Daggett's plan rearranges taxes | app.com | Asbury Park Press

Daggett's plan rearranges taxes app.com Asbury Park Press:

"One of the top three candidates for governor came out with details for helping the state's long-beleaguered property taxpayers. Unfortunately, it is a plan to rearrange taxes, not cut spending.

Independent Chris Daggett proposes to expand the state's 7 percent sales tax to personal, professional and household services — ranging from lawyers to haircuts, for instance — and use that new sales tax money to cut property taxes.It would max out at $2,500 so if you pay more than $10,000 you would get less than the 25 percent cut he is promising. All seniors would get $2,500 regardless of their tax bill, he says."

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Local schools feel the squeeze

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Local schools feel the squeeze: "In the William S. Hart Union High School District the maximum number of students at the high schools is 39 students per class, an increase of three students over last year, and the most classrooms can hold, said Vicki Engbrecht, assistant superintendent of educational services. Junior highs have a maximum of 38 students.

The Newhall district came up with a plan so that first and second-grade classes have 22 students, an increase by two students.

Third-grade classes have 24 students. Kindergarten classes have 30 students with two teachers."

Changing the standard » Evansville Courier & Press

Changing the standard » Evansville Courier & Press:

"That's a suggestion that has been met with praise from many who say teachers with better knowledge of the subjects they teach will lead to higher quality education.

But it's also been peppered with criticism from teachers who say that successfully reaching students who struggle with learning disabilities, language difficulties and discipline issues requires much more than content knowledge.

By unveiling the new teacher licensing requirements he is asking the state Professional Standards Advisory Board to consider, Bennett has opened the floor for debate on the issue of how Indiana should train its future teachers."

Untraditionally trained teachers getting mixed reviews | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Untraditionally trained teachers getting mixed reviews IndyStar.com The Indianapolis Star:


"Other educators, though, question whether the teachers, especially those who have had only fast-track five-week training courses, are equipped to handle situations that require detailed knowledge of child psychology or to work with special cases, such as a child who struggles to read.What is clear is that political support for these programs has never been stronger. Both Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, and President Barack Obama, a Democrat, are pushing for more opportunities for those without education degrees to become educators."

An education problem looms -- latimes.com

An education problem looms -- latimes.com:

"As thousands of laid off California teachers sit out the school year, educators are worried about the long-term effect of losing so many teachers. Some instructors are considering leaving the state or even the profession, and if history is any indication, fewer young people will pursue careers in teaching.

'The pipeline issue is one of the most significant challenges that we're dealing with, with the layoff situation or the pink-slipping,' said Margaret Gaston, executive director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit focused on strengthening California's teacher workforce."

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com:

"Villaraigosa issued a statement saying, 'The city of Los Angeles has lost one of its most dedicated and passionate philanthropists. Nancy Daly spent her life advocating for children and ensuring that our future generations are not forgotten. Her commitment to children -- especially foster children -- across the country led to the establishment of countless organizations, committees and even legislation for increased funding for children's rights. Nancy was a friend and inspiration to us all. She will truly be missed.'"

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair | News | OnlineAthens.com

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair News OnlineAthens.com:

"In once failing Sacramento public schools, for example, teacher turnover was at an all-time high before an outside community group encouraged the teachers' union and superintendent to work together to give teachers stipends. The extra pay allowed teachers to work longer hours making weekly home visits to get to know students and their families outside school.

In roughly a year, teacher turnover dropped, and the program became so effective that the California Department of Education has considered implementing the program statewide, Henderson said.

'In some cases, there is no other way to reach out and build a relationship with some of our most fragile families,' Henderson said.
Still, schools can only do so much to help, she said."

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Service Employees International Union Local 1000 has told its members to stay home the second Monday of this month in keeping with the holiday provisions in its last contract and the law.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says the law has changed. Now employees who want Oct. 12 off must use personal leave time or their pay will be docked and they'll be disciplined."

Will California become America's first failed state? | World news | The Observer

Will California become America's first failed state? World news The Observer:

"But the state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. From its politics to its economy to its environment and way of life, California is like a patient on life support. At the start of summer the state government was so deeply in debt that it began to issue IOUs instead of wages. Its unemployment rate has soared to more than 12%, the highest figure in 70 years. Desperate to pay off a crippling budget deficit, California is slashing spending in education and healthcare, laying off vast numbers of workers and forcing others to take unpaid leave. In a state made up of sprawling suburbs the collapse of the housing bubble has impoverished millions and kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes. Its political system is locked in paralysis and the two-term rule of former movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen as a disaster – his approval ratings having sunk to levels that would make George W Bush blush. The crisis is so deep that Professor Kenneth Starr, who has written an acclaimed history of the state, recently declared: 'California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America.'"

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure:

"They said the school covered up its fraudulent practices in a number of ways, including code words for the number of enrollments required to win a contest. Instead of saying 50 enrollments were needed, the lawsuit says a middle-aged manager said, 'You know how old I am.'

'There's clear evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong and did it nonetheless, essentially trying to pull the wool over the Department of Education and by extension you and me, the taxpayers who are footing the bill for a university that has abysmally low completion rates,' said San Francisco lawyer Robert Nelson, the lead attorney for the enrollment counselors, in an interview before the settlement talks were announced.

Their attorney denied requests to interview Albertson and Hendow."

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"In 2002, the Legislature's updated Master Plan for Education called upon the state to take steps to bring all school districts into unified K-12 structures. The separate elementary and high school districts, it said, 'perpetuate isolated approaches to education delivery.'

A prime example is the multiple districts in Sacramento's north area. Between 1949 and 1972, unification proposals for these fragmented districts went to voters six times and were defeated � the casualty of conflict, distrust and mismanagement.

Voters in the Natomas elementary district finally became so frustrated with the Grant high school district, where they sent kids to middle and high school, that they created a breakaway K-12 district in 1991."

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The not-so-good news? Quantities are limited and will target certain age groups.

Health officials are saying, though, just wait. The vaccines will eventually be plentiful. The federal government has ordered from five companies 250 million doses, which will arrive in weekly waves."

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area:

"Such 'two-way language immersion' programs, in which children are instructed throughout the day in two languages, are cropping up in public and private schools throughout the state. More than 20 of the programs operate in Alameda and Contra Costa counties alone, from Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg to Burbank Elementary School in Hayward."

Thursday night the school was featured on National Television--Telemundo--one of the largest Spanish Television station in the United States!
The interview is in Spanish.


http://msnlatino.telemundo.com/shows/Noticiero_Telemundo/video_player?uuid=e66ff530-4f10-4308-87eb-5facff906076

DAC Chair Update & News

DAC Chair Update & News:

Message from Wanda

Welcome back to the new school year. The District Advisory Committee (DAC) Board has been busy this summer planning for the school year.

DAC First Meeting: Tuesday, October 20th meeting I recommend all DAC members attend this meeting. We got a fantastic speaker. You will also receive a special packet that incorporates all the handouts with information that you'll need to learn or know. We do not have enough time during the meeting to discuss. At this meeting we have the following:* Our new district superintendent, Mr. Jonathan Raymond will be there to greet you and introduce himself and his vision for the district.

"Guest Speaker Dr. Geni Boyer, the Director of Cambridge Academies/California Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) 2. She will be speaking about parental engagement, school policies, Section 1118, school compacts, accountability and how school site councils can lead improvement at school sites. She is dedicated to promoting, supporting and sustaining educational opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk students. Check out PIRC 2 website for helpful information: http://www.calpirc.org/. Dr. Boyer is very knowledgeable. Ask your questions."

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Harold L. Doherty asks a really good question in his blog Facing Autism in New Brunswick. He asks: Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned? and I think he makes a good argument – more eloquently than I can, but I’m going to try anyway.

The spectrum is much broader than it once was, now including Asperger’s Syndrome with what I call classic autism, as identified by Leo Kanner in 1943. Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is also included in the group called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

People with autism or autistic disorder are quite different than people with Aspergers Syndrome. The most obvious difference is that those with autistic disorder are much more like to have speech delays or never to speak at all, but there are other differences. There are also many similarities, and that is what makes the question difficult to answer.

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com:

"Many of the 14,000 or so students who have taken Harvard’s wildly popular course “Justice” with Michael J. Sandel over the years have heard the rumor that their professor has a television avatar: Montgomery Burns, Homer Simpson’s soulless ghoul of a boss at Springfield’s nuclear power plant."

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"When education pundits like me talk about the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif., the conversation is always about the middle school's leader, Ben Chavis. He is very different from us data-sifting eggheads. It is not an exaggeration to call him a wild man. He delights in upbraiding lazy students, outraging inattentive teachers and making wrong-headed visitors to the school wish they had stayed home.

He has the independent spirit of someone who had a successful career in construction, teaching and business before the then-woebegone AIPCS board asked him to rescue the school. He didn’t need the job. He did it mostly as a favor to fellow Native Americans--he was born into a Lumbee Indian family of sharecroppers in North Carolina--and as a challenge. He has many of the habits of some of the best educators I know--a wicked sense of humor, a weakness for shocking the conventionally wise and a deep love of children, particularly those who have had difficult lives."

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?:

"It sounds like a great plot to a movie for kids: A security company that provides guards to public schools goes bankrupt overnight. Anxiety and confusion rule the day when kids go to school and discover that about 300 guards aren’t there. Some kids even get sent home because nobody can monitor the entrances! What fun!

But, as we know, this did just happen in Washington D.C.-- here’s the Post story. And once again we find ourselves asking: Who in the city could or should have foreseen this and why didn’t they?

This line of questioning gets tiresome."

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com:

"In one of the most turbulent days in its recent history, the D.C. public schools system laid off more than 200 teachers Friday and coped with the abrupt loss of its 300 security guards, whose company went out of business overnight Thursday.

The combination of events, which included a skirmish between students and police at McKinley Technology High School that resulted in two arrests, highlighted the challenges faced by Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) as they struggle to reform the troubled system in lean economic times. The layoffs were the deepest cuts for the school system since 2003."

Free online books available

Free online books available:

"A story I wrote last week on a program for free online textbooks has generated a lot of interest from readers, and many have asked where they can go to see all the free books.
The web site for Orange Grove Texts Plus is now up and running and available at www.theorangegrove.org. You can browse the list of more than 120 titles and even read them online if you’d like. You don’t even have to be a student.

Among the selections are “Core Concepts of Marketing,” “Latino American Literature in the Classroom,” “Reading Music: Common Notation” and “Mathematical Tools for Physics.” There’s even one I plan to check out, “Handbook of Independent Journalism.”"