Thursday, December 23, 2010

NCLB Standards Often Misinterpreted for Charter School Networks -- CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

NCLB Standards Often Misinterpreted for Charter School Networks

Chicago International Charter School proves its campuses are among the best of non-selective enrollment schools in Chicago

CHICAGO, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Several facts were misinterpreted in the Chicago Tribune article fromDecember 15, 2010 entitled "Critics force CPS to table charter vote". Chicago International Charter School (CICS) wishes to clarify several points about how its academic performance was portrayed.

When Ahmed-Ullah refers to CICS being on the "Federal Academic Watch List," she was speaking of how CICS, a 15-campus public charter school network, is rated by the Average Yearly Progress (AYP) standards set forth by No Child Left Behind. AYP is calculated by a combination of factors including the percentage of students who meet or exceed targets on standardized tests like the ISAT, the PSAE, and IAA, as well as high school graduation rates.

There are several issues with using AYP to measure the performance of charter school networks like CICS:

"That CICS has not met Annual Yearly Progress does not mean it isn't making remarkable gains on the student level," saidAndrew Broy, President of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. "First of all, the rating does not apply to individual

The Associated Press: Study questions seniority-based teacher layoffs

Study questions seniority-based teacher layoffs

(AP) – 3 hours ago

SEATTLE (AP) — A study of Washington state teachers has found that deciding layoffs based solely on which teachers have the least seniority has a significant impact on students' ability to learn, adding to a growing chorus calling for schools to take a hard look at union contracts dictating who gets to keep their jobs.

The study comes as tens of thousands of teachers around the country stand to lose their jobs next year as federal stimulus money dries up. In most places, union contracts and other policies generally dictate that the least experienced teachers are the first to go.

But that comes at a price, according to the study released exclusively to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The Center for Education Data and Research at the University of Washington, which studies the relationships between education policies and student outcomes, looked at the 1,717

seMissourian.com: Local News: Compromise in Congress funds Pell Grants for now (12/23/10)

Compromise in Congress funds Pell Grants for now

Thursday, December 23, 2010

By M.D. Kittle ~ Southeast Missourian

A compromise to fund the federal government's operations through the first two months of 2011 turned into a big win for the nation's college students.

But the future of the Pell Grant Program and other higher education grants remains uncertain with talk of deep federal budget cuts ahead. Missouri higher education officials are particularly worried about looming federal funding reductions to the state's needs-based scholarship program.

Averting a standoff, lawmakers reached a deal that will fund the federal government's operations through March 4. Included in the stopgap measure is maximum funding for the needs-based Pell Grant Program. Aid will remain at a top limit of $5,550 per eligible student.

The program had faced a $5.7 billion shortfall for 2011, amounting to a reduction of

Education, a new perspective | Dailycensored.com

Education, a new perspective

Written by Ken_SayersDaily Journal (Opinion), EducationDec 23, 2010

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Perspective is an interesting concept. Where is the viewer relative to the vanishing point? Move one or the other and the image changes dramatically. I was moved this a.m. I was moved by a feature piece about new technology and how it is affecting the third world.

E-Readers were introduced to children in Ghana. Thanks to other technology, I was able to hear the children read. I was able to hear children, who don’t even have electricity, read well beyond whatever grade level they are in. Of course they were chosen because they could read, but the format—like children sitting in class, displayed how the children could all follow and pick up reading in mid-sentence from the previous reader when called upon. I remember this process from my own childhood.

The new perspective I got was that here there were children who wanted to read. It is doubtful that the children’s parents can read as well as their children, but we can be assured that they want their children to read. So how do these kids in Ghana do what kids here cannot? I doubt that the quality of instruction is the issue. I wish I could figure out how to put

News: Post-Union Disunion - Inside Higher Ed

Showdown in the Offing

Key House Republican vows legislation to stop "gainful employment" rules. Could such a measure pass?

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Post-Union Disunion

After collective bargaining vote at Bowling Green State, trustees eliminate faculty committees and limit professors' roles in other governance areas. Is it necessary or retaliatory?

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Deconstructing a Calendar Change

English and foreign language professors no longer need to rush from family gatherings to the MLA on December 27. How are they adjusting?

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Football Scholarships Sacked, For Now

Patriot League, which includes selective liberal arts colleges, decides not to decide on athletic aid for pigskin players.

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British Cuts Become Clear

“PISA: It’s Poverty Not Stupid” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“PISA: It’s Poverty Not Stupid” PISA: It’s Poverty Not Stupid is an important post over at The Principal Difference. It’s by Mel Riddile. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Getting Some Perspective On International Test Comparison Demagoguery.

iPhone Photo Apps My favorite iPhone photography apps comes from the writer of the Los Angeles Times photo blog. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Beginning iPhone Users Like Me.

My Best Posts On Helping Students “Visualize Success” I’ve previously written several posts about how I help students “visualize success.” Today, The New York Times had a good piece providing examples of how athletes, musicians and surgeons do the same. I thought I’d take this opportunity to share an ...

The Best Art & Music Sites — 2010 I’ve posted quite a few art and music-related sites over the past year — enough to warrant their own end-of-year list. You might also be interested in last year’s edition: The Best Art & Music Sites — 2009 In addition, here are several related “The ...

Part Fifty-Six Of The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & Quickly (Holiday Edition!) The first part of this post is my usual introduction to this series. If you’re familiar with it already, just skip down to the listing of new sites… Here’s the latest installment in my series on The Best Ways To Create Online Content Easily & ...

“Robot restaurant serves up a look at the future” Robot restaurant serves up a look at the future is the title of a fun video from MSNBC. I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Learn About Robots.

Private donors rescue LA charter chain | Thoughts on Public Education

Private donors rescue LA charter chain
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ICEF under Caprice Young gets through crisis

Posted on 12/23/10 • Categorized as Charters, Uncategorized

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

For the 4,600 students of Inner City Education Foundation Public Schools, Christmas arrived two weeks ago in the form of $10.5 million in checks from philanthropists. The chain of 15 charter schools serving primarily African American children in Los Angeles ends the year smaller and chastened – but at least very much alive, which is more than where the betting money was predicting three months ago.

ICEF nearly closed its doors because of state budget cuts compounded by financial mismanagement. Under its founder, Michael Piscal, ICEF made two cardinal mistakes. It expanded, with all its associated startup costs of adding 11 schools, at a time of declining state revenue. And it fell behind, borrowing short-term not just to cover current operating expenses – as other charters and districts have been forced to do because of deferred state

The Answer Sheet - Congress approves weird definition of 'highly qualified’ teachers

Congress approves weird definition of 'highly qualified’ teachers

So they’ve gone ahead and done it. U.S. legislators passed legislation that includes people in teacher training programs as "highly qualified” teachers. Congress approved a nearly 2,000-page “continuing resolution” that will fund the government until March. It contained a provision to cover a $5.7 billion shortfall in the Pell Grant program, which provides money for low- and moderate-income students to pay for college tuition. In a seemingly contradictory move, Congress also wrote into law a 2002 federal regulation that allows teachers still in training programs to be considered “highly qualified” under No Child Left Behind. So Congress wants students who qualify for Pell grants to go to college, but it apparently doesn’t mind calling non-certified teachers who are still being trained "highly qualified." And because of this designation, school districts aren’t required to tell parents just how little training their child’s teacher has had.

Schools Matter: UK reactions to ther low PISA scores

UK reactions to ther low PISA scores

by skrashen

Letters to the editor published in the Independent (UK), Dec 14 in reaction to Britain's low scores on the PISA.

The first blames the "truculent laziness" of underclass children. The second (mine) blames poverty. The third says the Chinese do well on tests but are not creative. The fourth says we need better teachers and smaller classes and repeats the mantra that young people these days are illiterate and can't do

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Thursday, December 23, 2010