Campaign for High School Equity Outlines Need to Extend Expanded Learning

Campaign for High School Equity Outlines Need to Extend Expanded Learning:

"Civil rights coalition urges equitable distribution, evaluation of programs to close the achievement gap

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Expanded learning opportunities can strengthen and enrich the high school curriculum, help close the academic achievement gap, and keep students engaged in school, yet the students most at risk of poor academic outcomes are the least likely to participate in such opportunities. At a Capitol Hill briefing today, the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), a diverse coalition of national civil rights groups addressing education quality and equality, urged Congress and education leaders to implement federal education policies that increase access to expanded learning opportunities for high school students and students of color.

'Research has shown that well-designed expanded learning programs can help to counter factors associated with low academic achievement -- things like low expectations set by teachers, students' alienation from school, and lack of a structured environment after school hours,' said Betsy Brand, executive director of the American Youth Policy Forum. 'As we explore strategies to improve our high schools, we must increase access to expanded learning opportunities for students of color, Native students, and low-income students -- those who are most at risk of dropping out or leaving high school without the skills they need to succeed.'"

WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - Shakeups planned at some Boston schools

WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - Shakeups planned at some Boston schools:

"14 Boston public schools have received an ultimatum from school department officials: improve student test scores, or else your school might be closed.

The ultimatum is contained in a five-year strategic plan unveiled Wednesday night by Superintendent Carol Johnson.

The plan outlines the school district’s direction and priorities for closing access and achievement gaps and graduating all public school students from high school prepared for college and career success.

Dr. Johnson presented a working draft of the plan during a meeting of the Boston School Committee at Orchard Gardens K-8 School in Roxbury."

Senate expected to adjust school reform grant rules- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Senate expected to adjust school reform grant rules- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut:

"The U.S. Senate is expected to act soon to lift a federal restriction that bars certain grant money from going to districts not meeting No Child Left Behind standards.

That prohibition on federal Investing in Innovation (dubbed “I3”) school reform grants effectively barred all Connecticut urban districts from applying for the competitive funds.

The House of Representatives voted recently to eliminate the No Child Left Behind restriction, and the Senate is expected to take up the matter this week, said state Department of Education spokesman Thomas Murphy."

Obama 1, CTA 0? / Assembly right to take up school reform plan - Editorials - SignOnSanDiego.com

Obama 1, CTA 0? / Assembly right to take up school reform plan - Editorials - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"President Barack Obama’s unexpectedly insistent push for education reform is the most welcome surprise of his 10 months in office. A Democratic president is far better positioned politically to demand changes in how schools work than a Republican, whose policy pronouncements are likely to be trashed by the powerful National Education Association or the American Federation of Teachers as a secret plot to undermine public education.

But as we have seen this fall in Sacramento, even a Democratic president can seem like an underdog when it comes to taking on teachers unions. A package of reform measures meant to qualify California for a share of $4.5 billion in “Race to the Top” federal education stimulus funds that passed the Senate stalled for weeks in the Assembly."

California Faces $20B Deficits For Years To Come | WSAV

California Faces $20B Deficits For Years To Come WSAV:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Despite multiple attempts to balance California's budget, the state can still expect to confront shortfalls approaching $20 billion during each of the next five years, according to a long-range forecast released Wednesday.

The report by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office warned that the nation's most populous state will face huge fiscal challenges even as the national economic outlook begins to improve and the state economy heads toward a recovery in a year or two.

In his report, Mac Taylor, the Legislature's nonpartisan budget analyst, urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to act swiftly on permanent solutions by making deeper reductions in all state programs and looking to raise revenue."

Pushback Greets Rhee's Radical Reforms of D.C. Education System

Pushback Greets Rhee's Radical Reforms of D.C. Education System:

"District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was appointed two years ago to revamp and radically reform the D. C. public school system. Her unconventional, some would say illegal, policies have the teacher's union and the council up in arms.

As the Washington Post noted on Saturday, October 31, 'Mayors from Boston to San Jose have been taking over school districts since the early 1990s, recognizing that their city's economic growth and their political longevity are inextricably linked to the quality of the local educational system.'"

In Washington this didn't happen until 2007. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced the Education Transition Strategy on April 27, 2007. A few months later Michelle Rhee was brought in as Chancellor, tasked with converting the policy into practice and practicalities. According to Washington Post staff writer Bill Turque, "in 28 months, she has upended almost every sector of public school operations, from school closures to classroom instruction to teacher evaluations to labor relations" in the District of Columbia, Public Schools (DCPS)

The latest battleground has been labor relations and the opponents have been Rhee, the teachers' union and D.C. Council Chairman, Vincent C Gray. Over the summer of 2009 Rhee hired 934 new teachers, approximately double the number typically hired each summer. In July she told the Lehrer News Hour that DCPS is "so fortunate, in that the economy, as bad as it is, has not impacted DCPS in the way that it has other jurisdictions, which I think might make us the only school district in the country that is not making any cuts." New hires, no budget cuts, 25 schools closed and half the principals in the system replaced in 28 months. To all appearances Rhee was successfully and relatively peacefully carrying out rapid and radical change successfully.

Battle lines drawn over school cafeteria chocolate milk

Battle lines drawn over school cafeteria chocolate milk:

"Parents, kids and advocates are staking out sides in the great chocolate milk debate. The crux of the controversy is whether kids who refuse unflavored milk will drink chocolate – especially kids whose impoverished families may not be able to afford milk of any kind at home. Or is the availability of chocolate milk creating kids who will refuse plain milk after they’ve tried flavored?

“Renegade Lunch Lady” and school food activist/blogger Chef Ann Cooper has staked out the strong anti-chocolate-milk turf, even likening it to napalm. The dairy industry is fighting back with a campaign. I hope we’ll see some quality testing in lunchrooms soon, providing conclusive data about now many kids (and not kids who are knowingly engaged in a rebellion after their chocolate milk was pulled from the lunch line) really will drink their milk if it’s chocolate and refuse it if it’s plain."

Triple Play

Triple Play:

"Three of the most incongruous characters on the American political stage have teamed up into an improbable though not altogether unholy alliance, being that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions.'

They are U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former Republican House Speaker and NCLB-cultist Newt Gingrich and Rev. Al Sharpton, a fixture on the New York City landscape for decades.

They may not neatly fit the descriptions of 'left-fielder' or 'right-fielder,' but they sure are all fixin' to bat 'cleanup.'

Their position is that 'reforms,' ( such as merit pay, charter school expansion, and revised accountability measures) are needed to cleanse the entrenched failed culture of America's public schools."

Class Struggle - High school research papers: a dying breed

Class Struggle - High school research papers: a dying breed:

"Doris Burton taught U.S. history in Prince George’s County for 27 years. She had her students write 3,000-word term papers. She guided them step by step: first an outline, then note cards, a bibliography, a draft and then the final paper. They were graded at each stage.

A typical paper was often little more than what Burton describes as “a regurgitated version of the encyclopedia.” She stopped requiring them for her regular history students and assigned them just to seniors heading for college. The social studies and English departments tried to organize coordinated term paper assignments for all, but state and district course requirements left no room. “As time went by,” Burton said, “even the better seniors’ writing skills deteriorated, and the assignment was frustrating for them to write and torture for me to read.” Before her retirement in 1998, she said, “I dropped the long-paper assignment and went to shorter and shorter and, eventually, no paper at all.”"

Curriculum debate draws warning of budget scrutiny | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Curriculum debate draws warning of budget scrutiny Houston & Texas News Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"AUSTIN — State Rep. Norma Chávez warned the State Board of Education on Wednesday to include more Hispanics in new history curriculum standards or risk possible budget scrutiny.

Hispanic children make up a majority of the early elementary grades in the state's public schools, and the proposed standards give them precious few role models, the El Paso Democrat said.

“They want to see people like themselves,” said Chávez, addressing the board on behalf of the 44-member House Mexican American Legislative Caucus.
Of the 162 historical figures required in the proposed standards for future kindergarten through high school grades, only 16 are Hispanic, she complained."

Alternate exams questioned as test scores rise in Virginia - washingtonpost.com

Alternate exams questioned as test scores rise in Virginia - washingtonpost.com:

"Lynbrook Elementary School, which serves one of the poorest communities in Fairfax County, seems to be a model for reform. Three years ago, the Springfield school failed to meet state testing goals in English. Since then, it has charted double-digit gains in passing rates for every one of its closely monitored racial and ethnic groups of students.

But the success at Lynbrook and other schools throughout the state is not only due to better teaching. More and more, students who have struggled to pass Virginia's Standards of Learning exams are taking different tests."

Four teachers named U.S. Professors of the Year - USATODAY.com

Four teachers named U.S. Professors of the Year - USATODAY.com:

"Teaching is more than lecturing: It is helping students experience their education, say the four 2009 U.S. Professors of the Year, who are being recognized today by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

'These are not people who are simply standing in front of a classroom and lecturing to students,' says Rae Goldsmith, vice president of advancement resources for CASE. 'These are all people who are letting the students participate in their own learning process, engaging students in research.'"

SN&R > Local Stories > They spent our money on what? > 11.19.09

SN&R > Local Stories > They spent our money on what? > 11.19.09:

"You can think of it as the community chest, or as a local government slush fund. Each Sacramento City Council member, including the mayor, has their own special taxpayer-funded account, which they can spend on pretty much whatever they please.

These discretionary funds get little public scrutiny. Whether it’s a $7 lunch at Panda Express, $1,000 donated to a local charity or nearly $100,000 spent on a local teen center, none of this money requires a public hearing or a council vote.

Still, it’s your money, so we thought you might like to know how it’s being spent.

These special funds come in two parts."

New superintendent hired to Galt district

New superintendent hired to Galt district:

"An associate superintendent from Modesto has been named Galt Joint Union High School District's new superintendent after an extensive search by an outside firm.

The decision to hire Daisy Lee was made during closed session late last week and became public this week when district staff was informed, according to board president Terry Parker-Owning.

The district did not issue an official press release."

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Sam Mazza Garden NEWS!

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Produce for Sale

Friday, November 20 from 3-4 pmVegetables for sale$1.00 bunchesBring a basket to fill.

Greetings! The Produce Market was a huge success last Friday! Thank you for your patronage: we hope you enjoyed the vegetables. We will sell individual bunches of vegetables this week for your Thanksgiving dinner! Read more about this weeks veggie sale and a review from one of our visitors last week.

Gratitude

On Friday, November 13, a professor from Bank Street College of Education in New York City visited out campus. Professor McKersie is currently on sabbatical and working to open a school of arts and technology for at-risk teens in the Hudson Valley. She spent a couple hours on campus, and has seen many high schools around the country as part of her research. Here is her note of appreciation:

It was a great pleasure meeting you and getting to observe your terrific staff and students in action. I deeply appreciate the timeyou took from your busy schedule to discuss both the joys andchallenges of leading a dynamic institution, such as George Washington Carver. I was struck by the kindness exhibited between students, and the caring and supportive interactions between teachers and students.

This alone says a lot about your school!

It's deeply inspiring the efforts you are making to introduce Waldorf methods to your staff and students.

This is such important work! Indeed, if young people are going to be prepared to participate in an increasingly complex world, they will need to be open and responsive and demonstrate originality and inventiveness. As you said, these skills are not acquired through textbooks or standardized tests, but through hands-on inquiry and experimentation. The ability to document the effectiveness of Waldorf methods (in both lower and upper grade levels) would be invaluable to school reform efforts everywhere, I imagine.

Thank you for the delicious vegetables. The bok choy was heavenly!

Friday's Produce Sale

On Friday, November 20 from 3- 4 pm we will be selling produce. This week we will sell individual bunches for $1.00 per bunch. Bring your basket or bag to fill up for Thanksgiving dinner.

For Sale on 11/20:

bok choy lettuce spinach radishes cilantro red Asian greens

Music and merry-making will be on display as well!

We look forward to seeing you at our second produce market:

Friday, November 20 from 3-4 pm in the front court yard. You will be glad you came!

Sincerely,

Allegra Alessandri

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Waldorf High School Garden and Farm

44 - First lady promoted exercise and nutrition during visit with Va. school children

44 - First lady promoted exercise and nutrition during visit with Va. school children:

"First lady Michelle Obama visited Hollin Meadows Elementary School in Alexandria on Wednesday to tour the school's outdoor classrooms and promote the importance of nutrition and physical education to learning.

'Anyone who has kids knows they need recess and exercise to focus. If you own a dog, you know that,' Obama said, drawing laughs from school officials."

The aging brick school, which has a science and math focus, has more than 14,000 square feet of gardens on its campus, and teachers often bring their lessons outside. The courtyard hosts an outdoor library, and math and science lessons can involve measuring worms or studying the anatomy of real plants, rather than diagrams. It was one of 61 schools in Fairfax County recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an emphasis on health and nutrition.

Community colleges: Top-tier places for green-job training - Nov. 17, 2009

Community colleges: Top-tier places for green-job training - Nov. 17, 2009:

"(Fortune Magazine) -- Community colleges have long held second-class-citizen status in the world of higher education. But they've suddenly become top tier when it comes to one important thing: training for new green-economy jobs.

In recent months, administrators at two-year schools across the country have been adding certification programs for everything from wind technicians to solar cell designers to energy auditors, positioning themselves at the forefront of a rapidly changing job market and spurring unprecedented spikes in enrollment.

In part the increase in demand at junior colleges is due to the recession: Many students can no longer afford pricey four-year colleges and are opting to attend two-year programs instead."

L.A. County keeping sugary drinks around -- for now -- latimes.com

L.A. County keeping sugary drinks around -- for now -- latimes.com:

"Supervisors approve health initiatives to improve the county's chances of receiving federal stimulus funds, but vote against a proposal to discourage the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages."

In an effort to strengthen their bid for as much as $40 million in federal stimulus funds intended for communities that promote healthy living, Los Angeles County supervisors approved a package of health initiatives Tuesday that included new community gardens and bike paths.

But they stopped short on a controversial proposal, backed by Supervisors Mike Antonovich and Mark Ridley-Thomas, to ban advertising for sugar-sweetened drinks at county facilities and to develop a plan to prohibit such beverages from all county facilities.

"Where you lose me is if you are going to tell me that a patron of the Hollywood Bowl . . . can't buy a Coke. You've lost me," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said."This is overreaching," Supervisor Don Knabe said.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"Board of Education Meeting (Changed from 11/19/09)
Wednesday 11-18-2009

Special Board of Education Meeting
Thursday 11-19-2009

Dear DAC members:

The district will be discussing Title I polices, guidelines, process, and the budget. The SCUSD received $19,338,780 in Title I, Part A Allocations and an additional $5,898,944 in Title I Allocations-ARRA.

I highly recommend DAC members attend this meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2009. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm, but the agenda item 9.5 is scheduled for 8:33 pm. Please come and be informed.


Wanda Yañez
Chairperson
District Advisory Committee (DAC)
Sacramento City Unified School District
Work: (916) 654-7729
Website: http://sacdac.org/Dacupdate.aspx"

SCUSD Board of Ed Agenda Item 9.5 Title I 11-18-09 -

SCUSD Board of Ed 11-18-09 Reg Agenda -

Parenting with a Plan

Parenting with a Plan:

"Future president Barack Obama addressed a packed church in his hometown of Chicago on Fathers Day 2008. Speaking on the issue of responsible fatherhood, he said:

But if we are honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing—missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it."

These comments touched a nerve, sparking conversations in the blogosphere, at water coolers, in barbershops, and around kitchen tables. Obama was noting an issue that is clearly evident, but rarely raised by national-level leaders—the fact that many fathers are missing from their children’s lives. And this is reflective of another significant concern that receives even less attention—the difficulties involved in two people parenting together while living apart, and the frequent exclusion of low-income people from the systems that our nation has created to support such families.

The issue of post-break-up parental conflict pervades our culture, whether we are developing colorful terms for it like “baby mama drama,” or engrossing ourselves in how celebrities like Alec Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, or Jon and Kate mismanage the beginnings of their post-break-up parenting relationships. These examples of high-profile couples at the extremes of conflict and the pervasiveness of the issue can lead to the conclusion that nothing can be done to help families experiencing these difficulties. But the nation’s family courts and relevant practitioners have for decades been improving upon approaches such as mediation, parent education, and counseling that help couples reach agreements about visitation arrangements or parenting plans and set them on the right course toward effectively parenting together while living apart. These tools are definitely not a cure-all, and won’t work for all couples, but they have been associated with increased father visitation and child support payments.

Yet these helpful tools can be out of reach for low-income families because they are typically connected to the courts and are often part of divorce or custody/visitation actions. This presents great difficulties for parents who are unable to afford an attorney or face educational, literacy, or other barriers to self-representation.


Parenting with a Plan How TANF Can Support Positive Parenting Relationshipsand Foster Father Involvement -