Letter: California once a model on education - Oroville Mercury Register

Letter: California once a model on education - Oroville Mercury Register: "Letter: California once a model on education
Chico Enterprise-Record
Posted: 09/03/2009 01:03:28 AM PDT


Your paper recently reported upon a visit to our city of a Republican candidate for governor. Your story related that she said California ranked 48th among the states in education. I was not in attendance at the meeting but I am aware that funding for education in California ranks 48th. I think that achievement levels are much higher.
In the mid-1960s, funding for California education ranked fifth in the United States. California's education system was recoginized as one of the best. Responsibility for the decline in funding is to be shared by politicians of both parties.

— Charles Hodel, Chico"

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER ANNOUNCES NATION'S LARGEST STATE-SPONSORED GREEN JOBS TRAINING PROGRAM - September 1, 2009 Tuesday 4:31 PM EST - Building Design & Construction

GOV. SCHWARZENEGGER ANNOUNCES NATION'S LARGEST STATE-SPONSORED GREEN JOBS TRAINING PROGRAM - September 1, 2009 Tuesday 4:31 PM EST - Building Design & Construction:

"On behalf of the Los Angeles Trade Technical College I am very pleased to welcome all of you, obviously, to our college today as I said, this is the first day of the fall semester and to see firsthand why Trade-Tech is recognized as the community colleges' leader in clean and green workforce development. The tour today, in particular, was directed by our Dean of Academic Affairs and Workforce Development Leticia Barajas. Raise your hand there so we can you behind us. OK, and our Vice President for Workforce Development Marcy Drummond. So we want to thank them for that.

The tour was taken in one of our laboratories for the Alternative Fuels, Hybrid Technology and Low Emission Vehicle Technology Programs. In these programs students learn how to troubleshoot and repair new and emerging green or clean fuels technologies such as CNG, compressed gas, bio-diesel, LNG, ethanol and hybrids, where they learn the latest clean air technologies such as diesel, opacity testing and emission control devices."

California Chronicle | Budget Causes Unintended Losses for California's Lowest-Performing Schools

California Chronicle Budget Causes Unintended Losses for California's Lowest-Performing Schools:

"SACRAMENTO, CA — Senator Gloria Romero, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, announced she is prepared to introduce urgency legislation in order to correct a budget funding loss to the state´s lowest-performing schools. The funding loss, caused by a complicated funding swap in the recently enacted education budget, affects 139 school districts in California that receive Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) state funding.

'The budget has resulted in negative unintended financial consequences for our lowest-performing schools,' said Romero (D-East Los Angeles). 'We must work as expeditiously as possible to rectify the problem.'"

David B. Cohen and Alex Kajitani: Test scores poor tool for teacher evaluation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

David B. Cohen and Alex Kajitani: Test scores poor tool for teacher evaluation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"Education Secretary Arne Duncan is in Sacramento today to promote the new Race to the Top grant program, which offers a chunk of $4.5 billion in federal funds to states that meet federal guidelines, including a requirement to allow standardized test results to be used in individual teacher evaluations.

The link between test scores and teacher performance may seem obvious to the casual observer, but this is a case where appearances and intuition are misleading. As two of California's teachers – the 2009 California Teacher of the Year and a National Board-certified teacher – we urge Duncan and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to go back to school regarding the use of test scores for teacher evaluations."

Kevin Johnson: For $5 billion in federal money, put children first - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Kevin Johnson: For $5 billion in federal money, put children first - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"It's easy to look at the current state of affairs and feel disheartened. However, at this time, I feel hope. The words that Rahm Emanuel delivered to the U.S. Conference of Mayors ring in my head, 'Never let a serious crisis go to waste.' In the midst of this crisis in our state, we also have a huge opportunity. Race to the Top is that opportunity. It's the chance to address the severe funding shortage and, more importantly, to use the leverage of unprecedented federal dollars to enact important reforms. These reforms are ones that challenge the status quo, but ones that are desperately needed to improve the learning outcomes for kids."

Area schools score big on exam - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Area schools score big on exam - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The achievement gap doesn't seem to be much of a problem at the El Dorado Hills school. All racial subgroups passed the test at a rate of 92 percent and above. African American and Latino students passage rates were within five percentage points of white students on both tests. But not many are students of color. Of the 528 10th-graders who took the math test, for instance, only nine were African American and 31 were Latino."

Advice for Parents on Talking to Children About H1N1 Flu

Advice for Parents on Talking to Children About H1N1 Flu

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
Many experts have predicted that the H1N1 virus (swine flu) will hit schools and communities hard this fall. With a little prevention and awareness, parents can reduce the risk and severity of infection.

• Frequently Asked Questions About H1N1 Flu


• H1N1 Flu Overview


• Prevention & Treatment


• H1N1 Flu Vaccine


• H1N1 Flu & Schools


• H1N1 Flu Reported Cases


• La Influenza H1N1 ("el gripe porcina") es un virus que se propaga de persona a persona.

http://www.education.com/special-edition/swine-flu/

"Preventing the Spread of H1N1/Swine Flu in Your School

Thursday, September 24, 2009 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Webinar Registration

This free webinar, designed for families, educators and administrators, will offer tips, suggestions and information on how to prevent the spread of H1N1/swine flu in schools. Drs. Meg Fisher and Peter Wenger will provide expert advice. Dr. Fisher is a world renowned pediatric infectious disease consultant, and Dr. Wenger specializes in pediatric infectious diseases, immunizations and infection control. This is an opportunity that you do not want to miss! Get your friends to join too..."

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/866156699

SCUSD ONLINE FACILITY USE PERMIT SYSTEM New Web Site

Facility Permits

****** COMING SOON! - - SEPTEMBER 2009!! ******

The Facility Use Permits Office issues permits for use of our facilities. Facilities available for community use include auditoriums, multi-purpose rooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums, playing fields and classrooms.
Priorities for facility use are given to the following groups in the following order:

1. School / District / PTA Use
2. Joint-Use Agreement with City of Sacramento Parks & Recreation Agencies
3. Non-Profit Youth Organizations
4. Religious and Commercial Organizations

Ø All groups and individuals using our facilities must provide Certificates of Insurance evidencing $1 million of public liability and $1 million property damage coverage.

Ø All non-profit groups must provide a copy of IRS Form 501c (Certificate of Exempt Status) and copies of the groups constitution and by-laws.
Requests for permits must be submitted at least 15 working days prior to requested date, along with required insurance certificate, evidence of non-profit status, and payment in full, if applicable.

THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS.


If you have any questions, please contact the Facility Use Permits Office at (916) 643-9205.
Hours of operation: 8:00a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday

The Crush of Summer Homework

The Crush of Summer Homework - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

For many young Americans, going back to school might seem like rest and relaxation. In the last week before Labor Day, how many students across the country were racing to finish their summer homework, from “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” to math refresher exercises?

The pile of books and other vacation assignments appears to grow every year. Is all this homework beneficial or should children be given a break? An article in The Times on Sunday described a debate over assigned reading throughout the year. Some educators argue that students should be given wide latitude in deciding what they want to read, while others defended the “Moby-Dick” model. How should this issue be treated in summer, when some schools insist that everyone finish “The Old Man and the Sea,” while other schools say that “Gossip Girl” helps satisfy the requirement?

We asked some experts for their perspective, now that the summer homework is due.

Yudof’s Message - California Progress Report

Maybe the governor and legislature, its tax-cutting fanatics most of all, never knew the value of that asset. If they did, they seem to have long forgotten it. Or maybe they just don’t care.

Worse, the people who profess to be the state’s business leaders – the state Chamber of Commerce, the California Business Roundtable, and all the rest-- men and women who are supposed to be concerned about California’s economic vitality -- seem to be ignorant of it as well. When you hear from them these days, all they seem to be concerned about is, as Kerr put it, “low taxes and cheap labor.”

What’s most in jeopardy, not only at UC but at the California State University and at California’s 100-plus community colleges, which educate far and away the largest number of our students, is the investment in people, the crucial skilled workers, the educated citizens, on which California’s future depends. Even now, for a variety of reasons, a smaller percentage of its high school graduates go directly to college than all but two of the nation’s 20 largest states. In New York, some 75 percent of high school grads go directly to college. In California it’s fewer than 60 percent. It’s a terrible time to make college access and quality even scarcer.

A couple of weeks ago, Mark Yudof, the president of the University of California, came to Sacramento to remind the Capitol press corps – what’s left of it -- of some of those forgotten things and to chastise them both for their ignorance and their indifference.

“I don’t understand,” he said, “how it is that I receive visitors from Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Korea, who tell me how their nations aspire to build research universities modeled on the University of California.

High School Dropouts from Class of 2009 Represent Nearly $335 Billion in Lost Income | Alliance for Excellent Education

Washington, DC – If the high school students who dropped out of the Class of 2009 had graduated, the nation’s economy would have benefited from nearly $335 billion in additional income over the course of their lifetimes, according to a new issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education.

“As these findings show, the best economic stimulus is a high school diploma,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “Given the state of high schools in the United States, it is imperative that the nation focus attention on students most at risk of dropping out if it is to achieve long-term economic stability. In an Information Age economy, education is the main currency.”

Not only do high school dropouts earn less when they are employed, they are much more likely to be unemployed during the current economic recession, the brief finds. In July 2009, the unemployment rate for high school dropouts was 15.4 percent, compared to 9.4 percent for high school graduates, 7.9 percent for individuals with some college credits or an associate’s degree, and 4.7 percent for individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

According to the brief, The High Cost of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools, the average annual income for a high school dropout in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school graduate, a difference of $9,634. The impact on the country’s economy is less visible, but, as the brief demonstrates, cumulatively its effect is staggering.

WHAT LESSONS WILL OBAMA BE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN ON SEPTEMBER 8?

WHAT LESSONS WILL OBAMA BE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN ON SEPTEMBER 8?:

"WHAT LESSONS WILL OBAMA BE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN ON SEPTEMBER 8?

On September 8, President Obama is scheduled to deliver a national speech (via the web) to ALL public school children (K-12). Ostensibly, he plans to promote the importance of getting a good education. Below are excerpts from the letter the Secretary of Education has sent to all school principals:

Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.

This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation's school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

The “lesson plans” being put out by the Dept of Education for teachers to use before, during and after the speech read more like pure propaganda. (You can link to the DOE site info here: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html)"

New jail vs. money for new schools - CharlotteObserver.com

New jail vs. money for new schools - CharlotteObserver.com:

"Mecklenburg County commissioners agreed Tuesday to move ahead with plans for a new 1,700-bed jail, but they set up a tense debate for coming months: How to pay for that project without cutting back on money for school construction?

County leaders hope to open part of the jail on Spector Drive as soon as 2014.

The detention center is expected to cost an estimated $220 million to $240 million.

But meeting that goal probably will require commissioners to devote a major portion of construction spending in the short term on the jail, taking away from money that might otherwise pay for new schools, parks or libraries."

Comic Cosby lends help to Detroit schools - Education- msnbc.com

Comic Cosby lends help to Detroit schools - Education- msnbc.com:

"But Cosby made it clear that it would take more than his name and Bobb's dedication. He challenged parents to be more active in their children's education and ensure they get to school each day.

'We've got to really speak to parents — in a way they can understand — that the prison system is smiling, waiting on your child,' Cosby said.
Later, during a nearly half-hour performance at a district rally, Cosby praised Bobb's work.

'This man comes to Detroit like a hired gunfighter,' Cosby told several hundred parents and students at Henry Ford High School. 'He's going to get people who've been stealing from you.'"

The Answer Sheet - Stop Sending Sick Kids to School

I know that you had your excuses: Your son didn’t have fever when you dropped him off at school at 8 a.m.--even if the nurse says he has 102 degrees Fahrenheit an hour later... You thought your daughter was sneezing and coughing because of her allergies... It is sometimes hard to tell when your kid’s physical complaint is an excuse to get out of a test.

I believe all of that. And I also believe that some people will keep sending their kids to school sick even if the secretary of Health and Human Services personally comes to their door and begs them not to.

But for those of us who are capable of changing our behavior, this is the time. Here’s why:

--The government predicts that perhaps as much as half of the U.S. population could come down with the H1N1 virus strain, better known as the swine flu. That’s roughly twice as many people who usually get the flu during a regular season.

--The population most expected to be affected is between the ages of 5 and 24. That means, quite possibly, your kids.

--There is not yet a vaccine to combat this flu.

It is time—now—to plan for a situation in which your child stays home—either because of sickness or because his/her school has closed:

*If you work outside the home, find out what accommodations your employer is making; the government has asked businesses to be flexible.

*Figure out who can stay with your child if you can’t. Figure out who can take care of your kids if you get very sick.

*Ask your child’s teachers what plans are being made to allow students who are at home but not sick to do work.

*Ask teachers how they will accommodate kids who are sick and not well enough to do work.

L.A. charter schools get a chance to grow, but how big? -- latimes.com

L.A. charter schools get a chance to grow, but how big? -- latimes.com:

"But the mayor's team did not wait for a formal process to quietly take control of the Mendez Learning Center, a high school opening this fall in Boyle Heights. In an interview, Cortines said that he had opposed the hand-over but that school board President Monica Garcia, a Villaraigosa ally, had insisted on it.

'There was an end-run by the partnership,' the superintendent said. 'They found a way to . . . steal the school, and it's unfortunate.'

Cortines said the new procedures for taking charge of a school would establish rules that neither the mayor nor anyone else could circumvent.

The reform plan will be overseen by newly arrived district official Matt Hill, whose $160,000salary is paid by the foundation of philanthropist Eli Broad. Hill's staff expenses are likely to be covered in part by a $4.3-million grant from Los Angeles sports executive Casey Wasserman. Both donors have given money to charter schools, and Broad has said he hopes charters will gradually dismantle L.A. Unified, which he considers beyond hope for rapid improvement."

One inside formula would be based on 10 experimental pilot schools in the Pico-Union area.At these schools, for example, the teachers union has agreed to a process by which ineffective teachers, even tenured ones, can be removed. And principals must receive an annual vote of confidence from a school governing committee.No entity fought the reform plan harder than United Teachers Los Angeles. Union leaders characterized it as a right wing-inspired privatization scheme that could destabilize public education. They may yet file suit to stop it, but they have also urged teachers to participate."If we seize this chance, we could turn this destructive idea into a more promising one," UTLA President A.J. Duffy said in a bulletin to members. "It could be the mechanism by which we free schools from top-down control."

Parents upset over 'leftist propaganda' video

Parents upset over 'leftist propaganda' video - Salt Lake Tribune

A school principal has apologized for showing a video at an assembly that a politically conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."

Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.

Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks,
I Pledge poll
Should the video "I Pledge" be shown in an elementary school?
Yes?
No
smiling more, and caring for the elderly are noncontroversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research cross the line, some say.

New York Measuring Teachers by Test Scores - New York Times

New York Measuring Teachers by Test Scores - New York Times:

"The effort comes as educators nationwide are struggling to figure out how to find, train and measure good teachers. Many education experts say that until teacher quality improves in urban schools, student performance is likely to stagnate and the achievement gap between white and minority students will never be closed. Other school systems, including those in Dallas and Houston as well as in the whole state of Tennessee, are also using student performance and improvement as factors in evaluating teachers.

The United Federation of Teachers, the city’s teachers’ union, has known about the experiment for months, but has not been told which schools are involved, because the Education Department has promised those principals confidentiality.

Randi Weingarten, the union president, said she had grave reservations about the project, and would fight if the city tried to use the information for tenure or formal evaluations or even publicized it. She and the city disagree over whether such moves would be allowed under the contract."

Do charter schools help rural districts with 300 students? | Get Schooled

Do charter schools help rural districts with 300 students? Get Schooled:

"If you have time, take a look at this article from Education Week. The article examines how the Obama-Duncan education reforms will impact America’s rural schools and the 13 million students they serve.

A chief concern of rural educators is the administration’s emphasis on creating new charter schools to buoy student achievement. They say that some rural districts can barely fill their existing schools now, never mind afford to open new schools.

As an example, the article states: ”Denise Juneau, Montana’s superintendent of schools, in a July 28 letter to Mr. Duncan, formally objected to the federal department’s use of charter schools as one metric by which states will be judged. She pointed out that only 6 percent of her state’s school districts have student populations greater than 500, while 54 percent have enrollments of fewer than 100. The state doesn’t have charter schools, which are publicly funded but largely autonomous. ‘Montana’s rural context and economic status has made it challenging for many communities and the state to support the public schools we currently have, much less encourage the duplication of infrastructure a charter school would mean in most communities,’ wrote Ms. Juneau in the letter.”

The article also talks about a concern that I have — attracting top-of-the line teachers to rural schools. It’s great to urge the hiring of bright teachers and inspiring principals, but how do you entice them to rural districts?"