Sunday, October 17, 2010

Education reform: Teachers can learn from example - latimes.com

Teaching teachers

As educators struggle with the issue of teacher improvement, a program in Tennessee shows that struggling teachers can gain a lot from watching great teachers in action.

By Emily Hanford

October 17, 2010

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Teachers are at the center of the great debate over how to fix American education. We're told the bad ones need to be fired; the good ones, rewarded. But what about the rest? Most teachers are in the middle — not terrible, but they could be better. If every student is going to have a good teacher, then the question of how to help teachers in the middle must be part of the debate.

One reason "teacher improvement" doesn't get more attention is because researchers don't know that much about how teachers get better. Typical professional development programs, in which teachers go to a workshop for a day or two, aren't effective. Even programs that provide longer-term training

More intellectually disabled youths go to college - Boston.com

More intellectually disabled youths go to college

In this photo taken Oct. 19, 2010, Gabe Savage, right, Alex Schaffer, center, and Mallory Graves, walk across campus at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo. The three are part of a handful of students participating in a two-year program at the school tailored to students with mental disabilities. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

By Heather Hollingsworth

Associated Press Writer / October 16, 2010

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WARRENSBURG, Mo.—Zach Neff is all high-fives as he walks through his college campus in western Missouri. The 27-year-old with Down syndrome hugs most everybody, repeatedly. He tells teachers he loves them.

"I told Zach we are putting him on a hug diet -- one to say hello and one to say goodbye," said Joyce Downing, who helped start a new program at the University of Central Missouri that serves students with disabilities.

The hope is that polishing up on social skills, like cutting back on the hugs, living in residence halls and going to classes with non-disabled classmates will help

LAUSD report comes as board gets ready to OK $320 million in loans - LA Daily News

LAUSD report comes as board gets ready to OK $320 million in loans

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/16/2010 06:54:24 PM PDT

Updated: 10/16/2010 08:05:24 PM PDT

A new audit of Los Angeles Unified's massive $20 billion building program raises concerns about the district using overly optimistic projections in its budgeting and cautions officials about authorizing new construction projects.

The report comes as the school board is set Tuesday to finalize $320 million in loans for new capital improvement projects such as installing solar panels and relocating a police station.

The report by Capital Program Management, Inc. warns the district that while it expects nearly $900 million in bond funds owed by the state, it should only count on receiving about $220 million for now.

That could force the district to dip into its general fund - used to pay for salaries, programs and supplies - to pay back future loans, rather than count on money it already has on hand in its bond reserves.

The report has at least one board member rethinking Tuesday's scheduled vote. Board member Yolie Flores said the report makes her question whether the board should approve all $320 million, but she acknowledged that

Coming Soon, to a Theater Near You � Failing Schools

Coming Soon, to a Theater Near You

OCTOBER 16, 2010

by mariasallee

I caught these films at a recent screening in an abandoned warehouse, or some other undisclosed location. Here are this season’s offerings and my impression of them:

D.C. Follies

A brash newcomer with little practical experience but plenty of mettle (Michelle Rhee) is abruptly promoted to a position of authority in D.C. Schools. She wastes no time in converting this authority into a bully pulpit, yielding mixed results. The movie has no heart. There is no evidence of growth taking place within the protagonist–she’s just not a very sympathetic

University World News - COLOMBIA: Groups rally to free imprisoned professor

COLOMBIA: Groups rally to free imprisoned professor

Eileen Travers
17 October 2010
Issue: 143

Education International, a Belgium-based global teachers' federation, has ramped up its protest against the incarceration of Colombian professor and trade unionist Miguel Beltrán by launching an online petition to free him. The petition went online after its launch on 10 September at the International Conference on Higher Education and Research in Vancouver, Canada.

Beltrán was tried last year by the Colombian government on charges of 'rebellion' and 'breaking the law for terrorist purposes'. There is no evidence to support the allegations against him, say the organisations that have been gathering signatures across the globe to demand his release.

Beltrán was deported from Mexico in 2008 by the Colombian government for suspected involvement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC.

Education International has repeatedly condemned abuses of teachers' human and trade union rights in Colombia. As part of its campaign to release Beltrán, the organisation has written