Sunday, May 23, 2010

U.S. schools chief: We're in 'educational emergency' - CNN.com

U.S. schools chief: We're in 'educational emergency' - CNN.com

U.S. schools chief: We're in 'educational emergency'

May 21, 2010 8:12 a.m. EDT
Education Secretary Arne Duncan
Education Secretary Arne Duncan
RELATED TOPICS
(CNN) -- The battered economy is devastating school districts nationwide. Faced with shrinking budgets, many schools say they have no choice but to lay off teachers, cut arts and sports programs or consider other drastic measures to save money.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien talked with the top school official in the nation, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, about the ties between the economy and schools, the state of education and options for the classroom.
Soledad O'Brien: You often say, "We have to educate our way to a better economy." What does that mean?
Arne Duncan: When we have a national high school dropout rate of almost 30 percent and we're losing 1.2 million students to the street, how can we have a strong economy? Thirty years ago it was actually OK to drop out of high school. You could still support your family and own your own home. Today there are no good jobs for a high school dropout in the legal economy. None. There are almost no good jobs in the legal economy if you just have a high school diploma. Four years at a university, two-year community colleges,
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Stowsentry.com - Teachers union won't sign federal funds application

Stowsentry.com - Teachers union won't sign federal funds application

Teachers union won't sign federal funds application


about 6 hours ago

by Marsha McKenna

Senior Editor

The Stow-Munroe Falls School District is trying to enter the "Race to the Top," even though not all the parties required to sign off on the application did so.

The $4.35 billion program created by President Obama's administration is meant to encourage innovative programs to boost student achievement by awarding grants to states through a competitive application process.

The deadline for districts to submit a memorandum of understanding, which is a commitment from the superintendent, School Board president, and union president to participate in the education reforms, was May 14.

According to Superintendent Dr. Russ Jones, the district submitted its MOU by the deadline but it only contained the signatures of the Board president and himself; the Stow Teachers Association president declined to sign.

Deb Pauley, president of the Stow Teachers Association, did not return a phone call by press time.

"We wanted to let them know we were very interested," Jones said. "I have heard other districts have submitted without all three signatures."

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White vows to undo social studies rules 'damage' | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

White vows to undo social studies rules 'damage' | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

White calls for removing politics from classroom

Governor candidate says he would pick new chairman for education board

By GARY SCHARRER




AUSTIN — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White said Saturday that if elected in November, he would pick a new chairman for the State Board of Education to “undo some of the damage” from controversial social studies curriculum standards adopted Friday. Critics contend they shortchange minorities and push a rosy view of history.
The 15-member board will have at least two new members in January, when their terms expire.
Some Texans have called for a limited review to address some of the more controversial standards that will influence new history, government, geography and economics textbooks for 4.8 million public school children. Only the board chairman sets the agenda, and the governor chooses that leader — currently Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas.
The board appointed academic experts, historians and teachers to recommend new social studies textbooks but then did a massive rewriting by considering some 400 amendments.
“Obviously, I would pick a chair who would try to undo some of the damage that is being done as quickly as we can,” White said. “We should have standards which reflect the views of professional educators and historians and respect the integrity of that process rather than injecting political ideology in the classroom — regardless where that ideology came in the political spectrum.”

Standards for a decade

Gov. Rick Perry has not commented on the new curriculum standards, and his office said he does not plan to consult with Lowe.
“The State Board of Education members are independently elected officials, and the governor has no intention of getting involved in the process,” Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said.
The new curriculum standards and the textbooks they inspire will last at least 10 years after reaching classrooms as early as the fall of 2013.
The new standards promote traditional history, original documents, patriotism and free enterprise and largely reflect approval of the board's seven social conservative members.

Resources

SAMPLE OF STANDARDS

The new social studies curriculum includes thousands of standards. A sampling:
• • Discuss the solvency of “long-term entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare.”
• • Examine “how economic freedom improved the human condition compared to communist command communities.
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New system to track student data from preschool to career EducationNews.org

EducationNews.org

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Ed Next Research Finds NCLB Has Produced Substantial National Gains In Math Skills

5.10.10 - How has the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act affected student achievement? This is no idle question
Full story
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New system to track student data from preschool to career

5.23.10 - Now the state is in the midst of developing a sophisticated data system that will track students from preschool to elementary and secondary education to postsecondary education to...
Full story
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Once struggling to learn English, student now heads for Harvard med

5. 23.10 - When he moved to Milwaukee from a tiny town in Mexico, Carlos Torres couldn't speak a word of English. Not even hello or goodbye. Now, a mere dozen years later, Carlos is a...
Full story
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California bill takes aim at new Texas standards

5.23.10 - A bill introduced in California seeks to protect the country’s largest school system from the Texas Board of Education and its new social studies standards....
Ful
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Quick, how would you fix HISD? | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Quick, how would you fix HISD? | School Zone | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Quick, how would you fix HISD?


HISD announced Friday afternoon that they are seeking public input on the "strategic direction for the district's future."
No doubt an important topic. It's part of a six-month strategic planning process that the district plans to conclude in August. The problem? The public only has until Monday to make its answers heard. And, um, you'll have to show up between 6-7:30 p.m. at the board auditorium at 4440 West 18th to share your opinions. Don't forget to RSVP athoustonisd.org.

Ironically, Superintendent Terry Grier says in the press release about the event: "True transformation cannot happen overnight."
Not overnight, but over a weekend. And then in 90-minutes.
To be fair, HISD leaders said they've held other public meetings on the topic and are planning two interactive live TV shows in June to gather more input -- one at 7 p.m. June 8 in the Hattie Mae White Auditorium and another at 5 p.m. on June 29th at the Univision studios.
What do you think? Does this seem like a sincere invitation for public input?
Posted by Jennifer Radcliffe at 02:05 PM in , | Comments (1)
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May 21, 2010


Leave Your Child at the Park Day?


Not sure if you've caught wind of this, but May 22 has been dubbed "National Take Our Children to the Park & Leave Them There Day" by the so-called Free-Range Kidsmovement, started by New York mother and columnist Lenore Skenazy.
Skenazy, garnered national attention for letting her 9-year-old son take the subway home alone, advocates a return to the good-old days, when children were let out of their parents sight, at least on occasion. She writes: "We just do NOT believe that every time school age kids go outside, they need a security detail."
So she's asking that tomorrow parents of children over the age of 7 to take them to a public park and leave them there alone for a bit. She's been called "crazy" and a "moron" for making this suggestion. What do you think?
Posted by Jennifer Radcliffe at 02:21 PM in | Comments (5)
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May 20, 2010


HISD plans to cut enrollment at costly alternative school


HISD Supt. Terry Grier, reversing course, told the school board this morning that he plans to recommend continuing the contract with Community Education Partners to serve children with discipline problems.
To cut costs, which Grier said was his major concern with CEP, the district will reduce the number of students it pays the private company to serve. Instead of paying CEP a flat $18.3 million for 1,600 students, the district will pay for 1,200 students next school year. That will cut costs by as much as $4.6 million, according to HISD's report. The district will set aside $1 million in case it exceeds the 1,200-student cap, however, so the cost savings might not be as great.
The district will reduce the number of students it pays to serve by another 200 over tw
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Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by preaprez
“You don’t make radical changes in times of trouble,” Marilyn Stewart told the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday. 20,000 of the 26,000 members of the Chicago Teachers Union voted on Friday and barely a third seem to agree with Stewart. Her opponent in the June 11 runoff is Karen Lewis who headed the CORE caucus slate of candidates. “But Lewis posed this question: ‘And exactly what has this experience gotten us?’ Lewis maintained Saturday that Chicago has seen an influx of charter schools and ‘lots of union jobs lost’ in recent years that her caucus already has been fighting against.”
Rush Limbaugh is a child, a primal scream of a man, but he gets his way because he’s the fat bully on the playground; and Glenn Beck is the weepy kid who’s always crying because he’s insane and you don’t know what he’s going to do and who he’s going to take with him. Bill Maher
University of Minnesota study finds post-Katrina charterized school system in New Orleans has served to

IEA political endorsements. Catch it if you can.

by preaprez
For a few days following the General Assembly adjournment there was a flurry of posts on the IEA web site about IEA political endorsements (actually IPACE recommendations). Members wrote in to say we shouldn’t recommend any House member who voted the wrong way on TRS or funding. Some leadership people wrote in and jabbered some more jabber about the importance of being at the table.
I went searching on the IEA web site for IPACE recommendation procedures.
As a past local president for ten years I’ve taken part in recommendation hearings. I had thought I had a general understanding of how they work, but they have always seemed to follow a vague set of rules that I had never actually been provided.
I searched. “IPACE recommendation procedures.” Nothing.

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Growing schools seek state boost Education news - Boston Globe - MCAS results - latest education news - Boston.com

Education news - Boston Globe - MCAS results - latest education news - Boston.com

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Growing schools seek state boost

Brockton School Superintendent Matt Malone says public education should be run like a business, and if schools are bound by law to deliver a product based on the number of students enrolled, then the state should be similarly bound when it comes to reimbursement. (By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent)

Prom season raises specter of teen drinking’s toll

On a warm spring morning earlier this month, Charlotte Marean took a day off from work and went to the state Parole Board to argue that the young man who killed her mother nearly a year ago, and almost killed her, should spend more time in jail. She was escorted into a small hearing room with Jonathan Caruso, 19, who ... (By Kathleen Burge, Globe Staff)

At Salem High, graduate who survived fatal drunken driving crash shares a hard lesson

SALEM — “Step up and say something, if you know someone is making a bad choice. Don’t be afraid to say anything,’’ T.J. Lambert said, his eyes panning a hushed crowd of Salem High School students standing before him. “Step up and say something, if you know someone is making a bad choice. Don’t be afraid to say anything . ... (By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff)

New French lottery jolts Milton parents

You can’t always get what you want — especially if you want your first-grader in the Milton public schools’ French immersion program at your neighborhood school. (By Johanna Seltz, Globe Correspondent)

Harvard superintendent will appeal ethics violation ruling

The superintendent of Harvard’s school system, Thomas Jefferson, said last week he is appealing the State Ethics Commission’s ruling that he had violated conflict-of-interest laws when he approved spending $30,000 on out-of-district tuition for a former School Committee chairman’s son. (By Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Globe Correspondent)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

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NorthJersey.com: UPDATE: Record crowds flood Trenton to protest against N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, budget cuts

NorthJersey.com: UPDATE: Record crowds flood Trenton to protest against N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, budget cuts



UPDATE: Record crowds flood Trenton to protest against N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, budget cuts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY MAY 22, 2010, 10:54 PM
BY CLAIRE HEININGER AND MATT FRIEDMAN
STATE HOUSE BUREAU
STATE HOUSE BUREAU

Thousands gather in Trenton for anti-Christie rally


TRENTON — Fury over Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget cuts echoed outside the Statehouse today as record crowds flooded the capital to protest the rookie Republican — and warn Democrats against backing his agenda.
An aerial view of the rally from the roof of the NJEA building. The photographer was I. George Bilyk.
I. GEORGE BILYK
An aerial view of the rally from the roof of the NJEA building. The photographer was I. George Bilyk.
The protesters — most from public worker unions and progressive groups — numbered 30,000 to 35,000, according to the State Police. They clutched signs labeling Christie a "loser" and calling for his ouster. They started chants: "They say cut back, we say fight back!" and "We are not the problem!" They even mocked the governor’s affection for working-class hero Bruce Springsteen.
"I don’t know how you can save New Jersey by shutting down our firefighters, police and teachers," said Zein Maya, a West Orange resident and Newark firefighter.
"He’s just picked us as a scapegoat. We just feel so targeted," said Lauren Sheldon, an English teacher at North Hunterdon High School who lives in Pennsylvania.
Though the rally was the culmination of months of animosity between Christie and unions over cuts to pay and benefits, speakers cast the fight in broader terms, linking it to historical causes from women’s suffrage to civil rights.
"It is the beginning of a new political movement in this state, one that stands in opposition to the kinds of cruel and unnecessary cuts that are devastating New Jersey," said Chris Shelton, a vice president with the Communications Workers of America. "One that says to all elected officials — if you want our support, you have to earn it."
But few politicians of either party were on hand to hear the message. The governor was signing a bill at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, where he recived a mix of cheers and boos and dismissed a question about the protest. And despite legislative Democrats’ showdown with Christie over his refusal to raise taxes on 

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On Assignment: Some pink-slipped Mt. Diablo teachers keep jobs Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Education - ContraCostaTimes.com


On Assignment: Some pink-slipped Mt. Diablo teachers keep jobs

This is an excerpt of On Assignment, education writer Theresa Harrington's blog on Contra Costa County schools. Read more and post comments at www.ibabuzz.
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Schools Matter: More Duncan Opposition from the Honorable Congresswoman Judy Chu

Schools Matter: More Duncan Opposition from the Honorable Congresswoman Judy Chu

More Duncan Opposition from the Honorable Congresswoman Judy Chu

by Jim Horn

A new plan for school improvement that actually makes sense. Call you Congressman to back the Chu Plan as an alternative to the corporate takeover plan.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) officially unveiled a plan today to improve our nation's education system using a new framework of school improvement grants, a proposal

More Duncan Opposition from the Honorable Congresswoman Judy Chu

by Jim Horn
A new plan for school improvement that actually makes sense. Call you Congressman to back the Chu Plan as an alternative to the corporate takeover plan.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) officially unveiled a plan today to improve our nation's education system using a new framework of school improvement grants, a proposal that is being supported by AFT, NEA, PTA and the National Association of School Psychologists, among other groups.

The Congresswoman's new framework constitutes a radical departure from existing guidelines on 
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