Education Week: Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role

Education Week: Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role:

"The troubles that plague many local school boards prompt some observers to throw up their hands. But when it comes to big-city districts, there’s a popular remedy that continues to gain momentum: mayoral control.

This governance arrangement sidelines school boards, for the most part, in favor of a strong chief executive handpicked by the mayor."

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who for seven years ran Chicago’s public schools under Mayor Richard M. Daley, is using his bully pulpit to aggressively promote the approach as a necessity for reversing decades of abysmal academic performance in some cities. In a speech to mayors and school superintendents last spring, in fact, Duncan said he would consider his time as education secretary a “failure” if more mayors didn’t take over city school systems by the end of his tenure.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"“Two people working together who have the best interest of the child in mind
lead to better outcomes for students.”

Parent-Teacher Conferences:
Oct 23 – Nov 24, 2009

ELEMENTARY SHORTENED DAYS
Check with your school"

U.S. Standards Initiative Seeks to Equalize Benchmarks - washingtonpost.com

U.S. Standards Initiative Seeks to Equalize Benchmarks - washingtonpost.com:

"The opening of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice.' Toni Morrison's 1993 Nobel lecture. Walt Whitman's poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' The Declaration of Independence. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter From Birmingham Jail.'

Those were among a handful of texts chosen to illustrate proposed standards for skills and knowledge that every high school graduate should have in English language arts.
And that should be the cue for another 'great works' debate. Every so often, educators, politicians, parents, students and those who care about schools will tussle over lists of works deemed essential (or not) for a culturally literate young adult. It gets especially fierce when the nation's academic reputation is perceived to be at stake."

‘Mama’ Shines Her Light - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

‘Mama’ Shines Her Light - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos:

"In its Editor’s note, NAM wrote: “In early September, on schoolyards and in hallways across the country, the same excited, anxious question rings out: ‘Who’d you get?’

“While parents and politicians worry about crumbling facilities and decimated budgets, students know that the heart of education beats inside the individual teacher. More than spacious playgrounds or sparkling cafeterias; more, even, than top-notch textbooks and state-of-the art computers, it’s the teacher who makes the difference. When NAM asked young people in our youth communications programs to write about the one teacher who’d really made a difference, they barely had to think before the keys were flying. This collection of pieces was underwritten by a project funded through the California Teachers Association.”)"

Sweetwater teachers rally for a contract | SocialistWorker.org

Sweetwater teachers rally for a contract SocialistWorker.org:

"CHULA VISTA, Calif.--One day after an estimated 1,000 members of the Sweetwater Education Association (SEA), the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association, rallied along with students, parents and community members in front of the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) building, a tentative agreement was reached between the district and SEA bargaining teams.

On October 7, protesters marched in South Bay San Diego to confront the SUHSD, which had failed to bargain a union contract in good faith for well over a year. The rally picked up steam when a large group of students, gathered next to the building opposite where SUHSD administrators were holding a 'fact finding' meeting, started chanting on behalf of their teachers: 'What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now.'"

Inland educators not counting on federal stimulus dollars, despite governor's effort | Inland News | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Inland educators not counting on federal stimulus dollars, despite governor's effort Inland News PE.com Southern California News News for Inland Southern California:

"California could get about $500 million out of the $4.3 billion up for grabs in the federal Race to the Top education program, said David Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Association. The state had cut about $4.5 billion from the education budget for kindergarten through community college because of the fiscal crisis.

'If we were talking about significant money, we would probably be more excited about it,' Sanchez said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday signed into law Senate Bill 19, which allows student performance on standardized tests to be used in evaluating teachers and principals -- previously prohibited in California. States with such bans are prevented by federal rules from applying for the stimulus money."

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former Cal and NBA star, robbed in San Francisco - San Jose Mercury News

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former Cal and NBA star, robbed in San Francisco - San Jose Mercury News:

"SAN FRANCISCO — Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, former Cal and NBA star, was reportedly robbed on the streets of San Francisco over the weekend, KCRA-TV in Sacramento is reporting.

In a post on his blog, Johnson said he was near Union Square helping an elderly man get into a cab when someone stole his garment bag.
Johnson, former NBA All Star, said he lost a suit, a pair of shoes and some personal items.

'Not the end of the world, but frustrating,' Johnson wrote. 'The real crime was the vulnerability of it all, the idea that I could leave my bag on a crowded street, turn my back for 30 seconds and have my stuff stolen.'"

Helpless Mayor Blames School Violence On Parents, Feds (Again) - District 299

Helpless Mayor Blames School Violence On Parents, Feds (Again) - District 299:

"Then Mayor Daley came on and blamed everything on family problems, privacy laws, and...well, anyone but himself. There is no violence problem...or if there is it's not his fault. It was an amazing performance. Completely self-serving and convenient, full of false indignation and distractions. You'd think he wasn't mayor.

Gayle read a letter from a CPS teacher (good job!) that says 'Fenger is just a microcosm of what occurs every day in some CPS schools and in schools nation-wide. Reform after reform has yet to provide many of our children with some education foundation that is badly needed.'

Daley's response was to defend the principal of Fenger and assert that there was no real violence problem in the schools. Which would be an appropriate defense if it were true and if Daley weren't in charge of the schools AND the streets.And would be more believable if there hadn't just been a violence summit."

Privatize nonteaching services in schools | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Privatize nonteaching services in schools detnews.com The Detroit News:

"If all school privatization opportunities were realized, it would save hundreds of millions of dollars, dwarfing a $165 per-pupil foundation grant cut on the table in state budget negotiations. For example, Richmond Public Schools expects to save $823,545 annually from contracting out custodial services -- an effective per-pupil funding increase of $435.

Wyoming-Godwin Heights schools will save $69 per pupil, and Troy $14 by privatizing food service. And Benton Harbor Area Schools projects annual savings equal to $113 per pupil by privatizing transportation."

California Chronicle | Governor Signs Simitian's Education Data Bill, Ensuring Access to Federal Funds

California Chronicle Governor Signs Simitian's Education Data Bill, Ensuring Access to Federal Funds:

"State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O´Connell praised the new law as a win for reform efforts. 'The ´Race to the Top´ competition has the potential to usher in a period of bold and far-reaching structural reform of our nation´s K-12 public education system,' said O´Connell. 'Senate Bill 19 will help California move more quickly into having the right conversation about how to use data to make informed and targeted decisions that will have a great impact on improving student achievement.'"

Sarkozy aims to reform French schools, avoid protest - Forbes.com

Sarkozy aims to reform French schools, avoid protest - Forbes.com:

"Education reform is a difficult balancing act for Sarkozy, who does not want to appear weak by backing down on a hot button issue but who is wary of unleashing a new round of demonstrations that could undermine his authority."

The Associated Press: Del. 1st grader faces reform school for camp tool

The Associated Press: Del. 1st grader faces reform school for camp tool:

"NEWARK, Del. — A Delaware first-grader who wanted to eat lunch at school with his favorite camping utensil, a combination of folding fork, knife and spoon, now faces 45 days in reform school.

Hundreds of people were expected to attend a school board meeting Tuesday evening to object to the suspension of 6-year-old Zachary Christie from Downes Elementary School for bringing the camping utensil from home.

The folding knife is banned as a dangerous instrument under the Christina School District's zero-tolerance policy in the student code of conduct and officials said they have to act regardless of his age or what he planend to do with the instrument.

Zachary's mother, Debbie Christie, is appealing her son's suspension and said she'd prefer that the district's policy take into consideration a child's age and intent."

Scared to Go to School

Scared to Go to School:

"He says schools need to have clear and accurate policies on bullying, confidential ways to report harassment, a safe haven within the school. “But more importantly,” says Meyers, “I think you need to have mechanisms in place where teachers learn what bullying is, so they know how to identify it, so they know how to respond, so they don’t think, ‘oh, that’s just kids, that’s just what kids do’.”

And, experts say, parents shouldn’t underestimate their power within the school.

“Parents have got to realize that it’s just not the schools that can do this,” explains Vermont state representative Peter Hunt. “The schools receive these kids. The schools really have to have the parents’ support.”

Some educators say parents, teachers, and children should all fight for a kind of “zero tolerance” for bullying."

Year-round school not solution for education woes - Opinion

Year-round school not solution for education woes - Opinion:

"'Now, I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas,' President Barack Obama mentioned earlier this year. 'Not with Malia and Sasha, not in my family and probably not in yours. But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.'

What is our president talking about and suggesting? Year-round school, of course. Why, do you ask? Well, Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan put it this way: 'Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today. Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our students here. I want to just level the playing field.'

Currently, most public schools in the United States function on a 180-day system. This system was put into place when the United States was largely a farming nation. So when summer came, children were often needed to work the fields."

A child's education is up to the parents | span, style, align - Opinion - Jacksonville Daily News

A child's education is up to the parents span, style, align - Opinion - Jacksonville Daily News:

"We can offer all the lip service and put all the money we want into our schools, and nothing will remain improved for long without responsible parents who support education at home. If education is not held up in the home as one of the most important aspects of life, your school system and your child’s opinion about education will reflect your failure to do so.

If your school system is a failure, you can be assured that the majority of students in that school come from dysfunctional parenting; and parents are directly responsible for that.

You are also directly responsible for the quality of the schools in your community. It is an apparent yet little known fact that parents are responsible for their child’s education. School systems are meant to enhance your instruction of your children — they’re not meant to be a replacement for it. Are you supervising your child’s education at home daily or are you neglecting that responsibility?"

ASU, U-C Berkeley professors win Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences - Collegenews.

ASU, U-C Berkeley professors win Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences - Collegenews.:

"Two college professors, Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson, have won the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, according to press releases from their respective institutions of higher learning.

According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the scientific organization that serves as the selection board for the prize, Ostrom won for her “analysis of economic governance, especially the boundaries of the firm.”

The Academy further noted that, “Elinor Ostrom has challenged the conventional wisdom that common property is poorly managed and should be either regulated by central authorities or privatized.”

Elinor Ostrom is the second ASU professor to have received a Nobel Prize in economics, while Oliver Williamson is the fifth recipient of an economics Nobel from U-C Berkeley."

California Academy of Sciences: One year later

California Academy of Sciences: One year later:

"Over a year later after its grand reopening and the California Academy of Sciences continues to draw massive crowds. As the epitome of green-friendly architecture, the boldly constructed museum received a major facelift at a sizable cost of $488 million. Ever since the original building was seriously damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the vision was to rebuild a sustainable facility that teaches conservation on a very personal level to the visitor. Located across the Music Concourse from the de Young Museum of Art, it has been completely redesigned by Italian architect Renzo Piano with see-through glass walls, 60,000 photovoltaic cells that produce 10 percent of its electricity, other walls packed with shredded denim jeans for insulation, and special sensors to adjust the lights according to the time of day."

California has become wretched state of affairs | San Francisco Examiner

California has become wretched state of affairs San Francisco Examiner:

"Graham — who’s touring the country touting his new book, “America, the Owner’s Manual,” on the roots of the country’s apolitical leanings and the need for more public civic engagement — noted that one of the requirements for statehood was that each agreed to have a “republican” or representative form of government. That may still appear to be the case on paper, but the runaway initiative process in California has placed a vice grip on the state’s lawmaking and budgetary process.

Graham said he’s not sure if a federal judge would rule in favor of a legal challenge to California’s adherence to its original statehood charter, but it does point to the problems that have prompted a number of observers to say that the once-great state is rapidly failing."

UC may charge based on major - Local - The Modesto Bee

UC may charge based on major - Local - The Modesto Bee:

"LOS ANGELES -- At the UCLA studio of the American Society of Civil Engineers, undergraduates are engaged in such extracurricular projects as designing and constructing a 20-foot concrete canoe to race against other California college teams.

But the young engineers face a potentially tougher challenge as University of California leaders consider a plan to charge these students more for their undergraduate education than most others at the university.

As part of a plan to plug the UC's battered budget, the regents might vote as early as next month on the tradition-breaking proposal to require engineering undergraduates, along with those studying business, to pay $900 more a year than the rest of the student body. That would be in addition to the $2,514 systemwide fee increase that all students figure to see by next fall."

Are the rich paying their fair share? -- latimes.com

Are the rich paying their fair share? -- latimes.com:

"When it comes to the state budget and state taxes, everybody knows the following facts:

People earning $75,000 or less pay little or no taxes now.

The same people use 99.9% of state social programs.

Ergo, millions of residents of this state are getting something for nothing, and the rest pay for their freeloading.

Of course I'm kidding. These are popular myths (I owe the formulation above to a reader's e-mail), not facts. Yet, like a cracked windshield, they have the power to distort almost everything we see when we turn our attention to state spending and taxation."