Sunday, February 14, 2010

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Weekend Reading: Kindergarten Sexual Harrassment: Sexual harassment settlement for Brockton boy costs city $180K:... http://bit.ly/drTLwa about 18 hours ago
Performance pay for journalists not working out so well at Bloomberg Newshttp://is.gd/8j5z3 phaps ed reporters should think about this? 1 day ago
Duncan: A Poison Valentine For Teach For America: It's seemed to me for a while now that Teach For America was, f... http://bit.ly/9iqp2m 1 day ago
RT @lgoldrick25: RT @TeacherBeat: R.I.'s Race to the Top Plan Tackles Teacher Assignment:http://bit.ly/9LZjib [& sawchuk is single!] 1 day ago
Competitive grants are OK for states and districts but not for TFA, acc to WPost http://is.gd/8fqu3Too much uncertainty! 1 day ago

Reconstitution: There has Got to Be a Better Way - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Reconstitution: There has Got to Be a Better Way

By Anthony Cody on February 14, 2010 1:12 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Over the past month I have posted two guest blogs authored by Los Angeles history teacher Chuck Olynyk (here and here.) Chuck has shared his experiences and feelings as his school undergoes the process of "reconstitution." At Fremont High School, staff members are given the option of applying to stay, or transferring to another school in the district.

A large number of teachers there have signed a pledge that, on principle, they will NOT reapply, leading to the rather strange circumstance of administrators begging the very people that have been blamed for the school's failure to apply for their old jobs. Parents and students have joined protests calling for the superintendent to reconsider his plan. This photo shows a recent rally, where more than 200 people marched to protest the closure. The two young women are graduates of Fremont who have been teachers there as well.

Here, police line the entrance to Fremont High, to make sure teachers, parents and students protesting keep out. A permit to hold the rally on school grounds was canceled by the superintendent.

In Brooklyn, New York, plans to close schools there drew hundreds of protesting parents, students and educators who recently stayed until 3 am trying to convince the governing panel to spare their schools this fate.

This process has taken on new significance now that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is proposing that 2000 schools across the nation should be restructured (the fourth pillar of Race to the Top.) The protests from parents, teachers and students indicate that this is a highly disruptive and painful process. Does it have to be so? According to Chicago turnaround specialist John Simmons there is a better way.

In this interview in Public School Insights, Simmons describes the process his

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Pressing Labor for Cuts Triggers 'Surreal' Shakeup on School Board

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Pressing Labor for Cuts Triggers 'Surreal' Shakeup on School Board:

"By EMILY ALPERT

After another plan failed to dig up enough savings, San Diego Unified is now under even more pressure to squeeze employees to balance its budget.

The prolonged budget crisis has put some board members at odds with the same unions that helped to elect them -- and jumbled the usual dynamics of the politicized board.

Longtime labor ally Richard Barrera is seeking deeper concessions from the teachers union, along with John Lee Evans, who was elected on a pledge to protect teachers. John de Beck and Shelia Jackson, who have often disagreed on labor issues in recent years, are both pushing the idea of progressive salary cuts that fall harder on employees who earn more.

And Katherine Nakamura, who is often at odds with the teachers union, called deeply cutting teachers' salaries 'unconscionable.'

'It's almost surreal,' said Bruce McGirr, director of the union that represents principals and other administrators. 'It's like it flipped.'

Barrera, Evans and Jackson were fierce critics two years ago when Nakamura, de Beck and then-board member Mitz Lee warned hundreds of teachers of possible layoffs to handle a"

Marisa Constantinides - TEFL Matters

Marisa Constantinides - TEFL Matters:

Gapers Block : Mechanics : Chicago Politics - A Bad Year for Teachers, a Bad Year for Public Education

A Bad Year for Teachers, a Bad Year for Public Education

This is going to be a bad year for public education.

After the State of the Union address and GOP response, there was a lot of back and forth about different policy points and the challenge the President laid down and the people standing behind Bob McDonnell and the number of times the President used certain words. What nobody commented on was that the two men agreed enthusiastically on exactly one thing: the need to privatize public education.

The take away from that night is that the American political duopoly supports the privatization of public education. They honestly believe that injecting the profit motive into education is the way to make sure that all American children get a decent education. That is a major policy shift that is so harmonious with the corporate policy tune that no news operations expressed any surprise or outrage.

But, of course, it is an outrage. The privatization of schools is sold as "ingenuity" and as a way of "leveling the field" by offering that cornerstone of free market fundamentalist mythology, "choice". Give parents choice and all problems go away. Because education is like used cars.

Forget that there is exactly zero evidence that charter schools work. Forget that vouchers take as an assumption that children from more difficult backgrounds should be allowed to fail. Forget that the history of American education demonstrates that expansion of public schools and professionalization of the teaching profession--and civil service, collective bargaining protection for teachers--tracks perfectly to the improvement of American education.

Why are we making teachers the sole enemy? And why are we suddenly comfortable with the idea that less democracy is a good thing?

Chicagoans enjoy a precious democractic power we unfortunately flunk more often than we ace: local school councils and their power over school improvement and principals. Charter schools are exempt from rules that establish local school councils, and now the very concept of LSCs is under attack, because it places some democratic control over the bosses in the schools.

Local News | Wash. House lets schools raise more through levies | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Wash. House lets schools raise more through levies| Seattle Times Newspaper:

"The Washington state House on Saturday approved a measure that lets cash-strapped school districts ask voters for additional money.

On a 55-41 vote, the House passed the measure lifting the levy lid that currently limits how much school districts can seek, and how often, from 2011 to 2017. The measure now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has promised help to struggling school districts, and the bill would help them make up for school budget shortfalls. The bill would allow school districts to ask for more money and would let them go back to the voters for more money in the middle of a levy cycle.

'I wish we had better state funding. I wish we had the option to do that,' said Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. 'But we cannot ignore the needs of our local schools. We can give them this extra capacity.'

The levy lid law took effect in 1979 and sought to limit levy revenue to 10 percent of a school district's state basic education allocation. It had a grandfather clause, however, and allowed some districts to exceed the 10 percent limit."

'$leazy 6' of rubber room - NYPOST.com

'$leazy 6' of rubber room - NYPOST.com:

"Taxpayers are on the hook for more than $540,000 a year in salaries for six rubber-room teachers who have been legally cleared to return to class -- but will never go back because the schools chancellor believes they're too dangerous.

All six public-school teachers have been benched for years over alleged sexual misconduct.

Overall, the city Department of Education has put some 550 fully paid teachers in limbo, crammed into 'rubber rooms' as they wait for their misconduct cases to be adjudicated, costing taxpayers $30 million a year.

But these six have either completed their punishments or had their cases dismissed -- sometimes on technicalities -- and remain on the payroll. The DOE says such tenured teachers are almost impossible to fire."

Enrollment of black students in prestigious city schools drops 10% during Bloomberg reign

Enrollment of black students in prestigious city schools drops 10% during Bloomberg reign:

"Fewer black students are attending the city's most elite public high schools than when Mayor Bloomberg took over the school system about seven years ago, a Daily News analysis has found.

The percentage of black students dropped at all but one of the city's eight schools that require specialized exams for entry between the 2002-03 school year and this year, according to city data.

And the number of black students at the eight prestigious schools fell overall, dropping to 1,042 this year from 1,160 in 2002-03.

The lack of progress didn't come as a surprise to Beatrice Lors, who graduated from the prestigious Brooklyn Technical High School in 2005, which has seen the percentage of black students drop from 18% to 12%."

The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Teacher Resources For “TED Talks” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...:

"I’ve written several posts recently about TED Talks, and thought I’d pull together a short list of resources that would be helpful to other teachers (and me) as we consider how to use them most effectively in our classes.

I’m going to start off with a quote from their website explaining what these “things” are:

“TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)."

Roundtable: Do Charter Schools Worsen Inequality of Two-Tiered Education System, or Help Address It?

Roundtable: Do Charter Schools Worsen Inequality of Two-Tiered Education System, or Help Address It?:

"Roundtable: Do Charter Schools Worsen Inequality of Two-Tiered Education System, or Help Address It?

We host a roundtable discussion on charter schools and the controversial closing of ninetten New York City public schools with New York State Senator Bill Perkins, one of the most vocal state lawmakers against lifting the cap on charter schools in New York; Seth Andrew, superintendent and founder of the Democracy Prep charter school in Harlem; Daniel Clark, Sr., the field director of advocacy group Parent Power Now!; and Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters. [includes rush transcript]"

Guests:

Bill Perkins, New York state senator representing Harlem. He has been one of the most vocal state lawmakers against lifting the cap on charter schools in New York.

Seth Andrew, superintendent and founder of the Democracy Prep charter school in Harlem.

Daniel Clark Sr., field director of “Parent Power Now!.” His son is an eighth grader at the Democracy Prep charter school in Harlem.

Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters. She also edits the blog NYC Public School Parents.

Schools Matter: Texas Charter School Operator Blazes Trail of Corruption

Schools Matter: Texas Charter School Operator Blazes Trail of Corruption:

"Here's a headline and intro from a recent story about the El Paso School of Excellence, one of four charter schools operated by the Rylie Faith Family, Inc (article via KFOX14):

El Paso Charter School Reportedly Threatened To Be Closed

Dena Richardson/KFOX News Reporter

EL PASO, Texas -- According to the superintendent of the El Paso School of Excellence, a local charter school, the owner of the charter has threatened to take action that would essentially close the school.

Superintendent Jack Ammons told KFOX the family that owns the charter has threatened to return the charter back to the state.
...

Yes - the family that owns the charter is now threatening to shut down one of their privately run schools after more than ten years of shoddy bookkeeping, nepotism, cheating, and corruption. This isn't your run-of-the-mill charter scandal - it's almost as if they're trying to vie for the title of 'America's Most Corrupt Charter School' chain (although the Imagine Schools folks probably have that title safely in their hands)."

Extracurriculars costing parents extra | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/13/2010

Extracurriculars costing parents extra | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/13/2010:

"At Marple Newtown High School, parents were used to coughing up $100 to booster clubs for things such as team T-shirts and jackets, not to mention buying umpteen hoagies and pizzas at fund-raisers.

But this year, they had to shell out an additional $75 if their children wanted to take part in any school activity, from football to French club, to help the cash-strapped district meet its expenses.

Marple is among a growing number of school districts that are charging families for all the extras that they have come to expect but that shrinking school budgets cannot afford.

While the classroom experience is still free - except for those darn school taxes - schools are asking families to chip in for the cost of clubs, activities, and sports.

At Radnor High, students need more than a good voice to be in the spring musical. Cast members of Beauty and the Beast had to pay $35 for T-shirts and a preshow dinner."

NYSUT takes on charter schools : Home: The Buffalo News

Amid fierce controversy, New York State United Teachers slowly is making headway in unionizing charter school teachers.

The outcome will depend in considerable measure on NYSUT's ability to convince charter school teachers that it can stand up for their interests while representing teachers in practically all of the state's roughly 700 traditional public school districts.

More broadly, the unionization effort will go a long way toward defining wages and job protection for charter school teachers, and ultimately determining just how charter schools will differ from traditional public schools.

Statewide, 21 of about 140 charter schools have unionized.

In the Buffalo Niagara region, seven of 16 charter schools have teachers unions: Westminster Community, South Buffalo, Community, Oracle and Buffalo United, all in Buffalo; the Charter School for Applied Technologies in the Town of Tonawanda; and Niagara in Wheatfield.

Westminster's contract is a modified version of the Buffalo

Education chief touts scholarship bill: Legislature | adn.com

Education chief touts scholarship bill: Legislature | adn.com:

"JUNEAU -- Beyond simply helping kids get to college, Gov. Sean Parnell's scholarship proposal is about culture change, according to state Education Commissioner Larry LeDoux."
By giving all Alaska students an opportunity to earn in-state college tuition or vocational training if they take tougher classes and finish with good grades, the program could transform the state's underperforming education system and promote a culture that values learning, he said.

As the program goes forward, LeDoux said, communities will demand "that their districts, their superintendents, their principals deliver a quality program. And I believe this program will restructure schools in this state."

If the governor's scholarship bill passes, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education estimates 2,300 out of about 8,000 graduates in Alaska's high school class of 2011 will use it.

As is, about 1 in 3 Alaska students who reach ninth grade do not graduate, according to the Department of Education, and half of the University of Alask

Two unions say they are willing to negotiate a cut in the L.A. Unified school year - latimes.com

Two unions say they are willing to negotiate a cut in the L.A. Unified school year - latimes.com:

"Other labor chiefs don't like Cortines' proposal to trim six days to help balance a projected $640-million shortfall."

Esther Lee says she plans every minute of her seventh-grade science classes at Berendo Middle School in Koreatown.

"For a lot of my students, their only connection to academics is in school . . . so I feel I can never waste time," she said.

But under a plan proposed by Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, Lee could be chopping a week off her schedule as early as this spring to help district officials balance a projected $640-million shortfall.

California school districts have the option of shortening the school year without losing key state funding for the next several years, and at least one other district has moved to shorten its calendar. Others, up and down the state, are considering the option.

Cortines had said he wanted to preserve, if not extend, the school year, but he said he is unable to balance the budget without major concessions from employee unions, whose leadership has generally resisted furlough days and pay cuts. In a news release Friday evening, he made the proposal to shave five school days and one noninstructional day off the calendar.

O'Malley to push teacher changes - baltimoresun.com

O'Malley to push teacher changes - baltimoresun.com:

"Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to add a year to the time it takes public school teachers to achieve tenure and to tie their performance evaluations to data on how well their students are doing, changes that Maryland education leaders say will better position the state to apply for as much as $250 million in federal money.

The governor's proposal, expected to be introduced to state lawmakers Monday, came after disagreements with state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick over whether the state needed to make changes to win the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top funds."

Two months ago, O'Malley said Maryland, which boasts some of the country's top-ranked public schools, did not need to revise its laws to be successful in a program intended to reward states with the most forward-thinking education policies.

But Grasmick held fast to her belief that the state could not tap into the money without legislative changes and had been preparing to push her ideas without the governor's support, several lawmakers said.

Instead, over the past few weeks, school officials and aides to the governor have met privately with teachers union leaders, superintendents and local school board members to develop a plan that Grasmick said Friday makes her "very happy." The state's largest teachers union supports the governor's proposal.

On campus, it's a woman's world - Life - NewsObserver.com

On campus, it's a woman's world - Life - NewsObserver.com:

"CHAPEL HILL -- Another ladies' night, not by choice.

After midnight on a rainy night recently, a large group of sorority women squeezed into the corner booth of a gritty basement bar. Bathed in a neon glow, they splashed beer from pitchers, traded jokes and belted out lyrics to a heartache anthem thundering overhead. As a night out, it had everything - except guys.

'This is so typical, like all nights, 10 out of 10,' said Kate Andrew, a senior from Albemarle. The experience has grown tiresome: They slip on tight-fitting tops, hair sculpted, makeup just so, all for the benefit of one another, Andrew said, 'because there are no guys.'"
UNC-Chapel Hill, with a student body that is nearly 60 percent female, is just one of many large universities that at times feel eerily like women's colleges. Women have represented about 57 percent of enrollments at American colleges since at least 2000, according to a recent report by the American Council on Education. Researchers cite several reasons: Women tend to have higher grades; men tend to drop out in disproportionate numbers; and female enrollment skews higher among older students, low-income students, and black and Hispanic students.

In terms of academic advancement, this is hardly the worst news for women - hoist a mug for female

PCC Graduation, 68 Years Late – Rafu Shimpo

When Dorothy Fukutaki Potter was handed the roster of students who attended Pasadena Junior College (now Pasadena City College) in 1942, the first name she looked for — and found — was that of her father, Edgar Fukutaki. Fukutaki Potter has been a librarian at Pasadena City College for 14 years and she is also an alumni. Her father attended the same campus but he didn’t quite complete his PJC career. A few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the uprooting of Japanese Americans like Edgar. Edgar and his family were confined in a concentration camp in Gila River, Ariz. His family lost their Meiji Hand Laundry in West Pasadena.

Edgar returned to Pasadena after World War II and worked at Eaton’s Restaurant in Arcadia before he was drafted. This June, Edgar is receiving his honorary degree from PCC thanks to AB 37. Dorothy will be beaming and applauding both as a faculty member and as a daughter.

On the 1942 PJC roster, Dorothy found 137 names of students of Japanese descent who were incarcerated. Assemblymember Warren Furutani authored AB 37 which was signed into state law in October of 2009. AB 37 allows colleges and universities to confer honorary degrees to Japanese Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes during World War II due to their ancestry. Juan Gutierrez, PCC’s public relations coordinator said, “We are doing many things to find our alumni. We want them to register on our website at www.pasadena.edu/pccnisei/. We are planning

Layoff package goes to trustees - SignOnSanDiego.com

Layoff package goes to trustees - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"VISTA — Vista school administrators are proposing to eliminate more than 165 teaching positions to help close a gaping $18.3 million deficit for fiscal 2010-11, according to a staff report that will be presented to trustees.

The cuts, which will be up for a school board vote Thursday, appear to be on top of the planned layoff in mid-June of 61 temporary teachers and counselors on one-year contracts, as well as 34 part-time teachers. Friday was a holiday for the Vista Unified School District, so administrators were unavailable for comment.

Thursday’s school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Foothill-Oaks Elementary School, 1370 Oak Drive in Vista."

Wiping out teachers' student loan debt - latimes.com

Wiping out teachers' student loan debt - latimes.com:

"Programs abound for educators who need help paying off their loans, but the requirements can be narrow and just finding them is a chore."

If you are a teacher in debt, there's good news and bad news.

There are literally dozens of programs that could potentially help wipe out your student loans. But most of them have narrow requirements that may lock you out.

Just ask Troy Dale, a high school counselor from Ellis, Kan. He and his wife have $23,000 in student loans that they've been paying down for nearly a decade. At their current rate, they'll still be paying off their student debts when their oldest child enrolls in college.

That realization sent Dale on a wide-ranging search to find some sort of debt forgiveness plan that could help his family. He found plenty of programs, including a national debt forgiveness program for public service workers and one specifically for schoolteachers.

But in each case, he missed the qualification standards by a fraction. To qualify, Dale and his wife, Jessica, would either have to teach different subjects or switch schools.

"It's really frustrating that there is just nothing out there for us," Dale said. "We're not exactly knocking the top of the roof off with our salaries."

Though Dale was frustrated, he did what every teacher and public service employee ought to do. He kept looking, said Edie Irons, communications director for the Institute for College Access and Success.

Blacks, Latinos and women lose ground at Silicon Valley tech companies - San Jose Mercury News

The unique diversity of Silicon Valley is not reflected in the region's tech workplaces — and the disparity is only growing worse.

Hispanics and blacks made up a smaller share of the valley's computer workers in 2008 than they did in 2000, a Mercury News review of federal data shows, even as their share grew across the nation. Women in computer-related occupations saw declines around the country, but they are an even smaller proportion of the work force here.

The trend is striking in a region where Hispanics are nearly one-quarter of the working-age population — five times their percentage of the computer work force — and when dual-career couples and female MBAs are increasingly the norm.

It is also evident in the work forces of the region's major companies. An analysis by the Mercury News of the combined work force of 10 of the valley's largest companies — including Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Cisco Systems, eBay and AMD — shows that while the collective work force of those 10 companies grew by 16 percent between 1999 and 2005, an already small population of black workers dropped by 16 percent, while the number of

TACA sponsors Special Education Law Day February 27th at UCI

TACA sponsors Special Education Law Day February 27th at UCI:

"Parents navigating the complex world of special education can often find the process daunting. It feels as though a law degree is needed to understand the nuances of special education codes and accommodations. There is help.

TACA is sponsoring Special Education Law Day on Saturday February 27th at the Crystal Cove Auditorium, Student Center, University of California, Irvine (UCI) G244 Student Center, Irvine, CA 92697. The event will be held from 8 a.m. -5 p.m. Lunch is not provided.

Registration is $35 for single, couple with one workbook is $50, couple with two workbooks is $60.

This does not include the $7 UCI parking fee."

Is Los Angeles The Worst Managed City In America? | NEWS JUNKIE POST

The Budget Crisis

California has been dealing with a ballooning budget crisis for the past 8 months, but the latest flash point of major financial crisis is now hovering over the City of Angels. The city faces a budget deficit close to 1 billion, and could be effectively bankrupt by the summer. How is it even possible that one of the biggest and richest city in America be in such state of disarray?

Everybody in Los Angeles is feeling the pinch as city officials are randomly and drastically cutting spending. First cuts were made in education and social services, and it is now the turn of critical sectors of public life and basic safety to fall under the ax of deep budget cuts. The fire department, in an effort to cut labor cost, has been forced by the city to take crews and paramedic units off the job one day a week through fire stations around Los Angeles. And the cuts are likely to get more severe in the very near future.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is increasingly facing the heat even from within the city council. Last week, Villaraigosa was greeted in the city council chamber by booing city workers after he announced an order to eliminate at least 1,000 city jobs. And there will be thousands more to come for next year indicated Villaraigosa.

“I do not see a scenario where there will not be layoff, not only this year but next year as well. We will not be able to meet our financial obligations sometime in the summer if we don’t act now,” the embattled Mayor s

The Governator one-ups Nardwuar

The Governator one-ups Nardwuar:

"Nardwuar the Human Serviette was hoping for a laugh when the off-the-wall celebrity interviewer got a chance to grill California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during an otherwise serious news conference about the Pacific Coast Collaborative.

What Nardwuar wasn't counting on was the Governator one-upping him.

Holding up a 1980s-era vinyl record album called Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Body Workout, Nardwuar -- aka John Ruskin -- got a chuckle as he stood at the microphone and asked Arnie about his experience in the music industry.

'With the PCC you have these four great areas -- British Columbia, Washington, California, Oregon," Nardwuar began. "Each area has a great grunge/punk/rock and roll scene, but lately the music industry has been struggling. Gas prices have really hurt touring, in fact, some bands are even using grease-powered vehicles."Everyone knows, Mr. Schwarzenegger, your experience with movies and stuff. However, you also put out vinyl -- Total Body Workout, on a record label -- so you are part of the music industry and I was wondering, Mr. Schwarzenegger, as chair of the PCC how well your knowledge"

Colo. hardly alone in budget troubles - The Denver Post

Colo. hardly alone in budget troubles - The Denver Post:

"With one of the highest foreclosure rates in the U.S., it's no secret that Arizona has been awash in financial woes. But in Arizona, even the state government buildings are in hock.

That's one of the ways the state's Republican governor and GOP-controlled legislature have tried to deal with an unprecedented budget crisis. To help balance the budget, the state has borrowed against the very buildings where the legislature and governor work.

Budget nightmares are playing out across the country, where 43 states have cut services since the start of the recession, according to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, a Washington, D.C.- based organization that advocates greater spending on programs for the poor.

That includes Colorado, which will have bridged a $2.2 billion shortfall in the current budget year and faces a deficit of at least $1.3 billion next year."

EDITORIAL: Applauding success of honored Valley schools - Opinion - fresnobee.com

EDITORIAL: Applauding success of honored Valley schools- Opinion- fresnobee.com: "

In the San Joaquin Valley, teachers have a difficult challenge educating children because of the region's demographics. Their students often reside in economically depressed neighborhoods, and many come from homes in which English isn't the primary language that's spoken.

While Valley educators understand that student performance generally follows the poverty line, they are committed to strategies that give every child opportunities to learn. Demographics are a factor, but they can't be an excuse.

We were reminded of this commitment to education last week when the state Department of Education recognized 27 Valley elementary schools for their academic achievement.

These are schools that use federal No Child Left Behind funding. To be honored, schools must show that all students are making progress toward proficiency on California's academic standards and that disadvantaged students doubled the achievement targets set for them in two consecutive years."

New paradigm on education: focus on infants – NBBJ Insider - Archive

Business leaders across the North Bay and California have invested countless dollars and hours in education.

But with many important exceptions, the efforts have not moved the needle in a substantive way.

The state’s K-12 system is one of the poorest performing in the nation. More than 30 percent of Latino boys drop out of high school. The number of college entrants is falling behind an ever-expanding need. Trade and other career educational programs are under attack. The state’s school bureaucracy is broken and non-responsive.

The consequence: California’s status as a world-class economy, built on its educational achievement, diverse population and leading companies, is under serious and immediate threat.

Now a growing number of business and academic leaders, among them the president of AT&T California, Ken McNeely, believe the solution is to reach back to the years before children even enter school.

Mr. McNeely, speaking to a recent early childhood education forum organized by the North Bay Leadership Council and First 5 programs from Sonoma and Marin counties, said he, too, was skeptical at first. Could investing in preschoolers really have that great an impact, or was it just another program destined to fail?

Other business leaders’ skepticism is equally reasonable, as they are being asked to invest dollars for a return they would not see in their work force for up to 20 years. And it is hard

Get public involved in education

Get public involved in education:

"Some folks tend to take our schools for granted, a few people might even see them as glorified baby sitters or day-care centers.

But consider, for just a moment, the realities of a typical school district in today’s economy. We ask schools — demand, really — to give our kids a decent education, preparing young people for the real world of adults and careers, while at the same time coping with deep budget cuts.

Wedged in between the myth and reality of public education are the day-to-day issues. Taxpayers want better results, at the same time many classrooms are packed with kids who are just in the early stages of learning the English language

Parents demand the best for children, at the same time many teachers are torn between the idealism of planting useful knowledge in young minds, and the practicality of finding a job that actually pays enough to support a family.

At the same time, school district officials struggle to find a way to keep kids from dropping out and declining enrollment in certain regions — problems that only exacerbate the funding reductions caused by California’s long and persistently intractable recession."

City Brights: Delaine Eastin : Stand Up for California's Children and America's Future

Delaine Eastin

Former Cal State Superintendent of Public Instruction

| Read Bio

Stand Up for California's Children and America's Future

I am a native Californian. I was brought up by generations who had survived the Great Depression and World War II. They were people of modest means who dreamed of a better future for their children and grandchildren, and they knew that education was the key to that future. I attended public schools in California and then was privileged to attend the University of California at Davis and the University of California at Santa Barbara. I have had a wonderful life and my education was the key.

Later, as the state grew richer, and more school financial responsibility for education went to Sacramento, our great educational system from kindergarten to higher education began to slip. The state cut back a little, then a little more, then a lot more. The vaunted education system that was 5th of the 50 states in per pupil spending in 1965 has dropped to 47th, and the decline continues. This is nothing short of tragic. Just as the global economy and the information age made education more important than ever, the California dream of a great education for all, became a tragic nightmare of diminished expectations. Quite frankly, the grown-ups of my generation are letting our children down.

We have an opportunity to begin reversing that trend. We are one of only four states that requires a two-thirds vote to raise money locally for schools. If we reduce that to 55%, still a super majority, but not so dramatic and difficult to achieve, we could allow communities to raise additional funds to help their local schools meet local needs. There is a constitutional initiative to do just that, the Local Control of Local Classrooms Funding Act, currently being qualified to go before voters this November.

The authors have set a limit on how quickly additional local support can grow -- $250 per election, adjusted for inflation -- and have allowed senior citizens who choose to do so, to opt out. They have also required strict disclosure and accountability as to how the funds will be used, and are spent. This is a reasonable, realistic opportunity to raise our level of local support for K-12 education, even as we protect homeowners and seniors. I hope you will join the California Parent Teachers Association and lots of good people across our state in rising to the challenge of helping our children to compete in the global economy. As California goes, so goes the nation. Think about and act to support this initiative act. Please raise

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/deastin/detail??blogid=178&entry_id=57197#ixzz0fWPJeWnH