California tax panel set to recommend sweeping, controversial changes - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

California tax panel set to recommend sweeping, controversial changes - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

"'I think inherent in this proposal is a signal to the entire populace, and certainly the Legislature: Please hold your fire, please don't reach a conclusion without further analysis,' said Chairman Gerald Parsky, a lawyer who worked for former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and served as chairman of the University of California Board of Regents.

The tax proposal's linchpin is a 'business net receipts tax,' or BNRT, for which the closest comparisons are the value-added taxes used in Europe and a variant used in Michigan. When fully implemented, all businesses operating in California would pay a tax of roughly 4 percent on all their revenue minus deductions for capital investments, contractors and possibly health expenditures for employees."

Zombie conservatives at the schoolhouse door - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Zombie conservatives at the schoolhouse door - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"A leading Republican congressman recently chirped that things are looking up for the GOP because of people's fear. Another Republican lawmaker indicated distaste for school-speech demagogy but explained that one must understand that Washington is in the middle of a nasty health care fight.

Which means what, exactly? That winning is the only thing, and to hell with the good of the country, civil society and the possibility of intelligent debate about serious matters? Watching the school-speech insanity blow up on the right, a friend who has been deeply involved for decades at the top of Republican politics, e-mailed to say that she was done. The conservative movement is hurtling off a cliff-and she was bailing out."

New Panel for Educational Policy Looks Like the Compliant One of Old - NYTimes.com

New Panel for Educational Policy Looks Like the Compliant One of Old - NYTimes.com:

"One member, Joe Chan, is president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, a real estate group that relies heavily on a city contract that has provided $5.4 million. Another member, Linda Lausell Bryant, is the executive director of a youth services program that has two contracts with the Department of Education, estimated at $382,000. And Gitte Peng, another member, is a former adviser to Mr. Bloomberg’s deputy mayor for education."

Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership - The Boston Globe

Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership - The Boston Globe:

"The new degree program will be a “catalyst to drive change,’’ McCartney said, producing a new generation of education leaders who are expected to alter education policy debates, forge powerful public-private partnerships, and restore public confidence in the US school system.

Students in the third year of the program will participate in a yearlong residency with partner organizations such as urban public school systems in New York City, Atlanta, and Denver, as well as national organizations focused on changing K-12 education, including Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, and the National Center of Education and the Economy."

Critical thinking? You need knowledge - The Boston Globe

Critical thinking? You need knowledge - The Boston Globe:

"THE LATEST fad to sweep K-12 education is called “21st-Century Skills.’’ States - including Massachusetts - are adding them to their learning standards, with the expectation that students will master skills such as cooperative learning and critical thinking and therefore be better able to compete for jobs in the global economy. Inevitably, putting a priority on skills pushes other subjects, including history, literature, and the arts, to the margins. But skill-centered, knowledge-free education has never worked."

Research tells schools to empower parents | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Research tells schools to empower parents DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"The goal is to get more parents into the school and to show them ways to help their children at home.

Research has shown that students whose families play an active role in their education most often are more prepared to enter school, get better grades and perform higher on state standardized tests. A lack of parental involvement has been shown to lead to misbehavior, poor grades and higher dropout rates."

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > Labor growing frustrated with KJ > September 14, 2009

Sacramento News & Review ; Blogs ; SNOG ; Labor growing frustrated with KJ ; September 14, 2009:

"When Kevin Johnson was running for mayor, he told me he was going to win because he had supporters across the political spectrum. He lacked the support of the local Democratic party–and still does. But he did lock up key endorsements with the cops and firefighters, republicans, and critical support from the Sacramento Labor Council.

“While I have developer friends, and I‘ve got the support of the Chamber and the business community, I‘ve also got the support of the Labor Council and the [Building Industry Association] and the Builders Exchange,” Johnson told SN&R at the time."

Hidden Outrages in Overseas Teacher Recruitment - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Hidden Outrages in Overseas Teacher Recruitment - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"A new report released by the American Federation of Teachers reminds us of a topic education writers like me almost never address---the unseemly side of the recruitment of teachers abroad for U.S. schools. The AFT report, 'Importing Educators: Causes and Consequences of International Teacher Recruitment,' has some shocking disclosures, and deserves a close reading.

The report says that one recruiter for overseas-educated teachers in Newark, N.J., forced recruits to sign a contract obligating them to kick back 25 percent of their salaries to the recruiter. Other recruiters gouged the teachers they were allegedly helping with 60 percent interest rate loans. Some forbade them to own cars. Some placed the newly arrived teachers in overcrowded, unfinished housing, the report said."

Full Report http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11311970/Importing-Educators-Causes-and-Consequences-of-International-Teacher-Recruitment

California needs 'Race to the Top' funds -- latimes.com

California needs 'Race to the Top' funds -- latimes.com:

"Although critics are right to say we have substantial work to do to improve our measures of student progress, they are quite wrong if they claim we can afford to wait until we have perfect assessments before we start down this road. Intentionally blinding ourselves to teachers' effectiveness cannot be the right answer.

Saying yes will require difficult changes. True leadership in this moment means actively piloting systems that connect the work of teachers to the progress of students in smart, thoughtful ways. Any other choice means accepting a different firewall -- one that stands between California's children and hundreds of millions of dollars in desperately needed federal funds, and between our children and the future they deserve"

Rally supports District 6 teachers | Greeley Tribune

Rally supports District 6 teachers Greeley Tribune:

"The district's offer consists of a pay freeze across the board, though it has offered to fund the teachers' retirement and health insurance plans. The teachers union said it would like full funding of its salary schedule as well as a cost-of-living increase and retirement and health costs covered.

At the end of the rally, the teachers union president, Andi Lee, made a point to differentiate teachers from firefighters and police officers, who recently accepted salary freezes. The city, she said, is facing a multimillion-dollar budget deficit while the district received about $6 million more from the state this year than it did last year."

Teacher's Union Has Tentative Agreement With State - KHON2.com

Teacher's Union Has Tentative Agreement With State - KHON2.com:

"A deal is on the table for teachers in what is being called a tentative settlement between the state and teacher's union in a very contentious bargaining year.

The settlement affecting 13,000 teachers is preliminary and needs the Governor's approval, but what happens here could impact other union deals.
For kids and teachers so far, it's been a new school year, with an old contract -- everything still in limbo with a huge deficit stalling contract progress."

William McKenzie: The Latino education challenge | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Viewpoints

William McKenzie: The Latino education challenge News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Opinion: Viewpoints:

"Another fact to remember: There's a serious gap between Latinos' successes in school, including their high school graduation and college-going rates, compared to their white peers. The difference is what educators call the 'achievement gap,' and closing it is the second-greatest challenge facing the country (behind getting the international religion-and-politics equation right so we don't blow each other up)."

Obscure database is key to U.S. educational funds for California -- latimes.com

Obscure database is key to U.S. educational funds for California -- latimes.com:

"California's chance to receive hundreds of millions of federal educational dollars may rest heavily on an obscure and long-neglected piece of education infrastructure: a statewide data system that tracks students, teachers and administrators year to year.

Such education systems are expensive, complex and do not win elections for politicians. But experts say they are essential to learn how much of the nearly $60 billion that California spends on K-12 education makes a difference, a fact that student achievement tests only hint at."

Dear People who care about the future of Sacramento:

Show up to City Council on Tuesday! (Sept. 15th @ 6pm)

Please show up to City Hall tomorrow (September 15th) and urge the Council to vote NO on using public resources to fix legal flaws with the strong mayor initiative.

City Hall is located at 915 I Street and the meeting starts at 6pm. This item is expected to be heard within the first hour.

The City Attorney recently identified a number of legal issues in the Strong Mayor initiative. As a result, she has advised the proponents of this measure to fix those legal flaws in order to avoid any confusion about whether the initiative is constitutional.

This initiative is being funded with private money. Therefore, any band-aid measure needed to fix the legal issues should be paid for with private money. Nonetheless, the proponents of this measure want the public to foot the bill for fixing their mistakes.

Please show up to City Council tomorrow and ask them to use common sense and VOTE NO on bailing out the legally flawed Strong Mayor Initiative.

Thank you!- Stop the Power Grab

Imperial Valley News - California Schools Chief Urges Schools to Compete in Disney's Environmental Challenge Contest

Imperial Valley News - California Schools Chief Urges Schools to Compete in Disney's Environmental Challenge Contest:

"Sacramento, California - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the California Department of Education is collaborating with The Walt Disney Company and the K-12 Alliance of state and federal agencies on the Disney's Planet Challenge contest.

'California has a legacy of leadership on the environment, science, and technology, that have made the state one of the most hypercompetitive economies in the world,' said O'Connell. 'This contest will offer teachers a new science tool and a fresh way to motivate their students' creativity about how to protect their environment. I urge all schools to challenge themselves and participate in this nationwide competition.'"

Schools Look Abroad to Hire Teachers - NYTimes.com

Schools Look Abroad to Hire Teachers - NYTimes.com:

"The report used government data to estimate that 19,000 foreign teachers were working in the United States on temporary visas in 2007, and that the number was rising steadily. There are more than three million teachers in American public schools.

“Overseas-trained teachers are being recruited from nearly all corners of the globe and are being placed primarily in hard-to-staff inner-city or very rural schools teaching the hard-to-fill disciplines of math, science and special education,” said the report, by the American Federation of Teachers."

Local News | Kent strike ends: Teachers overwhelmingly accept deal | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Kent strike ends: Teachers overwhelmingly accept deal Seattle Times Newspaper:

"The Kent teachers strike ended shortly before 10 this morning after teachers voted overwhelmingly to accept a tentative contract agreement reached Sunday evening.
Some 1,360 of the members of the Kent Education Association attended this morning's meeting, with 94 percent voting to accept the offer."

Kent school teachers celebrate after voting to ratify a contract ending their two-week-old strike and avoid court-ordered fines.

The Daily Aztec - FLAMING LIBERAL: Meaningful message

The Daily Aztec - FLAMING LIBERAL: Meaningful message:

"Here in San Diego, Trustees of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District voted to ban the live broadcasting of Obama’s speech because of many negative communications they received from concerned parents. Later in the week, Board President Penny Halgren and trustee Bob Duff apologized for their votes and stated they wished they could go back and allow the students to see the live speech.

This shows the pressure and ultimate damage irrational conservatives may have on students’ opportunity to learn in class. This is telling of the weak character of the trustees, not just in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, but across the nation."

'Race to the Top' - we expected better

'Race to the Top' - we expected better:

"What are the ingredients of successful education reform? From the perspective of a classroom teacher, reform must be rooted in classroom practice and supported by research."

For eight years, educators endured No Child Left Behind, an education law that focused on one-size-fits-all standardized testing. We looked forward to the day that a new administration, headed by a president who promised transparency, reliance on research and support for public education, took office.

We are grateful that federal stimulus funds included money to help fill the giant holes left by disappearing tax revenues in state budgets. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/14/EDUJ19N1PV.DTL#ixzz0R8yLN2Pa

The Principal Story on PBS, September 15 at 10 PM.

Watch The Principal Story on PBS, September 15 at 10 PM. POV is PBS’s award-winning nonfiction film series.

Interested in public school reform? Want to engage attendees at a training or workshop? Looking for an exciting new way to get parents talking about school involvement?
Check out The Principal Story and take an inside look at the challenges facing America's public schools — and the great difference a dedicated principal can make. Tresa Dunbar is a second-year principal at Chicago's Nash Elementary, where 98% of students come from low-income families; in Springfield, Illinois, Kerry Purcell has led Harvard Park Elementary, with similar demographics, for six years. With funding from The Wallace Foundation, The Principal Story takes the viewer along for an emotional ride that reveals what effective educational leadership looks like in the 21st century.

You can also borrow the film and download the discussion guide, for FREE!
To sign up, visit: www.amdoc.org/outreach/events/Our free lending library is available for nonprofits, educational institutions, libraries, and local PBS stations.

Watch the trailer: www.pbs.org/pov/principalstory/

Check your local listings: http://www.pbs.org/pov/tvschedule/

If you are looking for images and photos, you can also browse our Pressroom: http://www.amdoc.org/pressroom_pov2009.php