Big Education Ape

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Changes for state charter schools? The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Changes for state charter schools? The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"The Palmetto State's charter school law would receive a major makeover under a pre-filed bill that's being both lauded and lamented.

Rep. Phil Owens, R-Easley, is the legislation's primary sponsor and has met with supporters and detractors. His main objective was to ensure parity among the state's public schools so that all students would have equal opportunities, regardless of the type of school they attend.

The state's charter school law was passed in 1996, and it hasn't undergone a significant revision since. Owens compared the state's law with the national model and tried to update it to meet that standard.

State education leaders seemed to agree on the need to address some problems within the existing charter school legislation but differed on solutions. Some aspects of the bill have been met with staunch opposition, and those include:"

Texas teaching program spearheads Obama education effort | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas teaching program spearheads Obama education effort | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News

WASHINGTON – A Texas teaching initiative is at the forefront of President Barack Obama's plans to vastly increase the number of science and math teachers in the U.S. over the next several years.

UTeach, started at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997, is a program that allows college students to earn a teaching certificate while pursuing math and science majors. The program has spread across the country, and Obama endorsed it last week as one of five public-private partnerships that will advance a goal of training thousands of new teachers.

"Our future depends on reaffirming America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation," Obama said at a White House ceremony Wednesday. "And that leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students today, especially in math, science, technology and engineering."

The Dallas-based National Math and Science Initiative is helping universities across the country implement UTeach. Already active in 14 schools, the program will educate nearly 5,000 new math and science teachers over the next five years.

Class Struggle - New ideas from Weingarten

Class Struggle- New ideas from Weingarten:

"Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, likes surprises. In a speech scheduled for this morning, she provides several, starting with what was, at least for me, an intriguing question she asked her members last summer:

'When your union deals with issues affecting both teaching quality and teachers' rights, which of these should be the higher priority--working for professional teaching standards and good teaching, or defending the job rights of teachers who face disciplinary action?'

Weingarten said 69 percent chose good teaching, while 16 percent said job rights. I find that surprising, though not because the teachers endorsed professionalism. Most of the teachers I know think of"

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: The zeitgeist of reading instruction

The Answer Sheet- Willingham: The zeitgeist of reading instruction:

"My guest today is cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a professor at the University of Virginia and author of 'Why Don't Students Like School?'

By Daniel Willingham
I have written (on this blog and elsewhere) about the importance of background knowledge and about the limited value of instructing students in reading comprehension strategies.

To be clear, I don’t think that such instruction is worthless. It has a significant impact, but it seems to be a one-time effect and the strategies are quickly learned. More practice of these strategies pays little or no return. You can read more about that here."

Teachers to receive violence training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Teachers to receive violence training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"Charleston County teachers will be among those in five school districts taking part in a new state Department of Education pilot teacher education initiative aimed at reducing family and dating violence.

Charleston teachers, along with those in Greenville, Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale, will participate in a special training curriculum on the effects of domestic violence and teen dating violence on children, how to identify and support a child witness, and how to respond to a child's disclosure and make the appropriate referrals for help."

Texas school board keeps ban on boy's long hair - Nation - Wire - Kentucky.com

Texas school board keeps ban on boy's long hair - Nation - Wire - Kentucky.com:

"MESQUITE, Texas -- A Texas school board has agreed to adjust its grooming policy for a 4-year-old boy whose long, flowing hair got him suspended. But his parents say it isn't enough.

Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh has been under in-school suspension since November at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs near Dallas. He sits alone with a teacher's aid in the school library.

After a closed-door meeting Monday, the Mesquite school board decided Taylor could wear his hair in tight braids but keep it no longer than his ears."

Entry Level - A Young Educator, Dane Martinez Accepts the Role of Role Model - NYTimes.com

Hoping for a career in television sports news, the Bronx-born Dane Martinez did an about-face after 9/11. After graduating fromSyracuse University, he came home and taught under the Teach for America program. Now 29, he is the program manager of school leadership development for the city’s Department of Education.

Decoding the job title: It means that I do a lot of content and design of school leadership stuff to develop the principals, the assistant principals and the aspiring principals across the city. The office is relatively new, in general. It was only created in 2007.

Before that? Achievement First Bushwick Middle School — I was the dean of the students. I was basically the person in charge of culture, discipline, student investment, student incentives, parent groups. The whole theme of the school, as at all Achievement First schools, is to strive to go to college. The fifth grade wasn’t known as the fifth grade, it was known as the class of 2019, because that would be the year that they would go to college.

Superintendent Walt Rulffes gets national recognition for leading School District - Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Four years ago, the decision on who should lead the beleaguered Clark County School District came down to two men who offered distinctly different styles: Walt Rulffes, who had run the district’s finances and was holding the top job on a temporary basis; and Eric Nadelstern, a veteran educator lauded for his innovative approach to accountability in New York City Public Schools.

Nadelstern was recruited by a group of Nevada business and civic leaders who praised him as an agent of change. The group, calling itself the Council for a Better Nevada, said the School District under Rulffes would just be more of the same — which at the time was no compliment.

When Nadelstern withdrew from consideration, the Clark County School Board gave the job to Rulffes.

And he’s shown to be not more of the same.

'Gifted' schools - latimes.com

'Gifted' schools - latimes.com:

"It's natural -- and smart -- for cash-strapped public schools to seek out private financial help. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, though, this raised eyebrows when the help took the form of key employees whose salaries are paid by wealthy benefactors. As The Times has reported, some see a conflict of interest when people who work for the schools receive their paychecks from individuals or groups with their own ideas about public education. So far, the district appears to be handling this merger of public and private resources responsibly. But there's no question that when privately financed reform plays a large and long-term role in public schools, everyone should be a little wary."

Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations - washingtonpost.com

Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations - washingtonpost.com:

"The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union is proposing a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers, according to the text of a speech made public Monday night.

Randi Weingarten of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers plans to deliver the speech Tuesday. Union officials describe it as a major effort to address flash points in labor-management relations."

Inaction could put state out of 'race' -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

Inaction could put state out of 'race' -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:

"ALBANY -- The Race to the Top has become a race against the clock in the state Legislature.
�
In classic Albany style, lawmakers are waiting until the last possible moment to act on legislation that proponents say would greatly enhance the state's chances to secure up to $700 million in federal education reform grants.
The deadline to apply for the federal Race to the Top program is Jan. 19.

But with only today and the date of the deadline currently scheduled as legislative session days (Jan. 18 is Martin Luther King Day), lawmakers are cutting it extraordinarily close -- especially in light of a consensus from lawmakers that the issue is unlikely to come up today.

Indeed, some have suggested Gov. David Paterson might keep legislators later this week in order to pass laws he says are needed to compete for the money."

Hold firm on education reform - The Boston Globe

Hold firm on education reform - The Boston Globe:

"AS HOUSE and Senate conferees hammer out final details of an education reform bill this week, no issue is more contentious than how much power local and state administrators should have to override union contracts in underperforming schools. At such schools, there’s a tension between the formal process for resolving disputes over work rules and the need to make changes swiftly so that children don’t fall further behind."

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill recognize that efforts to improve failing schools must address hair-trigger labor grievances that usually lead to long arbitration processes. The teachers unions are naturally protective of their rights.

And yet the well-being of students has to come above all else. What’s needed is a final bill that gives the state the ability to make major changes in the lowest-performing schools, to adjust compensation to reflect teacher merit when appropriate, and to extend the school day or year for either more instruction time or better faculty training. Providing the state with these powers doesn’t mean that all teachers at troubled schools will be broomed out - practical barriers alone make that exceedingly unlikely - but it would provide greater flexibility at schools where the status quo clearly is not working.

California State General Obligation Bonds -- Seeking Alpha

California State General Obligation Bonds -- Seeking Alpha:

"The offering statements for the State of California’s most recent bond issues remind me of New York City’s for the sale of general obligation bonds and notes in 1974.

Then, the City's short-term debt had no source of funding other than issuing new notes to retire the old. A few months later, the market refused to accept additional paper. That resulted in monetary default on $1.6 billion principal amount of NYC general obligation tax and revenue anticipation notes.

The City’s bonds did not default because bond principal and interest is funded one year in advance and held separate and apart from all other governmental funds. Those requirements and others like them are spelled out in the State’s Constitution, as it is in most of the other states."

UTSA is one of the country’s top producers of Hispanic math, science grads - San Antonio Business Journal:

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked third in the nation among Hispanic Serving Institutions in the number of math and science degrees awarded to Hispanic students.

The rankings are based on a National Science Foundation-funded study conducted by the University of Southern California Center for Urban Education. The center examined academic data from the 2005-2006 school year for the Top 25 predominately Hispanic colleges and universities — which are concentrated in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Arizona and New Mexico.

UTSA earned the No. 3 ranking for awarding 357 degrees to Hispanic students in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math. Forty-four of all of UTSA STEM degrees went to Hispanic students in the academic year included in the survey.

Students Win Settlement in California Free Speech Case | California Progress Report

As a result of a legal settlement at a California high school, school administrators are on notice to stop censoring student speech.

After settling an 18-month legal battle, Fallbrook Union High School District must pay nearly $28,000 as a result of a principal violating the speech rights of student journalists and unfairly retaliating against the high school’s newspaper advisor. In addition, the Fallbrook administration is obligated to issue letters praising the student journalists as part of the lawsuit settlement.

In 2008, Fallbrook high school teacher Dave Evans was removed by the principal as the newspaper advisor a day after Evans warned the school board that parents and students were preparing to sue the district for the principal's censorship of a news article about the dismissal of the superintendent and an editorial critical of the federal government’s abstinence-only sex education program. The principal, Rod King, also cancelled the journalism program, which had just captured second place in the American Scholastic Press Association national competition.

In 2006, I authored a law that prohibits censorship of student press by

Need to Trim Corrections Spending, Governor? Stop Wasting Money on the Death Penalty! | California Progress Report

If Gov. Schwarzenegger thinks he can cut $3.5 billion from state spending on corrections, he is being unrealistic and impractical.

In his state of the state address Wednesday, Gov. Schwarzenegger promised to restore the California dream by increasing funds for education and cutting funds for prisons in the budget proposal he releases today. That’s a great theory. But his only real proposal is to outsource prison administration to private companies. The state’s powerful prison guards’ union will ensure that plan fails. Meanwhile, the governor continues to slash education, health care, and other vital services.

So let’s consider something the governor can actually do right now to make a serious dent in the corrections budget: convert all 700 death sentences in California to permanent imprisonment saving the state $1 billion over the next five years.

A slew of articles have recently documented the decline of the death penalty nationally. Death sentencing hit an all time low in 2009. As reported this week on National Public

Kiplinger Rates Poly a ‘Best Value in Public Colleges’ | Mustang Daily - News for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Kiplinger Rates Poly a ‘Best Value in Public Colleges’ | Mustang Daily - News for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:

"Cal Poly ranked number 50 on a list of “100 Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10.” Cal Poly was the only California State University to make the list and climbed from a number 58 ranking in the study last year.

The list, released by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, a Washington DC-based publication, gave Cal Poly the dead-center position in the yearly review based on factors including tuition, student-to-teacher ratios, graduation rates, retention rates and admissions rates.

Despite budget cuts that resulted in furloughs, department cuts and larger class sizes, Cal Poly is staying true to its core values, according to�Provost Robert Koob.

“The ranking reaffirms that Cal Poly still offers a good, affordable education,” Koob said. “It’s a question of preserving options in the deficit.”"

California Flailin' - Forbes.com

California Flailin' - Forbes.com:

"America's largest state is broken and looking for fixes in the wrong places."

In my last column I tackled the not-so-secret implosion of state governments across the land. A question, however, still lingers: What ought to be done? On this score there are two, and only two, general approaches. The first is structural and concerns the division of political authority within the states. The second deals with the conception of individual rights and duties of state citizens. As Americans, we should stress the second and ditch the first. But true to form, California seems to be moving in theopposite direction.

Right now many groups are getting ready to put new measures in November's referendum process, which lets voters have the word on reform. These exercises in direct democracy consciously bypass the state legislature, in which public confidence has fallen to 14%--which is quite generous in light of its dismal performance.

Local programs may feel California's budget pain - Local - SanLuisObispo.com

Local programs may feel California's budget pain - Local - SanLuisObispo.com:

"The governor’s proposed budget would cut school funding by $270 for every elementary and high school student in San Luis Obispo County and would be devastating for the elderly and poor, local social services and education officials said Monday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal is an attempt to close what is expected to be a $20 billion difference between costs and revenues in the next 18 months.

But what the governor proposes in January and what is finally adopted are often far different.

“Even in good years, the governor’s January budget proposal is like the first hand in a poker game,” county schools Superintendent Julian Crocker said. “Then, we have two or three, sometimes four months of committee hearings in the Legislature.”"

States Lower Test Standards for a High School Diploma - NYTimes.com

States Lower Test Standards for a High School Diploma - NYTimes.com:

"A law adopting statewide high school exams for graduation took effect in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with the goal of ensuring that students leaving high school are prepared for college and the workplace. But critics say the requirement has been so watered down that it is unlikely to have major impact."

The situation in Pennsylvania mirrors what has happened in many of the 26 states that have adopted high school exit exams. As deadlines approached for schools to start making passage of the exams a requirement for graduation, and practice tests indicated that large numbers of students would fail, many states softened standards, delayed the requirement or added alternative paths to a diploma.

People who have studied the exams, which affect two-thirds of the nation’s public school students, say they often fall short of officials’ ambitious goals.

Campus takeover applications begin flowing in to L.A. Unified - latimes.com

Campus takeover applications begin flowing in to L.A. Unified - latimes.com:

"Charter organizations, nonprofits and teachers groups have until midnight to submit applications to take over 30 new or struggling campuses. The superintendent will make recommendations next month."

The Los Angeles city school district on Monday began receiving applications from inside and outside groups seeking to take over 30 new or struggling campuses.

Groups that filed letters of intent to apply for the schools in the fall had to file their requests electronically before midnight tonight. The district is scheduled to announce how many applications they received today.

The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education voted in August to allow outside operators, including charter schools, to apply for control of 18 new and 12 low-performing campuses. Groups of teachers have prepared applications for some schools, and United Teachers Los Angeles has filed a from taking over the new campuses.

Several outside groups, including some charter organizations and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, had said they would submit applications. Supt. Ramon C. Cortines will review the applications before making recommendations to the school board in February.

Experts Debate California's Parental Trigger - GOOD Blog - GOOD

Experts Debate California's Parental Trigger - GOOD Blog - GOOD:

"We've mentioned California's idea to empower parents to take over schools if they feel as though their kids are getting a subpar education. We've also noted that charter school maven Steve Barr has spoken out about outlawing private schools, in part because he believes that parents will hold public schools accountable the same way that private school-parents currently keep an eye on their educational investment.

Well, California's parental trigger is the topic of the week over at the National Journal Online's 'Education Experts' blog. The view from the outside is that education wonks would be really excited by parental involvement in their children's schooling. But, the opinions on this trigger idea run the gambit from 'fabulous idea' to 'superficial solution.'"

Orlando Sentinel - Central Florida Political Pulse – Crist and the Terminator no longer seeing eye-to-eye

Orlando Sentinel - Central Florida Political Pulse – Crist and the Terminator no longer seeing eye-to-eye:

"TALLAHASSEE — Once Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger were political look-alikes.

But Crist and some fellow Republicans in the Legislature are distancing themselves from the latest proposal emerging from California’s chief executive.

In his final State of the State speech last week, Schwarzenegger proposed a constitutional amendment that would reduce state funding for prisons – while boosting the portion of the state budget going to higher education.

Schwarzenegger said financially-strapped California’s priorities have gone “out of whack” in recent years."

Most O.C. districts say no to Obama ed reforms | school, districts, top - News - The Orange County Register

Most O.C. districts say no to Obama ed reforms | school, districts, top - News - The Orange County Register:

"As few as nine Orange County school districts have committed to implement sweeping reforms championed under President Obama's federal Race to the Top grant program for schools, leaving up to 19 ineligible to receive the potentially millions of federal stimulus dollars that California is seeking.

School districts across the state were required to commit to the president's education reform agenda by Friday, ahead of a Jan. 19 deadline for California to apply for a federal Race to the Top grant. Twenty-one of O.C.'s 28 school districts initially committed to the plan, but many have since pulled out."

L.A. school board will weigh new policy to both help and rein in charters | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

L.A. school board will weigh new policy to both help and rein in charters | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times:

"The Los Angeles Board of Education Tuesday will consider new policies aimed at both assisting charters and holding them more accountable for their performance. The regulations, about a year in the making, include key provisions on conflicts of interest and services for disabled students that are opposed by the association that represents charter schools.

There are now more charter schools — enrolling more students — in Los Angeles than in any other city in the country. Their effect and performance were the subject of a Los Angeles Times special report on Sunday."

Sacramento Press / Higher Education Bill Suspended

Assembly Bill 656, authored by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, was suspended after a second hearing at the Assembly Committee of Revenue and Taxation on Monday.

AB 656, proposing an oil and gas severance tax with revenue going to California's higher education system, was introduced last February and went through the first hearing in May, but the hearing was canceled by Torrico.

During the second hearing, Chairman Charles Calderon and the Revenue and Taxation Committee said they believed the bill needed further discussion and a possible decrease of the 12.5 percent tax rate originally proposed to a more reasonable 6 to 7 percent.

"The real truth here is the bill is going nowhere--it's not getting off the floor," Calderon said during the hearing. "Until we can function properly at the proper as constitutional form of government without these initiatives tying our hands in terms of what we can do and what we can't do, we are not going to solve that here today."

Vote may shake up 90210 school attendance - 1/11/10 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- The Beverly Hills school board will vote on whether to end the program allowing out-of-district students to enroll there.

The name and the zip code of Beverly Hills 90210 conjure up images of the rich and famous. Students from outside the city were attracted to the quality schools in this city. It's part of a permit program that allowed them to do that, but maybe not for much longer.
"This is an issue that's dividing our community and we need to get beyond it. Our goal is to try to be as fair as we can with our parents, both the permit parents and the regular parents," said Jerry Gross, superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District.
This school district, like others, gets money from the state per student based on enrollment, but with big cuts from Sacramento, that will change. The district is now expected to get most of its money from property taxes. Some say resources need to be focused on resident students.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Top 5 Ways to Get Smart without Reading � The Class Struggle

Top 5 Ways to Get Smart without Reading � The Class Struggle:

"The Oxford Dictionary says that if you are illiterate you are two things:

1 unable to read or write

2 ignorant in a particular subject or activity

It is no accident that the English language uses the same word to describe these two things. The inability to read or write automatically ensures one’s ignorance of information. Traditionally, anyone without access to books or school had little hope of thriving in our world. That is what we have always been told, because until now that has always been true."

The Education Report: Tony Smith on federal school reform

The Education Report:

Tony Smith on federal school reform

"“In a lot of ways, we are leading the race.” — Oakland Superintendent Tony Smith to Phil Matier in reference to the competitive Race to the Top grants.

Yes, OUSD applied for the federal funds (which it only stands to receive if California gets any money in the first place), though teachers union President Betty Olson-Jones says"

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Application - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Application - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education):

"State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces

Submission of Application for $324 Million

in Federal State Fiscal Stabilization Funds"

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced California has submitted its application for the last 10 percent of funding from the federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) that would be allocated to the state totaling $324 million for kindergarten through grade twelve public education.

"My gratitude goes to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama for making these funds available that have helped our financially struggling schools get through these tough economic times," said O'Connell. "I will continue to work closely with Governor Schwarzenegger to secure these much-needed funds for California schools. With this federal support we can further our efforts to improve student achievement by ensuring that all students have access to effective teachers, enhancing our longitudinal data system, maintaining our high standards, and focusing on data-driven reforms to help struggling schools."

SFSF is part of the federal stimulus package called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Funding comes in two phases. In the first phase, California received a grant of $2.6 billion in the spring of 2009, and an additional $355 million in the fall of 2009, making up 90 percent of the total amount available for K-12 public education. Of these amounts, $2.5 billion has already been disbursed to the public school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. The funds are designed to help schools avert cuts in services and personnel, repair schools, and advance early learning to help students and their families.

The California Department of Education worked closely with the Schwarzenegger administration to prepare the application for the second and final phase of these SFSF funds totaling $324 million for K-12 education. To secure the funding, California assured the federal government that the state is making progress in four areas of reform. These include achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving collection and use of data, improving standards and assessments, and supporting struggling schools. How the second phase of funding will be disbursed has not been finalized yet.

For more information on the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, please visit State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

DOE to unveil a “common application” for charter schools | GothamSchools

DOE to unveil a “common application” for charter schools

by Maura Walz

Charter schools could soon have one single “common application,” under a deal hatched today by the three bodies that oversee the state’s charter schools, a Department of Education official confirmed.

Right now, families apply by filling out separate forms for each charter school that enter their children into separate lotteries. Under the new process, the city will create one common application, accepted by all schools, but keep lotteries separate.

The change will answer critics’ charge that the current process, with its overwhelming paperwork, is so complicated that it discourages all but the most motivated parents and effectively screens out needy students. The introduction of a common application does not address a second demand from critics,including the teachers union — that the lotteries also be streamlined.

Michael Duffy, the head of the city’s charter schools, said the city’s goal was “to widen the access for families” to charter schools. Duffy previously spearheaded a push to increase recruitment by charter schools, and said that the new common application should help charters reach out to groups of students, including

Big Education Ape Proudly sponsored by

HISD may fire teachers over test scores | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

HISD may fire teachers over test scores | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"Teachers in Houston ISD could lose their jobs for failing to improve student test scores under a controversial proposal slated for a school board vote Thursday.

HISD Superintendent Terry Grier's plan to tie teachers' job evaluations to their students' progress on standardized tests would put Houston among a small but growing number of school districts pushing to make it easier to oust ineffective teachers.

The more aggressive approach coincides with President Barack Obama's call for increased teacher accountability. His administration's $4.35 billion education grant competition, Race to the Top, excludes states that prohibit linking student test data to teachers' evaluations."

'Cadillac' Plans an Issue in Health Care Conference - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Congress is back this week. And while we've got a ways to go before lawmakers get down to work on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Act, or even the fiscal year 2011 budget bills, there's one piece of legislation folks in the K-12 community should watch very closely: the health care bill. While there isn't much in the bill that relates to schools specifically, at least one debate over how to help fund a health care overhaul could have a lasting impact on teacher recruitment and retention.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have approved their versions of the legislation. Now, lawmakers and the administration are wrestling with a compromise measure that they hope to send to President Barack Obama's desk before the state of the union, slated for late this month or early next.

One of the thorniest issues on the table, right behind that public option you've been hearing so much about, is the question of how to pay for the expanded coverage. The House bill includes a tax on high-income folks, while the Senate bill would place an excise tax on so-called Cadillac health plans, those that cost more than $23,000 a year.

Charter school sets course for the future ajc.com

Charter school sets course for the future | ajc.com:

"In about seven months, he intends to open a new charter school from scratch, recruit students, build a campus, find energetic teachers and secure the financing to pay for it all.

The Atlanta Heights Charter School, backed by a national brand in the education entrepreneur industry, is poised to make a multi-million dollar investment in educating Atlanta Public Schools students with no guarantee that its charter authorizer will withstand a court challenge.

On Tuesday, Madati will join the heads of six other new commission charter campuses racing against the school calendar and an uncertain future to apply for seed money to get their doors open. The Georgia Charter Schools Commission, which is facing two lawsuits challenging its authority to approve and fund new schools, has $5.5 million in federal grant money to share. And until a Fulton County Superior Court judge tells them otherwise, the commission is conducting business as usual."

Doing What Works - Practice Summary

Doing What Works - Practice Summary:

"Assign adult advocates to students at risk of dropping out.

Research has shown that sustained personal relationships between trained adults and at-risk students can help address students' personal and academic needs. Advocates can address the academic and social needs of students by building trust and helping students overcome obstacles such as low academic performance, poor attendance, or poor relationships with teachers. Advocates also can communicate and work cooperatively with families. The adult should be committed to advocating for the student and should believe that all students can succeed. The adult and student should have time to meet regularly, and the adult advocate should be prepared to be persistent. Training for adult advocates is essential."

Education Week's Digital Directions: Schools Fuel Demand for High-Tech Language Labs

Education Week's Digital Directions: Schools Fuel Demand for High-Tech Language Labs:

"When students of Spanish teacher Sean M. Boettinger put on their headsets in his Maryland high school’s language lab, their concentration heightens, he says. The up-to-date digital equipment, says the teacher, keeps them engaged with teenage-friendly electronics, allows them to get more practice listening and speaking Spanish, and, most important, blocks out distractions.
“Particularly in classes that have a hard time paying attention, having those headphones on, and me being able to speak through that microphone directly into their ears with no outside noises, is a great focusing tool,” says Boettinger, who teaches at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in the 134,000-student Prince George’s County district."

Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Monday, January 11, 2010