Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Beverly Hills schools move to cut outside pupils - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Beverly Hills schools move to cut outside pupils

Associated Press Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Threats on Facebook, name-calling, security guard escorts - tempers are running high around schools these days in this normally sedate enclave of ostentatious wealth.

The reason: The Beverly Hills school board is preparing to boot out 10 percent of its students as it ends a decades-old practice of allowing out-of-district pupils to attend city schools on "opportunity permits."

The move has upset many so-called permit parents - mostly middle-class families living in the tonier areas of Los Angeles who are loath to send their children to the beleaguered Los Angeles Unified School District, where more than a quarter of high-schoolers drop out.

"Every family on permit is outraged," said Simy Levy, a Los Angeles resident whose two daughters attend school in Beverly Hills. "It's incredibly unfair.

CPR: Feature News Story | Schools Ask For Help In Catching Vandals

CPR: Feature News Story | Schools Ask For Help In Catching Vandals:

"(Sacramento, CA) They say vandalism usually goes up when school’s out-of-session. Vince Matranga heads security for the Sacramento City Unified School District.

“During the two-week winter break we probably average around $5,000 in damages to our school buildings. And that’s primarily graffiti. And at this time with the budgets the way they are for public schools we just cannot afford to be spending our money repairing our buildings because of vandalism.”

Matranga says the district is installing video surveillance cameras at school sites as funding becomes available.

Meanwhile, he’s urging neighbors to be the eyes and ears of the district…and call the police or Sheriff’s Department if they see any suspicious activity."

Troubles persist at several charters | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/28/2009

Troubles persist at several charters

By Martha Woodall

Inquirer Staff Writer

Rosemary DiLacqua's husband was in trouble.

Joseph J. DiLacqua, a captain in the Philadelphia Police Department, had been charged in early 2002 with covering up the drunken-driving accident of a fellow officer, and the family needed $15,000 to pay for a lawyer.

Brien N. Gardiner, founder of the charter school where Rosemary DiLacqua was board president, provided the solution. He secretly lent her the money.

But the money had strings attached, prosecutors said, and accepting it exposed DiLacqua, who was also a police detective, to federal charges.

It was just one part of a web of criminal intrigue that pervaded Philadelphia Academy Charter School. Details came to light earlier this month when Rosemary DiLacqua was sentenced in federal court for taking a total of $34,000 in secret payments from Gardiner and a former chief executive and then giving them raises and lucrative contracts.

A lot happened between spring 2008, when The Inquirer first reported allegations of fiscal mismanagement at the Northeast charter, and Rosemary DiLacqua's sentencing on Dec. 15.
And the school was not the only one shaken by the revelations of suspected corruption. Reverberations are still felt across Pennsylvania's charter-school landscape.

Federal investigators who began their probe of Philadelphia Academy in May 2008 concluded that Gardiner and Kevin M. O'Shea, the former CEO, had looted the school. Gardiner committed suicide in May when indictments seemed imminent. O'Shea, who pleaded guilty to stealing as much as $1 million, is serving a 37-month sentence in federal prison.

Although the federal probe has spread to at least five other charters in the area, the Philadelphia School District has made only modest changes to increase oversight of the city's 67 charter schools.

In search of the Reflective Practitioner | Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech

In search of the Reflective Practitioner | Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech:

"I began teaching in 1988. It was a tough job and thinking about getting better was superseded by survival instincts. Early on in my career, there were several documents that the province produced in support of improved professional development. I didn't pay much attention to these but one phrase I saw in those documents some 20 years ago stuck with me. Reflective Practitioner. I sort of understood the concept but other than simply thinking about what you did in the classroom, I wasn't at all sure what to do with this term.

When I discovered blogs almost 5 years ago, I soon figured out what that term meant. Since that occasion I have sat down to write close to 1,000 pieces of reflection. While not all would be considered deep, most take me anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to craft. While it may not"

Hmong Community Becomes an Economic Force - 12/28/09 - Fresno News - abc30.com

Hmong Community Becomes an Economic Force - 12/28/09 - Fresno News - abc30.com:

"Fresno, California -- Thousands of people are in Fresno for the Hmong New Year celebration. And they're bringing plenty of buying power with them. In the thirty years since they arrived in the Valley the Hmong population has grown into a strong economic and social force.

Driving south on Highway 99 through Fresno you'll roll by dozens of billboards, but there is one that will catch your eye like no other. An attractive young woman in traditional Hmong dress is advertising a store ... 'T.C. Fresh Meat Supermarket.'

The young woman works as a cashier ... her boss ... Thong Xiong ... is a young Hmong entrepreneur. 'I love to do something different,' said Xiong.

Xiong bought billboard space around Fresno last month to advertise his three year old business. The businessman knew many eyes would be on his signs this week as thousands of Hmong descend on Fresno for the Hmong New Year celebration."

Community Colleges Consider Offering Bachelor'S Degrees

Community Colleges Consider Offering Bachelor'S Degrees:

"Legislators in California and Michigan are thinking of granting community colleges the authority to offer four-year degrees.

In California, the initiative is largely being considered as a result of massive budget cuts to state universities which have forced institutions to turn away thousands of applicants. The Contra Costa Times reports that the idea was introduced by Assemblyman Marty Block at a December 7 hearing about the future of California's Master Plan for Higher Education.

'We have a lot of well-respected community colleges down in San Diego,' Block was quoted as saying in the Contra Costa Times, 'and they think they could do a fine job offering those next two years to students, at least in certain disciplines.' Block is considering introducing a related bill next year."

UC Hastings Names Frank H. Wu New Chancellor and Dean : AsianWeek

UC Hastings Names Frank H. Wu New Chancellor and Dean : AsianWeek:

"San Francisco — The Board of Directors of UC Hastings College of the Law announced today its new Chancellor and Dean, Frank H. Wu, Professor of Law at Howard University and the former dean at Wayne State University Law School, where he was the nation’s youngest law school Dean. The selection of Wu, who is closely connected to high-level legal, business and political leadership in the Asian and Asian-American world, is viewed as a dramatic and bold step to bring an entirely new level of leadership to Hastings.

“Frank Wu is a brilliant, world-class scholar and national leader in higher education. He was selected because of his powerful strategic vision for raising our 131-year-old law school to a new level. He has the experience and commitment to develop unprecedented private support for the College,” said Bruce Simon, Chair of the Board of Directors of Hastings and co-chair of the Dean Selection Committee, along with Professor Richard Boswell. ”With today’s significant fiscal challenges, UC Hastings needs dynamic, top-flight leadership fully engaged in the legal and greater community at large.”"

College Econ 101: Higher Tuition, Dried-Up Lending | The Lipman Times

College Econ 101: Higher Tuition, Dried-Up Lending | The Lipman Times:

"The Washington Post reports that during the economic crisis, college costs have continued to soar, while options for financing a higher-education have been severely diminished. Many poor and middle-class households are finding it more and more difficult to pay for a college education, and some are finding the new reality quite prohibitive. Even for those who can afford college have to rely on high-interest student loans to get into the most-competitive programs, and some qualified students are having to choose lesser programs to ensure they can pay.

Public universities are suffering greatly from the financial crisis; state funding has nearly vanished, taking the key component in their financing model out of the equation and requiring tuition hikes. The University of California has announced that is will be introducing a 32 percent tuition hike in the next academic year, which prompted student riots and required riot police to protect public school officials."

Bookstore Closings in 2010 and the Fallout on the Economy and California's Literacy - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com

Bookstore Closings in 2010 and the Fallout on the Economy and California's Literacy - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com:

"Bookstore Closings Offer a Mixed Bag of Emptier Strip Mall Spaces, Unemployment and Creeping Illiteracy

The booklover's calendar in 2010 will hold a number of farewells. B. Dalton, Lighthouse Christian Stores and Waldenbooks are closing their doors in alarming numbers. At the same time, California leads the nation in low prose literacy skills. Coincidence?"

Gone in 2010: All B. Dalton Bookseller Locations, Lighthouse Christian Stores and 200 Waldenbooks Stores (Borders Express)

Dating back to 1966, B. Dalton was a powerhouse of booksellers. When Barnes & Noble bought the chain, its once proud number of 798 stores had dwindled. In October of 2009, CBS 2 out of Chicago confirmed that Barnes & Noble plans on closing all B. Dalton stores by January 31, 2010.

This is bad news for smaller communities that are underserved when it comes to book stores. This is especially true for those with Waldenbooks stores in their areas. Among the other fiscally (and intellectually) impactful events in 2010 is the closure of 200 Waldenbooks stores - as reported by News Record, quoting the AP - which results in about 1,500 job losses.

Another 2010 calendar item to commemorate is the closure of the Lighthouse Christian Bookstores. The Long Beach, CA institution is currently holding its "everything must go" sale, but the Daily Breeze reveals that the gradual closure of this 64 year old business has been in the making for the last four years. While the LB store is still hanging on, it will likely close early in 2010.

What Will 2010 Bookstore Closings Do for California's (Il)Literacy?

Koontz was early advocate for special ed kids | Clovis Independent

Koontz was early advocate for special ed kids | Clovis Independent:

"Before laws required schools to open classrooms to those with special needs, S. Kermit Koontz was lobbying for the children.

He was instrumental in starting the first special-education programs in Fresno County, including one that was held in a church in Biola.

Mr. Koontz, 94, died in his Fresno home Saturday after having a heart attack and a stroke last month.

His son, Dan Koontz of Clovis, said one of the happiest days of his dad’s life was in November, when Kermit Koontz Educational Complex opened on Mariposa Street. “He had more joy watching those kids who were there,” Dan Koontz said. “It was the completion of his career.”

Mr. Koontz was hired at the Fresno County Office of Education 60 years ago to be health coordinator. He was appointed special education director in 1963 and named administrator of special education in Central California in 1968."

Compromise bill good for schools - San Bernardino County Sun

Compromise bill good for schools - San Bernardino County Sun:

"Californians will be a big winner in the Race to the Top competition, regardless of whether the state wins a dime of the $4.3 billion that the Obama administration is encouraging states to compete for.
That's because the governor and Legislature have reached a new compromise on Race to the Top enabling legislation, which the Legislature appears on the verge of passing. It includes elements that school reformers viewed as next to impossible to enact even a few months ago, such as:

Demanding that districts take strong actions to turn around dozens of seemingly incorrigible schools.

Giving students in failing schools the right to attend a better school in another district.

Empowering parents in some of these schools to demand powerful reforms."

‘Race to the Top’ Moves Toward Compromise : Eastern Group Publications

‘Race to the Top’ Moves Toward Compromise : Eastern Group Publications:

"The State Senate’s “Race to the Top” legislation was revived last Thursday Dec. 17 in the form of a second education reform bill SB X5-4, a gutted and amended bill that now carries items from the previous bill that was killed in the Assembly Education committee and some compromises meant to address concerns from the Assembly.

“I am proud that my colleagues in the Senate have again chosen to make the right decisions for our children and keep California alive in the Race to the Top competition,” said State Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee. “Continuing to reach compromise that will allow California to deliver a bold and comprehensive reform package is of utmost importance and our absolute obligation as elected officials.”

The new bill, which will go to the Assembly Education Committee next, tightens up allowances for open enrollment, with students coming only from the “worst of the worst” schools being allowed to change schools."

Math, Tech and the Women Who Don’t Love Them - Bay Area Blog - NYTimes.com

Math, Tech and the Women Who Don’t Love Them - Bay Area Blog - NYTimes.com:

"It’s no secret to anyone in Silicon Valley that math, science and technology fields remain dominated by men, despite some progress by women in recent years. Women make up 46 percent of the American workforce but hold just 25 percent of the jobs in engineering, technology and science, according to the National Science Foundation.

To Sally K. Ride, a former astronaut, that persistent gender gap is a national crisis that will prove to deeply detrimental to America’s global competitiveness.

In recent months, Dr. Ride has served as a visible emissary for President Obama’s broad push to improve science and math education, including the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” initiative announced in July. The program would identify and fund effective education programs with the aid of corporate partners."

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?"

Monday, December 28, 2009

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

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

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

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

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?

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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"

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