Thursday, November 15, 2012

by Beth Bader

This story originally appeared in the (ex)Expatriate’s Kitchen blog.

I pack my child’s lunch every day. When it comes to food, yes, I am a helicopter mom. Not that I don’t havegood reason to worry. Even with the improved school meals, I am still concerned about the meat sourcing and continued use of heavily processed foods. So, each day I still pack my kiddo a nice little lunch box with each item all segregated just the way she likes it.
This works, except for the morning — in the 10 minutes from car to school room — the lunch got dropkicked into the cubby or at least violently shaken by an unseen force (“I don’t know, it just was like that, Mom.”) and my well-spaced carrots then mix with the applesauce and whole grain sandwich — and the lunch got ruined. The kid ended up in the lunch line.
I find out when I get an email at work that her lunch account has a negative balance. I keep it at zero just because I did NOT want her to buy “chocolate” milk and juice to go with her lunch. Negative balance?
I get the story at home later. “So,” I asked. “What did you pick from the lunch line?”
“Well, I got a ham sandwich, apple and salad,” she replied. I had a proud mom moment there. She chose salad! That doesn’t mean she ate it, but she at least chose it. The choice thing is my other concern with school

Children grow up fast. We can’t wait for healthy school lunches…

by Alison Crockett

I got the new menu for my oldest daughters lunch and noticed something strangely new: there were carrot sticks, cucumbers, romaine lettuce and even…oh my goodness…hummus, on the menu! I am a mom who likesto cook but doesn’t love to cook and like many have little time in the morning to prepare a school lunch for my daughter. So I end up letting her eat lunch at school two to three times per week.

Girls Rule.

by Katrina Alcorn

Ladies, we are having a very good year.
This election, a record number of women—binders and binders full of them—ran for office, and…best of all…won.
In the new Congress, we will have 20 female Senators, up from 17. We will have the first openly gay senator, Tammy Baldwin, in Wisconsin. We will have the first Asian-American woman in the Senate, Mazie Hirono, and the first Hindu in Congress, Tulsi Gabbard. Last I checked, 81 women had been elected to the House, while a few races were still being counted. New Hampshire will have the nation’s first all-female delegation. (Feel free to express your gratitude with a donation to EMILY’s List.)
This election wasn’t just a win for women, and it wasn’t just a win for the men who love them, it might also be a

PFT Results - Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) (CA Dept of Education)

PFT Results - Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) (CA Dept of Education):

PFT Results

PFT results for 2011-12 and prior years are now available. The 2012 PFT summary results are posted to DataQuest.

DataQuest PFT Summary Results

PFT 2012 DataQuest Reports
View schools, districts, counties, and state results. Results are available by gender and ethnic groups.

PFT Research Files and File Layouts
View statewide PFT data with file layout.

PFT 2011-12 News Release (November 15, 2012)

San Joaquin County Office of Education PFT Results

District Reports

PFT district coordinators can access downloadable district data files from San Joaquin County Office of Education including individual student reports (ISRs). Please note access to this site requires login and password.

Contact Information

California Department of Education
Assessment Development and Administration Division
1430 N Street, Suite 4409
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-9449
E-mail: pft@cde.ca.gov

Questions: High School and Physical Fitness Assessment Office | pft@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-9449

UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactions | GothamSchools

UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactions | GothamSchools:

UFT lawsuit pushes back on education department redactions

by Philissa Cramer, at 2:00 pm

A page from a batch of Department of Education emails released in June was almost completely redacted when it was released in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. The UFT is suing over the scope of the department's redactions.

The city teachers union wants the Department of Education to justify withholding large swaths of information in emails it released to the union earlier this year.

The UFT announced today that it is filing a lawsuit charging that the department redacted more than it should have when it fulfilled a union request for internal emails earlier this year.

The emails were the target of a May 2010 Freedom of Information Law request by the UFT. The union wanted to see the communication exchanged between top department officials and charter school supporters in late 2009 and early 2010, a period when legislators were under pressure to lift the cap on the number of charter schools in the state.

The department did not quickly release the emails, saying that the request was too broad when it deferred the request each month. In April, two years after first asking for the emails, the union filed suit over the delay, and shortly after that, the department started releasing the emails in sections.

The emails shed some light on the department’s internal communications and showed that then-Chancellor Joel Klein kept close tabs on legislative advocacy around charter schools. But to a significant extent, they

USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants – NSAC

For Immediate Release: USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants – NSAC:

USDA Announces First-Ever Round of Farm to School Grants

Washington, DC November 14, 2012 – Today USDA announced the recipients of the first-ever round of Farm to School Grants. The awards span 68 projects in 37 States and the District of Columbia and total $4.5 million in funding.

“By increasing purchases of local farm products, schools provide lucrative market opportunities for farmers and ranchers, expand access to fresh foods for schoolchildren, and stimulate community economic development,” explains Helen Dombalis, NSAC Policy Associate. “The Farm to School Grants are a crucial step, and must be combined with legislation in the Farm Bill, in order to fully realize the economic potential of farm to school programs.”

The Farm to School Grant Program provides competitive grants to schools, nonprofits, state and local agencies, agricultural producers, and Indian tribal organizations to increase local food procurement for school meal programs and to expand educational agriculture and gardening activities. There are two types of awards: planning grants for doing the homework needed in advance of starting a farm to school program and implementation grants to start or advance an existing program. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) worked with the National Farm to School Network and other partners to win a total of $40 million in mandatory funding for the new program in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

NSAC Members Receive Awards

In this first round, three NSAC member organizations received implementation grants.

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) received a two-year $100,000 grant to launch the Sonoma County Farm to School Program. Exemplifying the community engagement that farm to school programs foster, the comprehensive project will be conducted in partnership with the county’s Department of Health Services and Santa Rosa City School, among others. Notes Diana Abellera, CAFF Regional Food System Director, “After nearly a decade of working on farm to school programs, we are thrilled to now have the resources to build a sustainable program that can benefit students and growers across the entire county as a result of institutional and systemic changes.”

Based in Milwaukee, Growing Power received a grant for $99,868 for its project Farm Fresh toMilwaukee Public Schools. The project will not only provide children with curriculum‐based education on urban sustainable food systems but will also facilitate procurement of more locally produced food for the state’s largest public school system, of which 82.6 percent of the student population is low-income.

Michigan Land Use Institute (MLUI) received $100,000 over two years for implementing its projectScaling Up: Healthy Kids & Thriving Farms. A highly collaborative project, other partners include schools in eight districts, a group of farmers eager to meet school needs, the region’s Intermediate School District, Michigan State University Extension, and other committed community partners in the Northwest Michigan Food & Farming Network. Explains MLUI Senior Policy Specialist Diane Conners, “The grant fills crucial gaps in northwest Lower Michigan. It will provide important lessons for rural farm to school programs nationwide by showing how rural districts can collaborate with each other, community partners, farmers, and other supply chain partners to scale up local food procurement.”

Farm to School by the Numbers

As of 2010, every state in the US has at least one farm to school program, however the exact number of programs is currently unknown. A new Farm to School Census being administered by USDA will soon reveal this much-needed data. We do know that with over 14,000 school districts throughout the country, there are many communities still to benefit from farm to school programming.

Today’s awards – 32 planning and 36 implementation grants – will reach over 3,200 schools serving 1.75 million American schoolchildren. Demonstrating the demand for farm to school programs and the eventual need for additional funding for the grant program, USDA received 365 applications – 230 for implementation grants and 135 for planning grants – but is only able to fund a total of 18.6 percent of proposed projects.

Farm Bill Reauthorization

Along with its farm to school advocacy in the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization, NSAC is calling on Congress to further farm to school programming through the farm bill. Included in the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act, NSAC proposes flexibility in commodity programs that would enable more local food procurement in school meal programs. While the Senate-passed bill includes a more general farm to school pilot program, the House Agriculture Committee-passed bill specifically authorizes schools with low annual commodity entitlement values to start making their own food purchases, provided USDA determines this would yield reduced administrative costs. Additionally, the House bill would create demonstration projects in at least 10 schools to test alternatives to USDA food distribution through farm to school procurement models.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board:

Reason No. 54 why we need an elected school board

by Mike Klonsky

If you're looking for another reason to replace the mayor's hand-picked school board with an elected one, look no further than yesterday's school board meeting. CPS board meetings continue to be a place where citizens come for their monthly share of abuse. Yesterday it was CTU Recording Secretary Michael Brunson being insulted and yelled at by a vitriolic board president, David Vitale.

As Brunson got up to speak, Vitale, had the nerve to accuse him and the CTU of "spreading lies" and "threatening and intimidating the board" as the union, along with parents and community groups attempt to stop the board's arbitrary school closings in under-served neighborhoods.

"If you want us to continue to act civilly to you, you need to act civilly to us," Vitale said

Wait! What! This coming from the former bank president who was even booted from his position as head of the

Teaching Democracy

by Mike Klonsky

There was a good turnout of students and faculty Monday night at Lake Forest College, to hear Deborah Meierspeak on the topic of "Democracy is more complicated than rocket science: So why don't we teach about it?" Wow! That's a brainfull.

Here's my headline of the week. It says a lot.

The growth of charter schools

NYT reports that between 2010-11 and 2011-12, the number of students in charter schools increased close to 13 percent, to just over two million.

New Orleans, where the city’s schools were essentially destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, leads the nation in the proportion of students in charter schools, at 70 percent. But in six other districts, including Detroit, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, more than 30 percent of public school students

SI&A Cabinet Report – Teacher effectiveness study aims to help LAUSD close achievement gaps

SI&A Cabinet Report – News & Resources:

Teacher effectiveness study aims to help LAUSD close achievement gaps
By Kimberly Beltran
Thursday, November 15, 2012

Even small variations in teacher effectiveness can have great impact on student learning, equating to months-long differences in the amount of instruction pupils receive according to a new study released Wednesday.

Researchers from Harvard University identified teacher effectiveness patterns in the Los Angeles Unified School District in an effort to quantify some of those impacts and provide insight for improving academic achievement.

Using some six years of district data – including analysis of student test scores to measure teacher effectiveness – researchers at the Strategic Data Project at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard revealed a number of key findings about practices in teacher assignment, recruitment and retention.

Included in the SDP findings: Novice teachers are too often assigned to students who are already behind academically – perpetuating the achievement gap; teachers recruited through the Career Ladder and Teach For America programs are more effective than the typical novice teacher, and National Board Certification is a stronger indicator of effectiveness than an advanced degree.

Researchers also observed that LAUSD has a wide variance in teacher effectiveness, implying that there is a

LAO delivers cheerful economic outlook – deficits covered, debts repaid

In as rosy an economic forecast as California has received in more than a decade, the non-partisan Legislative Analyst predicted Wednesday lawmakers would be in a position to not only meet ongoing K-12 education needs over the next five years but also to pay down some $13 billion in debt obligations owed schools.

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Seattle Education

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables | Seattle Education:

Part 3: High Stakes Testing and Opting Out: The Variables

by seattleducation2011

The Variables

High stakes testing has ramifications including ending careers and affecting communities by closing schools. Hence, we need to look carefully at the variables that might affect a student’s performance on a test.

Teachers and principals do not work in a vacuum. They have students with lives outside school. Students live in a real world. The real world affects how they behave and their ability to focus in class. These factors include:

English being a second language
The physical and emotional health of the student
If the student has had enough to eat or adequate time to sleep
If there are distracting circumstances at home
If the student has a home
If the student is supported by tutors or parents who can

John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

John Thompson: Baseball Analogies Prone to Errors

by Anthony Cody

Guest post by John Thompson.
Chad Alderman's "If the Yankees Used 'First-In, Last-Out'..." is much too typical of the contemporary school "reform" movement. Like so many accountability hawks, Alderman loves to expound on topics that he knows well, but he reveals very little understanding of real life conditions in schools. This sincere advocate for students writes at length about what would happen to the Yankees if they inexplicably adopted the seniority system. He says nothing about schools or his reasons for believing that his baseball analogy is appropriate.
Of course, it would be just as absurd for major league sports to adopt education's work rules as it has been for school system to adopt the practices of hedge funds, as they pretend that data-driven accountability is a valid system for improving students' "outcomes." But, Alderman raises a fair point. What would happen if professional baseball adopted the top down methods of school "reform?"
What would happen if the baseball commissioner tried a baseball version of Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants and decreed that, henceforth, all personnel decisions be driven by a simplistic statistical

More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet | ED.gov Blog

More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet | ED.gov Blog:

More than 500 Colleges Agree to Adopt Financial Aid Shopping Sheet

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Arne Duncan

I am pleased to announce that more than 500 colleges and universities (.xls), enrolling more than 2.5 million undergraduate students (thirteen percent of all undergrads), have committed to adopting the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet during the 2013-2014 school year.

An example of the information on the Shopping Sheet

The adoption of the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet is a big win for students already attending these institutions and those who are considering enrolling. The Shopping Sheet provides a standardized award letter allowing students to easily compare financial aid packages and make informed decisions on where to attend college. Students and their families now have a clear, concise way to see the cost of a particular school.

The Obama administration introduced the Shopping Sheet in July, and to coincide with the release, Isent a letter to college and university presidents asking them to adopt the Shopping Sheet as part of their financial aid awards starting in the 2013-14 school year.

I applaud the institutions that have agreed to adopt the Shopping Sheet, and hope more colleges and universities follow their example in offering students and families an easy-to-read award letter that delivers the bottom line on college costs.

Learn more about the Shopping Sheet here, and, if you’re an institution interested in adopting the Shopping Sheet for your students, or have questions about adopting it, please contactShoppingSheet@ed.gov.

Arne Duncan is Secretary of Education.

North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online « Student Activism

North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online « Student Activism:

North Carolina Makes it a Crime for Students to “Torment” School Employees By Putting Their Photos Online

by Angus Johnston

Superintendent Heath Morrison
(still legal in CA)

A new North Carolina law makes it a crime for any student to, “with the intent to intimidate or torment a school employee,”

a. Build a fake profile or Web site.

b. Post or encourage others to post on the Internet private, personal, or sexual information pertaining to a school employee.

c. Post a real or doctored image of the school employee on the Internet.

Story time.
When I was in tenth grade, my school’s principal ordered the installation of several video cameras at the school’s entrances (and, if memory serves, in certain hallways). The year was 1984, and I was pretty bookish for a juvenile delinquent, so I ran off a handful of 8.5 by 11 posters bearing her photo and the message “BIG SISTER

New CSU Chancellor Requests, and Receives, a Pay Cut

by Angus Johnston

When incoming Cal State system chancellor Timothy P. White takes office at the end of the year, he’ll be making about $40,000 less than his predecessor.
That’s because White, in a letter to the CSU trustees, requested a 10% pay cut as his contribution to balancing the system’s books.
White’s salary reduction doesn’t apply to other top administrators in the CSU system, of course, and amounts to just one fifty-thousandth of the system’s state appropriations for the coming year, so assessing whether it’s a

Shanker Blog » Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling?

Shanker Blog » Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling?:

Are Stereotypes About Career And Technical Education Crumbling?

by Randall Garton

The stereotypes, bias, and misunderstanding that have for many decades surrounded and isolated Career and Technical Education (CTE) may slowly be crumbling. A recent report by the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) argues that traditional CTE typology — the way in which CTE students are identified and classified — is obsolete. The distinctions between “CTE” students and “academic” students are no longer useful. Today, nearly all high school students, including the highest achieving academic-track students, enroll in some CTE courses.
Moreover, a significant number of students complete “high intensity” CTE courses as well as academic courses, in patterns that cross SES lines. In order to understand the contemporary high school experience, these researchers argue, we need a new typology based on the reality of today’s classroom, students, and curricula.
The October 2012 study, “A Typology for Understanding the Career and Technical Education Credit-taking Experience of High School Students,” proposes a new, more nuanced classification system — one the authors believe would more accurately capture the high school experience and needs of today’s students. The

It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job? Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job?:

It’s McTeachers night!!! Want fries with that other thankless job?

by admin

McDonald’s chairman Andrew J McKenna, why not just DO YOUR FAIR SHARE and fund schools adequately so that teachers don’t have to pay for school supplies out of their own pockets? Do you really expect teachers to appreciate this latest effort to pretend that you support public schools, while you sit on the board of New Schools for Chicago, which promotes school closings and replacement with privatized charter schools? When from 2004 until 2008 McDonald’s Corporation and Ronald McDonald House Charities donated over a million dollars to the Renaissance Schools Fund which funded Mayor Daley’s dismantling of over 60 neighborhood schools?
But no, apparently you would rather further humiliate teachers by putting them in your little paper hat and behind your greasy counter.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carrie Woltman, Porter Novelli carrie.woltman@porternovelli.com 312-552-6303

CHICAGO AREA TEACHERS TO WORK AT McDONALD’S® ON McTEACHER’s NIGHTS

Chicago Area McDonald’s Host Unique Fundraising Events to Raise Funds for Local Schools

CHICAGO, IL (November 12, 2012) – Chicago area teachers and school administrators will be working at local McDonald’s restaurant during a week-long fundraising initiative to help supplement education budgets at local schools. Beginning November 12th through November 16th, participating McDonald’s restaurants in Chicago and Northwest Indiana will donate a percentage of sales made between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to local schools. Residents are encouraged to visit one of the neighborhood McDonald’s restaurants listed below to support schools in their area.

“McDonald’s strives to be a good neighbor by hosting programs that support students and educators in our local communities” said Janet Karavites, McDonald’s Owner Operator. “McTeacher’s Nights are great fundraising opportunities that allow teachers and students to work together.”

The Chicago area McTeacher’s Night activities are part of a weeklong Educator Initiative taking place November 12-16th, and spanning across McDonald’s Restaurants in three states – Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. McDonald’s restaurants across the region are joining together to support their local schools and communities.

As part of the McTeacher’s Night program, teachers are able to work the registers at McDonald’s, provide tours of the kitchen, decorate the restaurant with school colors, and invite school mascots to attend the event. The program represents all grades in public, private and parochial schools.

McDonald’s has a rich heritage of being a good community partner, and a long-standing commitment to supporting education. McTeacher’s Nights provide communities a chance to support their local schools while they enjoy a great tasting, quality meal at McDonald’s.

LIST OF PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

LOCATION   DATE
11110 W. 31st. St. Westchester, IL   Nov. 12
7915 E. Ridge Rd. Hobart, IN   Nov. 13
5130 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL   Nov. 13
3241 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL   Nov. 13
4601 W. Diversey Ave. Chicago, IL   Nov. 13
164 Pine Lake Ave. La Porte, IN   Nov. 13
10 W. Biesterfield Elk Grove Village, IL   Nov. 13
515 Ridge Rd. Munster, IN   Nov. 13
774 E. Rollins Rd. Round Lake Beach, IL   Nov. 13
9449 W. Irving Park Rd. Schiller Park, IL   Nov.14
740 E. 47th St. Chicago, IL   Nov. 14
8611 S. Harlem Ave. Bridgeview, IL   Nov. 14
6740 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL   Nov. 14
1380 W. Lake St. Chicago, IL   Nov. 14
3560 N. Cicero Ave. Chicago IL,   Nov. 14
8460 Dempster Ave. Niles, IL   Nov. 14
19 N. 694 Rt. 20 Hampshire, IL   Nov. 14
840 NW Highway Fox River Grove, IL   Nov. 14
704 E. Main St. Genoa, IL   Nov. 14
125 S. Randall Rd. Algonquin, IL   Nov. 14
10711 Rt. 47 Huntley, IL   Nov. 14
200 W. Grant Hwy. Marengo, IL   Nov. 14
4550 N. Cumberland Chicago, IL   Nov. 15
2350 N. Central Chicago, IL   Nov. 15
5130 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL   Nov. 15
3241 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL   Nov. 15
1951 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL   Nov. 15
350 E. St. Charles Rd. Elmhurst, IL   Nov. 15
190 E. Butterfield Elmhurst, IL   Nov. 15
1004 W. Wilson Ave. Chicago, IL   Nov. 16
2350 N. Central Chicago, IL   Nov.16
2900 W. 81st Ave. Merrillville, IN 46410   Nov. 15
3639 169th St. Hammond, IN 46323   Nov. 12
2400 W. Lincoln Hwy. Olympia Fields, IL 60461   Nov. 12
72 Stratford Square Drive. Bloomingdale, IL 60108   Nov. 13

About MOCNI
McDonald’s Owners of Chicago and Northwest Indiana represent more than 100 owner/operators and nearly 500 restaurants throughout the greater Chicagoland region, including stores as far north as Gurnee, west as Marengo, south as Watseka and east to Northwest Indiana. MOCNI manages and facilitates all marketing, sports, community relations, educational and philanthropic programs throughout the region, and is responsible for implementing and maintaining consistency at every Chicagoland restaurant. Visit MOCNI’s social media outlets: Twitter: @McD_Chicago and@McD_NWIndiana and Facebook: facebook.com/McDonalds

Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied | OregonLive.com

Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied | OregonLive.com:

Preschool aggression: Tips for helping the bullies and the bullied

by Helen Jung, The Oregonian

A child who is aggressive and a child who is submissive both need to build the emotional muscle that helps them navigate the snake pit that is preschool.

Paramount PicturesFrom left, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried portrayed three high school friends in the "Plastics" clique in the 2004 movie, "Mean Girls."

Remember the movie, Mean Girls? Back before 30 Rock made Tina Fey a household name and before fame turned Lindsay Lohan into a punchline?

Well, picture Mean Girls, mini-me edition. Instead of Queen Bee Regina forbidding Gretchen to wear hoop earrings because they are *her* thing, you have one preschooler taunting another that "I'm not inviting you to my birthday party."

It might not seem all that serious. I mean, it's not what you would call "bullying," right?

Wrong, says Kerry Kelly Novick, a child and adolescent psychoanalyst, and co-author with her husband of "Emotional Muscle: Strong Parents, Strong Children." Bullying can in fact occur among young children and isn't something that kids will just grow out of, she said. "They need grown-up help."

It's not just girls, either. While girls will form cliques and exclude other girls, boys often engage in a more physical form of bullying, she said.

First things first. Why is this happening among kids so young?

Kids at this age are developing different skills at different speeds, said Dr. Ajit Jetmalani, head of child and adolescent psychiatry at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Some may have

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Thursday, November 15, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Chair Wins Big In California!

Education Headlines

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Lodi Unified parents, students propose PE waiver program

Lodi Unified is the only large school district in San Joaquin County that does not allow student athletes to waive a second year, or 10 credits, of PE if they have extensive participation in athletics.

San Dieguito bond measure within a hair of passing

The latest round of ballots counted by the Registrar of Voters show a bond proposition in the San Dieguito Union High School District close to passing, while other bond measures in Del Mar and MiraCosta Community College District were mostly unchanged.

Monterey County schools begin to implement new standards

This educational shift — the standards have been adopted in 45 states — is not only inspiring educators, but advocates of English learners, who believe Common Core presents an opportunity to address their needs more fully.

University City High will refund football fees

University City High School will refund $1,500 to parents who were told by the school’s football program that they had to purchase $300 in equipment for their children to play football, which the state constitution prohibits.

San Pasqual Superintendent Gary Wilson to retire in March

San Pasqual Union School District Superintendent and Principal Gary Wilson has announced he will retire in March.

Roseville high school trustees revise student publication policy

The board of the Roseville Joint Union High School District voted Tuesday to revise a controversial policy that sparked a First Amendment debate after its approval last month.

Twin Rivers board to vote on contract with law firm

Twin Rivers Unified School District trustees will vote tonight on a contract with a new law firm and whether to spend $200,000 for a forensic audit of billings from its outgoing law firm.

Frustration mounts for Antioch teachers over pay

A growing number of Antioch Unified teachers are voicing their displeasure about not receiving pay raises despite the district having a sizable reserve fund.

Rosenblatt: Look under a different lamp post for keys to fix our schools

Of course there are many problems, including the poor way we recruit, hire, evaluate, and pay teachers and our slow adoption of a true 21st Century Learning environment. But rarely does anyone mention poverty and income inequality in the U.S.

Superintendent John Deasy's $17.5M request for computer tablet funds nixed

The panel that oversees spending of Los Angeles Unified's bond revenue on Wednesday refused Superintendent John Deasy's request for nearly $17.5 million to jump-start the purchase of computer tablets for every student.

Fensterwald: Los Angeles tops nation in charter school enrollment

More students from Los Angeles Unified attend charter schools than from any other district in America – by far. The 98,576 students who enrolled in charters last year, up a significant 24 percent from 2010-11,

Fensterwald: Analysis shows differences in teacher effectiveness in LAUSD

In Los Angeles Unified, novice teachers tend to be assigned students who are academically farther behind those assigned to experienced teachers. Before they depart, usually after only two years, Teach for America teachers have a bigger impact on students than that of other new teachers. And National Board Certified teachers significantly outperform other teachers in LAUSD.

Baron: Soon no more seeing red in state education funding, says LAO

Funding for California schools through Proposition 98 is heading up, even though the state’s general fund will still be facing a small deficit over the next couple of years. That’s according to the latest budget forecast released yesterday by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO).

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