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Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Reporter's Notebook: 'Waiting for Superman' and American education reform - latimes.com
A revived DREAM Act, and what it would mean | The Education Report
A revived DREAM Act, and what it would mean
By Katy Murphy
Monday, September 20th, 2010 at 6:33 pm in families, politics
3 Comments »
A proposed amendment to the annual defense bill would give at least temporary legal status to people who were brought to the United States illegally before they turned 16. That is, if they’ve been in the country for five years, if they’re under 35 when the act is passed, and if they’ve earned a high school diploma or GED.
My fellow Bay Area News Group reporters Matt O’Brien and Matt Krupnick wrote a story about this legislative move by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. They interviewed Aaron Townsend, principal of Coliseum College Prep, about what it would mean for his students if it passed. Here’s an excerpt: Read the rest of this entry »
Oprah, Aspire and Waiting for Superman
By Katy Murphy
Monday, September 20th, 2010 at 1:30 pm in achievement gap, charter schools,dropouts, teachers
8 Comments »
At 4 p.m. (Pacific Time) today, James Willcox, CEO of the Oakland-based Aspire Public Schools, appears on the Oprah Winfrey Show along with Bill Gates and Director Davis Guggenheim to promote the much-hyped “Waiting for Superman” documentary by Guggenheim, who directed “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Oprah is giving $1 million awards to six organizations, including Aspire, which operates about 30 publicly funded, privately run charter schools in California, including seven in Oakland and Berkeley. Kids and teachers at Lionel Wilson College Prep, a middle and high school in East Oakland run by the charter management organization (API 797), are watching the pre-taped show at the school this afternoon. Here’s a quote from an Aspire news release:
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Oprah’s Angel Network as part of her call to the country to make sure every student has a chance to attend a high-quality public school,” said Aspire Public Schools CEO James Willcox. “The upcoming movie “Waiting for ‘Superman’” will challenge our country to do just that. Our success with the nearly 10,000 students Aspire serves across California is a tribute to our teachers and our team—and a reason to be incredibly optimistic about what we can achieve in every public school across the state and across the country.”
“Waiting for Superman” is about the failures of America’s public education system and why it should matter to the average American. Guggenheim makes the argument that those failures perpetuate societal ills, from national security and crime to poverty, and that it’s essential to “change the odds” for families who can’t afford a private education. He said the idea for the film stemmed from the guilt he felt while driving by his neighborhood school in Los Angeles while dropping his kids off to private schools.
It comes out on Friday.
From the clips I saw at the Education Writers Association conference in May, it promises to be compelling, provocative and heart-wrenching, if a bit simplistic.Read the rest of this entry »
College Is “Un Sue�o Alcanzable”—An Attainable Dream – ED.gov Blog
College Is “Un Sueño Alcanzable”—An Attainable Dream
These days, a college education is not only more important, but more accessible than ever before. That’s the message of a new video produced by the U.S. Department of Education especially for Spanish-speaking families.
The video profiles Samantha Hernandez, a sophomore at California State University Dominguez Hills, and shows the support she receives as she pursues an education to attain her career and life goals. Samantha’s story is told in her own words, as well as those of her fellow students, faculty advisor, college president, and family members—all in Spanish.
The video shows her on campus and at home in South Central Los Angeles, where she lives with her mother and sisters and documents the financial assistance she receives from the U.S. Department of Education and that California State. The financial aid helps ensure that, once students enroll, they can complete their degrees. The video also demonstrates the critical role that the family can play in motivating young people to attend and succeed in the world of higher education.
Entitled “La Universidad: Un Sueño Alcanzable” (“College: An Attainable Dream”), the video runs about 5 minutes and is closed-captioned in Spanish and in English. Just click the “cc” button and select the language option you prefer.
Click here for an accessible version of the video.
Editorial: State needs way to track at-risk pupils - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee
Editorial: State needs way to track at-risk pupils
Students can't learn if they don't come to school. That makes attendance the most basic predictor of a child's success in school. Chronic absenteeism, particularly in the primary grades, virtually guarantees that a student is at very high risk of dropping out before graduating from high school. Incredibly, California does not track student attendance in any systematic or centralized way.
Senate Bill 1357, authored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg for the first time would add data on student attendance to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. CALPADS already tracks individual student data on such things as race, ethnicity, age, courses
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/21/3044152/editorial-state-needs-way-to-track.html#ixzz10Axd1yLI
Texas Textbook Debate | KTSM News Channel 9
Texas Textbook Debate


Several members of the Texas State Board of Education want the board to adopt a resolution that would prevent publishers from promoting Islam at the expense of Christianity.
The Texas Education Agency said past textbooks the school board members referred to were phased out ten years ago or were never even used in Texas.
The board just set standards for history and social textbooks earlier this year.
There is no timeline for adopting this resolution right now.
Some of the board members will meet in Austin tomorrow, which is the first time they could discuss the matter.
Notes from the news, Sept. 21 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook
Notes from the news, Sept. 21
Oprah Winfrey announces $1 million grant for Mastery Charter Schools The Inquirer
On a show about school reform and "Waiting for Superman," Oprah's Angel Network gave grants to six charter networks, including Mastery.
See also: Oprah gives Mastery Charter $1M grant Daily News
Oprah's Gift Highlights Charter Schools Fox 29
Two immigrant students attacked at Bok The Inquirer
The newly arrived Chinese immigrants were sent to the hospital after being beaten during what the District said some students considered "Freshman Day," a day of hazing.
See also: Chinese students attacked at a Philly high school AP via CBS 21
Masterman, Obama, and Ackerman: Part II - Looking for nuance The Notebook blog
Marsha Pincus urges us to step away from the "single story" many people have about how education helps a few students "get out."
Their aim: More education $, less prison $ Daily News
"Mass incarceration is not working," said Jerry Mondesire, president of PA's chapter of the NAACP. Instead, money in the National Criminal Justice Act should be spent on studying alternatives to incarceration.
Ronnie Polaneczky: Though not 1st place, West Philly Hybrid X clearly won Daily News
Since the team's bid for a $10 million prize ended, they've found many other opportunities and you can help with one of thema GE competition includes a public vote.
A Primer on Transfers in the School District of Philadelphia Philly School Search
A Q&A to help you through the transfer process.
Annette John-Hall: For Nutter, time to pay attention to perception The Inquirer
Jóvenes instan llamar a senadores por el DREAM-Act Al Día
President Obama's Inspirational Message at Philadelphia's Masterman School Associated Contet
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Education Week: Expert Panels Tackle Ways to Improve STEM Education
Expert Panels Propose Ways to Improve STEM Education
Two federal advisory groups have issued reports on preparing and nurturing students in science, technology, engineering, and math. (September 21, 2010)
Special Ed. Advocates Cautious on Common Standards
Advocates are wary and optimistic about what common standards and tests will mean for students with disabilities. (September 20, 2010) | Comments (3)
Tucson Students Undeterred by Ethnic-Studies Dispute
An Arizona state law restricting ethnic-studies classes hasn't kept students at Tucson Magnet High from signing up for the courses this fall.(September 21, 2010)
This Week In Education: Thompson: Focus on Elementary Schools
Thompson: Focus on Elementary Schools
Is the current focus on fixing broken high schools going too far in the wrong direction? That's what EWA's Linda Perlstein says: "Anyone involved in schools would tell you that if we wait to tackle the problem of inadequate education until children are in high school, it’s too late." Elementary schools
La universidad: un sueño alcanzable | College: A Possible Dream
Samantha Hernandez, a sophomore at California State University Dominguez Hills, pursues her dreams of college and career thanks to the strong support of her family, university administrators, and the financial aid she receives.
Pandering, Craven One-Upsmanship on Tax Cuts—the Edu-Implications :: Frederick M. Hess
Pandering, Craven One-Upsmanship on Tax Cuts—the Edu-Implications
by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 21, 2010 at 9:42 am
Cross-posted from Education Week
| ShareThis |
I try to restrict my commentary to education; I don't usually wade into broader policy debates. But the recent contretemps over tax cuts--especially the new Republican proposal announced last week by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell--has major edu-implications. The feds are already spending a trillion dollars a year more than they collect; more than 40 cents of every dollar we're spending is borrowed money. Optimistic scenarios have us cutting this to "only" a half-trillion a year by 2020.
Responsible public leadership requires making choices. Promises of freebies and endless goodie bags
Curriculum Renewal: There has to be a better way �Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech
Curriculum Renewal: There has to be a better way
Saskatchewan is smack dab in the middle of curriculum renewal. The shift is to outcome based education.
It is a student-centered learning philosophy that focuses on empirically measuring student performance, which are called outcomes. OBE contrasts with traditional education, which primarily focuses on the resources that are available to the student, which are called inputs. While OBE implementations often incorporate a host of many progressive pedagogical models and ideas, such as reform mathematics, block scheduling, project-based learning and whole language reading, OBE in itself does not specify or require any particular style of teaching or learning. Instead, it
Illinois requires bilingual preschool — Joanne Jacobs
Bill Kurtz of the Denver School of Science and Technology waving a $1 million check The Daily Churn: Tuesday | EdNewsColorado
The Daily Churn: Tuesday
What’s churning:
If you missed seeing Bill Kurtz of the Denver School of Science and Technology waving a $1 million check over his head, go to www.oprah.com. DSST was one of six high-performing charters networks nationwide to be awarded $1 million each from Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network during Monday’s talk show. Kurtz, who is the CEO, opened the first DSST high school campus in Stapleton in 2004. The network expanded to include a middle school feeding into the Stapleton high school and, this fall, expanded to Green Valley Ranch in far
