America's Best High Schools Heads to Times Square - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com)

America's Best High Schools Heads to Times Square - Morse Code: Inside the College Rankings (usnews.com):

"America's Best High Schools Heads to Times Square

The recent release of our 2010 America's Best High Schools rankings continues to draw lots of attention in local communities nationally. These rankings will now get global visibility on a different stage, New York's Times Square, as part of tonight's New Year's Eve celebration.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced that he will be joined in Times Square on New Year's Eve to push the button for the ceremonial lowering of the New Year's Eve ball by students from the 12 New York City public high schools that earned a spot on the America's Best High Schools' Top 100 'Gold Medal' List. The schools represent all parts of New York since each of the city's five boroughs is home to at least one of these top-ranked high schools."

Teacher threatened with deportation gets reprieve | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Teacher threatened with deportation gets reprieve | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"After years of fearing she could be deported at any moment, immigration officials have granted a Houston middle school teacher a one-year reprieve.

Marie Baptiste, 30, said she was told just before Christmas by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials that she had been granted “deferred action” for one year, meaning they will not try and deport her during that time.

“I thank God,” said Baptiste, whose relatives brought her to the U.S. from Haiti when she was 9 years old. “We're a little bit less tense.”

Baptiste, now a middle school science teacher in Houston, said she didn't realize she was in the country illegally until she was about to graduate from high school. She went on to earn a degree from the University of Houston and then a teaching certificate."

State gives Lynn charter school OK to expand - The Boston Globe

State gives Lynn charter school OK to expand - The Boston Globe:

"KIPP Academy Lynn, which currently consists of a grades 5-to-8 middle school, will gradually add a high school (grades 9 to 12) and expand enrollment by 430 students to a maximum of 750.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 8 to 2 on Dec. 15 to approve an amendment to the Lynn school’s charter that allows the expansion.

The Lynn academy is part of a nationwide network of 82 KIPP charter schools that share core principles and methods, including providing its mostly low-income students with a longer school day.

“We are thrilled with this vote of confidence from the Board of Education,’’ said Steve Mancini, spokesman for KIPP, which stands for Knowledge is Power Program, the national organization that provides training and other support to schools in the network."

Cochise District says no to stimulus

Cochise District says no to stimulus: "In this season of federal largesse, Arizona schools received about $1 billion in economic stimulus grants.

But one school district has decided that when it comes to the federal government, it is better to give back than to receive.

Cochise Elementary District is in the tiny community of Cochise, east of Tucson. Its 100 K-8 students enjoy small classes and well-paid teachers, thanks to a large amount of school property taxes paid by a nearby power plant. The district has a budget of $500,000 and turned down its share of stimulus funds: $12,865.64, or $128.65 per student."

Concord Monitor - New grade scale raises questions

Concord Monitor - New grade scale raises questions:

"Concord High School has begun rolling out a new grading system aimed at encouraging progress rather than marking achievement. But two years after the new 1-to-5 grade scale saw its first limited use, major questions remain about how competency-based education will work in Concord.

Parents demanded answers last week at a meeting about the new system, asking whether siphoning work into only five levels could hinder applications to competitive colleges. Some asked whether students would develop a false sense of security in lower grades.

The high school has prepared for two years to shift its academic criteria from traditional standards to broader competencies, a move requested by the New England accrediting body and required by the state. Teachers had to prepare lists of competencies before classes began this fall, though the system will not be fully implemented for at least two more years."

Texas teachers warned against being 'heterosexist'

Texas teachers warned against being 'heterosexist':

"Candidates for certification to teach in public schools in Texas are being told that they will be held accountable for any 'heterosexist' leanings and must become agents working to change society, according to one candidate who was alarmed by the demands.

The applicant, who requested anonymity for fear of repercussions, told WND part of the teachings on multiculturalism required him to read several online postings about the issue inside the education industry.

One warns that 'teachers and administrators must be held accountable for practices deemed to be racist, sexist, heterosexist, classist, or in any other way discriminatory.' And a second warned that educators must not define education as the basic skills.

'How do we create a better world? How do we do more than simply survive? As educators, we must help people to become committed to social change,' the article demanded."

Long Island’s Commack High School Rethinks Honor Societies - NYTimes.com

Long Island’s Commack High School Rethinks Honor Societies - NYTimes.com:

"COMMACK, N.Y. — There have been so many honor societies created at Commack High School on Long Island in recent years that some students ended up in six or seven of them, racking up memberships like so many merit badges or thanks-for-playing trophies."


But the school reversed course this school year, cutting out its 28-student technology honor society and combining those for sign language, Latin, German and French. That left 11 societies, and a community wondering how much honor is too much.

With so many societies, some students are unable to attend all of the meetings and shirk their duties with the groups, showing up only to collect the “honor cord” — a decorative tassel — to wear at graduation.
Commack is one of many places where educators and parents are re-examining the role of honor societies, which started out as an academic distinction reserved for the top 5 or 10 percent of a class but have become a routine item on college résumés.

While the prestigious National Honor Society still requires members to maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average (many chapters like Commack set the bar higher), fledgling societies in individual subjects often accept lower grades in other areas.

State tightens the reins on failing schools - STLtoday.com

State tightens the reins on failing schools - STLtoday.com:

"A new law that goes into effect today seeks to prevent school districts in Missouri from bouncing back and forth between barely meeting and not meeting state standards, giving the state more power to take over a struggling district.

Under previous law, a district that lost accreditation had two full years to improve and regain accredited status.

If the district failed to make sufficient progress, it could face sanctions as severe as a state takeover. But if districts made enough improvements to regain partial accreditation, but then lost accreditation again, they would be entitled to yet another two-year grace period."

Student's game challenges players' imaginations as writers

Student's game challenges players' imaginations as writers:

"Stories are all around us, all the time. So why aren't more people writing them?

Tait McKenzie Johnson, a writing major at the University of Pittsburgh, thinks they may be scared of the idea, unsure of where to begin or how to move on from there.

He reasoned that if more folks saw writing as fun instead of difficult or intimidating, they might be interested in doing it. So, for the final project in his Narrative and Technology class, he invented a game to kick-start the players' imaginations.

It's called Unlimited Story Deck, and it consists of 336 cards under five categories: characters (i.e., alien, dictator, hacker); events (apocalypse, flying, playing music); settings (museum, prison, volcano); objects (vehicle, perfume, heirloom); and dynamics (artistic, forbidden, prehistoric).

Players, working alone or with others, draw cards and construct a sto"

Bradley Tech teacher raises money for students' gift: a book - JSOnline

Bradley Tech teacher raises money for students' gift: a book - JSOnline:

"It all started when Megan Krueger, a first-year teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, was approached by one of her freshmen this winter and asked whether Bradley Tech High School had received any other coats he could try on.

The teenager was small, and the only donated winter jackets in his size looked, as the young man put it, 'like girls' coats.'

An appropriate-sized coat was eventually found, but the story doesn't end there. Instead, it prompted Krueger and one of her friends to think about how they could give something - even something small - to the close to 80 students in Krueger's English classes before the holidays."

Gov. Jennifer Granholm to sign Michigan school law changes Monday | Michigan Politics & Elections - - MLive.com

Gov. Jennifer Granholm to sign Michigan school law changes Monday | Michigan Politics & Elections - - MLive.com:

"Sweeping changes in Michigan education policy will be signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Monday.

The legislation recently passed by the Legislature will allow the state to take over districts that are performing poorly in academics. Charter school operators with good track records will be able to open new locations and the state's dropout age will rise from 16 to 18."

Happy to Have Been a “Friend of Bill” Cavala | California Progress Report

Happy to Have Been a “Friend of Bill” Cavala | California Progress Report

Happy to Have Been a “Friend of Bill” Cavala

By Frank D. Russo

My friend Bill Cavala has died. Sunday morning, I received a phone call and was stunned. When I got over the initial shock, I asked the caller who should write an article and he said “Frank, you should.”

This is a daunting task—how do you encapsulate the rich life of a real character, an active doer of politics who made a difference in the outcomes of so many campaigns and who at the same time was a sagacious observer of the human condition?    Doctor Cavala was a professional, an academic, analytical and scientific in his advice, and yet an emotional and passionate politico. Someone who enjoyed skewering his political opponents and yet had a soft spot for their frailties.  And who made so many of his barbed points with humor.

You can read the first, no doubt, of many fine articles about Bill Cavala.  There is an obituary in today’s San Francisco Chronicle placed lovingly by family members that gives details about his life’s history. There’s a wonderful piece at Calbuzz that captures much of Bill’s essence, and used the photo of him that I cropped for these pages (immediately reminding me of how difficult it was to find a picture of him when I started the California Progress Report. He kept out of the limelight.)  And theSacramento Bee, often the target of many of his diatribes, pays respect to him and the imprint he made on California’s history in hundreds of campaigns.

Assemblymember Pedro Nava said it best when I advised him of the sad news:  “Bill was a generous man. He willingly shared his experience and insight with me, did it without hesitation-and without the expectation of payback-exceedingly rare these days. We would all be well served if we followed his example of mission before ambition.”

Schooling low-income parents in helping students - latimes.com

Schooling low-income parents in helping students - latimes.com:

"Schooling low-income parents in helping students

Educators have long believed that low-income students would soar if only they had the academic advantage of an engaged parent. It's time to give struggling parents the strategies they need."

For a succinct vision of the role parents can play in their children's education, a useful starting point is a tale of three mothers and an eggplant, told by Phyllis Hunter, former director of reading for Houston's public schools.

Hunter's first mother wheels her shopping cart down the produce aisle of a supermarket, where her kindergartner spots an eggplant and asks what it is. The mother shushes her child, ignoring the question. The second mother, faced with the same question, responds curtly, "That's an eggplant, but we don't eat it."

The third mother seizes the moment: "That's an eggplant," she says enthusiastically. "It's one of the few purple vegetables." She picks it up and encourages her child to put it on the scale. "Oh, look, it's about two pounds!" she says. "And it costs $1.99 a pound. Let's round it to $2. That would cost just about $4. That's a bit pricey, but you like veal Parmesan, and eggplant Parmesan is delicious too. You'll love it. Let's buy one, take it home, cut it open. We'll make a dish together."

Hunter's parable makes clear why an attentive, engaged parent is one of life's greatest academic advantages. It also makes clear why educators have long believed that low-income

Parents in a JAM 

ED I am
I am ED
I am ED
ED I am

That ED-I-am!
That ED-I-am!
I do not like
that ED-I-am!

Do you like
Parents in a JAM?

I do not like them,
ED-I-am.
I do not like
Parents in a JAM.

Would you like them
here or there?

I would not like them
here or there.
I would not like them
anywhere.
I do not like
Parents in a JAM.
I do not like them,
ED-I-am.

Would you like them
in a house?
Would you like them
with a mouse?

I do not like them
in a house.
I do not like them
with a mouse.
I do not like them
here or there.
I do not like them
anywhere.
I do not like Parents in a JAM.
I do not like them, ED-I-am.

Would you teach them
in a box?
Would you teach them
with a fox?

Not in a box.
Not with a fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not teach them here or there.
I would not teach them anywhere.
I would not teach Parents in a JAM.
I do not like them, ED-I-am.

Would you? Could you?
In a car?
Teach them! Teach them!
Here they are.

I would not,
could not,
in a car.

You may like them.
You will see.
You may like them
in a tree!

I would not, could not in a tree.
Not in a car! You let me be!

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I do not like them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere.
I do not like Parents in a JAM.
I do not like them, ED-I-am.

A train! A train!
A train! A train!
Could you, would you,
on a train?

Not on a train! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! ED! Let me be!

I would not, could not, in a box.
I could not, would not, with a fox.
I will not teach them with a mouse.
I will not teach them in a house.
I will not teach them here or there.
I will not teach them anywhere.
I do not teach Parents in a JAM.
I do not like them, ED-I-am.

Say!
In the dark?
Here in the dark!
Would you, could you, in the dark?

I would not, could not,
in the dark.

Would you, could you,
in the rain?

I would not, could not, in the rain.
Not in the dark. Not on a train.
Not in a car. Not in a tree.
I do not like them, ED, you see.
Not in a house. Not in a box.
Not with a mouse. Not with a fox.
I will not teach them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere!

You do not like
Parents in a JAM?

I do not
like them,
ED-I-am.

Could you, would you
with a goat?

I would not,
could not,
with a goat!

Would you, could you,
on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not teach them in the rain.
I will not teach them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not teach them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE

I do not like
Parents in a JAM!

I do not like them,
ED-I-am.

You do not like them.
So you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say.

ED!
If you will let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.

Say!
I like Parents in a JAM!
I do! I like them, ED-I-am!
And I would teach them in a boat.
And I would teach them with a goat...

And I will teach them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!

So I will teach them in a box.
And I will teach them with a fox.
And I will teach them in a house.
And I will teach them with a mouse.
And I will teach them here and there.
Say! I will teach them ANYWHERE!

I do so like
Parents in a JAM!
Thank you!
Thank you,

ED-I-am!

This an edited version of Dr. Seuss's Copyrighted Classic Green Eggs and a Ham

Dr. Seuss Biography


Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising. His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!, appeared in several leading American magazines.

Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature was changed forever! In 1957, Seuss's The Cat in the Hat became the prototype for one of Random House's best-selling series, Beginner Books. This popular series combined engaging stories with outrageous illustrations and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills.

Delve deeper into the world of Dr. Seuss with an Author Study.
Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped kids learn to read.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages. Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world.

Creating Carver's Future- one student at a time Support Carver High School

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Support George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Creating Carver's Future- one student at a time

January, 2010 Carver's Future Let the secret out! Contributing to Carver Greetings! As we say good by to 2009 and prepare to ring in a new decade, we want to thank you for your ongoing interest and dedication to the first public Waldorf methods high school in the state. We have a rare opportunity to share our "best kept secret" in Sacramento, and we ask for your help in spreading the good word.  We offer you a unique way to help support the growth and development of George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science. Sincerely, The Faculty, Staff and Advisory Board at Carver high school

CREATING CARVER'S FUTURE - ONE STUDENT AT A TIME www.kids-grow.org Being part of pioneering a school affords opportunities - for students and their families--not available elsewhere.  As the first Waldorf-inspired public high school in the country, Carver is making history.  With the overarching theme of social justice, Carver is helping our students in becoming leaders in the world as it should be.  Yet all this potential is at risk due to the continuing State and school district budget crisis.  We do not have the same luxury of time to develop our enrollment the other six small district high schools had. We need to show strong, rapid progress in enrollment. We have an immediate opportunity and need to take advantage of it before Open Enrollment begins in mid-January for our next school year.  We can reach over 330,000 listeners of Capitol Public Radio in the Sacramento area with 120 invitations to consider Carver for their children.  It is a proven outreach strategy that has worked for both public and private schools.  We need your support to make this happen. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS - TWICE In this challenging economic time, we all have less to contribute to even the best of causes.  Knowing this, a core group including every member of the faculty and several anonymous donors, are stretching themselves to reward your willingness to contribute.  They will match every dollar that you donate until we reach our goal of $2,200.  In addition, our generous donor Bob and Chris Harris will help your gift add to your own Holiday festivities.  For each donation of $30 or more, you will receive a bottle of their hand-crafted cabernet sauvignon. Tax-deductible donations can be made to Kids-Grow.  Donations can be sent to the high school office 10101 Systems Parkway, Sacramento, CA 95827.  Please contact if you wish more information or have suggestions on other ways to make this happen.

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science 10101 Systems Parkway Sacramento, California 95827 Please send your tax deductible donations to  Kids-Grow c/o George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Local News | Online service to match students with scholarships | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Online service to match students with scholarships | Seattle Times Newspaper

Online service to match students with scholarships

Touted as the eHarmony for scholarships, thewashboard.org, an online service set to launch this month will custom match state-based scholarship providers with student-scholarship seekers who either plan to attend college in the state or who are Washington residents planning to go to college elsewhere.

By Lornet Turnbull

Seattle Times staff reporter

There are scholarship funds across the Puget Sound that some years can't give money away.

Others struggle to get enough applications to make the competition worthwhile.

Take Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan, a women's group that each year awards a number of small scholarships to single mothers who want to go back to college or attend for the first time.

Pat Griffith, the organization's award chair, tries to spread word about the modest grants through community colleges and women's centers — but each year is surprised by how few women end up applying.

"We have a hard time giving money away, sometimes," Griffith said.

Soroptimist recently joined a free scholarship clearinghouse — thewashboard.org — that should make it easier for the organization and others like it to reach a wider field of college-bound applicants. Touted as the eHarmony for scholarships, the online service is set to launch early in January, just as students begin what at times can be a frantic search for money to pay

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - The House’s improved ed bill

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - The House’s improved ed bill


Unions bristle when blamed for failed schools, and they are certainly right that parents and school administrators should share responsibility.

The House’s improved ed bill

The education reform bill unveiled by the state House of Representatives makes fewer concessions to teachers' unions than its Senate counterpart. Unfortunately, the House bill lacks one promising provision in the Senate's: the creation of in-district charter schools that do not require union approval.

Unions bristle when blamed for failed schools, and they are certainly right that parents and school administrators should share responsibility.But it is increasingly obvious that union contract provisions, especially regarding dismissal of ineffective teachers and length of school days, are limiting the chances of students in low-performing schools and districts. The Senate at first seemed to understand what was at stake and embraced the notion that school superintendents or the education commissioner could force changes in teachers’ contracts. But the Senate bowed to the unions’ insistence on imposing a lengthy labor arbitration

Schools census reveals surprise | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Schools census reveals surprise | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Enrollment news is usually grim for metro Detroit schools, and this year is no different -- with area districts losing nearly 15,000 students. But in this era of declining birth rates, increased competition and people abandoning Michigan, some districts are bucking the trend.

Unaudited enrollment figures posted on the state Center for Educational Performance and Information Web site highlight many of the declines, including the loss of nearly 9,000 students in Detroit Public Schools, which now has 84,607 students.

But it's a different story in Chippewa Valley Schools, the Macomb County district that has seen its enrollment surge in each of the last five years. The district gained 242 students in the last year, to a total of 15,896 students.

Chippewa Valley has been growing at a fast clip in its northern end, because that's where the space was to build new homes. But now some of the residents who had moved north are moving back to other parts of the district. Consequently, growth is happening across the district.

At a time when state aid is being cut, the growth helps, Chippewa Valley Superintendent Mark Deldin said.

"When we have modest enrollment increases, that helps to mitigate some of the funding

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Colorado's first all-girls public school coming to Denver

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Colorado's first all-girls public school coming to Denver:

"Following a growing nationwide trend toward single-gender classroom education, the first all-girls public school in Colorado will open next year in Denver.

Colorado's first all-girls public school coming to Denver
Following a growing nationwide trend toward single-gender classroom education, the first all-girls public school in Colorado will open next year in Denver.

In 2002, only 11 U.S. public schools offered single-gender classrooms. Today, at least 547 public schools offer single-sex classes, according to the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education. At least 91 of those schools are single-gender schools.

The surge comes three years after a federal rule said single-sex classrooms weren't discriminatory and as emerging research suggested that girls' and boys' brains develop differently."

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Junior ROTC 'more than a class' to teens

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - Junior ROTC 'more than a class' to teens

Junior ROTC 'more than a class' to teens

2009-12-31 05:27:00ednews

Junior ROTC 'more than a class' to teens

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Before enrolling in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at Asheville High School, William Michaels says he struggled to keep his anger under control.

Now, the high school senior says, he doesn't get in trouble much anymore, thanks to leadership skills shaped by Junior ROTC. He spends much of the school day — plus hours after school, some weekends and part of summer vacation — in the building where program students work out, hit the books and shoot air rifles.

"It's more than a class. It's like a giant support group," says Michaels, 17.

An increasing number of teenagers are getting early exposure to military life through their high schools. Enrollment jumped 5% this year to 513,297 students in Junior ROTC programs, according to combined Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force statistics. That far outpaced the program's growth from 2005 to 2008, those statistics show.

The growth is driven in part by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act, which directed the Pentagon to add high schools to the program. The goal was to have 3,700 programs by 2020. There are about 3,400, according to combined military statistics.

Students may soon be able to get involved even younger. A program modeled on the Army's Junior ROTC program is 

Year in review: Obama's K-12 policy doesn't change much - USATODAY.com

Year in review: Obama's K-12 policy doesn't change much - USATODAY.com

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY

For the nation's K-12 schools, 2009 may well go down as the year when everything changed but little happened.

A new president promised a fresh start but angered many in even his own party by polishing his predecessor's apple.

2009 IN HIGHER ED: Dollars disappear for colleges, students

TWITTER: Follow this reporter @gtoppo

Schools nationwide closed in fear of a pandemic that has proven mild. And even as recession-related budget cuts forced thousands of teacher layoffs, a modest federal grant with a catchy name consumed educators' attention nationwide.

Swine flu fears

After the federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventiontold schools last spring to be vigilant in the face of swine flu, or H1N1, more than 700 schools closed in April and May alone. Federal officials later said schools should close only if "high numbers" of students are absent with flu-like symptoms. At the pandemic's height in mid-October, 949 schools closed in one week, the U.S. Department of Education said.

No Child Left Behind

Obama administration officials promised a new, "forward-thinking" approach to education. Public opinion had slipped for No Child Left Behind, President Bush's signature education reform law, which requires schools to test most children in

National Board Certified Teachers could get bonuses | Get Schooled

National Board Certified Teachers could get bonuses | Get Schooled:

"This is good news for the state’s National Board Certified teachers: Some key folks in the General Assembly want to restore their bonuses.

Some states are debating whether a salary boost for National Board Certified teachers is a good investment, suggesting that bonuses might better go to teachers with proven track records of raising student achievement rather than to teachers who earn the certification. Sometimes, they are one and the same. Sometimes, they are not.

Georgia has been a leader in urging teachers to seek certification ever since ex Gov. Roy Barnes became impressed with the program. (He continues to be a national champion of it.)"

A civil discourse: Choice, charters and money | Get Schooled

A civil discourse: Choice, charters and money | Get Schooled:

"I received this e-mail from a reader named Nate and thought it was provocative on the issues of choice and charters. I am posting Nate’s original note to me, my response and his follow-up. (Pour a cup of coffee as this is long.) He gave me clearance to put it all up here for our discussion.

After reading an Op-Ed piece that you posted in a recent paper titled “School boards: Charter school law violates constitution” I thought to myself… It would be good if an organization like the GA Public Policy Foundation or some similar unbiased organization could publish a paper that details in something akin to layman’s terms, how education funding works within the context of Charter Schools, and other choice legislation in GA. They could highlight a few scenarios:"

Fairfax County may cut back full-day kindergarten - washingtonpost.com

Fairfax County may cut back full-day kindergarten - washingtonpost.com:

"More than a decade after the Fairfax School Board decided to bring full-day kindergarten to the county's 139 elementary schools, nearly a third of them are still waiting for the longer school day. Progress has sputtered and stalled in recent years as the economy soured, and now the board might reverse course.

Fairfax Superintendent Jack D. Dale will unveil a budget proposal for the region's largest school system Jan. 7. An early list of potential cuts compiled by school officials this fall shows that rolling back full-day kindergarten, from 101 schools to 32 that serve the county's poorest communities, could save $13 million and help bridge a $176 million shortfall."

Strategy - Faculty - The Case of the Vanishing Full-Time Professor - NYTimes.com

Strategy - Faculty - The Case of the Vanishing Full-Time Professor - NYTimes.com:

"If you’ve written a few five-figure tuition checks or taken on 10 years’ of debt, you probably think you’re paying to be taught by full-time professors. But it’s entirely possible that most of your teachers are freelancers.

In 1960, 75 percent of college instructors were full-time tenured or tenure-track professors; today only 27 percent are. The rest are graduate students or adjunct and contingent faculty — instructors employed on a per-course or yearly contract basis, usually without benefits and earning a third or less of what their tenured colleagues make. The recession means their numbers are growing."

A teaching model that would make Da Vinci proud - latimes.com

A teaching model that would make Da Vinci proud - latimes.com:

"The Annihilator is a death plunge of a roller coaster that begins by dropping the rider through a wide, fast funnel. It swooshes down a gut-wrenching series of S-curves, flies through a 360-degree loop, slides down a straightaway to another funnel and then -- this is the moment of greatest terror -- free-falls into a basket.

Alas, thrill seekers, you will never ride the Annihilator.

It stands about 4 feet tall and it's made entirely of paper. Only marbles ride the Annihilator, which is intertwined with another paper roller coaster, the Epic Fail, so named because high school teacher Mario Rodriguez seemed unable to test it without having the marble fly off the track"

USC offers America 101 for foreign students - latimes.com

USC offers America 101 for foreign students - latimes.com:

"The topic was baseball and the class members, foreign graduate students recently arrived in the United States to attend USC, were befuddled.

Not only were they struggling to follow the instructor's litany of batting and pitching rules, they were mystified by the title of the hallowed championship games. Why is it called the World Series, one Chinese student wondered aloud, if all the teams in it are from North America?

Instructor Edward Roth was both taken aback and pleased. The grandiose title might reflect America's arrogance about its national pastime, he acknowledged, but he also praised the question. It reflected the type of cross-cultural debate he encourages in a course aimed at helping these newcomers from overseas adjust to life in Los Angeles."

Legislation will take hard look at schools

Legislation will take hard look at schools:

"State Sen. Jeffrey E. Piccola, R-Dauphin, yesterday said he'll introduce legislation to take a firmer line with low-performing school districts, warning that may involve closing some schools and dissolving some districts.

Mr. Piccola, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said other options include merit pay for teachers and administrators, converting struggling schools into charter schools and bringing in outside management groups.

Some of the language reflects the U.S. Department of Education's get-tough stance in inviting states to compete for $4 billion in Race to the Top funds."

School reforms — the beginning, not the end | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies

School reforms — the beginning, not the end | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies:

"Our state and our schools need to be reinvented. The governor and Legislature are to be commended for making progress on school reform by striking a deal on landmark legislative ideas that have been kicking around the state capitol for a decade. Clearly, the up to $400 million of “Race to the Top,” U.S. Department of Education dollars provided the right amount of inducement to help strike the deal. The legislation expands the number of high-quality charter schools — including two new e-learning “cyber schools” — raises the dropout age from 16 to 18, and gives the state stronger authority to take over 5 percent of the state's academically worst failing schools."