Schools to focus on kids most likely to get shot :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

Schools to focus on kids most likely to get shot :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education:

"Using a newfangled probability model, Chicago Public School officials have identified the 1,200 Chicago public high school students most likely to be gunshot victims -- and will direct millions in resources to help them this school year, Schools CEO Ron Huberman revealed Thursday.

'These kids are in trouble, and we need to help them,'' Huberman said as he unveiled a $30 million plan to stem the student shooting deaths that have traumatized the nation's third-largest school system for several years."

Special education: Public schools pressed to pay for private schooling -- chicagotribune.com

Special education: Public schools pressed to pay for private schooling -- chicagotribune.com:

"Parents of students with special needs have the right to seek reimbursement from their districts for private school tuition, even if they did not first try their public school's special education programs, according to the recent ruling.

'This is an extremely important decision,' said Matthew Cohen, a Chicago attorney who specializes in disability law. 'It makes it clear that school districts ... may be held legally liable for placements that the parents make on their own.'

The practical effect on districts is unclear. Some educators fear the ruling will strain already cash-strapped districts and pit parents against one another as they clash over scarce resources. But it's unlikely parents will flock to private schools because they have to pay the cost, then seek reimbursement."

Kent teachers' union to consider defying court order - Covington Reporter

Kent teachers' union to consider defying court order - Covington Reporter:

"The Kent Education Association Thursday afternoon announced it was giving the district 'one more opportunity to do the right thing' before making a decision whether or not to defy a court order to end their strike and return to school.

'We as educators know that students or school boards or districts need extra time to get it right,' KEA President Lisa Brackin Johnson.

The union called a membership meeting at Green River Community College Thursday in response to King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas's decision that their week-long strike was illegal under washington law.

Darvas ordered the union to law down their picket signs and go back to their classrooms beginning Tuesday, with students expected to arrive Wednesday."

Obama Plays Bait-and-Switch on "No Child Left Behind"

Obama Plays Bait-and-Switch on "No Child Left Behind":

"On the campaign trail, candidate Obama orated repeatedly, '... don't tell us that the only way to teach a child is to spend too much of the year preparing him to fill in a few bubbles on a standardized test,' and 'Tests should not be designed as punishment for teachers and students... Tests should support learning, not just accounting.'

Yet, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, an Obama basketball buddy from Chicago, recently announced the department's first big initiative: the 'Race to the Top' initiative, which will award $4.3 billion in federal grants 'to open the door to more charter schools and expand the use of student test scores for judging teachers,' per the New York Times."

Will California Use Student Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers?.

Will California Use Student Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers?. Category: News from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday September 03, 2009

“It takes more than the ability to fill in bubbles to be considered an educated person,” says Marty Hittleman from the California Federation of Teachers. He testified at the hearing that the test regimen in schools is not helpful to most students. “We believe that the emphasis on standardized tests is misplaced and destructive. Multiple-choice tests in math and reading do not address the real goals of education. Teaching to the test not only narrows the curriculum but attempts to destroy any love of learning. When tests drive the curriculum, instruction suffers.”

Hittleman acknowledges that the existing ways of evaluating teacher performance, including classroom visits and peer counseling and review, can stand improvement, but he believes that they are working pretty effectively. What needs much more attention, he argued before the committee, is the social context of education: “Any effort to close the achievement gap in our schools that does not address the conditions children grow up in is doomed to failure.… Until this country and this state close the gap in job opportunities at a livable wage, healthcare, and affordable housing, efforts for improvement in the schools will have limited success.”

Secretary of Education Duncan has stated that he wants to preserve only the positive contributions of “No Child Left Behind” to education. But witnesses before Senator Romero’s committee, including Patty Scripter and Debbie Look representing the California PTA, spoke of their concern about a possible continuation of policies that were so harmful to education during the Bush years. Just prior to the hearing, Scripter expressed her view that “Evaluation of teachers and students should be done at the local level and should be based on multiple criteria.” She and Look are skeptical about the use of test scores to get rid of incompetent teachers.

Senator Romero’s hearing has been only a first step in addressing the requirements being imposed on California schools by the Obama administration. Legislators in Sacramento will have to craft a federal grant application that reconciles—if that is possible—these new requirements with the critique being voiced by many California teachers and their allies.

Sacramento Press / U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosts town hall forum

Sacramento Press / U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hosts town hall forum:

"Duncan also addressed a question on how to engage parents to be a part of the learning process. 'Parents are always going to be kids' first teachers, and they're always going to be their most important teachers,' he said. 'When parent's aren't engaged or they're fighting the teachers, they're part of the problem.'

'We need to do as much as we can to challenge parents to meet us more than halfway,' he added."

US education chief urges Calif. to enact reforms - San Jose Mercury News

US education chief urges Calif. to enact reforms - San Jose Mercury News:

"U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Thursday urged California lawmakers to make education reforms or risk falling further behind the rest of the nation and losing out on a slice of $4.3 billion in federal stimulus money.

Duncan met with lawmakers from both parties at the state Capitol as they prepare to debate potential changes to California law. If enacted, some of the reforms would allow the state to compete for federal money under the Obama administration's $787 billion economic recovery plan.

The Race to the Top competition will reward states that are focused on education reforms. States that agree to expand public charter schools will be first in line for the money, along with those that allow performance pay for teachers based on student achievement, which is currently prohibited in California."

State urged to revamp evaluations - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

State urged to revamp evaluations - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's message was clear during his Thursday visit to Sacramento: California can either get on board or be left behind.
Duncan spoke about federal stimulus funds and education reform during stops at the state Capitol, a youth rally in Oak Park and a meeting of school officials and a public town hall meeting at the downtown library as part of the Sacramento Education Summit.

"Popular Comment
Yesterday's article described Hiram Johnson West's success with 100% passing the Cahsee. Part of their success stems from having a more rigorous admission process than other high schools. St. Hope didn't have that type of success even though it also is selective in who it keeps as a student. There is nothing magical about charter schools. Instead we should move to encourage more flexibility into the public school bureaucracy. Student test scores are impacted by too many factors out of the class room teacher's control to be used as an evaluation tool. Evaluate a teacher for things they control, are they prepared and do they establish a learning environment in their classroom, are they an active member of their school community, do they prepare and present good lessons, and opportunities for students to grow. You can't blame the teacher if the kids cut school, joined a gang or chose this year to use drugs. Who will teach inner city middle school if the tests impact salary?

-- JoeBarnett"

Sacramento City Unified's new chief is everywhere - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento City Unified's new chief is everywhere - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Nine days into the job, Raymond has raised school flags, cleaned up the grounds of a campus and held the first of what he says will be twice-monthly town-hall-style meetings with parents.

They also might see him on the first day of school Tuesday, when Raymond says he'll ride a school bus before and after school.
And he expects to see a lot more of parents, too."

As flu spreads, 13% of students out sick at Grass Valley High - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

As flu spreads, 13% of students out sick at Grass Valley High - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:


"About 300 students stayed home sick from Nevada Union High School this week, a number startling less for its size than its timing. Widespread illness doesn't usually hit during the first weeks of the school year, but public health officials say this year will probably be different because of the new flu spreading around the globe.

Roughly 13 percent of students at the Grass Valley high school were out sick Wednesday and Thursday. During the winter flu season, schools may see 15 percent of their students out sick, said Karen Milman, Nevada County's public health officer."

SCUSD Observer: Has anybody seen the facilities use agreement?

SCUSD Observer: Has anybody seen the facilities use agreement?

coopmike48 said...
...one of the worst things about civilization is, that anybody that gits a letter with trouble in it comes and tells you all about it and makes you feel bad, and the newspapers fetches you the troubles of everybody all over the world, and keeps you downhearted and dismal most all the time, and it's such a heavy load for a person.- Tom Sawyer Abroad

Learning to Roar

Learning to Roar Teaching Tolerance

In Puerto Rico, there is a saying: Somos cuatro gatos…miaou. In other words, how can we do anything? We are just four cats. Miaou.

In K-12 education, there is also a saying. How can we close the “achievement gap”? In other words, if our students’ parents speak little or no English, often lack formal education, and are strained by poor health, violence, inadequate housing and transportation and the related stresses of living in poverty, how can teachers be expected to bring those students up to speed with their peers? Miaou.

In my school district, we — teachers and parents — found a way to change the question. How can our community support the grassroots leadership development and organizing efforts of low-income parents and guardians to close the “opportunity gap”? Together we learned to roar.

NYC trying to work out a "formula" to fire teachers

This Week In Education: Thompson: Cross Examination

Much of Steven Brill’s New Yorker article on the "Rubber Room," has a ring of truth, but I do not know enough about those disputes to comment. Had Brill adequately cross examined other charges, however, the last third of his article would have been edited out.

Brill uses the stupid and inflammatory words of teachers against them, which is fair, as he also cross examines their factual assertions. But Brill seemed deaf to the false and inflammatory nature of his sources’ words.

And before considering other versions of the TNTP ideals, we should muse about this:

"Consider a framework that automatically fires the bottom x percent of teachers in terms of value added in a single year or average value added over a number of years. Unobserved differences among schools and classrooms almost certainly influence the estimates, and test error certainly introduces a degree of randomness. Consequently, mistakes will be made; however, outcomes could still improve compared with the system without such decision rules. Nonetheless, the implications of adding such risk and uncertainty may necessitate a substantial salary increase, and these monetary costs as well as costs associated with increased turnover would have to be weighed against any improvements in the composition of teachers."

And even if the bottom x perecent are not automatically fired, they are still indicted as suspect teachers placing them at the mercy of y percent of administrators caught up with the blame game and guilt by association. - John Thompson

California’s Race to the Top: Senator Romero’s Opening Remarks

Senator Gloria Romero -- California’s Race to the Top: Senator Romero’s Opening Remarks

“Today, decades after the Brown decision, we still have a form of segregation in our public school system. Nearly 80 percent of students in our lowest-performing schools are African American or Latino. Poor students and students of color are four times more likely to have under-prepared teachers. We have an achievement gap for African Americans, Latinos, and English learners that has been both persistent and pernicious – confirmed again with new test scores released just last week.

“Over the years, many of us in this Senate and in this room have advanced innovative legislation to find new ways to reform and transform public education. Impressive efforts have happened at the local level—oftentimes in spite of Sacramento or Washington. That includes: the use of student data to improve instruction and reward teachers in Long Beach and Fresno; an alternative compensation program in San Francisco that resulted from collaboration with the teachers union; a focus on better, not just more, high-quality charter schools throughout the state; a parents’ revolution that is captivating Los Angeles.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
to Visit Sacramento

SCUSD will be hosting a First Day of School press event on September 3rd, at 10:30 a.m. at David Lubin Elementary.

Invited guests include the New Superintendent, Mayor Kevin Johnson, the SCUSD School Board, and SSPI Jack O'Connell. Parents and members of the community are welcome to attend.

THIS THURSDAY, September 3rd at 10:30, join us at David Lubin Elementary for the
'Sacramento Goes Back to School' celebration, featuring the new SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, Mayor Kevin Johnson and other guests - including the River Cats mascot (for the kids)"

Obama speech divides parents - The Denver Post

Obama speech divides parents - The Denver Post:

"President Barack Obama's plan to address the nation's students during the school day Tuesday has polarized parents over whether it's OK for their kids to listen to the speech.
On one side are parents who say the webcast speech to K-12 students is 'political recruiting' and 'spreading the liberal agenda.'

On the other are those who say listening to presidential speeches is an important part of American culture and the education process.

The White House officially announced the speech Wednesday morning, and the U.S. Department of Education followed up with a letter to school principals and a lesson plan for discussing the talk. The White House said the speech will address the importance of studying and staying in school."

Mayor Turns Political Loan Into Gift - Most Popular News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Mayor Turns Political Loan Into Gift - Most Popular News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Fending off allegations from the Sacramento City Attorney's office that he has a 'conflict of interest,' Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has decided to write off a $25,000 political contribution.

City Attorney Eileen Teichert raised the question during a City Council meeting last month when she requested that Johnson recuse himself from a discussion about whether his strong-mayor initiative is flawed.

Johnson refused, and the Council voted 9-0 to seek a non-binding opinion from the California Fair Political Practices Commission."

Poll disagrees with report | www.theacorn.com | The Acorn

Poll disagrees with report www.theacorn.com The Acorn:

"In its May report “School District Administration: Is the Cost Too High?” the grand jury recommended the 20 public school districts in the county be reduced to just six, which would save millions of dollars in administrative costs.

The school boards had until July 17 to respond.

School superintendents in the Simi, Moorpark, Oak Park and Conejo Valley districts disagreed with the grand jury’s report and said their schools operate efficiently as they are. Officials said the education community prefers smaller, local school districts over larger, consolidated ones.

In answer to the question “Should Conejo Valley and Oak Park unified school districts merge?” 56 percent of respondents said no and 44 percent said yes.
“Become another Los Angeles Unified School District? No thanks,” one blogger wrote."

A-mazing Progress Report for NYC Schools | NBC New York

A-mazing Progress Report for NYC Schools NBC New York:

"'Once again today's schools success story is based on the world according to Bloomberg, not the reality that our students are graduating unprepared,' said Thompson. 'Bloomberg would rather inflate these numbers and falsely claim success at the expense of kids being educated.'

Bloomberg's school's czar Joel Klein wisely attempted to put the numbers in their proper context.

'We want to make clear that that reflects that [schools] met their progress targets,' he said. 'It doesn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that those are schools that don't have a lot of improvement ahead of them.'"

West Contra Costa school workers reject tentative pact - ContraCostaTimes.com

West Contra Costa school workers reject tentative pact - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"Workers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District turned down a tentative labor pact Wednesday, a union leader said.

'We stand ready to resume negotiations,' said Richard Leung, supervising business agent of Public Employees Union Local 1, which represents about 1,500 maintenance and clerical workers, paraprofessionals and teachers' assistants in the school district.

The tentative, three-year pact had called for a wage freeze and for members to pay between $133 and $373 a month toward their and their families' medical benefits. The district currently absorbs the entire cost of the benefits, which the union said will be $533 to $1,323 a month in 2010."