Thursday, June 30, 2011

Study: Kids who eat candy less likely to be obese than kids who don't : The Mommy Files

Study: Kids who eat candy less likely to be obese than kids who don't

Candy is something parents aren't supposed to be freely dishing out to their kids, right? Surprising new research suggests otherwise. A little candy here and there might be a good thing. Bring on the M&Ms!

Shutterstock / gosphotodesign

Could candy actually be a healthy snack for kids?

Kids who munch on Skittles and Snickers weigh less than those kids who don't eat candy, a new study finds.
Researchers at Louisiana State University collected data from more than 11,000 kids, age 2 to 18, between 1999 and 2004. They discovered that children who indulged in candy were 22 percent less likely to be overweight or obese than their counterparts who didn't eat sweets. What

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=92020#ixzz1Qliz3iOd

Mayor Mike Bloomberg On the CityTime Scandal: My Bad - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg On the CityTime Scandal: My Bad About That Whole $740 Million CityTime Mess
From Editor Betsy Combier: It is very comforting to know that many people were able to get away with stealing millions of dollars of taxpayer funds right under NYC Mayor Bloomberg's nose, and he didn't see it nor did he do anything about it until the media made it impossible to ignore the scam, theft, and fiscal wrong-doing. Not.

Mike Bloomberg

City contract ends, but scandal saga continues

Mayor Bloomberg, citing findings of massive fraud, asks the contractor that built the city’s high-tech timekeeping system to return the $600 million taxpayers spent on it.

By Jeremy Smerd
Buck Ennis
LINK

“Certainly nobody paid as much attention to (CityTime) as they should have—from me on down,” Mayor

Christopher Asch, Tenured NYC Board of Education Employee, Wins In the Supreme Court His Petition To Vacate The 3020-a Arbitration Decision
Chris, Petitioner Pro Se, is an openly gay man who was victimized by the homophopic comments of Stuyvesant High School's Isamu Fukui, a very troubled student, then sent to the famous "rubber room" to learn to regret actions that he never did, or performed just like the heterosexual librarians (asking students to be quiet while in the library). On June 28, 2011 NYS Supreme Court Judge Manuel Mendez vacated the decision of Arbitrator David Hyland to suspend Chris for six months without pay and to see a psychologist to help him "establish boundaries".. Judge Mendez set a precedent and deserves acclaim for this decision.

From Betsy Combier:

I attended Chris Asch's arbitration hearing, heard all witnesses, and disagreed with the decision of the arbitrator, who was, in my opinion, ordered by the New York City Board of Education's Administrative Trials Unity (which I call "

Koch OUT AM News | www.kochwatch.org

News | www.kochwatch.org

AFLCIO Blog: 8 Signs Your Governor Has a Koch Problem *-By Andy Richards* *June 26, 2011-* The addiction of governors across the country to the Koch brothers’ agenda seems to be growing stronger every day. Here are some warning signs your governor might have a Koch problem: 1. Are they planning on ...

Think Progress: Govs. Rick Perry And Rick Scott Go AWOL During State Emergencies To Attend Secret Koch Event *-By Marie Diamond and Alex Seitz-Wald* *June 29, 2011-* As Texas faced some of the worst wildfires in its history and a severe drought crisis that has caused the federal government to declare the entire state a disaster area, its governor was ...

NYT: Sinking G.O.P. Poll Numbers May Put Florida in Play *-By Don Van Natta Jr. and Gary Fineout* *June 27, 2011-* MIAMI — In the past few weeks, Gov. Rick Scott has traveled around the state extolling the accomplishments of the recent legislative session and promoting his success in pushing Florida down a ...

Rachel Maddow: $$$Koch Bros Killing Unions, Voter rights & Secret meetings

Think Progress: Wisconsin GOP Defunds Planned Parenthood, Denying Preventative Health Care To At Least 12,000 Women *-By Marie Diamond * *June 27, 2011-* Yesterday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed a budgetthat cuts funding for Planned Parenthood, after pushing the measure through the state Legislature without a single Democratic vote. Planned Parenthood ...

Inside Higher Ed: Not Just Florida State *-By Dan Berrett * *June 28, 2011*- When the terms of a 2008 grant agreement between Florida State University and the Charles G. Koch Foundation became public last month, the news drew attention to the fund for what some saw as an attempt to exert ...

Charter Schools Trail in State Test Results - Chicago News Cooperative

Charter Schools Trail in State Test Results

by REBECCA VEVEA

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and new leaders of Chicago Public Schools have been pushing for a longer school day and year to raise student performance. But last week’s state test results show that charter schools–which typically have more instructional time–actually have a lower percentage of students exceeding state standards.

Overall, state scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test were up in Chicago Public Schools. The percentage of students who exceeded state standards increased, but the number still remained low—16.6 percent, up from 14.7 percent last year. The percentage who met state standard increased to 73.9 percent, up from 68.5 percent.

A breakdown by school type shows selective-enrollment schools did the best, followed in order by magnet schools, neighborhood schools, charter schools and turnaround schools, according to a Chicago News Cooperative analysis of the results. Turnaround schools are those that had been overhauled because they were previously identified as the district’s lowest performers.

Both neighborhood and charter schools saw an increase in the number of students meeting state standards—6

Rahm’s Labor Ultimatum | Charter Scores Lag | Quinn’s China Mission

by HUNTER CLAUSS

EMANUEL’S LAYOFF THREAT
Union leaders did not take kindly to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s threat to lay off 625 workers if they don’t agree to a $20 million plan for unspecified “work rule changes and efficiencies.” The impasse comes as a concession agreement is set to expire on Thursday, leaving an estimated $30 million hole in the city’s current budget. http://bit.ly/mkvx5o

- The union ultimatum came during a news conference to announce that Walgreens will add 600 jobs in the city

“Federal Deficit 101″ for Anxious #Parents « MomsRising Blog

“Federal Deficit 101″ for Anxious Parents « MomsRising Blog

“Federal Deficit 101″ for Anxious Parents

by Ashley Boyd

The constant drumbeat in the news about the federal deficit and its potentially dire consequences for our country has parents like me nervous. The last thing I want is to leave my two precious children with a crippling debt that will limit their future security and prosperity.

I don’t have much time for new research projects (this is an understatement!) but I reached the point at which staying ignorant about our deficit – both what caused it and what we can do to get out of it – didn’t feel like an option any more. After putting aside the heated rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, I uncovered some useful, fact-based resources that are helping me get my head around this complicated situation.

For you fellow anxious, no-time-to-spare parents, I share the beginnings of my research.

Question #1 — Are we broke?

This question requires a two-part answer. First, there is no doubt that every level of government – local, state and federal – has been cutting spending in response to a decrease in sales and income tax revenue during the economic downturn. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the recent recession brought

Lawmakers suspend fiscal oversight | Thoughts on Public Education

Lawmakers suspend fiscal oversight
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Provisions in trailer bill appall school officials

Posted on 6/30/11 • Categorized as State Budget, Taxes

By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess

Superintendents, business officers, and budget consultants are expressing bewilderment over demands and restrictions in the education trailer bill – AB 114 – that they say could throw already financially stressed school districts into serious financial jeopardy. School Services of California, which advises many districts on financial issues, has called on Gov. Jerry Brown to veto one particularly worrisome section of the bill that suspends fiscal oversight by county offices of education for the coming year. In adopting the provision, theLegislature “has eclipsed all of its previous low standards for ethics and integrity,” the company wrote on its website.

The 100-page trailer bill was published Wednesday morning, 12 hours after Democrats in

The value of a PLN | Connected Principals

The value of a PLN

by Justin Tarte

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to Skype with Dwight Carter’s administrative team, and I must admit that they definitely didn’t disappoint! I have been following Dwight’s blog and twitter feed for about a year now, and I very much so appreciate him taking the time to organize his administrative team to speak with me. If this is not a testament of the power of a PLN, then I don’t know what is…

Reflection being a crucial and essential quality of any great Educator, I feel it is necessary to share the main points from our discussion:

- Discipline is not about punishing students; it’s about changing behaviors and helping students to learn and grow…

- Using faculty meetings to share and celebrate the great things going on in your school is much more effective and productive than simply disseminating information that can be shared through email…

This Week In Education: Budget: Obama Goofs Using Daughters To Mock Congress

Budget: Obama Goofs Using Daughters To Mock Congress [image: Picture 51] "Malia and Sasha generally finish their homework a day ahead of time. Malia's 13, Sasha's 10... they don't wait until the night before!" That's what President Obama said at a recent press conference, not so subtly mocking ...

AM News: School Changes On In Ohio, Maine, & Mass. [image: image from webmedia.newseum.org] Student scores to be key factor in MA evaluations Boston Globe: MCAS scores and other achievement data will become key barometers in evaluating the performance of their teachers and administrators. Maine ...

Lawsuits could boost school board diversity | California Watch

Lawsuits could boost diversity on school boards

by Corey G. Johnson

Corey G. Johnson

Brian Turner/Flickr

Civil rights attorneys are using a California election law to force school districts to make their boards more diverse.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, a San Francisco-based advocacy group, has been aggressively seeking city and district compliance with the California Voting Rights Act, a 2002 law that makes it illegal to disenfranchise minority groups from the electoral process.

The act allows lawsuits to be filed against districts that elect governing boards through "at-large" elections if those elections prevented minority voters from influencing the outcome. The law stems from claims that "at-large" elections allowed non-minority voting blocs to dominate the process.

The lawyers group has filed at least five lawsuits challenging local election processes that its says effectively prevent Latinos from being elected. The group's efforts have been aided by Supreme Court decisions upholding

1 in 10 children lives with a grandparent, report finds

by Joanna Lin

Joanna Lin

Salim Fadhley/Flickr

The number of U.S. children living with at least one grandparent in their homes increased 64 percent between 1991 and 2009, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released yesterday.

There were 7.8 million children living with at least one grandparent in 2009, up from 4.7 million in 1991. Such family arrangements were most common among black and Hispanic children but have risen most substantially among white children.

In 2009, 17 percent of black children and 14 percent of Hispanic children lived with a grandparent – just slightly higher than in 1991. Among white children, however, the percentage living with a grandparent increased from 5

Most GOP hopefuls have strong California fundraising ties

by Chase Davis

Chase Davis

Chris Clunie/Flickr2012 Republican hopefuls Mitt Romney (from left), Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty have all raised campaign money in California.

Mitt Romney already has figured it out. And if the other candidates in the Republican presidential field haven’t already, they will soon.

On the must-do list for aspiring presidential contenders, a fundraising swing up the California coast ranks somewhere between door-knocking in New Hampshire and grubbing on barbecue under the Iowa summer sun.

Same data, different story: Debating progress in NYC schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Same data, different story: Debating progress in NYC schools This is the latest in a back-and-forth between Joel Klein, former New York City Schools chancellor, and Aaron Pallas, a Teachers College professor and statistician. The debate started with this Klein op-ed published in* The Washington Post*two weeks ...

Experience counts for something -- *This was written by Randy Ross, who was a principal and teacher for over 43 years both in New York City and Great Neck, LI, as well as an assistant superintendent, professor at CCNY’s School of Education and director of instruction and ...

The 2011 NEA Convention: A Preview Edition - Teacher Beat - #NEARA11

The 2011 NEA Convention: A Preview Edition - Teacher Beat - Education Week

The 2011 NEA Convention: A Preview Edition

by Stephen Sawchuk

Delegates to the National Education Association's annual convention will decide whether to revamp the union's teacher-evaluation policies, among other things, beginning Saturday in Chicago.

For our fourth year running, Education Week brings you live coverage of the NEA RA. I'll be in town a bit earlier this year to catch a few pre-RA events, so start checking back with us later today.

Here's a rundown of what's likely to be of most interest at this year's event. Review this list, print it out, mark it up, and follow along with us.

• In what's probably going to be the most closely watched development, the RA will deliberate on, probably amend, and vote to accept or reject an outline on teacher-evaluation practices and reforms to due process. This is potentially a big deal. Whatever the RA approves would supersede all the union's existing policy resolutions on these sensitive topics. Read the background story here.

• Separately, the union's Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching will release its findings to the delegates. Keep in mind that despite its billing as an independent body, a lot of the teachers on this commissionare or were high-level NEA leaders. On the other hand, a separate advisory body for the commission includes a

Federal officials release college cost comparisons - SignOnSanDiego.com

Federal officials release college cost comparisons

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER, Associated Press

9:02 p.m., June 29, 2011

Looking for a college bargain? Try any of nine University of Puerto Rico campuses, where annual tuition hovers at or below $2,000.

Counting pennies? Avoid Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, a private school where tuition, fees and room and board exceeds $50,000, making it one of the five most expensive schools on a new U.S. Department of Education guide to college costs.

The federal agency released its College Affordability and Transparency lists on Thursday to fulfill a reporting requirement passed into law in 2008. The online lists track tuition costs among the top and bottom 5 percent of four-year and two-year schools. The measures include public, private and for-profit colleges and universities.

Separate lists show the most and least affordable schools when scholarships and other financial factors are considered. The Education Department says those "sticker prices" better reflect out-of-pocket attendance costs. Two other lists track the rate of tuition increases as well as the rate of

Higher Education Opportunity Act Information on College Costs

Here you will find information about tuition and net prices at postsecondary institutions. The site highlights institutions with high and low tuition and fees as well as high and low net prices (the price of attendance minus grant and scholarship aid). It also shows institutions where tuition and fees and net prices are increasing at the highest rates.

Here you will find summary information on changes in state appropriations for postsecondary education, state aid for students, and tuition and fees.

Here you will find a list of for-profit (proprietary) postsecondary institutions that receive more than 90 percent of their revenues from Title IV Federal Student Aid.

NYC Public School Parents: Brooklyn Journalists Offer Smart Education Coverage

Brooklyn Journalists Offer Smart Education Coverage

by Patrick J. Sullivan

In an encouraging trend, two Brooklyn publications are covering public education with smart, well-researched articles that go well beyond what's provided by the mainstream media.

At the popular blog and newsletter Brooklyn Based, editor Nicole Davis has launched her education coverage with both an updateon the PS9 situation and an in-depth primer on co-locations. Let's hope Davis continues to focus her considerable skills on education.

Writing the Report Card column at the Brooklyn Rail, Liza Featherstone has become a must-read for parents and policy-makers alike. See her articles on technology in education here and the surprisingly poor reviews DOE has given

NYC Educator: Happy Summer Vacation/Staycation/School

Happy Summer Vacation/Staycation/School

by Miss Eyre

I did a bit of shopping on my first day of summer vacation yesterday, and while chatting with the salesgirl, I mentioned that I was a teacher. She asked if I was on summer vacation, and I said that I was. She laughed, saying, "My mom always told me I should be a teacher so I'd get my summers off. I couldn't handle the kids, though, no way."

"If you go into teaching only to get your summers off," I said, "it's not worth it."

And while that's true, as I've said in the past, you'll pry my summer vacation from my cold, dead hands. Having perfected the art of staycationing during my first few summer vacations (you know, while I was a new teacher and therefore broke), I managed to get away last summer and I'm getting away even more this summer, upstate and to the islands. So if you hear a bit less from me in this space over the coming weeks, that's why, not because NYC Educator decided we needed to cut back on our overwhelming staffing costs or anything.

Summer school starts for most schools next Tuesday, I guess, so if you're teaching summer school...well, there's not much to say about summer school, except to enjoy the paycheck, which I'm told is quite nice. A lot of kids at my school are going to be in summer school as we push for 75+ on the Regents exams to avoid

Is Dignity Cost-Effective? | Edwize

Is Dignity Cost-Effective?

by Ron Isaac

An editorial and a “straight news story” in the New York Post are “six of one; half a dozen of the other.” The publisher’s opinions that should, according to Journalism 101, be restricted to the editorial page, infest their reporting, sometimes in ways as subliminal as they are insidious.

The opening paragraph in a June 22 piece concludes that charter schools are “innovative” when it comes to pensions for its teachers. Why? Because “just 28 percent of the state’s charter schools participated in the state or city TRS in 2008-9.”

Being reactionary whilst being creative is a form of innovation too, apparently. It’s a rip to see these moral Luddites turn “progressive” when the concept is skewered to mean “progressing” back to a time before comforts were available to the rabble even if they paid for it with their labor.

But more egregious than this particular specimen of Post bias are two cited paraphrases of remarks allegedly

Schools Matter: Los Angeles privatization pushers take second biggest slice of reactionary Walton pie

Los Angeles privatization pushers take second biggest slice of reactionary Walton pie

by Robert D. Skeels * rdsathene

"[T]here should be no education marketplace." — Dr. Diane Ravitch (celebrated education professor and author)

In the long run, charter schools are being strategically used to pave the way for vouchers. - Jonathan Kozol

In the long run, charter schools are being strategically used to pave the way for vouchers. - Jonathan Kozol

The indefatigable Valerie Strauss posted an excellent piece yesterdaydiscussing where and how funds from the arch-reactionaries of the Walton Family Foundation were divvied out to various entities engaged in the privatization of public education. Second in funding only to the voucher dystopia and Michelle Rhee wasteland of Washington D.C. is Los Angeles, which saw the Ayn Rand worshiping Walton fortune heirs dump $11,981,508 into any organization proffering poverty pimping.

Time doesn't permit covering all of Los Angeles based privatization outfits on the list, but a cursory glance at some of our more notorious and egregious local offenders was worth compiling.

Camino Nuevo Charter Academy

It's no small irony that Los Angeles based corporate charter chain Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA),

School Tech Connect: Detroit's Reformy Future

Detroit's Reformy Future Walt Gardner:

Let Them Eat Tests Brilliant commencement address.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Debunking Jeb Bush's 'Florida Formula'

Debunking Jeb Bush's 'Florida Formula'

by Mike Klonsky

Back in March, Florida's T-Party Gov. Rick Scott, signed into law one of the first and most damaging of the current wave of anti-teacher, anti-union bills passed by any state legislature. Among other things, the new law took away teachers' collective bargaining rights and has them working for "merit pay" based on their student's FCAT scores. It was crafted with the help of Scott's chief education adviser, Michelle Rhee.

But the real force behind the so-called "Florida Formula" was former Gov. Jeb Bush who had earlier tried and failed to push the package through in the form of SB6, only to have it vetoed by Scott's predecessor,Charlie Christ. Now Republican Bush, through his Foundation for Excellence in Education, with eyes on a future run at the White House, and not so ironically any more, with support from from Pres. Obama and ed sec. Arne Duncan, is pushing his reform package

A Digital Social Media Educator in an Analog System « My Island View

A Digital Social Media Educator in an Analog System

by tomwhitby

For the last four days I have been experiencing a great learning conference for educators. The International Society for Technology in Education Conference, ISTE, is held once a year. This year some 22,000 educators and 5,000 exhibitors came together in Philadelphia at The Pennsylvania Convention Center. I experienced this conference as a social media educator. This does not make me a better educator, but it does give me a unique perspective amongst educators. Social media has added a new dimension to educational conferences and the entire education system as well.

The idea of social media for educators is simple, it connects educators. What each educator does with that connection is a personal choice. Most use it to share, and collaborate on educational information, as well as social interaction with other educators. Theoretically, this keeps the participants relevant in sharing the latest and greatest in the field of education. A Social Media educator is not better than a non-social media educator, but maybe a tad more relevant. Of course that would not be true if the non-social media educator kept up with

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