Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Greening the globe

Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Greening the globe:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kicks off his second global summit on climate issues today.

Leaders from more than 70 states, provinces and countries are expected to attend the four-day conference in Los Angeles. Schwarzenegger, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the governors of six other U.S. states are on tap as speakers.

As Kevin Yamamura reported in Tuesday's Bee, Schwarzenegger is looking to shore up his legacy by shining a spotlight on his environmental achievements, namely the 2006 passage and signing of AB 32."

ACS: Access Data

ACS: Access Data

American Community Survey (ACS)

Census Bureau Releases 2008 American Community Survey Data

The U.S. Census Bureau today released the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, providing a statistical portrait of the characteristics of the nation’s population in 2008.

According to the new snapshot, one-in-four people in Texas (24.1 percent) lacked health insurance in 2008, the highest rate in the nation. At the other end of the spectrum, fewer than one-in-20 Massachusetts residents (4.1 percent) lacked coverage.

Health insurance coverage was one of three new topics added to the ACS for 2008. Every question on the ACS is included either because the data are required to satisfy one or more federal laws, regulations or court decisions, or are needed to manage federal programs and allocate more than $400 billion of federal tax dollars annually to states and local communities.

The ongoing survey of approximately 3 million addresses every year provides one of the most complete pictures of our population available. It covers more than 40 topics such as income, educational attainment, housing, family structure and more. All survey responses are strictly confidential and protected by law.

Today’s release compiles social, housing, demographic and select economic data collected throughout 2008 and includes areas with populations of 65,000 or more. Additional 2008 ACS economic data related to family income, poverty and receipt of food stamps will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

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Data User Tools & Tips

What's New & Notable
Highlights of changes to the 2008 ACS, including new content and products
2008 Data Product Details
Table shells/IDs, maps, geographic areas, and more
2008 ACS 1-Year Estimates-->
The ACS Compass Products
User-specific handbooks, PowerPoint presentations, and other educational materials
Comparing ACS Data
Guidance on making data comparisons between the 2008 ACS, 2007 ACS, and Census 2000
2008 ACS 1-Year Estimates
Using Multiyear Estimates
Guidance on how to use the new ACS multiyear estimates
Geographic Overview
Details on geographic areas in ACS data products

Education Week: Demand Soars for Stimulus-Backed Facilities Bonds

Education Week: Demand Soars for Stimulus-Backed Facilities Bonds:

"Construction bonding authority—a technical, and often obscure, source of capital funding for school districts—has emerged as a hot ticket for those looking to finance school facilities work under the federal government’s economic-stimulus program.

With little stimulus money expected to be left for construction after states make up for recession-driven budget cuts, districts are scrambling for some $24 billion or more in zero- or low-interest bonds under the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."

Barrett will discuss mayoral control of MPS in public forums - JSOnline

Barrett will discuss mayoral control of MPS in public forums - JSOnline:

"For the first time since he proposed changing the governance structure of Milwaukee Public Schools in mid-August, Mayor Tom Barrett will appear onstage with leading critics of mayoral control for two public meetings in the next week.

The organizers of the meetings - a trio of Milwaukee aldermen for Thursday's forum at Riverside High School, and leaders of the city and state PTA for next Tuesday's session at the Milwaukee Center for Independence - say that they are planning inclusive discussions that will allow residents to ask questions."

New education chief hopes to expand pre-school programs, not budget | Arkansas News

New education chief hopes to expand pre-school programs, not budget Arkansas News:

"Pre-school programs could be made available to all of Arkansas’ 3- and 4-year-olds without additional state funding, the state’s new education commissioner said today.
Tom Kimbrell spent his first day as director of the state Department of Education meeting staff and attending a conference on the economic benefits of early childhood education.

In a speech at the Arkansas Economic Summit for Early Childhood, Kimbrell told more than 200 pre-school advocates that he hopes every child in Arkansas eventually has the opportunity to attend a pre-kindergarten program.

The Arkansas Better Chance program and its companion Arkansas Better Chance for School Success program serve more than 25,000 3- and 4-year-olds around the state."

Durbins Signals Support for DC Scholarship Program - WSJ.com

Durbins Signals Support for DC Scholarship Program - WSJ.com:

"Low-income families in the District of Columbia got some encouraging words yesterday from an unlikely source. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin signaled that he may be open to reauthorizing the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a school voucher program that allows 1,700 disadvantaged kids to opt out of lousy D.C. public schools and attend a private school.

'I have to work with my colleagues if this is going to be reauthorized, which it might be,' said Mr. Durbin at an appropriations hearing Tuesday morning. He also said that he had visited one of the participating private schools and understood that 'many students are getting a good education from the program.'"

Mahatma Gandhi: A Global Ambassador for Non-Violence | NVO News

Mahatma Gandhi: A Global Ambassador for Non-Violence NVO News:

"Jaya Laxmi writes: Mahatma Gandhi and his world-recognized initiatives for establishment of peace and non-violence are no more confined to India and its people alone with the whole humanity across the globe resolving to follow his footprints in letter and spirit. The first official move came from United Nations General Assembly, which in 2007 had declared the observance of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s birthday on 2nd of October every year as the International Day of Non-Violence."

Surprise pick for head of SUSD | Recordnet.com#STS=g087xaxa.k5p

Surprise pick for head of SUSD Recordnet.com#STS=g087xaxa.k5p:

"Brand-new human resources chief Steve Vaczovsky was appointed acting superintendent of Stockton Unified on Tuesday night, a move that seemed to surprise everyone, including the 59-year-old Vaczovsky.

Vaczovsky was selected by a 6-1 vote of the board at Tuesday's special meeting. Beverly Fitch McCarthy was the lone vote opposing his selection. Vaczovsky will fill the role of superintendent on a short-term basis while the board seeks an interim replacement for Tony Amato, who was fired Sept. 22."

US Census Bureau report: 40 million living in poverty | World News |Axisoflogic.com

US Census Bureau report: 40 million living in poverty World News Axisoflogic.com:

"The overall poverty rate in the US rose to 13.2 percent in 2008, as workers across all sectors of the economy became jobless and increasing numbers of families were forced into destitution, according to a new government report. Real median household income also declined by 3.6 percent.

The report released Tuesday, part of the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, is the most recent to measure the recession’s impact on working class families and the poor. Based on the changes between 2007 and 2008, the first full year of the recession, its findings do not reflect increases in poverty and joblessness this year as the consequences of the crisis have become even more acute."

Panel votes to restore abstinence education money - Politics - San Luis Obispo

Panel votes to restore abstinence education money - Politics - San Luis Obispo:

"A Senate committee voted Tuesday night to restore $50 million a year in federal funding for abstinence-only education that President Barack Obama has pushed to eliminate.
The 12-11 vote by the Senate Finance Committee came over objections from its chairman, Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana.

Two Democrats - Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas - joined all 10 committee Republicans in voting 'yes' on the measure by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah."

Schools in hot water over pre-checked enrollment forms

Schools in hot water over pre-checked enrollment forms:

"The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education Tuesday night ordered staff to investigate pre-checked forms that authorized the release of student records to military recruiters.

The forms were part of an enrollment package filled out by high school students and their parents.

The matter was brought to the board’s attention during public comments on an agenda item about how schools were treating students.
Speakers expressed concern that the implications of the question probably slipped past most parents.

One student told board members that a question on future plans had college pre-marked for pupils at Mission Bay High School, and military already selected for those at Lincoln High School, which is located in a less affluent part of the city."

DPS chief: It's time to focus on personnel - The Denver Post

DPS chief: It's time to focus on personnel - The Denver Post:

"Fixing what still troubles Denver Public Schools will require highly effective teachers in each of the district's 4,000 classrooms, Superintendent Tom Boasberg said Tuesday in his State of the Schools address.

But changing the system to reward the best teachers while helping usher out the worst will require reforms that may be difficult, Boasberg said.
DPS's problems are well-documented: Fewer than half its students can read at grade level, 50 percent graduate on time, and yawning achievement gaps remain between white students and their minority peers."

Public Pension Problems Mount for Local CA Governments

Public Pension Problems Mount for Local CA Governments:

"California’s public pension system is broken. A decade of fiscally irresponsible behavior by state and local policymakers has left the state with a massive unfunded public pension liability.

Unless government officials muster up the political courage to implement reforms that would make government pensions and retiree health-care benefits sustainable, the cost of government services will continue to be inflated and growing pension costs could threaten the very solvency of state and local governments.

Under the state’s “defined-benefit” pension system, workers receive a pension determined by a formula based on the number of years the employee works, a fixed multiplier, and his or her final (or highest) salary. The amount needed to pay the costs of these benefits is determined using assumptions about what the average pension fund investment return will be, how long retirees will live, how much salaries and inflation will increase, etc. These assumptions are projected out decades into the future, which creates a whole other set of problems and allows for fudging of the assumptions to determine how much must be contributed to the system. The benefits are paid for by a combination of employee contributions, employer (in this case, the government) contributions, and pension fund investment earnings."

Tough Sledding for Ed Data Project - D.C. Wire -

Tough Sledding for Ed Data Project - D.C. Wire -:

"Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. State Superintendent of Education Kerri L. Briggs didn't have a lot to say Monday about why they canned Williams, Adley & Co., hired last year to build a $12 million educational data warehouse. But in an eight-page termination letter, John P. Varghese, interim assistant director of the District's office of contracting and procurement, had plenty.

The Sept. 9 letter, hand delivered to Williams, Adley managing partner Kola Isiaq, said in essence that the firm made a hash of just about every critical element of the project, formally known as the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data Warehouse System (SLED). One section refers parenthetically to a 'Defect # 616,' never a good sign."

Education Week: A Grand Bargain

Education Week: A Grand Bargain:

"Education policymakers and practitioners have long searched for a fair system that will help teachers and administrators reach higher levels of performance, identify and reward good practice, and, most importantly, accelerate student achievement. The new Race to the Top grants being made available to states may finally provide the necessary resources to create this new and better school system. In fact, the convergence of necessity, knowledge, resources, and political will taking place now could sweep fundamental reform into American public education."

Yale Daily News - Mayor calls on cops to help reform schools

Yale Daily News - Mayor calls on cops to help reform schools:

"“I think there’s a tendency for kids in inner cities to harbor negative attitudes toward the police,” said Ward 7 Alderwoman Frances “Bitsie” Clark, who chairs the Youth Services Committee. “What the mayor is talking about is the role of the police not as enforcers but as educators and role models.”

One program, Gang Resistance Education and Training, or GREAT, a police officer mentoring program in schools that is now in its second year, will be expanded alongside DeStefano’s school reform plans. Ward 20 Alderman Charles Blango, the assistant dropout and truancy prevention coordinator for the Board of Education, said GREAT will be administered at six schools this year, up from two in 2008, and is scheduled to expand to at least two more in 2010."

Matchmaking: Enabling Mandatory Public School Choice in New York and Boston « Docuticker

Matchmaking: Enabling Mandatory Public School Choice in New York and Boston « Docuticker:

"From tuition vouchers for private schools to charter schools to voluntary transfer programs within and between public school systems, school choice has been at the center of the school reform debate for two decades. But with the voucher movement unable to sustain much momentum, charter schools still serving a small percentage of the nation’s students with mixed results, and the public school choice system in the federal No Child Left Behind Act plagued by low participation rates, New York City’s public high school selection system stands out as a model strategy for harnessing the power of the marketplace to better serve students’ diverse educational interests and needs and to stimulate improvement through competition for students."

Free Times: USC and Higher Education - With Skyrocketing Tuition, Is Degree Worth the Debt?

Free Times: USC and Higher Education - With Skyrocketing Tuition, Is Degree Worth the Debt?:

"It’s no secret that students, not state or federal government, are the ones paying the price for tough economic times, as across South Carolina and the rest of the country rising tuition rates are forcing more students to think twice about taking on a debt load that might take half their lives to repay.

In fact, a Zogby poll released Sept. 7 shows that one in four of the college graduates surveyed believed their degree wasn’t worth the price they paid for it.

All this comes following a decade in which tuition rates in South Carolina have far outpaced the rest of the nation, adding thousands of dollars more in debt for the state’s students to have to service following graduation."

Tax Report: A Failure To Provide A Fair, Long-Term Solution To California’s Revenue And Tax Problems. - California Progress Report

Tax Report: A Failure To Provide A Fair, Long-Term Solution To California’s Revenue And Tax Problems. - California Progress Report:

"*It relies entirely for its reforms on a completely unknown and untried tax, the business net receipts tax (BNRT). There are huge legal and economic problems with this tax, including: burdening companies disproportionately which have higher labor costs; burdening companies, including start-ups, with tax which otherwise would have losses; taxing rental housing, childcare, food and other necessities of low income people; assuming the ability to tax interstate commerce which is highly questionable; possibly disadvantaging California-based companies; encouraging the contracting out of labor services, rather than hiring employees."

EURweb.com - PRISONS VS. EDUCATION: What's wrong with this picture

EURweb.com - PRISONS VS. EDUCATION: What's wrong with this picture:

"*According to the 'Philadelphia Inquirer' newspaper, Pennsylvania intends to build four new prisons for 800 million dollars.

Did you know that it also takes $50,000 a year to house a prisoner? Reading this was upsetting because it was so easy to build four new prisons.

Governor Rendell had spent 3 months trying to get the state budget passed because he refused to put education on the chopping block.

The State of Pennsylvania could educate 5 children rather than put one man or woman in prison.

It seems like our country's priorities are all twisted. Other countries are investing in education and they are experiencing expansion while America is in a state of decline.

Pennsylvania was not the only state to assess its commitment to education. Students in California and other states are experiencing overcrowded classes and bus services have been cut."