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Friday, March 7, 2014

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-7-14

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:







A “sham” perpetrated by “snake oil salesmen”: RESEARCH QUESTIONS COMMON-CORE CLAIMS BY PUBLISHERS
By Benjamin Herold and Michele Molnar- Education Week http://bit.ly/1n3CWyl William Schmidt, a professor of statistics and education at Michigan State University, said many claims by textbook publishers that their materials are aligned with the Common Core State Standards are a "sham." —Brian Widdis for Education Week Published Online: March 3, 2014 /in Print: March 5, 2014  :: 
by smf / 3min 
Sb 1174 - California Bill Would Repeal Bilingual Education Restrictions
Issue could surface on 2016 state ballot By Katie Ash - Education Week http://bit.ly/1kD9AF7 March 4, 2014  ::  A new bill that seeks to repeal California's long-running restrictions on bilingual education may be only the most recent signal of a shifting political climate around English-language-learner instruction in that state. California drew national attention in 1998 when voters
1 by smf / 26min hide  //  save
Co-location: NYC MAYOR ENDS SPACE SHARING FOR SOME CHARTER SCHOOLS
News in Brief By Katie Ash, Education Week | http://bit.ly/1g6Luis March 4, 2014  ::  New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week he is rescinding several existing agreements that allow charter schools to share space—or "co-locate"—in buildings with regular public schools. Nearly 700 charter students are expected to be affected. During last year's election campaign, Mr. de Bla
1 by smf / 43min 



Of Windmills ...And The Full Funding Of Idea
by Lee Funk, SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet http://bit.ly/1hUDvWx  “What giants?” asked Sancho Panza. “The ones you can see over there,” answered his master, “with the huge arms, some of which are very nearly two leagues long.” “Now look, your grace,” said Sancho, “
by smf / 6min 



SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS A DO-OVER, STATE PANEL TOLD - “Our kids aren’t disabled, our system is.”
By Jane Meredith Adams, EdSource Today http://bit.ly/1fLUISG March 6th, 2014  ::  Eight minutes into a public meeting on how to reform the state’s vast special education system, the woman who ran special education in California for nine years came up to the microphone. Alice Parker was blunt. “I wish I could have a ‘do-over’ for the 45 years I worked in special education,” Parker, who retired
1 by smf / 35min 


Do I Really Have To Buy Kleenex So My Kid Can Get A Better Grade?
“They have changed the way schools order from the District warehouse, and our computers don't support the ordering software.”  What about the Smarter Balanced test? L.J. Williamson | Off-Ramp | kpcc 89.3 | http://is.gd/TC0hio Carol/tomylees/Flickr Creative Commons  ::  Writer L.J. Williamson was asked to buy five boxes of facial tissues for her son's class in exchange for 100 points
by smf / 12min  
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit 3-6-14
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: 3 stories+an editorial: THE NEW SAT ...from the same wonderful purveyors of ®eform who brought you the Common Core StandardsGone are the essay, the SAT “vocab words” and a focus on literature and writing. Science remains untested. The College Board President admits that high school grades are a better predictor of college success than standardized test
by mike simpson / 18h 
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Of windmills and full funding of IDEA :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Of windmills and full funding of IDEA :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet:





Of windmills and full funding of IDEA
MARCH 07, 2014

Of windmills and full funding of IDEA

by Lee Funk

Demonstrating that the spirit of Cervantes lives on, the National Council on Disability and a bipartisan group of 130 members of Congress urged support for full federal funding of special education in advance of the administration’s release of the proposed 2015 budget earlier this week.
Once again it seems, the windmill won – neither the 2014 budget nor President Barack Obama’s spending plan for the succeeding year moved the dial.
When Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 (which upon renewal in the 1990s became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) legislators made a commitment to pick up 40 percent of the excess cost for special education. That percentage – commonly referred to as “full funding” for special education was to be phased in over five years to become a reality in 1981.
But to date, the federal government has never picked up more than 18.5 percent of the tab. Almost 40 years after the fact, neither successive congressional bodies nor administrations have fulfilled the original promise – not even half way.
The 2014 federal budget deal signed in December, fell short of meeting that long standing goal. Even with an increase of $500 million over the 2013allocation, because sequestration was in effect that year, current funding is below the amount allocated in 2012. So there is the appearance of forward motion when, in fact, there is actual slippage.
Obama’s newest budget proposal doesn’t improve on it much – adding $100 million to this year’s allocation. But, on a per student basis, that’s just $17 more. In fact the plan places the federal share 
 
Congressman takes leadership role in STEM project
CA – Congressman Jerry McNerney, who represents California’s 9th District and serves on the House Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Caucus, has joined the advisory board of STEM Learning Opportunities Providing Equity, an endeavor supported by a federal Investing in Innovation grant.
by Tom Chorneau / 51min

Law would encourage youth sports background checks
(Calif.) Lawmakers are set to consider legislation that would further encourage youth athletic programs to undertake criminal background checks of participating adults.
by Tom Chorneau / 51min
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SKrashen: Let's do some critical thinking

SKrashen: Let's do some critical thinking:



Let's do some critical thinking

Let's do some critical thinking
Sent to the Denver Post, March 7.


The Douglas County school superintendent says that students should not just "compare and contrast" but "create and evaluate" and engage in critical thinking ("Educators to state: Let's go above common core," March 6).

Agreed. 

Let's start by evaluating whether we should have common core standards and tests at all. 

How many policy makers are aware of these facts? 
(1) US students do very well on international tests when we control for poverty: There is no crisis.
(2) 23% of our children live in poverty.
(3) Poverty means lack of good food, lack of health care and little or no access to books. All of these have a devastating impact on school performance.

Now let's do some critical thinking and evaluate this proposal: We can protect children from the effects of poverty with improved food programs, more school nurses and investing in libraries for a fraction of what we are about to spend on the common core, especially online testing. This will improve school achievement as well as the quality of life for millions of students.

Stephen Krashen

Original article: http://www.denverpost.com/dougco/ci_25273289/educators-lets-go-above-common-core
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3-7-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:







Lupita’s Oscar used as marketing tool for IB school program
How’s this for innovative marketing? The  International Baccalaureate® is a non-profit educational foundation that offers several intellectually challenging programs for students from the ages of 3 to 19 that are used in schools around the world. In the United States, there are some 1,495 schools that offer one or more of the IB programs, and there […]    
3 by Valerie Strauss / 2h 


They still don’t get it: Obama’s new Race to the Top contest for ‘equity’
They still don’t get it. The Obama administration still apparently thinks — despite evidence to the contrary — that it can achieve “educational equity” by holding a contest with winners and losers. When the $4.35 billion Race to the Top was first announced in 2009 as the administration’s chief education initiative, it was promoted as […]    
2 by Valerie Strauss / 46min  
3-6-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Grieving mom takes on state education commissioner over testing disabled studentsI recently wrote about a bizarre open letter to teachers that Education Commissioner Pam Stewart released that accused people who want a change in standardized testing requirements for severely disabled students of launching a political attack on the department. Stewart’s missive followed testimony b
by mike simpson / 20h
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3-7-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD

LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District):







LA Unified District 1 special election narrows to 9 candidates
The original field of 13 candidates vying for the vacant LA Unified school board seat just got smaller. Thirteen candidates had expressed interest in the District 1 race, but at the 5 p.m. deadline today, only nine filed the required petitions to qualify to appear on the ballot. The June 3 special election was called after longtime school board member, Marguarite LaMotte died in office. The nine w
5 1h 
School board race gets ugly with accusations of resume padding
Genethia Hudley-Hayes, Candidate for School Board The race for LA Unified’s open board seat took a dramatic turn today as Alex Johnson’s campaign accused a rival, Genethia Hudley-Hayes, of “deliberately falsifying” her academic credentials. Roy Behr, Johnson’s political consultant, said research into her background found discrepancies in her resume and, in a meeting yesterday with his counterpart
3 by Michael Janofsky / 2h 

Teacher in Vergara trial blames student for performing poorly
Vickie Decker For the second time this week, the defense in Vergara vs. California today turned to a teacher characterized as “ineffective” by a plaintiff in the case to show a starkly different picture. Vickie Decker, a middle school math teacher, refuted assertions by Jose Macias, the father of student plaintiff, Julia Macias, who had claimed in earlier testimony that Decker was harmful to his d
3 by Mark Harris / 9min


As deadline nears, only 3 have qualified for District 1 race
With the 5 pm deadline just hours away, only three of the 13 candidates who expressed an interest in running for the vacant District 1 LA Unified board seat have qualified for the ballot. By the close of business yesterday, according to the city clerk’s office, George McKenna, Sherlett Newbill and Alex Johnson have submitted the required signature petitions and fees to qualify for the June 3 speci
2min hide  //  save
Morning Read: Budget cuts push young teachers out
New teachers scarce after state funding cuts Young teachers have become far more scarce in California classrooms after school districts slashed their budgets to survive the recession. From 2008 to 2013, California saw a 40 percent drop in teachers with less than six years’ experience, according to a Sacramento Bee review of state data. Sacramento Bee  California school spending goal would cost $3
2min 
3-6-14 LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD
LA School Report - What's Really Going on Inside LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District): E4E poses questions, 10 candidates for union chief answerEducators 4 Excellence, a teacher advocacy group comprised of members of the Los Angeles teachers union, UTLA, has developed an interactive election guide focusing on the 10 candidates running for UTLA president. The guide poses four questions and p
by mike simpson / 22h 
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Defend-Ed | because our future is worth fighting for

Defend-Ed | because our future is worth fighting for:









Kids For Cash

BY THE EDITOR
For-profit juvenile jails, corrupt judges, zero-tolerance public school policies; they’re all part of the school-to-prison pipeline. A new film documents one judge who was sentenced to 28 years in prison for selling our children to a private jail.

The Role of Poverty in School Success

BY DR. BOB VALIANT, SR.
U.S. policy initiatives to improve the U.S. education system are misguided because they deny evidence documenting that students from disadvantaged households perform less well in school than those from more advantaged families.

What Happened to Dump Duncan?

BY THE EDITOR
DumpDuncan.org was a website that ran from 2011-2014. It was created as a project of the Dump Duncan group on Facebook. DumpDuncan.org was reformed as Defend-Ed.org in January, 2014. Read why.
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Billionaires co-opt minority groups into campaign for education reform | Cloaking Inequity

Billionaires co-opt minority groups into campaign for education reform | Cloaking Inequity:



Billionaires co-opt minority groups into campaign for education reform

handshake
Under the mantra of civil rights, billionaires such as Eli Broad, Bill Gates and the Koch Brothers and the powerful corporate-funded lobby group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are using venture philanthropy and the political process to press for school reforms in the United States.
The ongoing Vergara law case in California in which nine students are suing the state over teacher tenure laws, is backed by Student Matters, a non-profit that has received donations from the Broad Foundation and the Walton Foundation, run by the Walton family that founded supermarket chain Wal-Mart.
The driver behind the case is a campaign to loosen labour rules in order to make it easier to fire “bad” teachers, under the argument that their presence discriminates against disadvantaged children. Opponents of the case argue that it is a blatant attempt to change the conversation from the realities of California’s divestment in education — the state is 46th in the nation in spending per student in 2010-11, and 50th in the number of students per teacher.
What these organisations and other others such as the the Koch brothers, Bradley Foundation, Heritage Foundation, Students First and Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education – all supposedly supporters of school reform – have as a common denominator is a vision of a profit-based market approach to education.
School vouchers are one of the primary education reform policy approaches pressed by the billionaires and the business lobby. Voucher programs, which provide public funding for students to attend private schools, have become more popular in the US in the past several decades.
Most existing school voucher programs in the US have been small-scale and targeted at low-income students, such as the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program, and the 
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FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, March 7, 2014

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:



A Great Divide: The Election Fight for California's Schools | California Progress Report


Education Headlines

Friday, March 7, 2014
FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Kern HSD teachers reach deal to get salary raises

The Kern High School District and its teachers union reached a tentative contract agreement Wednesday that would include the first on-schedule salary raise for teachers since pre-recession years, according to an email obtained by The Californian Thursday.

Lincoln teachers, district still at odds

The Lincoln Unified School District and its teachers union are officially at an impasse in their contract negotiations, Superintendent Tom Uslan confirmed Wednesday evening.

Why is traffic at schools so jammed?

A proposed $19 million project across from Aliso Viejo Middle School has sparked new debate about an eternal issue: school traffic.

Teacher's arrest on sex abuse charges raises concerns about hiring practices

As shock spread Thursday about the arrest of a Richmond middle school teacher suspected of child sexual abuse, questions followed about how he landed a new teaching job at a public school even as police were investigating him on allegations that he had abused students from his previous school.

Modesto school board eyes cutting librarian positions, focusing on tech instruction

Modesto City Schools is poised to cut 29 full-time teaching positions for next year, including most elementary school librarians.

California releases child abuse identification and reporting guidelines for parents

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson on Wednesday issued new guidelines to help parents and guardians report suspected child abuse at schools.

California lawmaker wants to stop 'excessive' school superintendent pay

Prompted by reports in the Daily Breeze last month that the Centinela Valley Superintendent was paid $663,365 in total compensation as the top executive of the 6,637 student high school district, Torrance area state assemblyman Al Muratsuchi has introduced a bill that would prevent excessive school superintendent salaries.

Special education needs a ‘do-over,’ state panel told

Eight minutes into a public meeting on how to reform the state’s vast special education system, the woman who ran special education in California for nine years came up to the microphone. Alice Parker was blunt.

California school spending goal would cost $36 billion more

Representatives of the Education Coalition told a state Senate budget subcommittee Thursday that despite increases in school spending in the current state budget and promises of more in the next one, California still needs to spend much more money on education.

New teachers scarce after state funding cut

Young teachers have become far more scarce in California classrooms after school districts slashed their budgets to survive the recession.
Thursday, March 6, 2014

Temple City School Board elects interim superintendent

After unanimously voting to put the school superintendent on administrative leave last week, the city’s school board unanimously agreed on a replacement.

Rowland USD Superintendent Ruben Frutos to step down, search for new leader begins

After a tumultuous year, Superintendent Ruben Frutos has indicated he is willing to step down into his old position while the district searches for a replacement.The school district directed its staff Tuesday night to send out proposals for search firms to begin the process.

Bellflower teachers agree to tentative deal for raise

The Bellflower Teachers Association has reached a tentative contract agreement with the school district, ending months of contention between the two sides, union officials said this week.

Lodi Unified School District employees seek safer home visits

Child Welfare and Attendance advisers work diligently behind the scenes at Lodi Unified School District, knocking on doors to try to make contact with parents when phone calls and letters fail to reach them. However, CWA advisers say danger may lie behind those doors — especially those who work at district schools in North Stockton and make these home visits alone.

Chico school board decides to keep Citrus open

A divided Chico Unified School District board of trustees voted 3 to 2 to keep the school, located at Citrus and West Fourth avenues, open.

Baron: Proposed bill would provide $1.5 billion more for Common Core implementation

California school districts would receive another year of Common Core implementation funds under a bill introduced Wednesday by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord.

Fensterwald: Former superintendent backs tenure, layoff laws as defense opens in ‘Vergara’ lawsuit

A former superintendent of three school districts defended the current laws for granting teachers tenure, dismissing ineffective teachers and conducting layoffs based on seniority as the defense began in the Vergara vs California trial, the lawsuit putting employment protections for teachers on trial.

Newport-Mesa moves toward magnet-like schools

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has rolled out a plan that will set up its four high schools more like magnet schools, each with a different academic and artistic emphasis.

Report: Talega taxpayers benefiting from bond refinancing

Thousands of property-tax payers in San Clemente’s Talega community were not shortchanged when the Capistrano Unified School District refinanced $44.9 million in Mello-Roos bonds more than seven years ago, according to a new report by a consulting firm.

Sweetwater community favors waiver of election

The San Diego County Board of Education adopted criteria Thursday for changing the election system in the Sweetwater Union High School District and heard public comments about whether the issue should be put to voters.
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