California Science Center is sued for canceling a film promoting intelligent design -- latimes.com

California Science Center is sued for canceling a film promoting intelligent design -- latimes.com:

"California Science Center is sued for canceling a film promoting intelligent design

The American Freedom Alliance says the center bowed to pressure from the Smithsonian. The science center says a news release hadn't been submitted to the museum, violating the contract."

L.A.'s California Science Center will start the new year defending itself in court for canceling a documentary film attacking Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

A lawsuit alleges that the state-owned center improperly bowed to pressure from the Smithsonian Institution, as well as e-mailed complaints from USC professors and others. It contends that the center violated both the 1st Amendment and a contract to rent the museum's Imax Theater when it canceled the screening of "Darwin's Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record."

The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by the American Freedom Alliance, an L.A.-based group described by senior fellow Avi Davis as a nonprofit, nonpartisan "think tank and activist network promoting Western values and ideals."

The AFA seeks punitive damages and compensation for financial losses, as well as a declaration from the court that the center violated the Constitution and cannot refuse the group the right to rent its facilities for future events.

Teachers hit the books to implement reform strategies | Recordnet.com

Teachers hit the books to implement reform strategies | Recordnet.com:

"STOCKTON - As many high schools work to reshape themselves into academies focused on educating students for careers in specific fields, an essential issue has surfaced.

Who will be the teachers? And will there be enough who combine training in education with expertise in the various career-oriented classes being developed by school districts?

It is an issue likely to continue, according to a report released earlier this month by a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit organization working to improve teacher training and practices.

It also is an issue with significant implications for Stockton Unified School District - which established its career-focused small"

EDITORIAL: California must renew its vision for higher ed - Opinion - Fresnobee.com

EDITORIAL: California must renew its vision for higher ed- Opinion- Fresnobee.com:

"Students protest higher fees. Faculty lament instructional cuts. Administrators complain the state is an unreliable funding partner to public colleges and universities. It's time to get beyond griping and move on to solutions.

Ironically, California is about to mark -- celebrate certainly is not the right word -- the 50th anniversary of the Master Plan for Higher Education. That 1960 plan made a commitment that 'all Californians should be afforded the opportunity to receive a college education.' It made California a national model. For a generation, the 1960 Master Plan delivered prosperity to the state and a higher standard of living for residents."

Newsmax - Illegals May Lose Tuition Breaks

Newsmax - Illegals May Lose Tuition Breaks:

"Nebraska lawmakers are set again to consider repealing a law that offers tuition breaks to some illegal immigrants, and the looming debate already is drawing support.

A majority of lawmakers participating in an Associated Press pre-session survey say they support rescinding the offer made after lawmakers fought to override Gov. Dave Heineman's veto to pass the law in 2006.

Of the 33 senators responding to the survey, 18 said they support repealing the measure, while six said they don't. Eight said they're unsure. One senator, Amanda McGill of Lincoln, didn't check an answer but offered a comment asking for more sanctions on businesses."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan's legacy as Chicago schools chief questioned - washingtonpost.com

Education Secretary Arne Duncan's legacy as Chicago schools chief questioned - washingtonpost.com:

"CHICAGO -- Soon after Arne Duncan left his job as schools chief here to become one of the most powerful U.S. education secretaries ever, his former students sat for federal achievement tests. This month, the mathematics report card was delivered: Chicago trailed several cities in performance and progress made over six years.

Miami, Houston and New York had higher scores than Chicago on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Boston, San Diego and Atlanta had bigger gains. Even fourth-graders in the much-maligned D.C. schools improved nearly twice as much since 2003."

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: No evidence exists for learning style theories

The Answer Sheet- Willingham: No evidence exists for learning style theories:

Willingham: No evidence exists for learning style theories

My guest today is University of Virginia cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, author of "Why Don’t Students Like School?"

By Daniel Willingham
This month another article was published reviewing the scientific literature on learning styles. It appeared in a journal calledPsychological Science in the Public Interest, published by theAssociation for Psychological Science.

This journal has an interesting premise. The editor recruits three or four top researchers to review the scientific literature on a complex topic of public import. The researchers must be knowledgeable, but not directly involved in prior research on the topic, so that they will be impartial.

The straightforward conclusion matched the one that I have drawn in the past—there is not evidence supporting any of the many learning style theories that have been proposed.

New gear, tutors give Hub school teams a chance - The Boston Globe

New gear, tutors give Hub school teams a chance - The Boston Globe:

"As a witness to one lost opportunity after another, Anne Marie De Barros has spent years in the Boston public schools wondering when one of the most glaring inequities in Massachusetts high school sports would end."

Now she knows.

Beginning next fall, eight Boston public high schools where girls never had a chance to play varsity soccer - an option available to nearly every other high school girl in Massachusetts - will field varsity teams for the first time. Five other Boston high schools where students had no access to any level of interscholastic girls soccer will launch their first junior varsity programs, with an eye to making them varsity teams in 2011.

The girls soccer teams are among the first beneficiaries of a sweeping overhaul intended to bring comprehensive sports opportunities and academic support to thousands of Boston’s student-athletes.

De Barros, the junior varsity girls soccer coach at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester, said she no longer will struggle to explain to her players, some of the best in Boston schools, why they have been treated as second-class citizens. The Burke girls will play their first varsity schedule next fall, removing the junior varsity stigma that has discouraged college recruiters from considering them for athletic scholarships.

“I’ve heard too many girls say, ‘The city doesn’t care about

Deseret News | New help for autism

Deseret News | New help for autism: "Pretty soon, Dani Hartog won't have to worry.

She won't have to leave her car idling in the parking lot at Northridge High to drag her 15-year-old son, kicking and screaming, to his classroom. She won't get a tight feeling in her chest whenever the phone rings, wondering if the principal is calling to say the boy, who has autism, is missing again. She won't panic as she rushes from work to her home in South Weber, worried the teenager won't be safe in his usual hideout under the back porch.

Because, pretty soon, Utah will have a public high school specifically designed to address the educational and social needs of children with autism and Asperger syndrome.

'I was so elated when I heard the news, I literally jumped up and down,' Hartog said. 'The difference between specialized and mainstream education is night and day for my kid.'

Spectrum Academy, a three-year-old charter school that"

Class Struggle - More required P.E.--a bad idea from good people

Class Struggle- More required P.E.--a bad idea from good people:

"More required P.E.--a bad idea from good people

Sometimes it is the smartest, most concerned policymakers who do the most harm to schools. My favorite recent example is the Healthy Schools Act, a bill introduced by D.C. council member Mary M. Cheh and Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray two weeks ago.

Cheh and Gray are good people trying to address a national epidemic of childhood obesity and insufficient physical activity. In Cheh’s press release she notes that 18 percent of D.C. high school students are obese, 70 percent fail to meet the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended levels of physical activity and 84 percent do not attend physical education classes daily. It is their solution that troubles me.

I am unqualified to comment on the food parts of the bill. I have never written about nutrition. I would be embarrassed to reveal the amount of crackers, cookies and ice cream I eat each day. I can only wonder how D.C. will pay for the required fresh produce from local growers in all schools, and how they will get students to eat it."

Undocumented Teen's School, Work Options Limited : NPR

Undocumented Teen's School, Work Options Limited : NPR:

"Sam was brought to the U.S. by his Mexican parents when he was 5. He stayed out of trouble, was drum major of his Elkhart, Ind., high school's marching band, fell in love with playing jazz on the tenor sax, and got his diploma with honors — only to find that for an undocumented immigrant, graduation marks a dead end.

The 18-year-old is a completely American kid who has little memory of Mexico. His spoken Spanish is poor; his written Spanish is worse. But without documents, Sam is unable to legally work, to drive, to get financial aid or even to attend some U.S. colleges."

Governor rescinds regional school transportation cuts | SouthCoastToday.com

Governor rescinds regional school transportation cuts | SouthCoastToday.com:

"After seeing the damage it was doing, Gov. Deval Patrick has reversed his October decision to cut $18 million from regional school district transportation budgets, state Secretary of Education Paul Reville told The Standard-Times Monday.

'In our view, the bottom line is that this is another example of this governor's extraordinary commitment to education,' Reville said.

Two months ago, the governor announced a list of so-called 9C cuts, named for the section of law that permits him to make line-item cuts without the approval of the Legislature."

Sacramento Press / Special Assistant to the Mayor R.E. Graswich interviews Mayor Johnson

Sacramento Press / Special Assistant to the Mayor R.E. Graswich interviews Mayor Johnson:

"Tonight, I watched the below Youtube clip and felt as though I was watching a Paid Public Service Announcement. Actually, I felt I was watching a Paid Strong Mayor Campaign Advertisement. Who pays Graswich salary? Hopefully it comes out of the mayor's pocket since it seems Graswich isn't working to get the exclusive for the people of the city of Sacramento.

I had high hopes for Graswich after reading the August 20, 2009 Sacramento Press article where he stated, 'I'm getting paid by the people. I'm working for the people.' "http://bit.ly/6Mvs62

Below is one of several questions Special Assistant to the Mayor R.E. Graswich asks Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. I wonder, can a 'Special Assistant" to the Mayor actually interview the mayor without bias, slanting or leaning questions to assist the mayor? How can a seasoned reporter who is now a special assistant to the mayor not provide rebuttal questions to some of the not-so-bright responses provided by the Mayor?

R.E. Graswich asks: "How can an executive Mayor create jobs when a weak mayor can't?" 

Oklahoma lenders leaving the college debt arena | NewsOK.com

Oklahoma lenders leaving the college debt arena | NewsOK.com

Oklahoma lenders leaving the college debt arena

BY SARA PLUMMER - Tulsa World Comments 0

Published: December 28, 2009

Big changes may be coming soon to the student loan industry, and those involved are preparing for the adjustments.

The Obama administration’s plan is to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program, which has provided education loans to students and parents through a public and private partnership with lenders since 1965, if Congress approves. Direct lending from the U.S. Department of Education will take its place.

A trend of lenders departing the student loan business has been happening over the past few years. The Oklahoma Student Loan Authority had 42 banks and credit unions in its lender network in 2007. Now that network number has dwindled to eight.

Why the drop?

The state authority, which was created as a public trust by the Legislature in 1972, processes loan applications and serves as a secondary market to provide funds to borrowers. The authority receives no state-appropriated funds.

One reason for the decrease in participating lenders is the enactment of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. It reduces the profitability for nonprofit lenders by 1 percent and as much as 2.5 percent for for-profit lenders, said Michael Davis, OSLA vice president.

When lenders began dropping student loan services, emergency legislation — the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008 — was enacted. It allowed banks to sell existing student loans to the U.S. Department of Education, freeing up funds so that lenders could continue originating student loans.

"There was a concern that students wouldn’t have access to money for college,” Davis said.

The reduction of lenders was the primary reason Tulsa Community College switched to direct lending in July 2008. TCC and Oklahoma State University are the only colleges in Oklahoma— so far — using direct

Read more: http://newsok.com/state-lenders-leaving-the-college-debt-arena/article/3427884#ixzz0b2BjLTL7

BlackYouthLeadershipProject.org -- LEGISLATIVE OPEN HOUSE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH

BlackYouthLeadershipProject.org -- Welcome:

"Welcome: The Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP) encourages African American students to increase their interaction with California’s political and community leaders through educational public policy experiences."

Black Youth Leadership Project, Inc.

presents

LEGISLATIVE OPEN HOUSE

FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2010

8:30 AM TO 5:00 PM

STATE CAPITOL

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

The Black Youth Leadership Project, Inc. is hosting a one-day Open House geared

toward African-American high school students interested in California politics,

public policy, civics, governmental service, and/or community service. Students

will participate with Capitol staff in mock committee hearings and a legislative

floor session, passing laws that are important to them. The purpose of the Open

House is to encourage African-American students in grades 9-12 to regularly

interact with their state's political and community leaders and to use this

opportunity to discuss the legislative process, timely policy concerns, and the role

of democracy and advocacy within our communities.

Contact Lorreen Pryor at (916)319-3822 or LORREEN.PRYOR@ASM.CA.GOV or

Christian Jacobs at (916) 256-4286 or CHRISTIAN.JACOBS@ASM.CA.GOV

for an application.

Get your  2010 Packet here!

Obama's Smart Sex Education Funding - The Gaggle Blog - Newsweek.com

Obama's Smart Sex Education Funding - The Gaggle Blog - Newsweek.com:

"Although health care has dominated the policy sphere as of late, I wanted to call attention to the sex-education funding in the 2010 Appropriations Bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies. The 146-page bill is, to be fair, not a Twilight-caliber page turner, but it does tackle sex education, a hugely contentious issue during the Bush administration, when $1.8 billion was appropriated for abstinence-only education.

Here’s the Obama approach to the issue:

$100,000,000 shall be for making contracts and competitive grants to public and private entities to fund medically accurate and age-appropriate programs that reduce teen pregnancy; and for the federal costs associated with administering and evaluating such contracts and grants, of which not less than $"

Sacramento Press / Celebrate New Year's Eve 2010 in the Central City

Sacramento Press / Celebrate New Year's Eve 2010 in the Central City

So, you survived Christmas. Now the big question isn’t whether or not you’ve finished your holiday shopping, it’s all about what to do this New Year’s Eve. This four-part series aims to take the mystery and anxiety out of what to do in Sacrmento to ring in the New Year. Each day, we’ll feature very different downtown ways to celebrate 2010. Whether your idea of a perfect New Year’s Eve involves funky beats, bottles of bubbly, a caravan of kids, or haute cuisine, the Central City is the place to be!

Part One: Family style
Got kids? Start your evening early with a visit to the California Museum’s Out of this World exhibit, an exhibition of famous television and movie costumes sure to delight movie buffs from ages 8 to 80. View iconic movie garb like Darth Vader’s cape, helmet and lightsaber or Indiana Jones’ whip from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The museum is open daily until 5 p.m. Admission is $8.50 for adults, with discounted admission for children. Visit californiamuseum.org for details.

Afterward, head down to Old Sacramento to catch the 6:30 or 8:00 p.m. showing of Theatre of Lights, a symphony of lights, sounds and visual effects that accompanies a narrative reading of the beloved poem, The Night Before Christmas, first introduced in Sacramento in 1857.

Take a break from the winter chill with a visit to Old Sacramento’s newest restaurant, Ten 22. Brought to you by the owners of landmark establishment, The Firehouse, Ten 22 offers unique, family friendly fare like Corn Flake Chicken Wings, Dungeness Crab Tater Tots or hand dipped Mini Corn Dogs. Call Ten 22 at 441-2211 to make reservations.

Cap off your evening with a post-dinner stroll around this historic district and enjoy free family entertainment at Waterfront Park courtesy of Radio Disney’s Rockin’ Road Crew. If you can, be sure to stick around long enough to catch the 9:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve Sky Spectacular, a free

Arnold's Christmas Present to California: More Cuts! | California Progress Report

Arnold's Christmas Present to California: More Cuts! | California Progress Report:

Arnold's Christmas Present to California: More Cuts!

Posted on 25 December 2009

By Robert CruickshankShane Goldmacher got the scoop over at the LA Times on Arnold Schwarzenegger's plans to close the budget gap in January 2010: more cuts! Lots of cuts! Huge, wacko, crazy cuts!

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....

What the feds owe us, and what we owe ourselves | California Progress Report

What the feds owe us, and what we owe ourselves | California Progress Report

What the feds owe us, and what we owe ourselves

---

Posted on 28 December 2009

By Pete Schrag
California Progress Report Columnist

Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t the first California governor to complain that the state gets shortchanged in federal funding. California contributes more than its share in federal taxes and gets less than its share in federal programs, contracts and aid. But in a severe state budget crisis, the inequities, easy to slough off in good times, become harder to ignore and the injustice more infuriating.

Last week the governor dispatched a letter to California’s congressional delegation focused on the inequities in federal Medicaid funding (in California it’s Medi-Cal) , pointing out that states like Texas, Florida and Michigan are reimbursed at much higher rates for their costs than California. The difference between what California gets and the average of the ten largest states, he said, runs to $2.2 billion

The governor’s letter, which primarily concerns provisions of the pending federal health care bills, comes at almost the same moment as the leaks from his office that in his effort to close a project $20 billion deficit, again without new taxes, he’s planning to ask Washington for as much as $8 billion in new federal aid. How, or whether, the two are related isn’t clear.

What’s clear is that in a recession in which as many as one of every six Americans is either unemployed, underemployed in a part-time job or has given up looking for work altogether, the goal of economic recovery adds an even more urgent reason for additional federal funding.

More than ever, this is a time for significant federal aid to states, not only to protect existing jobs but, if possible, creating additional employment in education, road construction, park maintenance and other public sector programs. As Barack Obama’s first year in office comes to an end, hindsight makes it increasingly clear that

This Week In Education: AM News: States Spend 600 Hours On RTTT Applications

This Week In Education: AM News: States Spend 600 Hours On RTTT Applications

AM News: States Spend 600 Hours On RTTT Applications

Two teachers ordered to return more than $148,000 in overpayments LA Times
Two former Los Angeles teachers face a court order to return salary overpayments of more than $148,000, part of an increasingly aggressive push to retrieve $9.4 million from employees who were inadvertently caught up in its malfunctioning payroll system.

To get federal funds, schools must apply stronger measures to struggling schools Washington Post
If a public school struggles year after year, is the solution to shut it down? Fire everyone and start over? Hand the reins to a contractor? Or help teachers and principals raise their game?

Homework Applying for Education Grants New York Times
The Department of Education, preparing to give hundreds of millions of dollars in grants, estimated how long it should take each state to prepare its proposal: 681 hours.

D.C. Schools Chief Looks for New Breed of Educators PBS NewsHour
As part of a series of reports on school reform in the nation's capital, John Merrow checks in with D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee, who has had to make difficult -- and controversial -- decisions regarding school closures and staff cuts.

Educator in Turbulent Times, Is Dead at 99 New York Times
Mr. Fischer led Baltimore to become the first large American city to integrate its public schools and brought reform to Teachers College of Columbia University as its dean and president.

Elk Grove Citizen : News

Elk Grove Citizen : News:

A teacher and a student honored

Memorials held for deceased at two high schools

"Tributes were paid last week to beloved individuals that two Elk Grove high schools each lost this fall.

One was a quiet, honor student who went out of his way to make origami paper roses for a classmate and the other was a celebrated teacher who fought Lou Gehrig’s Disease until the end.

Friends, colleagues, relatives and students honored them in memorials held at their campuses. These are their memories of Kenneth Ta and Carolyn Way.�

Student memorialized at Franklin High garden"

Girl's wish: N.J. study of reading disorders | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/27/2009

Girl's wish: N.J. study of reading disorders | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/27/2009:

Girl's wish: N.J. study of reading disorders

"The stuff on Samantha Ravelli's holiday wish list was pretty much standard fare for a 12-year-old. A digital camera, a watch, a laptop.

Her number-one wish, however, was in a class of its own.

She wants Gov. Corzine to sign her bill.

'I want to help other children,' she said.

The Ocean City, N.J., seventh grader and her mother, Beth, have been working the last few years to pass a law that would create a task force to better ensure that reading-disabled children like Samantha get the help they need.

The Senate passed her bill Dec. 10; the Assembly approved it in February. Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D., Cape May), a sponsor, said the Assembly needed to approve some changes before the measure went to the governor's desk."

Why the declines at private schools? | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/27/2009

Why the declines at private schools? | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/27/2009:

Why the declines at private schools?

"Some cite the economy and transfers to public schools. Others say it's a shortage of pupils and a long-term trend.

By Dan Hardy
Inquirer Staff Writer

Faced with the recession and rising tuition, are more parents at area private schools and their diocesan counterparts transferring their children to public schools to ease the strain on their pocketbooks?

Maybe.

School officials say it is difficult to measure the effect of the economy on enrollment because other factors are involved, including a declining number of school-age children and a long-term drop in the number of children in nonpublic schools.

But for Jacqui Coughlin and John Dewees, the answer is yes."

Charters’ funding is the fly in ed reform ointment - The Boston Globe

Charters’ funding is the fly in ed reform ointment - The Boston Globe:

"IT’S IRONIC that, just a week or two before state lawmakers vote on an education reform bill that would lift the cap on charter schools, two applications for charters in Lynn and one in Berkshire County are facing intense community opposition, while two existing charter schools in Springfield and Lowell face shutdowns."

When a sixth-grader at the C.T. Plunkett Elementary School in Adams asked Governor Deval Patrick during a recent visit why public money goes to charter schools, he explained that they are public schools, adding: “There are good ones and not so good ones, just as there are district schools that are good while others are not. We have a funding formula that is not good enough and needs to be fixed so that we’re not taking money away from district schools but supporting education in all different types of schools.’’

Patrick views the reform bill as aimed at “chronically underperforming’’ school districts. He acknowledges that the state lacks the money to support several proposed solutions for the charter school funding quandary.

As colleges add green majors and minors, classes fill up - USATODAY.com

As colleges add green majors and minors, classes fill up - USATODAY.com:

"Colleges are rapidly adding new majors and minors in green studies, and students are filling them fast.

Nationwide, more than 100 majors, minors or certificates were created this year in energy and sustainability-focused programs at colleges big and small, says the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. That's up from just three programs added in 2005.

Two factors are driving the surge: Students want the courses, and employers want the trained students, says Paul Rowland, the association's executive director.

'There's a great perception that there's a sweet spot with energy to do good and do well, and it appears to be the place of job growth,' says Rob Melnick, executive dean of the Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University."

Learning from afar taking UNLV far - Monday, Dec. 28, 2009 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Learning from afar taking UNLV far - Monday, Dec. 28, 2009 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun:

"Kimberly Townsend Little walked the stage at UNLV’s winter commencement ceremonies this month and picked up her doctorate in nursing.

For her, it was a rare visit to the campus.

She lives in North Carolina and completed her course work entirely online.

For Little, leaving home in pursuit of her doctorate wasn’t an option. She is not only an assistant professor of nursing education at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord, N.C., but also a single mother of three daughters — ages 17, 10 and 5."

To get federal funds, schools must apply stronger measures to struggling schools - washingtonpost.com

To get federal funds, schools must apply stronger measures to struggling schools - washingtonpost.com:

"If a public school struggles year after year, is the solution to shut it down? Fire everyone and start over? Hand the reins to a contractor? Or help teachers and principals raise their game?

As the federal government offers school systems an unprecedented $3.5 billion to revive schools, a huge increase for a reform program launched with $125 million in 2007, policymakers increasingly are prescribing stronger medicine for the lowest performers.

In years past, educators generally opted for the least invasive remedies. Most shied from state takeovers, shutdowns, conversion to a charter school and the like"

Restoring an educational gem's luster -- latimes.com

Restoring an educational gem's luster -- latimes.com:

"Great beaches, a gentle climate and the best system of public higher education in the country, maybe the world. California is famous for all three, but what it deserves abundant praise for is the last of those. How long it will continue to earn that praise is another matter. The state's visionary Master Plan for Higher Education, the engine that for years drove California toward educational leadership, and, as a result, economic leadership, is about to turn 50. It is not aging well.

The plan itself isn't to blame so much as the lack of money to carry it out. Right now, the dismal economy is driving deep cuts in higher education. But California has been giving short shrift to its public colleges and universities for years now, inching away from the promise of equal and affordable access based on merit."

Young journalists face real challenges | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

Young journalists face real challenges | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com:

"It's quite possible that Lakota East seniors Kevin Li and Dana Sand will never earn a paycheck for journalism in their lives."

But that's irrelevant when the monthly deadline approaches for the duo's award-winning news magazine, Spark. Just as generations of high school journalists before them, the co-editors stay at school past 11 p.m. for weeks, corralling a staff of dozens, proofreading pages and making sure that last graphic is just right.

Spark - one of the country's best high school journalism publications - faces many of the same struggles professional journalism has:

Advertising sales are down more than 30 percent since 2005.

Printing costs soared.

The staff struggles with how to adapt to an evolving media environment and keep the attention of an elusive audience.

Freshman academies ease high school transition | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

Freshman academies ease high school transition | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal:

"In a Fairdale High School classroom, a group of juniors and seniors counted out fake money for a special freshman activity — an auction in which the underclassmen would be encouraged to bid on the philosophical priorities that are important to them."

The auction's objective was twofold: to help establish a bond with the younger students, while teaching them an important lesson that will help them make the often intimidating leap to high school.

“We want them to have some fun with it, but we also want them to realize the importance of prioritizing certain things in their lives,” said 17-year-old senior Stacy Colmore. “It's something I wish I had learned when I was a freshman.”

The mentoring is one of many components of Fairdale's Freshman Academy — a program that provides a structured environment to help new students — and their families — so they are less likely to stumble when making the move from eighth grade to high school.

R.I. educators seek expanded ties with China | Education | projo.com | The Providence Journal

R.I. educators seek expanded ties with China | Education | projo.com | The Providence Journal:

"SMITHFIELD — School Supt. Robert M. O’Brien is still trying to adjust to the time change.

He, along with a contingent of educators from Smithfield, Lincoln, the Southern Regional Collaborative and the Rhode Island Superintendents Association, traveled to Beijing for a week earlier this month to attend the Fourth Confucius Institute Conference. It was the conversations with his counterparts in other parts of the world that amazed him.

“We were talking about things the commissioner was talking about in Rhode Island,” he said, “teacher quality, how to assess programs, a lot of the things we’re talking about in the United States, they were talking about globally.”"

Pittsburgh has some common sense, decides not to tax tuition � The Report Card

Pittsburgh has some common sense, decides not to tax tuition The Report Card:

"We all the know the Pennsylvania budget is a disaster. I mean when the mayor of Philadelphia is proposing shutting down courts and weekly trash collection to save money, you know there’s a serious problem.

But sometimes, people look for answers in all the wrong places. In Philadelphia, they decided to start taxing the arts (read the DP editorial that outlines why this is such a bad decision here).

In Pittsburgh, however, they took it to a whole new level of “bad idea:” they considered taxing tuition. In early November, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl proposed a 1 percent tax on tuition to bolster the city’s pension plan. This would have made Pittsburgh the first city in the country to have such a tax."

Legal aid program adds education to cause | Recordnet.com

Legal aid program adds education to cause | Recordnet.com:

"STOCKTON - Have an education issue that requires legal help but no money to hire an attorney?

No problem.

California Rural Legal Assistance, a nonprofit organization that serves the poor, is reaching out to disadvantaged families who need assistance in education matters such as expulsions, graduation issues, suspensions and the translation of important documents to languages other than English."

San Mateo Daily Journal

San Mateo Daily Journal Tough times on the horizon for schools:

Tough times on the horizon for schools

"Less money is expected for education next fall, but many fail to realized the state-issued cuts will be compounded by the loss of millions in one-time federal funds which helped local districts keep a number of programs and jobs this year.
California is predicted to end the current year with a $6.3 billion deficit and faces a $20 billion budget problem in the next year, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Cuts to education will most likely be part of the plan. That coupled with the loss of one-time stimulus money, much of which was used to retain positions and programs, means there are a number of tough budget decisions ahead for local school districts."

In California Colleges, Coaches Face Furloughs and Fund-Raising - NYTimes.com

In California Colleges, Coaches Face Furloughs and Fund-Raising - NYTimes.com

"FULLERTON, Calif. — The best work done this year by Jill Hicks, the Cal State Fullerton gymnastics coach, did not involve a balance beam, a pommel horse or uneven parallel bars. It entailed shoe shopping and a manicure. Hicks was out recruiting the Olympic all-around gold medalist Nastia Liukin to ask for her help in saving Fullerton’s program, which the university was threatening to eliminate to make its budget."

The two women, introduced by another college coach, hit it off well enough that Liukin donated her time and a leotard — the one she wore during the 2007 world championships — to a fund-raiser that helped generate close to $30,000 for Hicks’s program.

The $400-a-plate luncheon with Liukin followed by an exhibition with the Fullerton and U.C.L.A. gymnastics teams drew about 1,000 supporters, most of them little girls in pigtails and their parents.

Opinion: Silicon Valley companies' help needed to shore up math education - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Silicon Valley companies' help needed to shore up math education - San Jose Mercury News:

"Thirteen-year-old Kayla Savage was failing math. Like many of her classmates in middle school, she hated the subject. Stuck in a large seventh-grade class with a teacher who had little time to offer individual help, Kayla was lost among rational numbers and polynomials.

Her frustration led to a phobia of math, an all-too-common affliction that often starts in middle school and threatens to derail students' future math studies in high school and chances for college.

Kayla is like thousands of students across America who struggle with math. The struggle in California is borne out by this grim U.S. Education Department statistic: Students in California rank 40th in eighth-grade math, a critical year in math learning that sets the path for math success in high school and beyond.

In Santa Clara County, only about 39 percent of eighth-graders meet the California standard for Algebra I proficiency. One study showed that less than one-third of eighth-graders have the skills or interest to pursue a math or science career. Yet these careers are the drivers of our future."

Sacramento joins battle against suit attacking Chicago gun controls - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento joins battle against suit attacking Chicago gun controls - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"The city of Sacramento regulates handguns and ammunition, and the City Council is willing to go to court to continue that role.

It voted recently to join other cities arguing in support of the city of Chicago, whose gun control ordinance is under review by the U.S. Supreme Court.
On March 2, the court will hear oral arguments in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, a case sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Illinois State Rifle Association."