Queer history month - News

Queer history month - News:

"The Sacramento State PRIDE Center is celebrating Queer History Month throughout October, striving to promote awareness and education of the queer community on campus and at large.

Gay Lesbian Bi-Sexual Transgender Month, as it is known nationally, has been recognized every October in countries around the world for nearly 50 years. Today queer communities around the world will commemorate National Coming Out Day, a holiday focused on promoting awareness of GLBT persons living honest and open lives.

National Coming Out Day was established in 1988 by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary. The day was created to celebrate the second national march in Washington, D.C., the year before, when more than 500,000 people marched for queer rights."

Three special sessions mean another busy fall for California Legislature - San Jose Mercury News

Three special sessions mean another busy fall for California Legislature - San Jose Mercury News:

"In what's become an increasingly common routine under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's watch, legislators are once again giving up their traditional autumn vacations in hopes of tackling a host of issues lost amid another bad year of budget cuts.

This time, Schwarzenegger has summoned them back for three special sessions — the 12th, 13th and 14th since he's taken office — asking lawmakers in each instance to swing for the fences on subjects that have long divided the state: an overhaul of the state's crumbling water system, fundamental education reform and a proposal to dramatically alter California's tax code."

California's data-tracking system on students misfires - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

California's data-tracking system on students misfires - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"After years of effort, California has launched a statewide system that can track all manner of data for individual public school students as they move from kindergarten through high school.

But it's off to a shaky start.

Debbie Bennett at Black Oak Mine Unified School District in Georgetown kept getting the same message last week when she tried to log into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System: 'Please bear with us while we correct this.'"

California joins race for school stimulus funds - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

California joins race for school stimulus funds - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"California is back in the race.

Sunday afternoon Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that took away the biggest obstacle to the state winning a share of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funds for education.
Senate Bill 19, authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, eliminates a statewide ban against tying student test scores to teacher evaluations."

Genevieve Shiroma Endorses Patrick for City Council

Patrick Kennedy:

"SMUD Director Genevieve Shiroma has endorsed Patrick Kennedy for Sacramento City Council.

Genevieve has served the SMUD Board of Directors with distinction since 1998, representing the Fourth Ward, which includes Curtis Park. She also serves on the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

“Genevieve understands the plight of the working people in the 5th District. As the daughter of a farm worker, she understands the hardships of low income families and has spent her public career as a voice for those who are often voiceless. Having her support is truly humbling,” said Patrick upon announcing the endorsement."

Mayor Johnson's missing garment bag is recovered in San Francisco - Latest News - sacbee.com

Mayor Johnson's missing garment bag is recovered in San Francisco - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"The bag was apparently found by a young man who was walking to a restaurant near Union Square with his girlfriend. That man called Johnson's office on Tuesday and described the contents of the bag, Johnson wrote on his blog.

The suit was on its way back to Sacramento, Johnson wrote."

OPINION Blog | The Dallas Morning News

OPINION Blog The Dallas Morning News:


"It places the responsibility on the universities to compete and maintain standards before receiving funding as they upgrade to the Tier One level. The program's success could provide future Texans the educational opportunities that many Californians have, and the industrial development that California had before it began taxing and regulating itself to death.

Industry, investment and jobs are leaving California each year, so why not give them an incentive to relocate to Texas? This amendment does not affect taxes, and the funding has already been set aside."

Students urge Sodexo to go “cage-free” : The Temple News

Students urge Sodexo to go “cage-free” : The Temple News:

"The University of Pennsylvania and the State of California are cage-free. Organizations gathered 4,000 signatures for Temple to follow suit.

CORY POPP TTN The Sexy Green Truck outside the Student Center touts its use of cage-free eggs. Temple Dining Services plans to add cage-free to next year’s budget.

Three Temple student organizations are campaigning against university dining services’ use of battery-caged eggs in the cafeteria.

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, Environmental Law Society and the Promoters of Animal Welfare issued a policy paper imploring the university to go cage-free, according to a new Web site, cagefreetemple.com ."

Removal of educational "firewall" praised | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Removal of educational "firewall" praised L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times:

"The nation’s top education official praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today for signing a bill that will make California eligible for competitive federal education funding.

Schwarzenegger signed the bill, SB 19 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), on Sunday, striking a clause in a 2006 law Simitian wrote that bars state use of testing data to determine educator pay or promotion.

Obama administration officials have said that states applying for $4.35 billion in education funding cannot have any 'firewalls' between student achievement data and teachers.
“This is a victory for children,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a telephone interview this afternoon."

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Virginia Group Challenges School Labor Pact

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Virginia Group Challenges School Labor Pact:

"A Virginia-based organization filed federal charges of unfair labor practices against San Diego Unified last week, arguing that a labor agreement on its $2.1 billion school construction bond 'enriches union officials (and) punishes nonunion workers and employers.' The agreement requires employers to provide healthcare largely through union plans, sets steep goals for local hiring, and gives apprentices from union programs the first shot at jobs to build their skills.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation sent out a press release stating that it had filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board on the behalf of a nonunion employee:"

Foundation attorneys are providing free legal aid to and filing the federal charges for Wesley Fuller, a Brady Company employee who hangs drywall and has completed all state apprenticeship requirements, and all similarly situated employees. But, because Fuller’s particular apprenticeship program was not established through union monopoly bargaining, he is being illegally denied access to employment.

Reliable Source - Top News Item

Reliable Source - Top News Item:

"There's much more important Michelle Rhee news these days, like, say, her controversial firing of nearly 400 school employees. You can read about that in other sections. We just want to point out that she has a sharp new haircut -- seen here, at a conference hosted Friday by Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education. That's all."

Closing the Achievement Gap: Partnerships Resource Kit

Closing the Achievement Gap: Partnerships Resource Kit

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Offers Education Agencies a New Toolto Combat the Achievement Gap


SACRAMENTO - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today announced that a key recommendation by his CaliforniaP-16 Council is being implemented with the release of a new online tool called the Resource Kit for Developing Partnerships to Close the Achievement Gap (Resource Kit).

"Family and community partners are powerful and critical allies for schools working to improve student success and close the achievement gap," said O'Connell. "The success of our students is directly connected to the success of our state and national economy. That’s why I urge businesses, faith-based organizations, parents, community groups, and others to get involved in their local schools. We all have a stake in preparing all students to compete in the hypercompetitive global economy, and schools need our support and assistance to reach that goal."

The Resource Kit may be used by families, communities, and organizations to develop partnerships with schools that can help narrow the academic achievement gap that exists between higher-performing and lower-performing students. This online tool can help anyone understand the importance of partnerships, how to create them, and help existing partnerships improve. Users may access links to information on different types of partnerships with families, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, business, government agencies, institutions of higher learning, and youth service organizations. The Resource Kit also offers examples of real-life successful partnerships.

The Resource Kit is a result of one of the recommendations made in January by O'Connell's California P-16 Council. The P-16 Council was formed in 2004 to examine ways to improve student achievement and create a comprehensive, integrated system of student learning from preschool through higher education. The Council researched factors that inhibit successful student learning and grouped them into four themes called ACES:

1. Access: Do students have equal access to good teachers and rigorous curriculum?

2. Culture and Climate: Are students' learning environment safe and promote a sense of belonging?

3. Expectations: Does a culture of excellence exist for students and adults alike, so that a common, high standard is the norm for all students?

4. Strategies: Are proven teaching practices being used?

One of the ACES recommendations is to develop partnerships to close the achievement gap. The P-16 Council found that connecting schools with educational organizations, city and county agencies, faith-based organizations, parent groups, and businesses is necessary to foster partnerships that will support a well-defined student support system. Such partnerships recognize that students have needs outside the classroom that, if unmet, can significantly and adversely affect their ability to learn. Breaking down barriers and creating partnerships throughout California is an important step toward implementing a consistent approach to a high-quality and inclusive educational program.

"Too often in government, when recommendations are made by task forces or blue ribbon commissions on complex issues, they are forgotten as soon as the group disbands," added O'Connell. "The Resource Kit is one of 14 recommendations by the P-16 Council to narrow the achievement gap that we are engaged in implementing. I fully intend to implement all 14 recommendations before my term in office expires so that we can improve conditions at the state level that help close the gap. We must ensure that every child has a chance to succeed academically and in life."

The Coordinated School Health Work Group Steering Committee worked with the statewide P-16 Council to create the Resource Kit. The Committee represents education and community health partners, and other state-level stakeholders. The Resource Kit is available online through the California Department of Education's Closing the Achievement Gap Web site at www.closingtheachievementgap.org/partnerships. For more information on the P-16 Council, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/pc/. The California Department of Education is a state agency led by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. The core purpose of CDE is to lead and support the continuous improvement of student achievement, with a specific focus on closing achievement gaps. For more information, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ or by mobile device at http://m.cde.ca.gov/. You may also follow Superintendent O'Connell (@SSPIJack) on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sspijack.

Gavin Newsom: Shake the System

Gavin Newsom: Shake the System:

"This is a tremendous opportunity to create real, long-term reform.

Let's repeal the two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget so a few members of the minority party can't hold up the budget process and California won't have to issue IOUs. Let's consider instituting a more robust rainy day fund, so we save when times are good for those times when things aren't so good. We need to think about a multi-year budget cycle, something that will force the legislature to take a longer view when considering priorities. And it's time to give more local control to counties and municipalities - after all, they know what is best for their communities, and they should have more discretion on how to spend funds.

There is nothing that is stopping us from building a new foundation."

Sacramento State president nominated to Student Aid Commission - Sacramento Business Journal:

Sacramento State president nominated to Student Aid Commission - Sacramento Business Journal::


"The president of California State University Sacramento has been tagged to serve on the California Student Aid Commission.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment of Alexander Gonzalez needs state Senate confirmation. Gonzalez would serve through next October.

The commission’s mission is to make education beyond high school financially accessible to all Californians. The commission, which consists of 15 appointed members, manages financial aid initiatives such as the Cal Grant program.

“I have seen thousands of students achieve their dreams through higher education, and I look forward to working with the commission so future generations can go to college and make positive contributions to California’s culture and economy,” Gonzalez said in a news release."

Saving California - California Progress Report

Saving California - California Progress Report:

"Even the state’s leading historian, Dr. Kevin Starr, has his doubts about California’s ability to recover from its current downward spiral. Quoted in a recent article in Great Britain’s Sunday Guardian, Starr warned that California may become “America’s first failed state.”

Foreclosures have leveled suburbs from Riverside to Merced. California is home to one of every four mortgages in the country where the loan is worth more than the property.

Employment numbers have plunged even more dramatically. At 12.2 percent, the state’s unemployment rate is the highest it has been since the 1940s. In many areas of the state, the job picture is almost surreal. The central valley town of Mendota, for example, is grappling with 38 percent unemployment. Nearly 5,000 East Bay jobs will disappear in one broad stroke when Fremont’s NUMMI auto plant closes early next year.

There are other alarming crisis indicators as well. The poverty rate in Los Angeles has climbed to 20 percent. Our schools, once the backbone of California’s ingenuity and progress, are now ranked 47th out of 50 states. This, coupled with spiraling higher education costs, has resulted in a 13-percent reduction over eight years in the number of 19-year-old Californians enrolled in college."

CSU Enrollment Cuts Leave Prospective Transfer Students Uncertain - The Daily Californian

CSU Enrollment Cuts Leave Prospective Transfer Students Uncertain - The Daily Californian:

"Students looking to transfer from Berkeley City College to a CSU next school year are going to be facing an uphill battle.

All CSUs are cutting their enrollment by approximately 10 percent and campuses on the semester system have stopped offering spring admission and moved up fall application deadlines in an effort to close budget gaps and counteract overcrowding. The cuts have left many prospective transfer students worried for their futures.

Amela Alijagic, a Berkeley City College freshman who hopes to transfer to San Francisco State University and study medicine, initially attended Cal State Sacramento but was unhappy there, so she came to Berkeley to 'start over.' Now she is not sure she will get that chance."

College professor, a breast cancer survivor, will replace Moran on debate panel | Politicker NJ

College professor, a breast cancer survivor, will replace Moran on debate panel Politicker NJ:

"The addition of Lee to the debate panel potentially offers an interesting dynamic to a campaign that has seen coverage of the cost of mammograms emerge as a major issue: in 2003, Lee resigned as the journalism dean at the University of Nevada, Reno after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her cancer was discovered early during a routine mammography. She had a partial mastectomy a month after taking her new job, and returned to the New York area to be closer to her family during her radiation treatments. She joined William Paterson in 2007.

Prior to her career in education, Lee was CNN's first New York correspondent. She also worked as a reporter for ABC and CBS local affiliates in Sacramento, Chicago and Philadelphia. She chairs the William Paterson University Communications Department."

CSUB faculty question administrator numbers - Bakersfield.com

CSUB faculty question administrator numbers - Bakersfield.com:

"This year CSUB employs 71 administrators, compared to 57 in 2002, according to the university. That's a 25 percent jump.

Faculty numbers have decreased from 550 to 465, or 15 percent, in that time.

Over seven years, full-time student enrollment has grown slowly, by about 400 students, to 6,948 in 2008."

Governor Schwarzenegger takes on tax reform in California for the 21st Century Economy | The Gov Monitor

Governor Schwarzenegger takes on tax reform in California for the 21st Century Economy The Gov Monitor:

"The people elected me to fix what was broken in Sacramento. Together, we have tackled the big issues, whether it is workers’ compensation, infrastructure, redistricting or the budget.

Now, we have a historic opportunity to reform another broken system and help unleash a new wave of prosperity across our state.
California’s tax system was created nearly 100 years ago, before the Great Depression. It is outdated and antiquated, and no longer works in our technology and information-based economy.
That’s why last October, I joined Democrat and Republican leaders to form a bipartisan Commission on the 21st Century Economy."

Education Week: States Stung by Criticism on Use of Stimulus Aid

Education Week: States Stung by Criticism on Use of Stimulus Aid:

"Several states are defending their use of federal stimulus money after receiving an official scolding from the U.S. Department of Education’s internal watchdog.

The memorandum issued by the department’s inspector general pointed to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania as examples of how states are undermining the school improvement aims of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in their use of fiscal-stabilization funds to avert or minimize cuts to their education budgets."