Monday, September 12, 2011

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS WEBSITE

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS

A compilation of news articles about charter schools which have been charged with, or are highly suspected of, tampering with admissions, grades, attendance and testing; misuse of funds and embezzlement; engaging in nepotism and conflicts of interest; engaging in complicated and shady real estate deals; and/or have been engaging in other questionable, unethical, borderline-legal, or illegal activities. This is also a record of charter school instability and other unsavory tidbits.

Couldn't Find Your Own Special Charter School Scandal

Just Type the name of your city or charter school in the box below

The Nightmare To End All Nightmares | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Nightmare To End All Nightmares | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

The Nightmare To End All Nightmares

by larrycuban

Each of us has had nightmares in our lifetimes.

Here is my version of a reformer’s worst nightmare.

I am in a classroom. The doors are locked. The windows have wooden blinds and they are pulled shut. There are close to 50 adults sitting in bolted-down desks arranged in nine rows facing a teacher’s desk and whiteboard. I am sitting at a graffiti-ridden desk at the end of the third row. The teacher looks like Ms Bowler my eighth grade English teacher who had required each of us to recite “Abou Ben Adhem” publicly; she is berating us now for not listening to the report that each adult is giving. She wants us to fold our hands on our scarred desks and give each “student” our fullest attention or, she says, we will not be able to leave the room….ever.

She begins by calling upon the first adult sitting in the first row next to the door who had reported yesterday–yes,

Day 1, Sept 22 « occupy california

Day 1, Sept 22 « occupy california:

Day 1, Sept 22

by *

from reclaimUC:

Day 1

September 22, 12 pm

Sproul Plaza [at UC Berkeley]

Resistance at UC campuses and other schools in California has certainly diminished since the powerful events of the 2009-2010 school year – its strikes, its occupations, its stand-offs with police. Emboldened by this fact, the UC administration have begun a fresh round of assaults – piling on thousands of dollars of fees, laying off thousands of workers, and signaling that they intend to continue with more of the same over the coming year.

We need to regain the ground of 2009 and 2010. But we’ll need to do more than that if we want to begin to win. We need to surpass those occasional days, and bring the university to a grinding halt for as long as it takes. As one text from 2009 put it – “We need to push the university struggle to its limits.”

These are remarkable times. From Greece to Chile, from Britain to Spain, government austerity measures provoke some of the most profound militancy in over a generation. And in each one of these cases, students and

All Education Matters: Defaulting on Your Student Loans

All Education Matters: Defaulting on Your Student Loans:

Defaulting on Your Student Loans

by Cryn Johannsen

So many of us have fantasized about defaulting on our student loans. We imagine a collective refusal to pay our debt. We'd do this together, we say. We'd show them. We'd just stop paying entirely, and then the financial institutions who turned us into these indebted zombies would really pay. One reader of mine, a very astute economist, insists that we must revolt in this manner. He calls for a debt revolt on all things, not just student loans.

But then we - the student debtors - stop and think about the co-signers. For those of us with co-signers, we realize we're trapped. We'd have to get our mother, father, or grandparents, perhaps a friends - the co-signer(s) - to agree to this decision. (This is what many of you have said has held you back from committing suicide, something which devastates me every time I hear that admittance). Suddenly, default doesn't seem like a

Healthy & Active Preschoolers - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education)

Healthy & Active Preschoolers - Healthy Eating & Nutrition Education (CA Dept of Education):

Healthy & Active Preschoolers

A nutrition learning center for child care professionals that offers a variety of online courses and resources to improve the nutrition and physical activity environment in child care programs.

The Healthy & Active Preschoolers (Outside Source) nutrition learning center, a collaborative effort with Fresno City College, California Professional Nutrition Education and Training (Cal-Pro-NET) Center, presents current and reliable nutrition and physical activity information to the child care community.

Features

Learning Center

The heart of the Healthy & Active Preschoolers center contains a Nutrition Learning Center that houses four free online courses: (1) Nutrition Fundamentals; (2) Preschool Nutrition and Active Play; (3) Mealtime Environment; and (4) Food Safety. These interactive courses provide information and tips that will help you become more knowledgeable about nutrition and improve the nutrition and physical activity environment in the child care setting. You may choose to take the courses in any order. For example, if you are interested in providing more enjoyable mealtimes for children, then first select the Mealtime Environment course. The courses are self-paced and vary in length from one and a half to three hours.

Activities

This section includes a list of children’s storybooks with nutrition and physical activity themes. There are also a variety of songs that teachers and providers can use to teach healthy habits through music.

Resources

A plethora of resources including curricula for nutrition education, gardens, physical activity, parent nutrition fact sheets, and other classroom teacher resources and tools are available.

Calendar of Events and Monthly Features

The calendar offers a listing of meetings and conferences that may be of interest to child care professionals. Also, look for new monthly postings in the Hot Topics and the Family Connection sections.

Target Audience

The Healthy & Active Preschoolers center targets child care staff including administrators, directors, mentor teachers, lead teachers, teachers, family day care home providers, and child nutrition staff. We invite you to use the center to obtain information and resources that will be helpful in improving the nutrition and physical activity environment. Parents may also find information offered on the center beneficial.

Using Healthy & Active Preschoolers

Before you begin using the Healthy & Active Preschoolers center, visit the Healthy & Active Preschoolers Tour (Outside Source) and take a tour. The center is user friendly and you can utilize it in many different ways. For example, you can obtain professional growth hours by completing a course or strategically look for information on a specific topic by using the search engine. You may also use the center as an instructional tool to teach a class or group on a module or an entire course. Contact Cal-Pro-NET Center staff by e-mail at fcc.calpronet@fresnocitycollege.edu for technical assistance.

Accessing Healthy & Active Preschoolers

No username or password is required.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Lynette Haynes, Nutrition Education Consultant, by phone at 916-323-2474 or 800-952-5609 or by e-mail at lhaynes@cde.ca.gov.

You may also contact the Fresno City College, Cal-Pro-NET Center by phone at 559-442-4600 extensions, 2376, 2377, 2378, 2379, 2380, or 2381.

Respect. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Respect. « Fred Klonsky's blog:

Respect.

by Fred Klonsky

In 2003 my union went on strike for a week. It was a tough thing for our members to do. It was November and freezing cold. It was so cold that we needed to organize picket line shifts that were short in duration and use member and supporters’ homes for warming stations.

The main issue was the rising cost of family health care costs. Although it only impacted about 20% of our members, the cost had become so burdensome that 97% of our members voted to strike.

I remember that we were in a negotiation session with the board representatives. At one point a member of the Board leaned into the table and looking right at me said, “Klonsky, what you have to understand is that you

UC Might Increase Tuition 81% Over the Next Four Years « occupy california

UC Might Increase Tuition 81% Over the Next Four Years « occupy california:

UC Might Increase Tuition 81% Over the Next Four Years

by *

from ChangingUniversities:

When the Regents meet September 14th, they will discuss a multiyear funding proposal that will likely result in a series of large tuition increases over the next few years. The heart of the plan is found here: “Components of a multi-year plan would include the assumptions about efficiencies and revenue- generating strategies, and a proposal that, under the optimal scenario, would call for eight percent annual increases each in State funds and in tuition and fees through 2015-16. If the State is unable to meet its share of this cost, student fees would be raised further to make up the State’s deficit. Thus, if the State provides only four percent increases each year, student tuition

Join US « Parents Across America

Chapters and Affiliates « Parents Across America:

Parents Across America invites existing local or statewide education groups who share our overall goals of progressive, positive education reform and more parent input in education policymaking to affiliate with us. The more of us there are, the stronger our voice will be at every level.

We are also looking for parents who are interested in forming chapters of PAA in their states and/or local communities. Be advised, however that as a chapter of PAA, you cannot endorse candidates for elective office. You can do so as an individual, as long as you emphasize you are not speaking on behalf of the organization.

We collaborate with our affiliates and chapters to coordinate our national activities, promote events and do outreach to potential members in your area, offer you space on our website and/or on our blog, send out alerts about key legislative issues, share policy and research resources, and work in coalition on our common goals.

If you are interested in having your existing group become a PAA affiliate, or you would like to form a new chapter of PAA, please write us at: info@parentsacrossamerica.org

Current PAA Chapters and Affiliates (in formation)

Arizona

Voices for Education

California

Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

District of Columbia

Parents Across America -DC

Florida

Testing is not Teaching

Illinois

Parents United for Responsible Education (Chicago)

Parents Across America Rockford/Stakeholders United (Rockford )

New Jersey

New Jersey Parents Against Governor Christie’s Budget Cuts

Parents Unified for Local Education (Newark)

Save Our Schools NJ

New York

Class Size Matters

Community Education Task Force (Rochester)

The Mothers Agenda

Parents Across America – Central NY

North Carolina

Great Schools in North Carolina

Great Schools in Wake Coalition (Raleigh)

Mecklenburg Area Coming Together for Schools (Charlotte)

Pennsylvania

Parents United for Public Education – Philadelphia

Parents Across America – Central Pennsylvania

Washington

Kennewick School District Citizens

Parents Across America, Seattle

Parents Across America, Spokane

PAA-Tri Cities chapter, Eastern Washington (Kennewick, Pasco and Richland)

Blue Jersey:: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

Blue Jersey:: OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?:

OK, Smart Guy - What Would YOU Do?

by Jersey Jazzman

I recently spent a week here at Blue Jersey demolishing the corporate "reform" argument. Well, no, that's not quite right; I'd spent that week bringing together a bunch of research and writing that did all the demolishing for me. Folks like Bruce Baker, Matt DiCarlo, Valerie Strauss, Leonie Haimson, and Diane Ravitch are among the many who have done the legwork that makes it so easy to build a case against these rash, uniformed, and just plain silly proposals.

But all of this leads to a question: what should we do instead?

It's a fair question. Even though this notion of an education "crisis" has been blown way out of proportion, I do believe that we could make things better. And I do believe that the continued achievement gap is a serious problem that needs to be

This Week In Education: Update: A School-By-School Campaign To Lengthen Day

This Week In Education: Update: A School-By-School Campaign To Lengthen Day:

Update: A School-By-School Campaign To Lengthen Day

by Alexander Russo

To get around union resistance to a proposal that would have extended the school day this year (or halfway through it, at least), Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his schools chief JC Brizard have gone on a school-by-school campaign to encourage teachers to waive the contract schedule and agree to a longer day right now. So far teachers at about five schools have said yes, and the union says about 30 schools have had votes where the teachers have said now.

During a visit through town on Friday, EdSec Duncan didn't seem to have any objections with the idea of a longer day or the process being used to acheive it. Others aren't so sure. Does this school by school campaign constitute union-busting (violating the exclusive bargaining rights of the union) -- Wisconsin all over again, except this time Democrats on Democrats? Is it difficult but necessary way to get more class time for kids who need it -- even if there are almost 500 schools in Chicago and the school year has already started and it's not clear that

Education Reform and U.S. Competitiveness - Council on Foreign Relations

Education Reform and U.S. Competitiveness - Council on Foreign Relations:

Education Reform and U.S. Competitiveness

Authors:		Craig R. Barrett, Former CEO and Chairman, Intel Corporation Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education, New York University Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers Steven Brill, Author and Entrepreneur
Interviewer(s):		Jayshree Bajoria, Senior Staff Writer

September 12, 2011

[Editor's Note: This is part of CFR's Renewing America initiative, which examines how domestic policies will influence U.S. economic and military strength and its ability to act in the world.]

Many experts agree that the United States needs to implement education reforms, especially in math and sciences, to retain U.S. competitiveness in the world. But there is disagreement on how to proceed.

In this roundup, four experts offer a range of reform options, with a focus on different ways to improve the performance of teachers in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Craig R. Barrett, appointed by President Barack Obama as one of the

This Week In Education: Chart: Getting Kids Seated / Tracking Locational Impact

This Week In Education: Chart: Getting Kids Seated / Tracking Locational Impact:

Chart: Getting Kids Seated / Tracking Locational Impact

by Alexander Russo

Here's a chart Classroom seating habits via FlowingData presenting an interesting visualization of seating habits of students (graduate students in this case). Check it out, tell us what you're favorite/best seating setup is. Airlines keep trying new seating schemes to make getting onto planes easier and faster but what about educators tracking how students enter classes and where they sit and how much time that takes and whether there are any academic

AM News: Dems Pushing For Obama Jobs / Education Bill

by Avi Wolfman-Arent

Middle-Class schools miss the mark WSJ: Middle-class public schools educate the majority of U.S. students but pay lower teacher salaries, have larger class sizes and spend less per pupil than low-income and wealthy schools, according to a report to be issued Monday.

Key House Democrat Wants Hearings on Obama Jobs Plan Right Away EdWeek: But Kline and other committee Republicans are clearly skeptical about the plan, which they essentially argue is throwing good money after bad (aka the stimulus).

Race to Top Runners-Up: Favorites and Underdogs EdWeek: In addition to Colorado and Louisiana, it seems sensible to add Illinois to the favorites category.

Study: Minorities underrepresented in STEM jobs Washington Post: Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks have over the past decade been underrepresented in U.S. jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in large part because of a lack of equality in educational opportunity, according to a new report being released today.

MORE NEWS ITEMS BELOW (PLUS WEEKEND READING IN PREVIOUS POST)

Generation goes from Sept. 11 classrooms to war AP: The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 shaped a swathe of young Americans who were on their way to their middle or elementary schools or were already there when the first reports, bewildering and then horrifying, filtered into classrooms across the United States. They lived their adolescence in a nation at war, and now they are in the midst of the combat.

Teaching students abotu 9/11 presents challenges LA Times: Many California teachers say the focus on state testing gives them little time to really explore the topic. Some say educators are hesitant because of sensitivities over religion, war and politics.

More Baltimore grads attending two-year colleges, are less likely to get degrees Baltimore Sun: The Baltimore Education Research Consortium at Johns Hopkins University found the percentage of city public school graduates heading to two-year-institutions rose 12 percentage points over four years to 52 percent in 2010, while the percentage of students enrolled in four-year-colleges declined 12 percentage points to 49 percent.

New Groups Giving Teachers Alternative Voice EdWeek: Over the past few years, a number of new efforts have sprung up purporting to give teachers a say in policy, and their emergence is extending discussions about "teacher voice" in unexpected ways.

States scramble to pay for healthier school food Stateline: Better nutrition for low-income kids is a cause that’s hard to oppose. Funding it and signing up more needy families are the big challenges.

Sacramento Press / Real Relationships: Special needs child

Sacramento Press / Real Relationships: Special needs child:

Image by: Janna Haynes

Q: My son is 7 years old and currently attending a public school in the first grade. It has been obvious to my husband and I for some time that he has some kind of learning disability and some behavioral issues, but he has never been diagnosed with anything, and we aren't really sure what to do.

His teacher tells us that he isn't reading at a first -grade level and that his actions in class not only prevent him for learning but disrupt the entire classroom environment. We don't really know what to do or where to begin.

I haven't received any support from the school in this situation, so right now I am just frustrated. I don't want my son to fall behind, but I think he needs help. His disruptive behavior spills over from school into our home, and my husband and I are frustrated and scared. What do I do?

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