At hearing, teachers assail Rhee over layoffs - washingtonpost.com

At hearing, teachers assail Rhee over layoffs - washingtonpost.com:

"Union members, parents and community activists packed the D.C Council chambers Thursday morning for Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's first detailed account of the teacher layoffs and budget cuts that have placed her under the heaviest political fire of her 28-month tenure.

'A grave injustice has been committed against us,' said Pearlie Christian, a former kindergarten teacher at Barnard Elementary School and one of 388 school system staff laid off Oct. 2 to help close what Rhee said was a $43.9 million shortfall in the school system's 2010 budget.

Union leaders have denounced the move as an illegal mass firing intended to purge older educators. They have gone to court to have the teachers reinstated and returned to the classroom."

David A. Sanchez American Education Week

American Education Week Fact Sheet


The National Education Association's 88th annual American Education Week—November 15-21, 2009—presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education. Our AEW tagline, "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility," reflects NEA's vision of calling upon all Americans to do their part in making public schools great for every child so that they can grow and achieve in the 21st century.

The weeklong celebration will spotlight distinguished individuals who are critical in building great public schools for the nation's 50 million K-12 students. American Education Week's celebration days include:

Monday, November 16: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local community events such as American Education Week house parties, millions of Americans will celebrate public education nationwide.

Tuesday, November 17: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a hands-on experience of what the day is like for their child.

Wednesday, November 18: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.

Thursday, November 19: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to serve as educators to get a glimpse at a day in the life of a school employee.

Friday, November 20: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.

To help plan and promote American Education Week's celebration days, NEA is offering an online toolkit, complete with promotional materials, activity ideas, and downloadable templates.

The toolkit is available at www.nea.org/aew.

Editorial: City leaders see no evil, read no evil - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: City leaders see no evil, read no evil - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The city of Sacramento has an unsung hero in the Natomas permit scandal.

It was a Utilities Department employee, still unnamed, who noticed that someone in the development department had approved permits for new home construction in the Natomas flood zone in April – though a federally mandated building moratorium had been in effect since last December. The employee also noticed irregularities with the fees."

That person did the right thing, contacting Assistant City Manager John Dangberg, the city manager and the city attorney. The next day they all met. They realized immediately that this could affect federal funding for Sacramento's levees and flood insurance subsidies. They contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city attorney drafted a memo on the issue, which was hand-delivered to the mayor and council members, the city manager, the assistant city manager and the head of the development department.

But – and this is the most important part – the public never would have known about that scandal in the development department if someone hadn't leaked the memo to The Bee. It would all have been hush-hush.

Unfortunately, Mayor Kevin Johnson went out of his way to champion secrecy over disclosure. He went so far as to label the leak a "crime" and unsuccessfully attempted to hold a closed session to ferret out the leaker. The council was told Tuesday that disclosure of the memo was not a crime. No closed session.

Education Week: Rediscovering the 'Pygmalion Effect'

Education Week: Rediscovering the 'Pygmalion Effect'

"High expectations" is the mantra of today’s school reformers, who are convinced that the trouble with public education is that students have been allowed to slide by with little effort. Their version of high expectations is requiring college-preparatory courses, advanced subject matter, more-difficult assignments, and a longer school day and year for all students. They believe that research and the records of selected schools show that demanding more of students brings the desired results.
But do they understand the research, or know what successful schools really do?

The original research on teacher expectations tells a far different story from what today’s reformers are calling for. More than 40 years ago, Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson conducted an experiment in a California elementary school that produced what they called, in a reference to Greek mythology and George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, the “Pygmalion Effect”: the amazing transformation of an ordinary person into someone special. In their book Pygmalion in the Classroom , they described the study in detail and interpreted its lessons for education...

Education Week: Blair, Duncan Push Schools as Community Hubs

Education Week: Blair, Duncan Push Schools as Community Hubs

The campaign to turn more schools into community hubs got an injection of star power Wednesday from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who headlined an event on the topic sponsored by the Center for American Progress.

The occasion was the release of a new report by the Washington-based think tank pointing to England as a model for the nationwide spread of community schools, which offer a venue for both academics and social services.

By next year, all of England’s 23,000 public schools will become “extended schools” open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the year—a key education priority of Mr. Blair’s administration, which aimed both to make schools a place of learning and to give them a central...

Digital Education: The 'Inconvenient Truth' of Educational Inequity

Digital Education: The 'Inconvenient Truth' of Educational Inequity:

"The director of the Academy Award-winning film 'An Inconvenient Truth' wants his new upcoming documentary to fuel the same sense of urgency for improving education that his earlier one did for raising awareness of global warming. A preview was shown here at the Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age forum at Google headquarters.

In the preview of the documentary, director Davis Guggenheim takes a dramatic and emotional look at how low-income students and families in the District of Columbia are desperately trying to navigate the public school options that will give them the best chance of achieving academic success and breaking the cycle of poverty."

SN&R > Columns > Bites > Overqualified, underfunded > 10.29.09

SN&R ; Columns; Bites; Overqualified, underfunded; 10.29.09

The election is still eight months away, but contestants in the 5th Sacramento City Council District are already facing off at a candidate forum in the Florin Road Bingo hall tonight, Thursday, October 29. The 5th includes Curtis Park, Hollywood Park, Oak Park and a lot of other parks besides. It’s a crowded field full of interesting and smart candidates—all vying to replace Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, who is giving up her seat to run for the state Assembly.

The field shows why Sacramento’s campaign finance laws are completely broken.

The race is being dominated early by two pretty well-connected guys—school board member Patrick Kennedy and former school board member Jay Schenirer. Each has a long list of endorsers and donors, and they’ve basically divvied up Sacramento’s political establishment. For example, Kennedy boasts endorsements from Councilwomen Bonnie Pannell and Sandy Sheedy, along with heavy labor support. Schenirer is getting the nod from Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, and most observers expect him to win the endorsement of Mayor Kevin Johnson.

No TRO For WTU, Yet - D.C. Wire -

No TRO For WTU, Yet - D.C. Wire -:

"The Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) failed today in its bid to secure a court order barring the District from formally discharging the 266 public school instructors and staff it laid off Oct. 2. But a D.C. Superior Court judge left the door open to taking action next week.
The educators have been on administrative leave, collecting salary and benefits for the last month, but are scheduled to be dropped from the city payroll this coming Monday.
WTU has sued, arguing that the action was an illegal mass firing and not, as the District contends, a budget-driven reduction in force. The union wants a permanent injunction that reinstates the teachers and returns them to the classroom while the matter goes before an arbitrator."

Children4Change

Children4Change:

Represent a Child To President Obama

"For too long the American K-12 education system has deteriorated compared to our international peers. Every child deserves the opportunity to receive a world-class education so that they may become financially self-sufficient, productive and engaged Americans citizens.

That American children should academically lead the world - as measured by international benchmark exams - is in the best interests of the child and of American society.
Although there are powerful organizations representing the interests of all the adults in K-12 education, no organization stands up forcefully for the interests of children. Until now.

Children4Change.org is a grassroots organization of ordinary Americans willing to take the side of an American child in the struggle for a high quality education."

NAEP State Mapping - State Mapping

NAEP State Mapping - State Mapping:

"Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales 2005-2007: Since 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has compared each state’s standard for proficient performance in reading and mathematics by placing the state standards onto the NAEP scale.

The procedure, “mapping,” allows the level of achievement required for proficient performance in one state to be compared with the level of achievement required in another state. The mapping procedure offers an approximate way to assess the relative rigor of the states’ standards for proficient performance."

State Mapping Publications

Browse the executive summary of the report.
Download the full 2007 report (2985K PDF) to find out more about your state.
Download earlier reports:
Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales.
Comparison Between NAEP and State Reading Assessment Results: 2003.
Comparison Between NAEP and State Mathematics Assessment Results: 2003.

More About State Mapping

View profiles of state assessment standards that provide detailed information on each state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards, assessments, and exclusion rates. Profiles are available for 2007 or 2005.
View a table summarizing the percentage of students at or above NAEP Proficient and the percentage of students meeting state proficiency standards for 2007 or 2005.
More information to help you understand the report is available in the State Mapping FAQs.
Learn more about how NAEP relates to federal law.
View the State Mapping Presentation, a narrated PowerPoint presentation about state proficiency standards and the report.

Read Full Report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14142200/Mapping-State-Proficiency-Standards-Onto-NAEP-Scales-2005-2007

Obama nomination of donor as envoy put on hold - Washington Times

Obama nomination of donor as envoy put on hold - Washington Times:

"President Obama's nomination of a major campaign fundraiser as ambassador to Spain has been delayed in the Senate over questions about whether the White House is withholding information from lawmakers about the abrupt firing of a government watchdog official.

The nominee, Alan Solomont, served from April until recently as chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service, whose former inspector general, Gerald Walpin, was fired by the White House on June 10. Mr. Solomont, a Massachusetts health industry entrepreneur, helped raise at least $500,000 for Mr. Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and was among a group of top fundraisers, elected officials and others invited to a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House."

Pocket Online | superintendent

Pocket Online superintendent:

"Superintendent is firm as he tells the 60-70 adults and students gathered Monday night in the Kennedy High School cafeteria “we have a lot of change to make.” Raymond met with the group to introduce himself personally to those of us who live in the Greenhaven and Pocket neighborhoods. The session lasted almost two hours and while questions ranged from difficulty volunteering in schools to concerns that campuses aren’t good neighbors, Raymond returns often to the theme of change across the entire district. (I admit up-front that I did not include every topic for this article for reasons of brevity and cohesion.)"

The visit is part of the “listening to the community” the new superintendent said he wanted to accomplish during his first 100 days on the job. Raymond tells the crowd about three priorities he has already set … all of which deal with staff accountability. “We’re going to have certain achievement goals for each school. We’re going to have customer service goals and give teachers some leadership principles,” Raymond explains. “I’m not satisfied until everyone of our schools has a principal that we all feel like we want to send our children to. I know these are hard, lofty goals but why have anything lower?”

Raymond says parents must be a part of the equation for successful schools and asks adults to volunteer at campuses or participate in the school site council. Several parents tell the superintendent how the cost of fingerprinting is prohibitive or the massive amounts of paperwork discourage their volunteer effort. “There are so many opportunities even if it’s just making sure you child gets to school on time.” The superintendent then admits the system can also do better, “We need to be reaching out too. That’s what our teacher-parent home visits are for.”

Enrollment showcase provides answers for Sac City Unified parents - Latest News - sacbee.com

Enrollment showcase provides answers for Sac City Unified parents - Latest News - sacbee.com

Parents are invited to learn about schools and enrollment options in the Sacramento City Unified School District at an upcoming gathering.

The Open Enrollment - Showcase of Schools is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at the district's Serna Center, 5735 47th Ave.

Parents can learn about the January 2010 open-enrollment application process that allows students to apply to schools not in their neighborhood attendance area. They also can meet principals, students and teachers from schools in the district.

The event is open to families living inside or out of the district. Out-of-district residents can apply for a permit to enroll at a Sacramento Unified campus.

Representatives from Sacramento-area colleges also will be on hand to help students and parents understand the college application process.

More information about the enrollment fair is at http://www.scusd.edu/ or by calling Mike Crosby in the district open enrollment office at 643-2348.

Report Questions Duncan’s Policy of Closing Failing Schools - NYTimes.com

Report Questions Duncan’s Policy of Closing Failing Schools - NYTimes.com:

"Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presided over the closing of dozens of failing schools when he was chief executive of the Chicago public schools from 2001 until last December. In his new post, he has drawn on those experiences, putting school turnaround efforts at the center of the nation’s education reform agenda."

Now a study by researchers at the University of Chicago concludes that most students in schools that closed in the first five years of Mr. Duncan’s tenure in Chicago saw little benefit.
“Most students who transferred out of closing schools re-enrolled in schools that were academically weak,” says the report, which was done by the university’s Consortium on Chicago School Research.

Furthermore, the disruptions of routines in schools scheduled to be closed appeared to hurt student learning in the months after the closing was announced, the researchers found.
The reading scores of students in schools designated for closing “showed a loss of about six weeks of learning” on standardized tests in the months after the closing announcement, the report said. Math scores declined somewhat less, it said.

Read the full report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14004229/When-Schools-Close-Effects-on-Displaced-Students-in-Chicago-Public-Schools

Doyle announces bill to let mayor take over MPS - JSOnline

Doyle announces bill to let mayor take over MPS - JSOnline:

"Milwaukee's mayor would have the power to not only appoint the city school system's superintendent but also set its annual tax levy under a legislative proposal Gov. Jim Doyle detailed Tuesday.

Flanked by five Milwaukee-area legislators, Doyle released more components of what he said would be within a bill introduced in the Legislature giving the mayor a strong hand in governance of Milwaukee Public Schools.

With little time left in the legislative session and the bill still in the drafting stage, Doyle said he may call a special session this year to consider mayoral takeover of MPS.
'I think we all feel this incredible sense of urgency that this has to be done,' Doyle said."

Michelle Obama makes room for classical music at the White House | Culture Monster | Los Angeles Times

Michelle Obama makes room for classical music at the White House Culture Monster Los Angeles Times:

"Classical music education will get some welcome attention next week when Michelle Obama opens the White House for a special concert.

Next Wednesday, the first lady will host a Classical Music Student Workshop Concert, which will feature an appearance by superstar violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Awadagin Pratt. The afternoon concert, which will be held in the East Room, is part of the White House's ongoing Music Series, which was created by the first lady to celebrate the arts and demonstrate the importance of arts education.

The White House said that the concert will include two young performers: cellist Sujari Britt and marimba player Jason Yoder, who will perform with Weilerstein. On the same day, the White House will hold music workshops for 120 middle and high school students from around the country."

Education Week: L.A. Gives Parents 'Trigger' to Restructure Schools

Education Week: L.A. Gives Parents 'Trigger' to Restructure Schools:

"Who should decide when it’s time to overhaul a chronically underperforming school?

Soon, in Los Angeles, parents can.

Under new rules released this week by the Los Angeles Unified School District, parents whose children attend some of the lowest-performing schools in the city will have the ability to force the district to launch new reform initiatives at troubled campuses. The rules—written by Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines and his team—are part of a series of regulations being crafted to govern the district’s new school choice policy, which will allow outside groups, such as charter school organizations, to operate schools where student achievement has not..."

Parents and community leaders voice opinions on Renaissance 2010 program - WGN

Parents and community leaders voice opinions on Renaissance 2010 program - WGN:

"CHICAGO - Chicago Public School parents and community leaders voicing their opinions on the Renaissance 2010 program at the CPS board meeting today.

Some parents alleging that Renaissance 2010 is endangering students lives, disrupting communities and wasting public dollars. Parents also saying there is a connection between recent school violence and the Renaissance 2010 program.

CPS parent Julie Woesterhoff says that it's irresponsible for the CPS school officials to not make that connection.

'If there is any possibility that a policy your putting in place is killing children and escalating violence, you need to put the breaks on it,' Woesterhoff said.

Some parents at the meeting were in favor of Renaissance 2010. Adrienne Leonard saying it is not the reason for escalating violence blaming the parents instead.

'It's parental involvement, if parents were involved our schools wouldn't be in the shape that they are in,' Leonard said, 'We are all responsible for what's going on.

CPS Board president Michael Scott has promised to meet with parents regarding the program. But right now they have no plans to rescind Renaissance 2010.

As defined by CPS, Renaissance 2010 was started back in 2005 as an effort to create 100 high-performing public schools in designated communities of need by 2010. Mayor Daley has long been a supporter of Renaissance 2010."

Sequoia district gives Everest charter school a raw deal - San Jose Mercury News

Sequoia district gives Everest charter school a raw deal - San Jose Mercury News:

"Back in 2002, when I began with The Daily News as a freelance reporter, one of my first assignments was covering a fledgling charter school in Redwood City. It was Aurora High School, and I wrote that parents who were attracted to it were most interested in academic excellence and student safety. I also wrote that despite the school being located in a windowless business space, the school glowed with enthusiasm and a family-like spirit.

Unfortunately, among charter schools within the Sequoia Union High School District, Aurora struggled and finally closed, as did another noble charter experiment, High Tech High. Current charter high schools within the district include two in the East Palo Alto area. The most successful appears to be Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, which opened its doors in 2002."

Top universities are now posting lectures online - Oct. 29, 2009

Top universities are now posting lectures online - Oct. 29, 2009:

"(Money Magazine) -- Last autumn I took time off to go back to school. The timing turned out to be just right: My American economic history course at the University of California at Berkeley got to the Great Depression in early October, around the time everyone became convinced we were about to have another one.

The professor, a former Treasury official named Brad DeLong, had no shortage of opinions on what needed to be done about the current crisis. Hearing those arguments in the context of the Depression's grim history made the stakes especially vivid."