (Office of Employee Appeals). This request was sent to the WTU President George Parker as well as AFT President Randi Weingarten via certified mail."

At last week’s rescheduled December 15 executive board meeting, Sheila Gill, WTU Board member proposed a motion that the WTU will file a legal appeal of Judge Bartnoff’s November 24 ruling. It was noted that there is a 30 day timeline to file an appeal. Although much discussion ensued, WTU President George Parker did not lend his support for a motion to appeal Bartnoff’s decision. He indicated that he did not vote since the motion did not result in a tie. Unfortunately, our union attorney was not present at the WTU Executive Board meeting.

I spoke in favor of laid off teachers’ right to an appeal even though WTU President George Parker would not allow me to speak in the first round and only reluctantly allowed me to speak in the second round of discussions on this matter. I do not agree with the parliamentarian’s opinion (John Tatum) that I should not be allowed to vote ex-officio as a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) given that a decision was made for BOT members to be included in all executive board meetings. So it seems that Parker twists Robert's Rules of Order to his convenience denying me the opportunity to speak or requiring me to speak last in an effort to prevent my voice from being heard.

Given that union president, George Parker historically is not a fighter, it is not surprising that he does not support teachers' legal right to file an appeal to Judge Bartnoff’s November 24 legal decision. However, what came as a

District Court Takes Up Arizona ELL Case Again - Learning the Language - Education Week

District Court Takes Up Arizona ELL Case Again - Learning the Language - Education Week:

"District Court Takes Up Arizona ELL Case Again

By Mary Ann Zehr

Arizona's long-running federal court case about the education of English-language learners is being considered again in a U.S. district court, according to a story published by Capitol Media Services. (The Arizona Republic also covered the story this week.) The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case, Horne v. Flores, in June that the federal district court should take another look at the evidence.

Judge Raner C. Collins of the U.S. district court in Tucson released a brief this week, saying the court would review programs for ELLs statewide, though state lawyers had argued that the court should examine only programs for such students in the Nogales school district, where the case originated."

Ca. Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments for 12.22.09 : Tue, 22 Dec 2009 : California Newswire™

Ca. Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Appointments for 12.22.09 : Tue, 22 Dec 2009 : California Newswire™

Naomi Rainey, 59, of Long Beach, has been appointed to the Advisory Commission on Special Education. Since 2003, she has been an independent education consultant. From 2000 to 2003, Rainey was a principal on special assignment on Long Beach Polytechnic High School where she was previously assistant principal from 1996 to 2000. She was assistant principal for Millikan High School from 1995 to 1996. Rainey served the Compton Unified School District as district administrator for communications and community relations from 1988 to 1990, supervisor of communications and community relations from 1986 to 1988, program manager for the university college program from 1983 to 1986 and an educator and counselor from 1977 to 1983. Prior to that, she was a substitute teacher for the Long Beach and Compton Unified School Districts from 1975 to 1977. Rainey is a member of the Long Beach City College Foundation Board of Governors. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary. Rainey is a Republican.

AB 656 - Fair Share for Fair Tuition | Alberto Torrico for Attorney General

AB 656 - Fair Share for Fair Tuition | Alberto Torrico for Attorney General:

"AB 656 - Fair Share for Fair Tuition

AB 656 will help reverse the skyrocketing fees and tuition at our UC, CSU and community college campuses.

While California is struggling with record deficits and education funding is being gutted, big oil is enjoying historic profits. But California is the only major oil producing state in the country that doesn’t charge big oil their fair share. Alaska imposes a 25% oil severance fee and Texas raises up to $400 million annually through a similar fee.

It's time to make the oil and gas industry pay their fair share to help save our colleges and universities.
Please join me right now in support of AB 656 to fund higher education in California"

The Epstein Community Foundation

http://www.epsteinglobal.com/index.html


Epstein Community Foundation

BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE

The employees of Epstein, a Chicagobased architecture, interiors, engineering and construction firm, have founded the Epstein Community Foundation to partner with communities for improved schools, safe environments and sustainable design.

The first major Epstein Community Foundation project is with McNair Academy, located at 4820 W. Walton Street in the South Austin neighborhood. The K-8 student body of 650 (including 150 special education students) is composed almost entirely of African-American students from low-income households.

The employees of Epstein created the Epstein Community Foundation to help build brighter futures in areas that need help and McNair School was the perfect candidate to partner with. McNair is embarking on positive changes, including significantly improved test scores. The percentage of students who meet or exceed standards for their grades grew from 23% in 2005 to 41% in 2007. Epstein wanted to support the efforts of the principal, teachers, students and the community to continue the momentum of these improvements.

Currently underway at McNair is the Epstein-sponsored program, "Real Men Read." Epstein employees regularly visit McNair to participate in reading sessions with students, aimed at demonstrating that "real men" read and value education. The program aims to encourage and improve literacy skills of students, provide mentoring opportunities, and reinforce the importance of student achievement as well as community
partnerships.

The Epstein Community Foundation has put in place a number of other programs for McNair students, including:

" Letters to Santa (wishes fulfilled by Epstein employees)

" 3,500 items donated in a school supply drive

" Summer Build program, in which students learned design, engineering ; construction techniques at Epstein offices

" Architectural Field trips


Epstein Community Foundation -

Education Week: Review Backs New Tool for Principal Evaluation

Education Week: Review Backs New Tool for Principal Evaluation

An examination of how to size up the performance of principals has found that one evaluation method is best suited for judging the effectiveness of school leaders: the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education.

Created in 2006 and just now widely available for districts to purchase, the assessment, called VAL-ED, is the newest of the principal instruments in the review conducted by Matthew Clifford and Christopher Condon, researchers with Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit educational consulting firm based in suburban Chicago. ("Assessment to Rate Principal Leadership to Be Field-Tested," Jan. 16, 2008.)

Education Week: Scholars Test Emotion-Sensitive Tutoring Software

Education Week: Scholars Test Emotion-Sensitive Tutoring Software:

"A high school student is working on a geometry problem with her tutor, “Jane.” The student solves the problem incorrectly and expresses frustration. Empathetic, Jane shows momentary frustration, too.

Then she responds encouragingly, “Let’s read again what the problem is asking.”

This scene would not be out of place in most educational environments were it not for one important detail: Jane is a character on a computer screen.

Developed by teams of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Arizona State University in Tempe, the computer tutor in this scenario is part of a growing number of research projects around the country looking to build a social and emotional support system into intelligent-"

Treat Your Volunteers Right - PTOToday.com

Treat Your Volunteers Right - PTOToday.com

Treat Your Volunteers Right

Don’t wait for the big annual event to say thanks. We've rounded up a bunch of simple recognition and appreciation ideas that can be used year-round.

by Patty Catalano

How does your group treat its volunteers? Taking the time to properly thank members for their contributions can motivate them to do even more great work for your school. But saying thanks and recognizing your dedicated helpers for their time and talents should go beyond an end-of-year appreciation luncheon. Here are some great ways to make your group’s volunteers feel special and appreciated throughout the whole year.

Make Them Stars

At its spring fair, the Valley Forge Elementary PTO in Wayne, Pa., gave some 400 volunteers the star treatment: Their names were placed on cardboard stars and added to a huge display in the café area.

Email It

Incorporate a weekly email blast detailing all of the volunteers who have helped your group in any way and their specific contributions. (A couple of suggested titles: High-Five Friday, Wednesday Wonders.) Be sure to copy your school’s principal on the email.

Let the Family Know

Write a letter to your volunteer’s family letting them know how much that person’s work is appreciated, and thank the family for supporting her efforts.

Hold an Awards Night

One parent group holds an annual GEM (“go the extra mile”) Awards night to honor parent volunteers and supporters from the business community. School faculty and staff members are given nomination forms and nominate up to 10 people or organizations to be recognized. The parent and community partners with the most nominations are named Parent of the Year and Partner of the Year, respectively. All nominees receive a certificate of recognition; the two top honorees are given plaques and gifts. The group receives about 60 nominations each year.

Sleep on It

NJ Left Behind: Warp Speed for Interdistrict School Choice

NJ Left Behind: Warp Speed for Interdistrict School Choice

Warp Speed for Interdistrict School Choice

The Philadelphia Inquirer gives us a status report on our embryonic Interdistrict Public School Choice Program, conceived in 2000 as a five-year pilot. It’s been fairly successful within its circumscribed limits and could offer choices for kids stuck in falling schools if the Legislature gives a thumbs-up to move it off pilot-status, where it’s been sitting for the last 4 years in spite of recommendations for expansion. Right now its constraints include limiting receiving districts to one per county and limiting the number of kids allowed to transfer to 2% per grade from the sending school. The new bill would allow more than one district per county to be labeled as a receiving district and expands the quota of kids allowed to transfer to 15% per grade or 10% of a school. In its current configuration the program serves about 900 kids who, because they’re lucky enough to have a receiving district within their county (15 of our 21 districts do) can get out of a failing school and into a higher-achieving one.

As we’ve reported before, sometimes the non-expanded version doesn’t work so well. Each district gets to volunteer (or not) to be a “choice district.” In Mercer County, for example, the only district to raise its hand is Trenton School District. Therefore, all those kids at Princeton High, where 100% pass the 11th grade HSPA, can elect to attend Trenton Central High where 48% of kids can pass the HSPA. In Burlington County, the volunteer is Green Bank, an impoverished K-8 district with a total population of 69 kids. If you want to take advantage of Interdistrict School Choice and you’re a high school student in Burlington, tough luck.

By all reports, the current group of kids who do elect to take go this route are happy, well-adjusted, and eager to take advantage of greater educational opportunity. (The Inquirer piece interviews a mother who exudes gratitude that her daughter can attend a school outside of her home district of Camden.) So why has the expansion been put in suspended animation for the last 4 years?

"This is all about providing opportunity," said NJEA spokesman Stephen Wollmer, "but you have to ensure you're very careful you don't deny opportunity to the kids who stay behind."

This is actually the same argument used against charter schools: if a kid is lucky enough to have proactive parents who show up at charter school lotteries, then this hurts the home school by “creaming off” the best kids and leaving the unlucky ones in an even lower-achieving environment. It’s a strange sort of logic. While everyone agrees that this child might be better off a

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