The Associated Press: Report: Obama administration improves openness

The Associated Press: Report: Obama administration improves openness:

"WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's policies on secrecy get higher grades for openness than those of President George W. Bush, yet there's still room for improvement, says a coalition of public interest groups.

In a report issued Tuesday, the coalition says the new administration has made major strides toward more disclosure, including the recent release of Justice Department memos on Bush administration interrogation policies and Obama's embrace of greater openness under the Freedom of Information Act."

Teachers to work without contracts | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com

Teachers to work without contracts Detroit Free Press Freep.com:

"According to the Michigan Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, all three districts -- Woodhaven-Brownstown, Southfield Public Schools and Redford Union Schools -- are on the union's critical list, meaning the union does not see progress in the negotiations."

Local News | Kent teachers union votes to continue strike | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Kent teachers union votes to continue strike Seattle Times Newspaper:

"Teachers in Washington state's fourth-largest district voted Monday night to continue their strike, despite a court injunction ordering them back to work Tuesday to prepare for students.

Kent Education Association spokesman Dale Folkerts said 74 percent of union members voted not to return to work until they have a ratified contract.
The teachers 'know there could be consequences' to going against the judge's order, he said. But after a long and heartfelt discussion, 'they decided it was a cause that was important enough to stand up for.'

The teachers' top issues are smaller class sizes and more time with students. Folkerts said class-size limits in Kent are substantially larger than surrounding districts and that overcrowded classrooms create bad learning environments and in some cases, safety risks."

The Early Word: Back to School - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

The Early Word: Back to School - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com:

"Some conservatives, as The Times’s Sam Dillion reports, have ascribed “dark motives to the White House” in giving the speech, while worried parents have lobbed complaints at school officials across the country. The administration attempted to blunt any controversy over the speech on Monday, posting the text of Mr. Obama’s remarks on the White House Web site.

As The Associated Press points out, the president “makes no reference in his prepared remarks to the uproar surrounding his speech. Nor does he make an appeal for support for tough causes such as his health care overhaul. He uses the talk to tell kids about his at-times clumsy ways as a child and to urge them to set goals and work hard to achieve them.”"

How to get the best teachers possible | Philadelphia Daily News | 09/08/2009

How to get the best teachers possible Philadelphia Daily News 09/08/2009:

"We also have a coalition of civic and community groups that are pressing both parties to ratify commonsense solutions for change outlined in a campaign called Effective Teaching for Every Child. We must not turn our back on this convergence of good fortune.

We believe that there are things that can be done immediately:

Our schools should be dominated neither by veteran teachers nor novices, but a rich mix of both - where the energy of a new teacher blends with the knowledge of an experienced one to provide a balance of skill and enthusiasm.

First, put the best principals in the hardest-to-staff schools. Give them autonomy, professional development support for themselves and their staff, and a salary bump for taking on the task of making those schools good places to teach and learn. Strong school leadership is an essential component of any school-reform effort, and this must be at the top of the district's must-do list.

Then adopt full school-based hiring ('site selection') districtwide."

In site-selection schools, teacher vacancies are open for all eligible candidates to apply - veteran and novice teachers alike, and applicants receive equal weight in their candidacy, unlike the current system that allows many vacancies to be filled first by more-senior teachers exercising their automatic transfer rights. In that system, the number of years of service trumps everything else, including performance.

To attract the best teachers to hard-to-staff schools, institute a series of strong incentives such as smaller classes, strong school leadership, access to continuing education on-site and salary boosts. Preferred incentives vary among teachers and schools, so the school district needs to offer various motivations that might draw a dedicated teacher to a difficult school. These changes benefit union members who will still have a choice whether they want to apply.

There is, of course, more to be done, but these three steps would be a powerful beginning, and what's more, they are doable. There is abundant research to support all of these actions.

Local News | Wash. lawmakers take next step toward ed reform | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Wash. lawmakers take next step toward ed reform Seattle Times Newspaper:

"First came the governor's Washington Learns task force that published an ambitious plan to improve education in 2006. That report led to the state's new Early Learning Department, but the Legislature could not find the money to implement most of the other ideas.

Then came the reinvented State Board of Education, which moved ahead on some related ideas, including new high school math requirements and a proposal to require high school students to earn 24 credits instead of 19 to graduate."

"I'm hopeful we'll be able to make some real progress," Chopp said, adding that he is optimistic about the group's chances of completing the jobs assigned by the 2009 Legislature.

Those jobs include:

• Finding new sources of revenue for public schools.
• Building a framework for distributing dollars based on the idea of a "protypical school," and creating a timeline for transforming the current system toward one based on model schools.
• Establishing a new definition of basic education for the state, and deciding whether expenses like transportation, technology and preschool should be included.
• Demystifying the way the state allocates education dollars so any parent could understand their school district's budget and track the money the state sends to their community.
• Considering a new mentoring and support system for beginning teachers.
• Creating a new salary schedule for teachers based on how much people in similar fields make in different labor markets throughout the state.

Obama’s Speech 101: Can Parents Unite?

Obama’s Speech 101: Can Parents Unite?:


"Parents on both sides of President Barack Obama’s address to the nation’s students during the school day can unite under one global truth: You are your child’s first and still most important teacher.

Even if President Obama’s address is the most exceptional address ever made to American students, your child’s most influential learning environment is still his home. Your child still needs to know that his education is important to you. Children benefit the most when parents work as partners with their children’s school."

timestranscript.com - The 'new stupid': assessing education efforts | Mary Laltoo - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada

timestranscript.com - The 'new stupid': assessing education efforts Mary Laltoo - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada:


"His article in Educational Leadership, titled 'The New Stupid,' examines how the phrases 'data driven decision making' and 'research based practice' have become convenient buzzwords which are used to justify incoherent proposals, to stand in for thoughtful reflection, and to dress up the same old fads.

According to Hess, there are three key elements to the new stupid.

1. Using data in half-baked ways."

An Education Primer for Parents, Part II: What's in those textbooks, anyway?

An Education Primer for Parents, Part II: What's in those textbooks, anyway?:

"There is a reason we’ve had wave after wave of “education reform” in this country, and it’s the same reason so many of us dubbed George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act” as the “No Administrator Without a Job Act.”

These folks are enjoying the ultimate in job security. They have convinced the public that they’re the ones who are best able to fix the very problem that they created."

Traverse City Record-Eagle - Article: Some teachers don't take a break

Traverse City Record-Eagle - Article: Some teachers don't take a break:

"As for how she spent her summer vacation, she worked full time in the pro shop at the Traverse City Golf and Country Club, baby-sat one or two times a week and took two graduate-level courses.

More often than not, a teacher's summer vacation is no vacation at all. Many take summer jobs, summer courses, continuing education classes or part-time work.
Whether it's a matter of supplementing a salary -- a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree in the Traverse City Area Public Schools earns $32,500 -- or just wanting to keep busy, summer often isn't a time for a teacher to recline in a lawn chair with a mojito."

L.A. Schools Chief Sees Woes as Catalyst - WSJ.com

L.A. Schools Chief Sees Woes as Catalyst - WSJ.com:

"One of his first acts upon taking the job in January was to send all parents a report card that evaluated each school in the district on everything from graduation rates to reading and math proficiency levels. At some schools, as few as 1% of the students were able to do math work at their grade level or above.
His strategy carries risks, including that the increased transparency could expose a failure of his efforts to bring improvements."

But A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, the local union, argues that change has to come from within the system, not outside it. "With this motion, the school board members are abdicating their authority," he said. "We know that our schools desperately need help and we want to push for that help."

Changing California from Oakland #3 - Education

Changing California from Oakland #3 - Education:

"If you've read either of the articles I've written on the subject (budget crisis, sales tax), you know that Prop. 13, as it stands, is a huge problem. The 1978 proposition that restructured California property tax law (effectively gutting state funding and providing massive loopholes for businesses to dodge fair payment) was largely opposed by educators and administrators alike. And they were right - California went from being at the top of national public education rankings to the bottom. So what changed? Obviously, the absence of public money played a role, but to simply blame insufficient funds is inadequate."

Part of what enabled the passage of Prop. 13 was a tremendous increase in property value (driven by an increase in state population from both other states and Mexico) and a lack of desire by the electorate to have their money pooled and distributed by the state, according to the Serrano v Priest decision. In other words, the electorate (and when I say electorate, I do not mean the population - they are very different things) did not want to finance the education system that would be required to support a larger, more diverse student body. For example, in 2003-04, in Oakland, Hispanic children attended schools with a near 56% poverty rate. Black children attended schools with over 57% poverty rates - however, white children attended schools with a rate under 19% of students in poverty.

Bay Bridge to remain closed until Wednesday - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Bay Bridge to remain closed until Wednesday - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will remain closed until Wednesday morning as workers scurry to repair a crack in the bridge's east span near Yerba Buena Island, state highway officials said Monday."

The bridge has been closed in both directions since Thursday night as part of a major seismic repair, and was expected to be reopened for the Tuesday morning commute. That work is near completion.

However, the surprise discovery of a large crack in an "eyebar" this weekend has forced emergency repairs that will require the bridge remain closed longer. Caltrans officials said they now expect to reopen the bridge by 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Commuters traveling into San Francisco can expect delays on other bridges and crowds on BART and bay ferries.

Private sector investing in charter schools - Salon.com

Private sector investing in charter schools - Salon.com:

"'We're not speculators, we're investors, so I have to invest in property making money for me and my customers today,' said Brain, whose trust oversees a $2.6 billion portfolio. 'The charter public schools offer lenders/leaseholders a dependable revenue stream backed by a government payer. It's a very desirable equation.'"

Text of Obama’s Speech to Students

Education News & Comment:

Text of Obama’s Speech to Students

"President Obama’s Address to Students
Across America September 8, 2009"

Watch Live on sacdac.org September 8 At 9 AM PT

“Education Finance Districts” Headed to the Governor at californiascapitol.com

“Education Finance Districts” Headed to the Governor at californiascapitol.com

Awaiting a final vote on the Assembly floor is legislation aimed at making it easier for school districts to raise local revenue.

The measure, AB 267, was sent to the Assembly Sept. 3 by the 40-member Senate, which approved it on a party line 23 to 14 vote. The Assembly is expected to send the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before Sept. 11, the end of the 2009 legislative session.

While it does not lower the two-thirds voter approval necessary to raise taxes both at the state and local level, the bill creates “education finance districts” in which three or more contiguous school districts can band together to try to increase local taxes.

After agreeing on how to divide and spend any new tax revenue, the districts could then collectively place a parcel tax on the ballot for voter approval.
Under current law, only individual school districts can attempt to increase parcel taxes within their district boundaries.

“Our schools are being starved for funding, and communities must be able to act to ensure that the education of our children doesn’t suffer,” said Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, an Antioch Democrat, the bill’s author and a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction in 2010.

“This measure brings local communities together so they can take their case for funding directly to their voters.”

Federal stimulus helps special ed, struggling kids in Portland area – OregonLive.com

Federal stimulus helps special ed, struggling kids in Portland area – OregonLive.com:

"More than half a million Oregon students head back to class this week, beginning a recession-tinged school year that will be marked by teacher furloughs and layoffs, fewer electives and extracurriculars, and swollen class sizes.

What's gotten less attention is federal stimulus money that is enabling many schools to add teachers and beef up programs that educators say will pack an instructional punch.
Oregon schools received roughly $150 million from the stimulus to spend this school year on special education and in schools with concentrations of low-income students. Portland-area districts report they have used the money largely to hire instructional coaches and teachers, hundreds of new jobs in all."

Analysis: Furor over speech typifies polarization - Yahoo! News

Analysis: Furor over speech typifies polarization - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON – The furor over President Barack Obama's start-of-school speech to the nation's students — challenging them to work hard, earn good grades and stay in school — typifies the country's widening rift over politics and social issues.

It's certainly an unwelcome distraction as the president prepares to address both houses of Congress and the nation Wednesday about his embattled attempt to overhaul the health care system, which has taken a hammering from Republicans and some middle-of-the-road Democrats."

Dating back to his campaign for president, some Obama opponents have tried to paint him as a "socialist." Since winning the White House, the attacks have continued over his attempts to invigorate the tumbling economy with a $787 billion stimulus.

Far-right critics now charge that Obama would use his back-to-school remarks Tuesday to indoctrinate youngsters into his alleged "socialist" agenda.

Fox News Channel commentators Michelle Malkin and Glenn Beck have been prominent in attacking the speech. Florida Republican party chairman Jim Greer said he was "absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology."

Even Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, a moderate and potential presidential contender in 2012, said Obama's speech was "uninvited" and raises questions of content and motive.

Schools going green big-time -- baltimoresun.com

Schools going green big-time -- baltimoresun.com:

"CALIFORNIA, Md. - - Approaching Evergreen Elementary, it's clear right away that there's something different about this new school. A pair of silo-like structures squats in front of the two-story brick building - cisterns storing rainwater for flushing the toilets. Then there are the cactuses and other plants growing atop the entrance canopy - put there to soak up more rain."

Evergreen represents the latest in green school design in Maryland. The $20 million elementary school, which started classes last week in this woodsy, suburban community in St. Mary's County, has been designed and built to save bundles of energy and water, and to reduce the building's impact on nearby streams and wetlands. It's also been planned to hammer environmental consciousness home to its 600 students. It is, contends county School Superintendent Michael Martirano, the greenest school in the state.

He might get some argument on that - Montgomery County has built or rebuilt four schools now with enough energy-saving and environmental features to qualify for the second-highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council. But there's no doubt that green schools are starting to spread across the state.

St. Mary's school officials say Evergreen, like the Montgomery schools, is in line to get a "gold" rating under the green building council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system. Among other features, it boasts a geothermal heating and cooling system, waterless urinals and low-flow faucets, and a white reflective coating on the flat portions of the roof to keep the building from needing as much air conditioning in warm months.

Changing face of school principals - The Boston Globe

Changing face of school principals - The Boston Globe:

"“It feels like flying a plane while we’re building it,’’ said Kelly Hung, who this week begins her second year as principal at Phineas Bates Elementary School in Roslindale. “This job can completely consume you. It’s never ending."

You wake up at night thinking about it.’’

At 33, and with a new baby at home, Hung, the 10th youngest out of 135 principals in the Boston public schools, in many ways personifies the changing face of today’s school principal.

As aging principals retire, young ones like Hung, who has only a few years of real classroom experience and a brief tenure as an interim principal on her résumé, are being hired to replace them. At issue is whether their enthusiasm and energy outweigh their inexperience to improve their school’s performance.

“There’s no question that there’s a national movement toward hiring younger principals,’’ said William Horwath, acting assistant superintendent for human resources at the Boston School Department.

A new 10-year survey of K-8 principals by the National Association of Elementary School Principals obtained by the Globe shows that almost 60 percent of principals are age 50 or older.