Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.com

Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse? - ContraCostaTimes.com:

Will an Oakland school district initiative slow teacher turnover, or make it worse?

By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune

Posted:   04/08/2012 12:00:00 AM PDT

Updated:   04/08/2012 05:10:03 AM PDT

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Oakland School District Superintendent Tony Smith speaks during an Oakland Unified School...

OAKLAND -- Ask students at McClymonds High School about their teachers and you'll likely hear this: They work hard, but they don't stay long.

"Since I've been here, we've never had steady teachers," said Da'Jon Ford, a junior at the West Oakland high school.

Teacher turnover is one of the greatest obstacles facing the city's struggling high schools, particularly those in the poor and working-class flatland neighborhoods of East and West Oakland. Many of the openings are filled with rookies who make a two-year commitment, or with teachers displaced from other positions in the district. Two years ago, all but a handful of the McClymonds teachers left, along with the former principal.

Supporters and critics of a controversial staffing plan at Oakland's Fremont, Castlemont and McClymonds high schools differ sharply on whether it will 

Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate Bathrooms « Student Activism

Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate Bathrooms « Student Activism:

Pitt Bars Transgender Students and Faculty from Gender-Appropriate Bathrooms

by Angus Johnston

Last fall a student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Pitt-Johnstown campus was banned from the men’s locker room at the university gym. The student, Seamus Johnston, is listed as female in the university’s records, but has been living as a man for three years and carries a driver’s license identifying him as male. When Johnston refused to comply with the ban, he was brought up on campus disciplinary charges and arrested for disorderly conduct.
In February the Pitt Anti-Discriminatory Policies Committee (APDC) issued a unanimous ruling opposing Johnston’s ban and calling on Pitt to craft clear policies on the use of bathrooms and locker rooms. Those new policies, announced last month, require all Pitt students, faculty, and staff to use bathrooms and locker facilities consistent with the gender assigned on their birth certificates.
This policy puts many transgender members of the Pitt community in an extremely difficult — and potentially 

State legislatures reignite war over religion in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

State legislatures reignite war over religion in schools - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

State legislatures reignite war over religion in schools

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Charles Haynes, director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life. This appeared on the website of the First Amendment Center.

By Charles Haynes

Contrary to culture-war mythology, God is alive and well in many, if not most, public schools.

Visit almost any school in America and you’ll find students sharing their faith, reading their scriptures, saying grace before lunch and, in high schools, meeting in religious clubs.

But in a growing number of state legislatures around the country, lawmakers want more.

Barred by the U.S. Supreme Court from turning the clock back to the days of state-sponsored prayers and devotional Bible reading, state legislatures are discovering creative new ways to get more religion through the schoolhouse door.

Last week, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a law encouraging local 

Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science Standards - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Peddling Panic: Biased Survey Promotes National Science Standards

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by Jack Hassard.
This year, Achieve, Inc. commissioned a survey of attitudes toward science education with Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. The pollsters sampled 800 voters using a stratified sampling technique so that they could report results by political party, ethnicity, education level of parents, region of the USA, and urban, suburban and rural areas.
There were essentially two aspects to this survey. The first was to find out what are American voters attitudes toward science education in terms of competitiveness with other countries. The second purpose was to determine the voters attitudes toward the new science standards.
The survey research group based their findings on a national sample of N=800 which was conducted on February 22-26, 2012.
A report of this research was presented at the NSTA Annual meeting in Indianapolis last month. You can view a

Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning Marable | Outside the Cave

Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning Marable | Outside the Cave:

Incredible Free Conference in Tribute to Manning Marable

by Stephen Lazar

I hope many can join and spread the word about the incredible Manning Marable Memorial Conference: A New Vision of Black Freedom.  Dr. Marable, as I’ve written about before, was my teacher and mentor while working on my masters in African-American Studies at Columbia.  I will be moderating the panel , “Parents, Organizers & Educators Discuss the Education Crisis” on Friday morning.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime collection of scholars and it is FREE! Registration and more info here.

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger:

Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger

by Duke

I had promised myself (and Mrs. Jazzman) that I wouldn't blog on Easter. But then I picked up this morning'sStar-Ledger, and read the most ignorant paragraph about education reform I have seen to date:

[Newark] Superintendent Cami Anderson has presented a promising plan that draws heavily on the successes of people such as Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington. [emphasis mine]

Oh, dear lord.

Let's start with Klein, who left NYC to work as consiglieri to Rupert Murdoch while simultaneously running Murdoch's new education division; all for a hefty salary. As he took his victory lap, the media chose to heap praise on him, lauding his "successes."

The problem is the successes had been an illusion, caused by standardized tests that had grown easier over the years. This was huge story, covered by, among others, Michael Winerip in the NY Times:

JUNE 2009 In the previous decade, New York students’ average SAT verbal score has dropped to 

As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courts - The Washington Post

As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courts - The Washington Post:

As states OK school vouchers, fight over public dollars for private education turns to courts

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By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, April 8, 5:32 AM

WASHINGTON — Students like Delano Coffy are at the heart of brewing political fights and court battles over whether public dollars should go to school vouchers to help make private schools more affordable.

He was failing in his neighborhood public elementary school in Indianapolis until his mother enrolled him in a Roman Catholic school. Heather Coffy has scraped by for years to pay the tuition for Delano, now 16 and in a Catholic high school, and his two younger siblings, who attend the same Catholic elementary as their brother did. She’s getting help today from a voucher program, passed last year at the urging of GOP Gov. Mitch Daniels, that allows her to use state money for her children’s education.

“I can’t even tell you how easy I can breathe now knowing that for at least for this year my kids can stay at the school,” said the single mother, who filed a petition in court in support of the law. The state Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the law, which provides vouchers worth on average more than $4,000 a year to low- and middle-income families. A family of four making about $60,000 a year qualifies.

For all the arguments in favor of vouchers, there are opponents who say vouchers erode public schools by taking away money, 

TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know. « Fred Klonsky

TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know. « Fred Klonsky:

TRS members. Do you agree with Executive Director Ingram? Let TRS Directors know.

by Fred Klonsky

Recently Richard Ingram, the Executive Director of the Illinois Teacher Retirement System was quoted as saying that retiree benefits might need to be cut and that the system faced insolvency by 2029.
While not repeating Ingram’s Civic Committee line, the TRS board, including IEA representatives, supported Ingram and claimed that members must face “the new reality” that the state will not meet their obligations to retired and active teachers.
If you do not agree with this assessment, and instead believe that that we must fight for the state to keep their promise to the 300,000 Illinois pensioners who rely on their TRS benefits to live, send the Trustees an email and let them know.
Tell them your story. 

Members TRS is governed by a 13-member Board of Trustees. Trustees include the state superintendent of education, six trustees appointed by the governor, four trustees elected by contributing TRS members, and two trustees elected by TRS annuitants. Two appointed trustee positions are currently open. Christopher Koch, Ed.D.President Bloomington trustee_koch@trs.illinois.gov Molly PhalenVice President Rockford trustee_phalen@trs.illinois.gov Michael Busby Kenilworth trustee_busby@trs.illinois.gov Marcia Campbell O’Fallon trustee_campbell@trs.illinois.gov Jan Cleveland Carmi trustee_cleveland@trs.illinois.gov Cinda Klickna Rochester trustee_klickna@trs.illinois.gov Sharon Leggett Evanston trustee_leggett@trs.illinois.gov Bob Lyons Hoffman Estates trustee_lyons@trs.illinois.gov Cynthia O’Neill Carlyle trustee_oneill@trs.illinois.gov Janice Reedus Indian Head Park trustee_reedus@trs.illinois.gov Sonia Walwyn Naperville trustee_walwyn@trs.illinois.gov The president of the Board of Trustees, by law, is the Illinois superintendent of education. The Board of Trustees elects its vice president from among its members. The Board of Trustees appoints an executive director who also serves as the secretary of the Board of Trustees. The executive director is responsible for daily operations at TRS.

4LAKids - “Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS:

“Parent Trigger”: NO MAGIC BULLET FOR SCHOOLS

We're a long way from knowing whether "parent trigger" can improve schools. No petition has yet been approved, and the options the law provides are not that effective.

LA TIMES EDITORIAL | HTTP://LAT.MS/HY2EH3

At Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto, where the state's second "parent trigger" petition was rejected last month, parents want the ability to eliminate teachers whom they view as ineffective, pick their own principal and exert authority over their school's budget and curriculum. (Los Angeles Times / April 6, 2012)
April 8, 2012  ::  More than two years after California's "parent trigger" law was enacted, things haven't worked out the way school reformers had planned or opponents had feared. In those heady days, it was expected that parents would race to sign petitions to transform their low-performing schools. More than 20 states considered passing similar measures.
The California law allows parents to compel one of four major reforms at their children's schools if half or more sign a petition. 

Anniston Star - Bob Davis Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town

Anniston Star - Bob Davis Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town:

Bob Davis: Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town

Apr 08, 2012 | 409 views | 0  | 2  |  | 

The creation of charter schools in Alabama seemed to be on the minds of many in Anniston last week. Depending on who was doing the talking, these alternative public schools are either the solution of our educational woes or a hopeless act destined to make matters worse.

The answer, as is usually the case, lies somewhere in between. At times, this month’s debate in Montgomery over charter schools has missed that middle-of-the-road mark.

The experiences of the 41 states with charter schools show that some do excellent work in preparing students while others have struggled.

Perhaps we should start with some basics about charter schools. The concept grew out of a belief that burdensome rules, bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all standards were holding public schools back.

The proposed fix was to allow groups interested in doing things differently to apply to create

Read more:Anniston Star - Bob Davis Measuring charter schools’ impact in a Texas town

Bill could pave the way for virtual charter schools in Alabama | al.com

Bill could pave the way for virtual charter schools in Alabama | al.com:

Bill could pave the way for virtual charter schools in Alabama

Published: Sunday, April 08, 2012, 7:14 AM

 By George Altman, Capital Bureau 
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MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The "Education Options Act" could allow primarily online, virtual charter schools to be created on a limited basis in Alabama, according to people familiar with the legislation, and some advocates favor taking the idea further.

The act is not specifically geared toward the creation of online-only charters and does not allow for the statewide virtual charter school model favored by K12 Inc., the nation’s largest online education company, which has taken an interest in the bill, K12 lobbyists said.

But a provision in an early draft of the bill, which would have prohibited virtual public charter 

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Direct Loans are low-interest loans for students and parents to help pay for the cost of a student's education after high school. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), though the entity you deal with, your loan servicer, can be a private business.

With Direct Loans, you

• Borrow directly from the federal government and have a single contact—your loan servicer—for everything related to repayment, even if you receive Direct Loans at different schools.
• Have online access to your Direct Loan account information via your servicer's website.
• Can choose from several repayment plans that are designed to meet the needs of almost any borrower, and you can switch repayment plans if your needs change.

Applying for Direct Loans A quick introduction to Direct Loans and how they fit into your award package.

The Best Resources On The Idea Of Extending The School Day | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

The Best Resources On The Idea Of Extending The School Day | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…:

The Best Resources On The Idea Of Extending The School Day

April 8, 2012 by Larry Ferlazzo | 0 comments

Thee has been more and more discussion lately about the idea of extending the school day. Much research has actually found it of questionable value unless it is accompanied by a major rethinking of how the the time is spent. Our school has an after-school program that enrolls a huge percentage of our students, but it’s mainly concentrated in offering what many would consider high-interest enrichment activities, such as drama, ethnic studies, dance, weight-training, etc.

I’m hoping that readers can contribute additional resources on this topic.

You might also be interested in The Best Resources On The “Summer Slide,” which relates to the different topic of potentially extending the school year.

Here are my choices for The Best Resources On The Idea Of Extending The School Day: