Saturday, July 16, 2011

Lots of blame, but seemingly less accountability, when it comes to grants for California's failing schools - ContraCostaTimes.com

On Assignment: Lots of blame, but seemingly less accountability, when it comes to grants for California's failing schools - ContraCostaTimes.com

On Assignment: Lots of blame, but seemingly less accountability, when it comes to grants for California's failing schools

By Theresa Harrington
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 07/15/2011 07:03:47 PM PDT

Updated: 07/15/2011 07:03:47 PM PDT

This is an excerpt of On Assignment, education writer Theresa Harrington's blog on Contra Costa County schools. Read more and post comments at IBABuzz.com/onassignment. Follow her at Twitter.com/tunedtotheresa.

July 15

The state Board of Education meeting on Wednesday showed that when it comes to failing schools, there's a lot of blame to go around, but seemingly less accountability.

BLAME: As the board considered handing out about $500 million in federal School Improvement Grants, discussion included blaming the U.S. Department of Education for failing to communicate clear and consistent guidelines; blaming California Department of Education staff for lax administration and oversight of the grants; blaming the

The end of the school counselor? - Inside Bay Area

The end of the school counselor?

By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune

Posted: 07/15/2011 02:46:50 PM PDT

Updated: 07/16/2011 05:11:32 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

Nick Milano, left, and Bryant Perry walk together at Northgate High School Wednesday June 29,...

The counselors' office at Oakland's largest high school is empty -- and not just for the summer.

After learning he'd need to cut his budget by 12 percent, Skyline High School Principal Troy Johnston decided to zero out his counseling staff. He would shift most of their responsibilities to his assistant principals and rely on a small team of counselors, run out of the school district's central office, to help out when needed. A teacher on special assignment would take on some of the discipline and attendance duties.

"Some of my colleagues at the smaller schools said, 'We don't have counselors,'" Johnston said. "I said, 'Hmm, that's interesting. Could we provide services in a different fashion? Could we look at

Blog: Are guidance counselors important?

it differently?'"

School counselors are becoming an endangered species in some California districts. As school officials struggle to balance their budgets and keep cuts "away from the classroom," as the saying goes, there are fewer people dedicated to help students choose the right courses, prepare for college, apply for financial aid or even just to graduate from high school.

Mt. Diablo schools lost their guidance counselors years ago, and the Antioch and New Haven school districts shrunk

California may be slow getting gay history in textbooks | news10.net

California may be slow getting gay history in textbooks

7:23 PM, Jul 15, 2011 | comments

Written by

Karen Massie

SACRAMENTO, CA - California's new gay history requirement goes into effect in January, but state money woes may slow down printing updated school textbooks.

"History should be honest," Gov. Jerry Brown said as he signed the controversial law on Thursday.

The law states public school social studies lessons should include the contributions of lesbian, gay,

Deal on Teacher Evaluations Reached by Union and New York City - NYTimes.com

School Officials and Union Agree on Pilot Program for Teacher Evaluations

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Published: July 15, 2011

REPRINTS

In a step toward reshaping how all teachers in New York City’s 1,700 public schools are judged, the Department of Education and the city teachers’ union agreed on Friday to a pilot teacher-evaluation system that will take effect next year in 33 struggling schools.

The deal, which ended months of disagreement, was needed for the city’s continued participation in a federal grant program that could bring up to $65 million in grants — up to $6 million for some schools — over the next three years.

City officials announced months ago that they had applied for the grants for the 33

Whittier activists say ending second sit-in - chicagotribune.com

Whittier parents ending second sit-in

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune reporter

6:44 p.m. CDT, July 15, 2011

Activists at Whittier Elementary School said Friday they're ending their latest 25-day sit-in and would like to resume negotiations with Chicago Public Schools.

Activists pushing for a library at Whittier Elementary School said Friday they're ending their latest 25-day sit-in and would like to resume negotiations with Chicago Public Schools administrators.

CPS decided last month to cancel construction of the library inside the school because of the sit-in at a nearby field house, which prevented construction crews from getting inside the

Good School Reform Posts Of The Week | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Good School Reform Posts Of The Week Here are some recent good school reform-related posts from around the Web: The Teacher and the American Dream by Esther Wojcicki appeared in The Huffington Post, and is a good read. Some Charters finally admit attrition — then rationalize it is by ...

Even More Good Sources Of ESL/EFL Teaching Research Here are the newest additions to The Best Ways To Keep-Up With Current ELL/ESL/EFL News & Research: AccELLerate! is the free quarterly newsletter of National Clearinghouse For English Language Acquisition. That link leads you to the issue archive. ...

Ramadan Resources Ramadan begins on August 1st, and I’ve just updated The Best Sites To Teach & Learn About Ramadan. Additional suggestions are always welcome….

Can You Think Of A Funny Movie/TV Scene Where A Bilingual Character Uses Two Languages To Get Out of Trouble? I know this is a long shot, but I’m wondering: Can you think of a funny movie or television scene where a bilingual character uses his/her two languages to get out of trouble? I’m preparing a lesson on the value of bilingualism (which I’ll share in ...

Collective Punishment In The Classroom A few days ago I wrote a post titled Emphasizing Pride, Not Shame, In Classroom Management. In it, among other things, I shared some of the things I say to students if I know they are going to have a sub the following day. A friend saw the post on ...

Stop Waiting For A Map | Connected Principals

Stop Waiting For A Map

by Brian Nichols

“Please stop waiting for a map.

We reward those who draw maps, not those who follow them.”

- Seth Godin

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book Poke the Box (a definite must read for leaders).

Leaders have a responsibility to initiate the drawing of maps that will move their organizations forward. Unfortunately, these maps often appear in the form of lengthy, comprehensive improvement plans. These plans

Modern School: Deasy: Cheaters Welcome, But Liars Feel My Wrath

Deasy: Cheaters Welcome, But Liars Feel My Wrath

by Michael Dunn

LAUSD unexpectedly revoked the charters of two schools involved in last year’s cheating scandal, and could shutdown all six schools in the Crescendo organization. The vote by the Los Angeles Board of Education came in the wake of revelations that a principal implicated in the cheating scandal had been rehired by the “outside” organization that had been brought in to manage the Crescendo schools, in flagrant violation of LAUSD’s directive no former Crescendo principals could work for Crescendo or Celerity, the “outside” manager (from theDaily Breeze).

The Face of a Sucker?

LAUSD superintendent John Deasy had given Crescendo a reprieve last month and accused the organization of lying to him. Celerity said that the principal, Sheryl Lee, was hired before

Today in Labor History—July 16

by Michael Dunn

Ida B Wells

July 16, 1862 – Ida B Wells was born, Holly Springs, Mississippi. Wells was most famous for

California Dream Act Update - Hispanically Speaking News

California Dream Act Update

Assembly Bill (AB) 130, one half of the California Dream Act, passed the State Senate floor Thursday and is now headed to the Governor’s desk for his hopeful signature. AB 130 allows AB 540 students full access to California’s higher education system. It enables these hard-working students who have met the UC, CSU or community college academic requirements to receive scholarships from private sources.

Although the passage of AB 130 from the legislature to the Governor is a monumental step towards providing educational opportunities to AB 540 students, the task is not complete until both portions of the California Dream Act, AB 130 & 131, are signed into law. We have to continue to work together, as a community of Angelenos and Californians, to get these bills passed, because AB 540 students

All Education Matters: Save Pell!

Save Pell!

by C. Cryn Johannsen

Are you aware that the Pell Program, which helps low-income Americans go to school, is on the chopping block because of this debt ceiling fiasco? That's right. It is. I also wrote a piece recently in defense of Pell, and called for bold increases to the program.

If you tweet, I encourage you to send the President (@BarackObama) and the Whitehouse (@whitehouse), as well as House and Senate leaders tweets that let them know you're worried about Pell. You could send the following, and also call the White House. Here are some suggestions:

Last night @BarackObama gave hill leaders 36 hours

Schools Matter: The convergence quiz

The convergence quiz

by skrashen

Today's quiz: Consider the following, from a University of Georgia report on philanthropy and education:

"Today there is a convergence between the philanthropic sector and federal policymakers. Policies and practices developed, tested and advocated for by foundations have been included in new federal initiatives including Race to the Top." (From: http://www.coe.uga.edu/news/2011/07/11/uga-report-analyzes-philanthropic-investment-in-education/)

The convergence between foundations and the federal policy is because:
(1) both Gates/Broad et al and Arne Duncan independently came to the same conclusions about teaching and learning. The convergence is coincidental.
(2) Arne Duncan has a well-established philosophy of education, and Gates/Broad et al are following his lead

Schooling in the Ownership Society: ALEC moves it's anti-public school agenda

ALEC moves it's anti-public school agenda

by Mike Klonsky

Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists and currently bankrolled by the Koch Bros., ALEC is a critical arm of the right-wing network of policy shops that, with infusions of corporate cash, has evolved to shape American politics.

Joel Rogers and Laura Dresser, write in Aug. 1-8 issue of The Nation:

GOP leaders, fresh from their blowout victory in November, pushed a consistent message—“We’re broke”; “Public sector workers are to blame”; “If we tax the rich we’ll face economic extinction”—and deployed legislative tools inspired by ALEC to enact their vision.

This spring, GOP governors or legislatures introduced at least 500 of these and other ALEC-inspired
antilabor laws, including laws to restrict the scope of collective bargaining; to limit or eliminate “project labor

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