Dan Walters: School duels, using surrogates - Inside Bay Area

Dan Walters: School duels, using surrogates - Inside Bay Area:

"ONE OF the more obscure — and probably more important — of California's many political conflicts pits an organization called EdVoice against the California Teachers Association and other school unions.

It centers on our ever-deepening education crisis, manifested in low test scores and high dropout rates, especially among black and Latino kids.

EdVoice, maintained by some wealthy Californians such as Southern California developer Eli Broad and Silicon Valley tycoon Reed Hastings, advocates charter schools, tougher teaching standards and other aggressive approaches.

The CTA and its allies, meanwhile, say California's chief education issue is money, specifically its below-average level of per-pupil spending."

Claud Evans honored as OSU Distinguished Ag Alumnus

Claud Evans honored as OSU Distinguished Ag Alumnus:

"Dr. Claud Evans of Okemah has been named a 2009 Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus of Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Evans is perhaps best known to Oklahomans for the 16 years he served as a member of the Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University and the Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges.
'Dr. Evans has certainly had a great influence on our extended OSU family over the years, and the division continues to directly benefit from his expertise and experience through his membership on the Dean's Advisory Council,' said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR dean and director and vice president of agricultural programs at OSU."

PR-USA.net - Barona Tribe Awards 13 Education Grants Totaling $65,000 to Soledad Enrichment Action Charter School

PR-USA.net - Barona Tribe Awards 13 Education Grants Totaling $65,000 to Soledad Enrichment Action Charter School:


"Today, staff and students of 13 Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA) charter schools from Long Beach to Los Angeles to Pomona joined 45th District Assemblymember Kevin de Leon to accept a $65,000 education grant from the Barona Band of Mission Indians. The check was presented by Edwin 'Thorpe' Romero, Chairman of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, and represented $5,000 for each school as part of the Barona Education Grant program.

Since 2006, the Barona Band of Mission Indians has been helping lessen the blow of budget cuts for schools throughout California with the creation of the Barona Education Grant program, which has awarded more than $800,000 to over 165 schools statewide, including $140,000 to the SEA schools over the past two years."

California Forward Action Fund Submits Reform Initiatives | Reuters

California Forward Action Fund Submits Reform Initiatives Reuters:

"The California Forward Action Fund submitted a pair of nonpartisan initiatives
Friday that would bring comprehensive reform to California`s broken budget
process, protect funding for local services and give communities new tools and
resources to set their own priorities and chart their own paths for the future.

'In jobs and technology, education and quality of life, our state has always led
the way. We`ve been to every corner of the state, talked to hundreds of people
from every walk of life and spent months of research refining our proposals.
These reforms get California moving again so California can lead again,' said
Bob Hertzberg, co-chair of the California Forward Action Fund and former
Assembly Speaker.

'Politics as usual won`t solve our problems,' said Thomas McKernan, California
Forward Action Fund co-chair and CEO of the Automobile Club of Southern
California. 'It`s time to focus on common sense - by taking practices that have
proven themselves in business and other states, and putting them to work in
California, balancing the budget, reducing waste and delivering better results.'"

River City High principal hurt trying to quell food fight - Latest News - sacbee.com

River City High principal hurt trying to quell food fight - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"A West Sacramento high school principal spent Thursday and Friday at home resting after suffering a head injury breaking up a food fight Wednesday in his campus cafeteria.
The extent of the head injury to River City High School Principal Stuart McKay is not clear, but a district official said she expected McKay to be fit for duty Monday"

Are you switching your kid from public to private school?

Are you switching your kid from public to private school?:

"A decade ago, going public meant frothy tech IPOs. Now, it's what private school kids do when their parents can no longer pay their tuition. Private school enrollments are down everywhere, from Washington D.C. to Tennessee to California, while requests for financial aid are up. Yet recessionary budget cuts have hit many public schools hard, forcing them to lay off teachers (which increases class size), scale back instruction in art, music and theater, and even shorten the school year. Given the cutbacks, public school parents who can afford it may consider sending their kids to private schools.

Are you thinking of transferring your child from private school to public? Or from public to private? Have you already done so recently? Why? What has the transition been like for your children and family? If your kids are already in a public school, are you seeing an influx of children this year who formerly went to private schools? Has that changed the school in any way?

I'm reporting on this topic for DoubleX and I'd love to get your feedback. Please e-mail your responses to doublexschool@gmail.com. E-mail may be quoted in DoubleX unless the writer stipulates otherwise. If you want to be quoted anonymously, please let us know."

No progress + lower standards = progress (OneNewsNow.com)

No progress + lower standards = progress (OneNewsNow.com):

"The Department of Education has released a new report that shows a disturbing trend in state educational standards.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report found that many states are setting educational standards so low that they can claim they made progress when none was made. States also continue to get federal dollars through the No Child Left Behind program. Neal McClusky, associate director of the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom, believes the report will be used to argue in favor of stricter federal standards in education."

"Well, if you see almost everybody setting the lowest standards [they] can, [and] almost every politician setting the lowest standards they can set, why would you ever think, 'If we put it at the federal level, then everything we've seen in politics will change, and somehow they'll set high standards?' Of course they won't because all of the incentives are to set low standards, so they're easy to meet," argues McClusky. The Center's associate director contends that control of education needs to be given over to parents so that they can decide which schools their children attend. With control then taken away from the federal and even the state governments, he says schools will have to compete for dollars and students. That way, he says, failing institutions will not be able to survive.

Illinois school test scores: Income-based gap proves hard to close -- chicagotribune.com

Illinois school test scores: Income-based gap proves hard to close -- chicagotribune.com:

"Surrounded by sports fields and suburban lawns, Hadley Junior High School could be the envy of the state.

Nine of every 10 students at the Glen Ellyn school passed state exams in reading and math, according to the 2009 Illinois School Report Card made public Friday.

But average scores belie a widespread problem the federal government has spent billions trying to fix nationwide: While at least 95 percent of Hadley's well-off students passed the eighth-grade reading and math tests, about half of their low-income classmates met the same goals, revealing an achievement gap that is as persistent as it is pernicious.

Seven years after the federal No Child Left Behind Law ambitiously pledged to eliminate such disparities and invested nearly $6.2 billion in Illinois schools alone, the progress has been modest and isolated."

Sacramento Press / Sacramento Press: Enabling the Community to Offer Food for Thought

Sacramento Press / Sacramento Press: Enabling the Community to Offer Food for Thought:

"Recently I read an article by Mayor Kevin Johnson, 'It's all about accountability,' in which Johnson writes, 'I love accountability ... and I find it curious when elected officials and the media decide the moment has arrived to wrap their arms around the fundamentals of accountability for the time being. They demand accountability for everyone but themselves. They choose which rules they follow .... Let's talk about accountability. It's a subject I understand ... I demand accountability for myself, my staff and every employee in the city of Sacramento.'

Surely we can see how community members can be frustrated when many feel the mayor hasn't been held accountable with mismanagement of St. Hope, with allegations of a relationship with minors, with the $25,000 loan to SAG which was forgiven and became a gift in the midst of controversy and other concerns."

College enrollment up, mostly at 2-year schools • Schools (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital)

College enrollment up, mostly at 2-year schools • Schools (www.HometownAnnapolis.com - The Capital):

"Some are there because of the recession, and others despite it. Regardless, more young Americans than ever are in college — especially community college, according to a new report."

A record high of about 11.5 million Americans age 18 to 24, or nearly 40 percent, attended college in October 2008, according to a study of Census data released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. Virtually all the increase of 300,000 students over the previous year came at two-year schools, while attendance at four-year schools remained flat.

Community colleges almost certainly saw attendance go up at least that much again this year, though final figures are not yet available. The American Association of Community Colleges reports growth rates of 10 percent and higher have been common this fall on many campuses.

Overall college attendance has been going up for about 30 years; what's new is the sharp uptick at community colleges, driven in large part by recessionary bargain hunting and closer ties between two- and four-year colleges that give students more confidence they'll be able to transfer.

Flu closes some metro schools, but disruptions minimal | StarTribune.com

Flu closes some metro schools, but disruptions minimal StarTribune.com:

"Serious outbreaks of the H1N1 flu are being reported at scattered Twin Cities schools, forcing a few to close and some to alter their instruction to account for all the absent kids.

Statewide, the number of schools with outbreaks has continued to climb since September, reaching 288 last week, according to the state Department of Health. The list includes public and private schools in Minneapolis, White Bear Lake, Richfield, Burnsville, Maplewood, Edina, Apple Valley, Anoka and St. Paul."

Education Week: 'Funding Cliff' Looms Large for States

Education Week: 'Funding Cliff' Looms Large for States:

"Amid a still-shaky economy, a troubling reality is starting to set in for states and school districts: The budget situation may get a lot worse when the federal economic-stimulus spigot runs dry.

The hope of the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress has been that the $787 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—including some $100 billion for education—would soften the pain of the recession and help drive a recovery.

But as helpful as many state and local officials have found the once-only stimulus aid in coping with current and anticipated revenue shortfalls, it creates some awfully big holes to fill when the money begins to run out late next year in what’s widely known..."

Michelle Obama Reaps Bonanza From White House Garden -- Politics Daily

Michelle Obama Reaps Bonanza From White House Garden -- Politics Daily:

"The White House garden, a project of First Lady Michelle Obama's East Wing, was planted last April. As of Thursday, when Mrs. Obama presided over the fall harvest, it had produced 963 pounds of food.

When the grades come in on President Obama's first year in office -- and next Wednesday marks the anniversary of his election -- the garden on the South Lawn should get an A (as in arugula) because it was one heck of a good idea.

The garden has been great PR for Mrs. Obama, providing a non-controversial, picturesque backdrop to talk about her inter-related issues -- healthy eating, exercise, obesity, eating locally produced food, plugging the Obama health reform plan pending in Congress and opening up the White House to the community."

Amherst Bulletin | Editorial: State applies brakes to school mergers

Amherst Bulletin Editorial: State applies brakes to school mergers:

"The long arm of the law from Boston won't be compelling small school districts like Hadley to find new partners, it turns out. At least not now.

We believe that when done right, school regionalization can widen academic offerings and reduce administrative costs. It has already done so in many area schools, though small districts continue to dot the state's educational landscape.

Now, recent local studies are questioning the money side of the equation. And the state finds itself - in a financially dismal 2009 - unable to bankroll change."

With New York Teachers’ Contract Set to Expire, Talks Are Unusually Quiet - NYTimes.com

With New York Teachers’ Contract Set to Expire, Talks Are Unusually Quiet - NYTimes.com:

"With two days left on the New York City teachers’ contract, it would be reasonable to expect a thunder-and-lightning storm of fists pounding on tables and accusations flying in the press."

But this is no ordinary year for the United Federation of Teachers, the city’s teachers’ union, or for City Hall.

Instead, there is near silence. While the union and city officials are indeed negotiating, few expect any agreement before Tuesday, which is Election Day. The union is all but certain to stay neutral in the mayoral race — a boon for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has been widely criticized among the rank and file. And despite nearly constant calls for changes by the schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, observers are doubtful that the new contract will contain radical changes in the way teachers are employed and paid.

L.A. schools leader considers shortened school year to balance budget | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

L.A. schools leader considers shortened school year to balance budget L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines has asked his chief financial officer to study the possibility of shortening the school year to offset part of an expected shortfall of at least $500 million, The Times has learned.

The strategy, if adopted for the 2010-11 school year, would run counter both to the direction of national reform efforts and to the wishes of Cortines, who agrees with research touting the benefits of an extended academic calendar.

"You know I fought fiercely for a longer school year and a longer school day," Cortines said.

At this week's school board meeting, Cortines said he had no alternative but to consider all options. He added that some strategies had to remain off the table. He’s unwilling, for example, to make class sizes larger in middle and high schools. Classes are too large already, he said. Nor would employee furlough days be sufficient to make up the dollar shortfall. Cortines also stipulated that he would not shorten the school year for overcrowded, year-round schools, which operate on overlapping schedules that reduce each student's school year by 17 days.

Furlough days and shortening the school year would have to be negotiated with employee unions, said district spokeswoman Lydia Ramos. Cortines will review the internal analysis from Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly when he returns from a weeklong trip to China, which began today, Ramos said.

-- Howard Blume

State budget nears completion | detnews.com | The Detroit News

State budget nears completion detnews.com The Detroit News:

"Lansing -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm intends today to sign the final six budget bills, which are most contentious and likely to include line-item vetoes.

One line that won't be vetoed in the higher education budget is for agricultural extension and experiment station programs. Granholm and Michigan State University officials struck a deal announced Thursday that continues funding for those programs and changes their focus to support the green economy."

The budgets awaiting the governor's approval cover higher education, State Police, human services, community health, general government and energy, labor and economic growth. The bills include steep cuts to programs and services including Promise Grants for college students, Medicaid and revenue sharing to help local governments pay for police and fire service. Granholm wielded her veto pen on earlier bills, the most significant one slashing from the school aid budget $52 million in funding for the state's highest spending school districts. Matt Marsden, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said Granholm can veto what she wants out of the final six bills, but it won't force Republicans to raise taxes.

"If she chooses to use the veto to cut further, we've made it clear she's within her right to do that -- but we've also been clear we have no intention of passing tax increases to fund her line items," Marsden said. "Any additional veto cuts will result in unfunded lines and we'll consider that to be savings for the next fiscal year."

School Hearing Not an Executive Thing: Fenty | NBC Washington

School Hearing Not an Executive Thing: Fenty NBC Washington:

"Noisy protesters greeted District Council members before a special meeting on school reform Thursday morning.

Council members and community residents had asked D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to attend the hearing, but the mayor said he doesn't go to hearings in D.C. for the same reason that executives across the country, including the president, don't go to legislative hearings.

Responding to an editorial in the Washington Post that called him 'a child who's too obtuse to his obligations to work cooperatively,' Fenty said, 'I don't go to hearings in D.C. [for] the same reason that Mayor Bloomberg in New York, or Mayor Daley in Chicago, Governor Patrick in Massachusetts, President Obama in the country... executives don't go to legislative hearings.'"

William R. Hite Jr. and Donald J. Briscoe - How performance pay works in the Prince George's schools - washingtonpost.com

William R. Hite Jr. and Donald J. Briscoe - How performance pay works in the Prince George's schools - washingtonpost.com:

"Performance pay is supposed to be the third rail of education reform. But in Prince George's County, we have shown that it doesn't have to be.

Two years ago, we agreed to reward teachers and principals who elevate student achievement in high-need schools. Our program shows that the government can be a catalyst for school reform and that the Obama administration's plans to dramatically expand incentive programs are essential to changing school systems that currently fail, or cannot afford, to reward effective teaching."

New Haven Education Experiment Could Be A Leading Light For Schools Around Nation -- Courant.com

New Haven Education Experiment Could Be A Leading Light For Schools Around Nation -- Courant.com:

"New Haven, increasingly a model city for the state, is about to begin an education experiment that could lead school reform efforts around the nation.

Teachers will be evaluated, at least in part, on how well students perform. Classroom teachers who struggle will be asssisted and bad ones may be given the boot. It's also possible teachers will get bonus pay if students perform well. Failing schools may close and new ones could open. The union will not be able to block school reforms.

And teachers, for a change, will play an active part in making decisions."