America's Teacher

America's Teacher: "

400 years from now: 'Look at these people back then. They thought they were free. They called themselves a democracy, but they spent ten hours of every day in a totalitarian situation and they allowed the richest 1 percent to have more financial wealth than the bottom 95 percent combined.'"

17 Pinellas principals run pilot program on decentralized decisionmaking - St. Petersburg Times

17 Pinellas principals run pilot program on decentralized decisionmaking - St. Petersburg Times:

"Teacher participation is crucial to school-based decisionmaking, Nelson said. The trick will be to get everyone involved in the new plan without putting more on anyone's already crowded plate.
Research indicates that achievement improves when those closest to the students — principals, teachers, parents — are making the decisions.
It's a philosophy the Pinellas Education Foundation embraces, along with the idea that the business community can teach educators a thing or two about how to run schools."

N.Y. could lose chance at school funding, educator says | pressconnects.com | Press & Sun-Bulletin

N.Y. could lose chance at school funding, educator says pressconnects.com Press & Sun-Bulletin:

"Kremer said he's concerned New York could be at a disadvantage because Obama and Duncan have warned they will not dole out the stimulus dollars to states that don't allow the use of student test data in evaluating teachers.While Krenner's warning has gone mostly unheard, he is receiving support from Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo. Hoyt said he plans to submit legislation to make New York more competitive in applying for 'Race to the Top.'"

Valley middle school on list for takeover - LA Daily News

Valley middle school on list for takeover - LA Daily News:

"United Teachers Los Angeles President A.J. Duffy said he also believes politics influenced the selection process.

'We should be focusing solely on failing schools. That is where we should spend our time and efforts and four of these have not been (failing) for more than four years.'
Duffy said the union plans to legally challenge the district's decision to include new schools in the bidding process, because the current teacher contract guarantees jobs to educators who move to new schools that relieve overcrowding."

COMMENTARY: Are some in our society losing their minds? | NevadaAppeal.com

COMMENTARY: Are some in our society losing their minds? NevadaAppeal.com:

"Allegations of “socialist brain washing” and (some) parents' refusal to allow President Obama (presumably because he is a Democrat) to talk with our children about personal responsibility, hard work and staying healthy, are alarming. These are strong conservative values (all critical to school success) with which most all agree. How could any reasonable person disagree?

President Obama delivered the speech; the students listened; and the vast population of parents and school officials were pleased with the message. The Congressional Republicans who led the attack ran for cover. Their National Republican Committee Chair claimed it was a wonderful speech. Several other Congressi-onal Republican leaders joined in the praise."

Acorn and the media | The Stump - - OregonLive.com

Acorn and the media The Stump - - OregonLive.com:

"What's been obscured amid all the polemics, or the polemics passing as news reports, is what Acorn is and does. Founded in Little Rock, Ark., in 1970 as an organization agitating for free school lunches, Vietnam veterans' rights and more hospital emergency rooms, Acorn has grown in the past four decades into the nation's largest community-organizing group. Based in low-income neighborhoods, it has nearly 500,000 dues-paying members, recruited by door-to-door canvassers, with chapters in 110 cities in 40 states. Nationwide, it has more than 1,000 staffers."

ANDERSON BILL ON GOVERNOR’S DESK WOULD MAKE WORK PERMITS EASIER FOR HOME-SCHOOLED AND CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS TO OBTAIN | East County Magazine

ANDERSON BILL ON GOVERNOR’S DESK WOULD MAKE WORK PERMITS EASIER FOR HOME-SCHOOLED AND CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS TO OBTAIN East County Magazine:

"“The current system is a perfect example of what happens when Sacramento takes away local control,” said Anderson. “Rather than protecting our children’s education, the State damages it.”
AB 66 fixes this flaw by creating a flexible, locally-controlled system for issuing work permits. It gives every school the authority to issue permits to their own students.

“This bill protects the welfare of students and ensures those educators that know the students best are making these important decisions – plus it removes an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy in the education system,” said Rob Shield, President of the Grossmont Union High School District Board of Trustees."

San Mateo Daily Journal

San Mateo Daily Journal:

"Monetary support for candidates hoping to lead local school districts is starting to pile up with campaign financial forms for those running for office due Thursday."

United States - The Ultra-Right Pot Boils Over

United States - The Ultra-Right Pot Boils Over:

"This is another feature of the rise of fascism in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, a mass gutter press, the 'boulevard papers' in France, and the 'Blaetter' (rags) in Germany. The rightists claim that the great majority of the mass media have a liberal bias, and therefore this right-wing constellation is needed to restore the balance. But the fact is that the big press is all controlled by the corporations and serves their interest. The so-called liberal newspapers have to maintain some credibility for thinking people. That is not true of the right-wing media. They simply reinforce the prejudices of bigots and are now whipping them into a frenzy."

Schools look for balance after race-based decisions banned -- chicagotribune.com

Schools look for balance after race-based decisions banned -- chicagotribune.com:

"The district, which welcomed the ruling, is now leaning toward basing admissions on socioeconomic factors, such as median income of students' neighborhoods. That is similar to what San Francisco did when a consent decree on integration was lifted there in 2005.

The impact of U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras' opinion on Thursday will mostly be felt in Chicago's roughly 75 magnet and selective schools, where racial quotas until this week meant a minimum of 65 percent of seats in a given school were reserved for minorities. Up to 35 percent were set aside for whites, even though they now are down to 8 percent of the student population."

The case began nearly 29 years ago, when the U.S. government sued the Chicago Public Schools for discriminating against black and Hispanic students. The district agreed to follow a racial integration plan overseen by the courts.

High school dropouts cost California more than $1 billion - 9/25/09 - San Francisco News - abc7news.com

High school dropouts cost California more than $1 billion - 9/25/09 - San Francisco News - abc7news.com:

"California's drop-out statistics vary. The state says it is about 20 percent; other universities studies show it is as much as double that. The Sacramento School District says it was nearly able to cut its dropout rate in half in just two years. 'We've done it through offering choices for students and families; we've got online curriculum, we've got independent study, we've got options at our high schools that offer career-embedded themes,' Associate Superintendent Mary Shelton said"

The Power of Good Schools - washingtonpost.com

The Power of Good Schools - washingtonpost.com:

"In their quest to move out of their rented Rockville townhouse and buy a single-family home, Lisa Hollaender and her husband, Laurent, first considered the Carderock Springs neighborhood of Bethesda, then moved on to Potomac and later explored Olney. They also ventured across the Potomac to Vienna. But they haven't been to a single open house, let alone made an offer."

Seattle Education 2010: Search results for The connection between the Broad Foundation and push for Strong Mayors

Seattle Education 2010: Search results for The connection between the Broad Foundation and push for Strong Mayors:

"The Broad (which rhymes with 'toad') Foundation claims to be a philanthropic organization, created by billionaire Eli Broad. The Broad Foundation supports privately run charter schools and actively develops a system of charter schools in urban areas.

Broad claims it engages in 'venture philanthropy':

'Our Approach to Investing: Venture Philanthropy. We take an untraditional approach to giving. We don't simply write checks to charities. Instead we practice 'venture philanthropy.' And we expect a return on our investment.'"

The Daily Politics - NY Daily News

The Daily Politics - NY Daily News:

"Bill Thompson's campaign is responding to a new TV ad from Mayor Bloomberg that continues to slam his Democratic opponent's tenure as Board of Education president.

I have yet to see the ad, but Thompson spokeswoman Carly Lindauer helpfully provided the script that appears below along with the following comment:

'Republican Mike Bloomberg has gone negative - setting the tone and direction for his campaign. He’s inundating the airwaves and filling the mailboxes of New Yorkers with false claims about Bill Thompson’s record. It’s unfortunate that a two-term incumbent mayor feels he needs to stoop so low.'

The mailer to which Lindauer is referring hit New York City mailboxes last week (right around primary day), and also focused on education. DN City Hall Bureau Chief Adam Lisberg dissected the piece and found some its claims were a bit on the fuzzy side."

Jim Graham’s Guy Gets Handcuffs: Loose Lips Daily - City Desk - Washington City Paper

Jim Graham’s Guy Gets Handcuffs: Loose Lips Daily - City Desk - Washington City Paper

Inza Rhee said to Michelle, “What is wrong with you? You just don’t care what people think of you!”

‘ That gives way to a discussion of ‘the broom’ (check the outtakes from the Time photo shoot), and the thought from George Parker that ‘no previous superintendent has managed to wreck morale better than Rhee.’

There’s no huge scoop in here, but a lot of great detail about Rhee’s background and her style: ‘Rhee is all about control. She agreed to come to Washington only after being assured greater authority over the schools than any superintendent had ever had.

Almost instantly, she managed to alienate important people.’ Fisher gets details on her manicure habits, too, but not her relationship with Kevin Johnson. Rhee also does video interview with WaPo columnist Steve Pearlstein.

INVITATION - October 24 Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education

We invite all UC, CSU, JC, and K-12 students, workers, teachers, and their organizations across the state to participate in and collectively build the October 24 Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education.
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INVITATION October 24 Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education

We have the power to stop the catastrophic budget cuts, fee hikes, and layoffs — but to save public education in California requires coordinating our actions on a state-wide level.

We invite all UC, CSU, JC, and K-12 students, workers, teachers, and their organizations across the state to participate in and collectively build the October 24 Mobilizing Conference to Save Public Education.

The all-day conference will take place at UC Berkeley (contact us for more logistics).

The purpose of this conference is both simple and extremely urgent: to democratically decide on a state-wide action plan capable of winning this struggle, which will define the future of public education in this state, particularly for the working-class and communities of color.

Why UC Berkeley? On September 24, over 5,000 people massively protested and effectively paralyzed the UCB campus, as part of the UC-wide walkout. A mass General Assembly of over 400 individuals and dozens of organizations met that night and collectively decided to issue this call.

We ask all organizations and individuals in the state who want to save public education to endorse this open conference and help us collectively build it.

Save public education! No budget cuts, fee hikes, or layoffs! For state-wide student, worker, and faculty solidarity!

Please contact oct24conference [at] gmail.com to endorse this conference and to receive more details.

Mix fun with education on Bay Area museum outing - San Jose Mercury News

Mix fun with education on Bay Area museum outing - San Jose Mercury News:

"I've witnessed spontaneous combustion.

Unite my 10-year-old daughter with her two precocious cousins, ages 10 and 13, and it's like putting a lighted match to gunpowder. An explosion of screeching, shouting, jumping and caterwauling follows.

So on a museum outing with all three, I needed to find frivolous fun to balance the mental stimulation. That's how we ended up pairing the cerebral stimulus of a visit to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park with the lighthearted fun of a stop at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia."

Scrutiny rises over NJ kids singing Obama song - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Scrutiny rises over NJ kids singing Obama song - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"That month, a group of smiley and fidgety students at B. Bernice Young School sang a medley of two short songs at an assembly praising the president. The first song begins, 'Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama/He said that all must lend a hand/To make this country strong again.'

The second one was set to 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' and included the refrain, 'Hooray, Mr. President.'"

Lyrics to the Pro-Barack Obama Song sung by school children in Burlington, New Jersey. Video of the children singing the song was released on YouTube recently. The Drudge Report and other media outlets focused on the video today.

Lyrics to School Children’s Song to Obama
Mm, mmm, mm!Barack Hussein Obama
He said that all must lend a handTo make this country strong againMmm, mmm, mm!Barack Hussein Obama
He said we must be fair todayEqual work means equal payMmm, mmm, mm!Barack Hussein Obama
He said that we must take a standTo make sure everyone gets a chanceMmm, mmm, mm!Barack Hussein Obama
He said red, yellow, black or whiteAll are equal in his sightMmm, mmm, mm!Barack Hussein Obama
Yes!Mmm, mmm, mmBarack Hussein Obama
Song 2:Hello, Mr. President we honor you today!For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say “hooray!”
Hooray, Mr. President! You’re number one!The first black American to lead this great nation!
Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plansTo make this country’s economy number one again!
Hooray Mr. President, we’re really proud of you!And we stand for all Americans under the great Red, White, and Blue!
So continue —- Mr. President we know you’ll do the trickSo here’s a hearty hip-hooray —-
Hip, hip hooray!Hip, hip hooray!Hip, hip hooray!

Thousands in California Protest Campus Cuts, Furloughs -- Politics Daily

Thousands in California Protest Campus Cuts, Furloughs -- Politics Daily:

"Thousands of University of California students, faculty members, and employees rallied statewide Thursday to voice their concern about President Mark Yudof's and the regents' handling of the budget crisis (prior Cram coverage here)."

Coalition files legal brief in support of state tuition law | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Coalition files legal brief in support of state tuition law L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times:

"The state’s highest court is considering the case, Martinez vs. Regents of the University of California, which challenges the 2001 state law, AB 540, allowing documented and undocumented students to pay in-state rather than out-of-state tuition if they attend at least three years of high school in California, graduate from a state high school and promise to apply for permanent residency.
The difference in costs is considerable: In the current school year, for example, typical fees for an out-of-state undergraduate to attend a University of California campus total nearly $30,000, compared with about $8,000 for a resident."