Cleaning up Rhee's act
D.C. Rhee offered to clean up her crappy image for fiance [not finance, WaPo copy ed.] K.J. He says, "Honey, just be you. Let's not create false hope." (Bill Turque in Washington Post)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Cleaning up Rhee's act
Cleaning up Rhee's act
D.C. Rhee offered to clean up her crappy image for fiance [not finance, WaPo copy ed.] K.J. He says, "Honey, just be you. Let's not create false hope." (Bill Turque in Washington Post)
The Education Report Big changes in Oakland’s special ed department
The Education Report
Big changes in Oakland’s special ed department
By Katy Murphy
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 3:42 pm in special education
Marshall (Mike) S. Smith Retires (Again) from ED – ED.gov Blog
Marshall (Mike) S. Smith Retires (Again) from ED – ED.gov Blog
Marshall (Mike) S. Smith Retires (Again) from ED
Mike Smith, one of the nation’s most respected education policymakers, was feted this week during a farewell gathering in Washington, D.C. The event brought together current and former colleagues who praised Smith’s many accomplishments as they wished him well in his third and perhaps final retirement.
At the May 24 reception at ED headquarters, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called Smith a “legendary figure” with tremendous insight, commitment, integrity and humility, calling him “the mayor of the Department of Education.” Arne thanked Smith for his many contributions to the nation, referring to his “huge heart” and devotion to kids and education. Duncan also read a letter of thanks from President Obama.
Smith, until June 1 the Department of Education’s director of international affairs and a senior counselor to Secretary Duncan, has had a remarkable career that includes significant contributions to academia, policymaking, educational research and evaluation, and has authored and made contributions to seminal reports and studies on education. Smith’s areas of expertise include standards and assessments, educational research and evaluation, use of
Torrico to highlight bill to increase access to pre-school at West Sacramento press conference Thursday
Torrico to highlight bill to increase access to pre-school
at West Sacramento press conference Thursday
Legislation would continue and expand Power of Preschool pilot program
to thousands of California children
West Sacramento – Assemblymember Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont) will discuss his legislation to expand access to preschool for thousands of at-risk children in California, Thursday at a press conference at Wonderland day care in West Sacramento.
The Power of Preschool (PoP) program serves approximately 9,600 3 – and 4 – year olds in nine pilot programs around the state, including Yolo County. The PoP program, established by the state First Five Commission, is set to expire this year. However, under Torrico’s proposal, AB 2252, this successful program would not only be continued but expanded as more First Five funds would be set aside to increase the number of PoP grants available to counties across the state.
“We know that kids who participate in quality preschool are less likely to be held back in school, more likely to graduate and go to college, and less likely to commit violent crimes as adults,” Torrico said. “Quality preschools also enable parents to develop parental skills and become better partners in their kids’ education. With all of these great benefits, it makes sense to use the limited resources we have to get more children into preschool. We can do this without increasing taxes or the size of our budget deficit.”
The press conference will take place at Wonderland day care, which is part of Universal Preschool for West Sacramento (UP 4 WS). UP 4 WS received a five-year funding PoP grant in 2005. Hundreds of children participate in UP 4 WS every year.
WHO: Assemblymember Alberto Torrico, West Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Oscar Villegas, UP 4 WS Parent Representative Rene Guerrero, teacher Paul Martinez
WHAT: Alberto Torrico Press Conference on Power of Preschool funding
WHERE: Wonderland Day Care, 3034 Canvasback Way, West Sacramento.
WHEN: 11 a.m., Thursday, May 27, 2010
VISUALS: Preschool children painting and singing.
The Perimeter Primate: “Listening and Learning” = feigned interest intentional shut out
The Perimeter Primate: “Listening and Learning” = feigned interest intentional shut out
“Listening and Learning” = feigned interest + intentional shut out
Separate, but very similar, experiences of a set of public school teachers, members of the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English), students in Philadelphia, and Alexander Russo, inform us of the Department of Education’s modus operandi.
Earlier this week, nationally certified science teacher-coach Anthony Cody (of Teacher Magazine’s “Living in Dialogue”) reported on his recent “meeting” with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Cody initiated a campaign to provide a way for teachers to hopefully share their ideas with the administration. After six months of working on the project, he and 11 other teachers obtained what they had been seeking: an opportunity to talk to Duncan.
Here's Cody’s account of the meeting, “Talking into a Tin Can on a string 3000 miles long: Our Talk with Duncan”:
So we twelve finally had our thirty minutes to speak with Secretary Duncan. We spent weeks preparing what we would say. We polled the 2000 members of Teachers' Letters to Obama and got more than 270 teachers to take time to share their ideas of what we should say. We knew we would not have much time, so we paired up, and wrote short statements carrying our experiences
UC Davis students plan protest of proposed ethnic studies cuts - Yolo County News - sacbee.com
UC Davis students plan protest of proposed ethnic studies cuts - sacbee.com
UC Davis students plan protest of proposed ethnic studies cuts
UC Davis students are planning to protest at noon in opposition to budget cuts in several ethnic studies programs.
The College of Letters and Science that teaches Chicano, African American, Asian American, Native American and Women and Gender studies has been cutting the departments' funding "for years prior to the economic meltdown and is now using the recent budget cuts as an excuse to further weaken these valuable programs," students wrote in a news release publicizing their protest.
UC Davis spokesman Jim Sweeney said that all departments on campus have experienced budget cuts because the state is spending less on higher education. The campus has cut $150 million over the last two years, he said, reducing spending by about 25 percent.
"Budgets for every department on campus have been reduced. And those reductions began several years ago," Sweeney said.
The students' statement says they are protesting a plan to consolidate the five different programs into a single
Three low-income Sacramento elementary schools vie for library makeover
Three low-income Sacramento elementary schools have been named finalists for a library makeover, courtesy of Target and the Heart of America Foundation. One of the schools - Ethel Baker, Edward Kemble or Joseph Bonnheim - will be announced as the winner of the makeover Thursday at 10 a.m.
As part of the Target School Library Makeover program, 32 schools across the country will receive a makeover, which includes 2,000 new books, updated technology, furniture, shelving, lighting construction and design
Failing Schools Take The Show Online... - Perdaily.com
Failing Schools Take The Show Online...
This joint venture of City of Angels Continuation School, the LAUSD Office of Curriculum and Instruction, Beyond the Bell, and the Education Technology departments will join with Ms. Elliot as the latest unrealistic panacea for addressing longstanding abject failure of public education at LAUSD. It has LAUSD's surrealistic modus operandi all over it:
1. It proposes no security regiment to assure that the students actually do their own work or get by with a little help from their friends or teachers who are more and more terrified of losing their jobs if their students don't pass.
2. It assumes that students with elementary school reading abilities and little knowledge of math can somehow get through secondary core courses that these students have already shown by their previous failure is way beyond their subjective abilities.
3. Fails to ask the foundational question as to why students who have little or no relevant English language skills or relevant foundational math skills could reasonably be expected to pass a course online that they couldn't pass
National Geographic Bee FINALS Tonite! 6PM - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.
National Geographic Bee FINALS Tonite! 6PM - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.
Tonight is the finals for National Geographic's Bee hosted by Alex Trebeck - spread the word!
Check your Public Broadcast listings for local time & station: 6PM EDT.
Great resources, videos, quizzes for kids, adults, schools; on National Geographic site HERE.
Quick video "Why Geography Matters" by Google Earth below:
H/t Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post
National Geographic Bee FINALS Tonite! 6PM
Spread The Word!
Five Million Kids Entered Across The Country
Five Million Kids Entered Across The Country
Tonight is the finals for National Geographic's Bee hosted by Alex Trebeck - spread the word!
Check your Public Broadcast listings for local time & station: 6PM EDT.
Great resources, videos, quizzes for kids, adults, schools; on National Geographic site HERE.
Quick video "Why Geography Matters" by Google Earth below:
H/t Valerie Strauss at The Washington Post
We have to start somewhere | SocialistWorker.org
We have to start somewhere | SocialistWorker.org
We have to start somewhere
, a member of United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) and the Educators for a Democratic Union caucus in her union, sas it's time to draw a line.
May 25, 2010
I AM a member of United Educators San Francisco, AFT Local 61. I teach 9- to 11-year-olds. I am a union activist and a socialist. And I am urging every single one of my coworkers to vote "NO" on our contract.
The biggest mistake our union made this spring was to cancel the general membership meeting to authorize a strike vote. At the mere threat of a membership meeting, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), which had not budged in bargaining, finally agreed to reduce the number of teacher and paraprofessional layoffs.
After initially threatening to pink-slip over 900 educators in our 6,000-member union, SFUSD was ready to settle for an agreement to layoff 200 teachers and an unspecified number of paraprofessionals in exchange for $39 million in concessions.
Our union could have pressed forward and insisted that the membership vote could not be cancelled without rescinding all layoffs. But sadly, our union leadership is ready to settle, too, and has urged our members to vote for this agreement.
SFUSD piled on the pressure this past week, sending out coercive letters to some teachers on the layoff list this week, promising approximately 157 of those teachers that they would get their jobs back if the concessionary contract was agreed to.
I have been accused of utopian idealism and unrealistic militancy for taking this position--for insisting that what my union claimed was true. When they told us that the district had enough money in its over $43 million in reserves to save these jobs, I believed them. When they told me the district spent $52 million a year on consultants, and that some of
Legislative panel focuses on college transfers - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Legislative panel focuses on college transfers - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/26/2778327/legislative-panel-focuses-on-college.html#mi_rss=Education#ixzz0p3tPIkIf
Legislative panel focuses on college transfers
Published: Wednesday, May. 26, 2010 - 9:59 am
The legislative committee that has been reviewing California's Master Plan for Higher Education continues its work this afternoon, when it meets to create working groups to tackle three issues: the transfer process for students moving from community college to a four-year university; workforce development; and accountability, coordination and statewide goals for the state's colleges and universities.
The Joint Committee on the Master Plan for Higher Education meets at 3 p.m. in the Capitol, Room 126. Streaming audio of the meeting will be available.
California's master plan for higher education was created 50 years ago, establishing the community colleges, the California State University and the University of California as three separate branches, each with a distinct mission. Many education experts credit the plan with
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/26/2778327/legislative-panel-focuses-on-college.html#mi_rss=Education#ixzz0p3tPIkIf
Coming Together to Call for an Education Jobs Bill – ED.gov Blog
Coming Together to Call for an Education Jobs Bill – ED.gov Blog
Coming Together to Call for an Education Jobs Bill
On Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined NEA President Dennis Van Roekel, Reps. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) and AFT President Randi Weingarten in support of an education jobs bill to prevent dramatic and damaging cuts to resources and services that help kids succeed in school. At issue was the “Education Jobs Fund,” legislation that would provide $23 billion in emergency funding for education jobs. (See video.)
The group was joined by teachers who have recently received layoff notices and shared their stories about the education cuts. Catie Poff, a reading specialist at Kingston Elementary School in Richmond, Ky., provides individualized attention to students struggling with their reading so they can make up lost ground. Poff shared how the layoffs are affecting her students. “The idea of losing my job is upsetting, especially because I know I will never find a job as rewarding as this one or that I love as much,” said Poff. “But I am just as upset for my students as I am for myself. My kids—and kids everywhere—deserve every opportunity to succeed. We do them a disservice by denying them access to accomplished teachers who are able to work with them individually.”
NEA President Van Roekel noted, “The nation’s economic crisis has pushed public education to a tipping point, but there is still a chance to stave off more damage. Congress can choose to put students first by supporting a bill that will keep their teachers and other essential personnel and programs in our schools. All students deserve the highest quality education, and their education shouldn’t be diminished because we lack the political will to act. Every parent and community member and elected official needs to understand the real consequences to this funding crisis.”
Representative Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, remarked, “The Recovery Bill last year saved over 300,000 education jobs, but, because states have not yet recovered, and local economies are just beginning the recovery process, we still have a shortage of the financial resources necessary to keep teachers, firemen and policemen on the job for another year while state budgets catch up. On that score, we have two choices—we can sit, frozen in our own indifference, as President Roosevelt once said, or we can take action to save those jobs. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”
In April, Secretary Duncan has testified before Congress that up to 300,000 educators could lose their jobs in the upcoming school year. In addition to potential layoffs, states and districts are cutting programs that are vital for the success of students. They’re canceling or scaling back summer school, early learning and after-school programs. Some school districts are going to four-day weeks. School counselors, nurses, and librarians are also at risk, as are extracurricular activities, arts programs, and sports.
At the press conference Duncan commented, “School boards and state legislatures are finalizing their education budgets for the upcoming school year and many face tough choices about whether to retain teachers and continue programs that are vital to their ability to provide a world-class education for their students. We must act quickly and responsibly to provide schools the resources they need so they don’t have to make choices that would not be in the best interests of their students and teachers.”
Sandra Abrevaya
Office of Communications and Outreach
Child Care Fund Cuts Blocked - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)
Child Care Fund Cuts Blocked - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Praises Senate Budget
Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Praises Senate Budget
Subcommittee for Protecting Child Care Funds
Threatened by Governor's May Revise Proposal
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today commended the Senate Budget Subcommittees for blocking a proposal in the Governor's May Revision to eliminate state-funded child care programs and support services. The item was heard before the Senate Education Budget Subcommittee this afternoon. Earlier this week O'Connell also applauded the Assembly Education Budget Subcommittee and the Assembly Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee for stopping the proposal last week.
"Both the Assembly and State Senate Budget Subcommittees demonstrated foresight and a true concern for California's working families by keeping child care funding in the state budget. Assembly and Senate budget leaders who blocked the Governor's misguided proposal to eliminate $1.45 billion in funding for subsidized child care programs and support services maintained a vitally needed service for approximately 100,000 of California's working parents and their children, including babies and toddlers.
"Quality child care provides a critical start to the development of young minds and is a valuable tool in the efforts to help close the achievement gap. Access to child care is essential as it allows parents to continue to work and contribute to the economy. At a time when the state's child care network is already overburdened, the elimination of the subsidized child care programs and support services would be devastating.
"State-funded child care programs also employ more than 130,000 child care professionals who provide child care services in many different settings, including child care and development centers and licensed family child care homes. Eliminating these programs would simply add thousands more to the rolls of the unemployed and underemployed. Protecting child care funding in the state budget keeps adults contributing to California's economy while keeping children safe. The legislative committees acted wisely."
# # # #
Lawmakers, Edu-Groups Speak Up For Edujobs - Politics K-12 - Education Week
Lawmakers, Edu-Groups Speak Up For Edujobs
The presidents of both national teachers' unions joined key lawmakers and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan this morning on Capitol Hill to drum up support for the $23 billion edujobs legislation. Supporters of the bill say up to 300,000 jobs may be riding on congressional action.
Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he plans to introduce a version of the measure as an amendment to the must-pass emergency spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that his panel is considering tomorrow. The original plan was for the Senate to vote on the language first, but Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees education spending, said he didn't have the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.
But if the language makes it through the House, it can be included in a conference report reconciling the two bills. Conference reports can't be amended, so if Republicans (and moderate Dems) in the Senate decided to
Rep. David Obey, D-Wisc., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he plans to introduce a version of the measure as an amendment to the must-pass emergency spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that his panel is considering tomorrow. The original plan was for the Senate to vote on the language first, but Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees education spending, said he didn't have the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.
But if the language makes it through the House, it can be included in a conference report reconciling the two bills. Conference reports can't be amended, so if Republicans (and moderate Dems) in the Senate decided to
NorthJersey.com: Christie defends cutbacks
NorthJersey.com: Christie defends cutbacks
Christie defends cutbacks
THE RECORD
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Governor Christie on Tuesday told a teacher to find another job if she didn't think she was paid enough, and warned even those who agreed with his budget cuts to prepare for a tough battle.
AMY NEWMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Buy this photoAleksandra Barkovskaya of Fort Lee trying to contain Nora Sanchez of Clifton while Sanchez cheered Governor Christie's words to a Rutherford teacher.
Christie visited a church gymnasium in Rutherford on Tuesday to press his plan to overhaul civil service, reform public employee pensions and put a constitutional cap on the growth of property taxes. Christie's pitch came as a new poll showed the governor's unpopularity shooting up in recent weeks, especially in public employee households.
Taking questions from the audience, Christie said an 89-year-old former mayor would have to do without a rebate this year and told a concerned parent that cuts to services are unavoidable because "we are out of money."
Christie said state leaders failed for three decades to control New Jersey's surging property taxes, and that the solution is to give voters the power to reject any local effort to raise the tax levy by more than 2.5 percent a year.
"What it's going to do is impose discipline on every level of government," Christie said.
The midday crowd was generally supportive. Clara Nebot of Bergenfield told Christie he is "a god" to her relatives in Florida, and he replied by saying that maybe
New Jersey Teachers Use Small Minds Vs. Big Joe | Intercepts
New Jersey Teachers Use Small Minds Vs. Big Joe
Big Joe Henry hosts a fundraiser for the troops
The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank asked Big Joe to host the Basie Awards, which annually recognizes achievement in the performing arts by high school students in Monmouth County. Big Joe agreed to do it for free.
Some local teachers decided this was an outrage, apparently because other shows on 101.5 feature hosts who support New Jersey Gov. Christie and the Republican agenda. They threatened to boycott/protest the event. Regina McAllen, a music teacher at Howell High School, met with the theater CEO Numa C. Saisselin and
Today’s Lesson: How to kill a kid’s self-esteem � EducationCEO's Blog
Today’s Lesson: How to kill a kid’s self-esteem
May 24, 2010
Students in Gwinnett County Schools are down to the last 3 days and End-of-Year celebrations are in full-swing. I just
returned from attending the celebration for my 3rd grader. On my way out of the building, I asked the Kindergarten teacher if I missed the note or email about their celebration. She informed me that their designated time was between breakfast and lunch last Friday, with lunch being served at 10:30 a.m. Needless to say, the Kindergarten team decided against over-loading kids on food that day, and I do not blame them one bit. The kids were treated to a ‘Game Day’ instead and based on the reports I received from
returned from attending the celebration for my 3rd grader. On my way out of the building, I asked the Kindergarten teacher if I missed the note or email about their celebration. She informed me that their designated time was between breakfast and lunch last Friday, with lunch being served at 10:30 a.m. Needless to say, the Kindergarten team decided against over-loading kids on food that day, and I do not blame them one bit. The kids were treated to a ‘Game Day’ instead and based on the reports I received from
EducationNews.org - An Interview with Matthew Amaral: Teach For Real
EducationNews.org - An Interview with Matthew Amaral: Teach For Real
5.27.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Well, first and foremost I wanted it to be a place for new teachers in our toughest schools. I have noticed an alarming trend in first year teachers at my school. We hire about five or six new teachers every year in the English department alone at my site.
An Interview with Matthew Amaral: Teach For Real
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, New Mexico
1) Matthew, you have a web site called www.teach4real.com What led you to set up this site?
Well, first and foremost I wanted it to be a place for new teachers in our toughest schools. I have noticed an alarming trend in first year teachers at my school. We hire about five or six new teachers every year in the English department alone at my site. One of them leaves within the first few months. Another doesn’t make it through the year, and at the end of the year a couple others leave our school, or the profession entirely. They are mentally and physically exhausted. Yes, even physically. The everyday grind of teaching in these schools actually takes a physical toll. They get ill.
They become depressed. And there isn’t a whole lot that I’ve seen out there that helps them-our credential programs aren’t preparing them correctly, and when they get their first job they are given the toughest assignments with the worst kids because the veteran teachers don’t want those classes. It is a crazy, turbulent job and many first year teachers aren’t able to make a career out of it.
So, I thought I would start teach4real.com to help them, and let them know they aren’t the only ones who are dealing with all of this. I’ve had a bit of success at my school (I say this very humbly), so I feel like I can offer a bit of advice in the hopes it might help someone out there, so that next year, we don’t hire six new teachers in our department, maybe just five.
2) What are some of the things that one would find at this site?
Mostly it is a site consisting of articles I’ve written on inner-city education. Some give tips on the different aspects of teaching, like how to talk to a kid after school, or how to help failing students even with a month left and you know they’re going to get an F. Other articles are more generally about the state of education, and have been published in such places as TeachHub.com
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