Monday, August 9, 2010

Language Segregation Alive in Ariz. Schools - New America Media

Language Segregation Alive in Ariz. Schools

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New America Media, Question & Answer, Vivian Po, Posted: Aug 09, 2010

Arizona schools have separated English learners from their English-speaking classmate in four-hour daily stretches since the state legislature mandated this process in 2007.

But although the statute (known as HB 2064) called on students to under go these “language immersion” sessions for

Carly Fiorina opposes emergency state aid bill to save teachers jobs and fund Medicaid

The Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in California, Carly Fiorina, opposes emergency federal legislation designed provide aid to states across the nation, including California. The emergency state aid bill would save the jobs of approximately 13,700-16,500 teachers in California who face layoffs. The federal legislation would also fund Medicaid programs serving approximately 7 million Californians.

The proposed federal legislation would prevent the layoffs of California workers, including

EducationNews.org - School to stay open on Jewish ‘High Holidays’

Daily EducationNews

Paying the price for cuts
8.9.10 - Class sizes have shot up and the school year has been shortened throughout San Diego County. Parents are stepping up efforts to stock classrooms by donating everything from flash drives to cleaning supplies. And in La Mesa and Spring Valley, teachers have been directed to cut pink erasers in half to stretch supplies.

Many teachers still seek work as classes begin amid cutbacks
8.9.10 - Ioanna Panos is searching for a teaching job after her doctoral program at LSU was cut, but declining local tax collections and cuts in state and federal school aid have prompted school districts to trim positions, or add few, if any, new jobs. ...

Schools spend millions on tutors with mixed track record
8.9.10 - With millions spent, Texas educators question benefits of federal law. School districts across Texas are paying tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for private tutoring that has a mixed track record of improving student test scores. ...

State schools look to realign with nation
8.9.10 - A monumental shift is underway at Massachusetts schools as administrators and teachers prepare to revamp classroom lessons to reflect new national academic standards in English and math. The changes are the result of a decision last month by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which voted to replace the state's homegrown standards, long considered among the nation's most ......

Commentaries

An Interview with Professor Russell Eisenman: The Issues of Illegal Immigration and Education
8.9.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Ronald Reagan, hardly a liberal, had amnesty for illegal immigrants when he was President. I recall working at a California prison in 1988 and 1989 and having to explain to Mexican gang members how they could become U. S. citizens. I thought "This is crazy" but it was the law, as pushed by Reagan, a conservative Republican.

An Interview with Rae Pica: Moving & Learning
8.9.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Moving & Learning offers services and books/curricula related to physical activity for children from birth to age 8. The company's mission is to ensure that movement is an integral part of children's lives and education!

The Internet Generation Prefers the Real World
8.9.10 - They may have been dubbed the "Internet generation," but young people are more interested in their real-world friends than Facebook. New research shows that the majority of children and teenagers are not the Web-savvy digital natives of legend. In fact, many of them don't even know how to Google properly.
Five More Questions Every Parent Should Ask
8.9.10 - RiShawn Biddle - On this week's Dropout Nation Podcast - a continuation of last week's podcast on Parent Power - RiShawn Biddle provides more questions for parents and other caregivers to ask in order to improve education for their kids.

Amid Metro brawl, family's night out turns into 'pandemonium'

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Metro passenger Chris Davis suffered a broken shin during the brawl Friday at L'Enfant Plaza Station. (Marvin Joseph/the Washington Post)

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By Valerie Strauss and Phillip Lucas

Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 9, 2010

It was bad enough when Kimberly Hay's family, riding the Metro to the Kennedy Center on Friday night to watch "Mary Poppins," saw three youths assault a terrified young rider reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" by aiming an aerosol can at his face and spraying.

But the brawl they witnessed on the way home several hours later, which involved at least 70 youths fighting each other in a frenzy, left Hay's nieces "freaked out" and the 43-year-old wary of riding the Metro in off-peak hours.

More schools teach boys and girls separately

More schools are experimenting with single-sex education, but some say it's a troubling trend. Also in The Washington Post Magazine: The rise in childhood obesity prompts a gym class makeover.

Lesson Plan in Boston Schools: Don’t Go It Alone #Education News - The New York Times

Education News - The New York Times

Lesson Plan in Boston Schools: Don’t Go It Alone

By MIKE WINERIP

Kelvin Ma for The New York Times

From left, Sylvia Yamamoto, Tulani Husband-Verbeek, Courtney Johnson, Lillian Pinet, Heather Gorman, Ben Rockoff, Lisa Goncalves and Ana Vaisenstein have been placed in Teach Plus-affiliated Boston schools.

Instead of principals hiring teachers individually, three schools have assembled teams of experienced teachers to anchor their schools and work with new teachers.

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The movie “Dora's Big Birthday Adventure” will be followed by a look at the influence of the top-rated preschool program.

‘Dora’ Special Explores Influence on Children

By ELIZABETH OLSON

A prime-time movie will be followed by a tribute to the educational and cultural influence of the program.

The no-D policy has prompted debate among students and concern among teachers, but parents have applauded it.

Little as They Try, Students Can’t Get a D Here

By WINNIE HU

Officials in the Mount Olive, N.J., school district adopted a standard allowing only A’s, B’s, C’s and F’s for students.

Superintendent Beverly L. Hall’s success in Atlanta has not insulated her from a scandal of widespread cheating at 12 schools.

Scandal Haunts Atlanta’s School Chief

By SHAILA DEWAN

Beverly L. Hall has become a star in the education field, but that has not insulated her from a scandal that threatened to engulf two-thirds of the district’s schools.

William Zeman (shown in May), an American student studying in Cairo, also worked at the Daily News Egypt, an English-language newspaper.

For American Students, Life Lessons in the Mideast

By JENNIFER CONLIN

More college students are choosing Arabic-speaking countries for study-abroad programs, to experience the Mideast beyond America’s viewpoints.

Quick Takes: Obama to Speak Today on Higher Ed - Inside Higher Ed

Quick Takes

August 9, 2010

See all Quick Takes for the same day

Obama to Speak Today on Higher Ed

President Obama will travel to the University of Texas at Austin today to give a speech focused on higher education. No new policies or programs are expected to be announced. Aides said the speech will emphasize the importance of higher education as one of the "four pillars" of the country's new economic foundation, describe the president's "college completion" goal, and recap the "tremendous progress" the administration has made so far in implementing changes designed to reach that goal. The talk will be broadcast online by the university.

'Jock Box' Leads to Questions About Priorities at Oregon Faculty members and others are raising questions about a new, $41.7 million facility at the University of Oregon for academic support for athletes. Critics note that the facility -- dubbed the "jock box" -- is an absolute top-of-the-line building, ...

The Missing Governor at Governors State Rod Blagojevich is missing from the Hall of Governors at Governors State University. The* **Chicago Tribune* reported that the university has held off on obtaining a portrait of the former governor (currently awaiting the jury's verdict in his ...

Schools under fire from ACLU for 'pay-to-play' athletic fees | California Watch

Schools under fire from ACLU for 'pay-to-play' athletic fees

by Corey G. Johnson

Corey G. Johnson

The American Civil Liberties Union is stepping up the pressure on school districts that are violating state law by charging students to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
Last week, ACLU legal director David Blair-Loy sent the San Diego Unified School District a letter asking for officials to stop several examples of "pay to play" that were found at local schools. The group also asked for the money collected to be refunded to the parents.
The request followed a San Diego Union-Tribune investigation that found schools openly charging fees on their

SDSU drunkenness warning an example of stimulus waste, McCain says

by Erica Perez

Erica Perez

In a new report highlighting wasteful stimulus spending, two Republican senators have lambasted a half-million-dollar grant to San Diego State University researchers who are studying whether placing certain health messages on menus might persuade drinkers to imbibe less.
U.S. senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., this week put out their third report highlightingwhat they consider 100 examples of misdirected spending on "questionable goals" in the federal government's

Interview Of The Month: Barnett Berry From The Center For Teaching Quality | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Interview Of The Month: Barnett Berry From The Center For Teaching Quality Each month I interview people in the education world about whom I want to learn more. You can see read those past interviews here. This month I have the pleasure of interviewing Barnett Berry, the President and CEO of the Center for Teaching Quality. ...

Updated “Best Places To Live” List I’ve revised and updated The Best Lists Of “Best Places To Live”list,including adding these resources: The World’s Ten Best Places To Live Best Cities Best Places To Live In The World: Mercer Survey The World’s Best Places To Live 2010

Salary flap on board's agenda - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Salary flap on board's agenda

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Published: Monday, Aug. 9, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B

San Juan Unified School District trustees are planning to raise concerns about the embattled California School Boards Association at a board meeting Tuesday.

Like many school districts, San Juan Unified pays thousands each year to CSBA, and the district's trustees would like to be sure their tax dollars are being used appropriately, said San Juan board President Richard Launey.

Executive Director Scott Plotkin announced he would retire last month after admitting he used his

Donations sought to save school district's sports

By Diana Lambert - Published: 12:00 am

Elk Grove Unified officials are asking for donations to help save the district's high school sports programs.

Encina, Highlands high schools gear up for turnaround

By Diana Lambert - Published: Sunday, August 8 2010 - 12:00 am

Two local high schools – among the lowest performing in the state – will undergo big changes this school year.

CSU Stanislaus foundation broke no laws, state finds

By Laurel Rosenhall - Updated: 10:48 am

The foundation at California State University, Stanislaus, does not oversee its assets responsibly but has broken no laws in managing the money it raises and spends for the school, according to an audit by Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Eduflack: Straight Talk on Detroit Schools

Straight Talk on Detroit Schools

by Eduflack

Sometimes, it can be near impossible to get straight talk on education statistics. Just talk a look at a simple topic like high school graduation rates. Most urban school systems, those that are homes to many of our dropout factories, will say their official graduation rates are in the 80 - 90 percent range (offering a convoluted formula of who counts, who doesn't, and such). Talk to high school critics like Jay Greene, and those same grad rates will be 20 - 25 percent lower. Same data, different formulas, severely different results.

Over at Fortune magazine, the editors are profiling the "visionaries" of the rebirth of Detroit. One of the Motor

Local News | 6 school districts back on ballot, seeking money | Seattle Times Newspaper

6 school districts back on ballot, seeking money

Six months after they last passed school levies, a half-dozen Puget Sound school districts are back on the ballot, asking for more.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

School-levy facts

Here's what the six Puget Sound-area districts are seeking:

Edmonds

$29.3 million over four years, or 30-31 cents per year for each $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The district says the money is needed to restore some of the programs and employees that would otherwise be cut because of losses in state and federal funding.

Six months after they last passed school levies, a half-dozen Puget Sound school districts are back on the ballot, asking for more.

They struggled over whether to file the measures, which are a temporary — and controversial — solution offered by the Legislature to offset the cuts in state education spending.

But it was either that or cut more programs, which they loathed to do as well.

"It's just one of those awful choices," said Lisa Macfarlane of the League of Education Voters, an education advocacy group.

Rise & Shine: Obama set to call for new college graduation push | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Obama set to call for new college graduation push

by Philissa Cramer

President Obama is set to announce a new bid to up college completion. (Wall Street Journal, Times)
A cheating scandal is threatening the 11-year tenure of Beverly Hall, Atlanta’s superintendent. (Times)
City students are interning with technology entrepreneurs this summer. (NY1)
After learning business, a Brooklyn Tech grad launched child-tracking tools for parents. (Daily News)
The Daily News says Joel Klein was justified in using emergency powers to expand a charter school.
The Post says the teacher who faked a fall to avoid a poor rating shows tougher evaluations are needed.
Leaders of the Achievement First charter school network say their lower test scores are worth it. (Post)
KIPP’s two D.C. charter schools saw their test scores fall last year. (Washington Post)
Several Boston schools are hiring teams of experienced teachers as they try to turn around. (Times)
Schools in Texas and elsewhere are still required to hire dubious tutoring outfits. (Houston Chronicle)
In a suburban New Jersey school district, students can earn C’s and F’s, but not D’s. (Times)
With states shedding teaching jobs, the profession is feeling even less secure. (Chicago Tribune)

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Obama--'If I were a teacher...'

So FDR I think said—he was asked once what he thought about unions. He said, “If I was a worker in a factory and I wanted to improve my life, I would join a union.” Well, I tell you what. I think that’s true for workers generally. I think if I was a coal miner, I’d want a union representing me to make sure that I was safe and you did not have some of the tragedies that we’ve been

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