The Associated Press: Report finds wide disparities in gifted education

The Associated Press: Report finds wide disparities in gifted education:

"ATLANTA — When Liz Fitzgerald realized her son and daughter were forced to read books in math class while the other children caught up, she had them moved into gifted classes at their suburban Atlanta elementary school.

Just 100 miles down the road in Taliaferro County, that wouldn't have been an option. All the gifted classes were canceled because of budget cuts.

'If they didn't have it, they would get bored and distracted easily,' said Fitzgerald, whose children are 14 and 12. 'It just wouldn't be challenging.'"

R.I. education commissioner unveils sweeping reform plan | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

R.I. education commissioner unveils sweeping reform plan Rhode Island news projo.com The Providence Journal:

"PROVIDENCE — State education officials have unveiled an ambitious plan to increase student proficiency, revamp failing schools, improve teacher quality and shrink gaps between low-income and middle-income students, even as the state struggles to dedicate enough resources to public education.

State Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist shared a draft of her strategic plan with the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday. The 20-page plan is the result of more than four months of work by Gist, who became the state’s top schools chief July 1, and her staff at the state Department of Education."

Shouldn't the evaluating get evaluated? - washingtonpost.com

Shouldn't the evaluating get evaluated? - washingtonpost.com:

"Dan Goldfarb, a 51-year-old history teacher at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, says his first encounter with an evaluator under the District's new IMPACT system for assessing teachers did not go well. Goldfarb does not claim to be an objective observer. He doesn't like the new system or how Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is implementing it.

He was willing to reveal what the evaluator said to him, give me a copy of his evaluation and expose himself to what I expect will be an unhappy reaction from his principal and other D.C. school officials. So here goes. Goldfarb hit some bumps that deserve attention."

White House Pushes Science and Math Education - NYTimes.com

White House Pushes Science and Math Education - NYTimes.com:

"President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say.

The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, will focus mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students."

Hate speech takes focus : The Collegian Online

Hate speech takes focus : The Collegian Online:

"This past weekend students and members from the Fresno community united for a similar cause, only this time they did not walk out, they stayed in. The group staged a study-in Friday at California State University, Fresno’s Henry Madden Library to extend the library’s hours, wanting more availability to services funded by increasing student tuition fees.As with the walkout, critics were fast to denounce the movement as news of the event became the top story on local news stations. The Collegian’s Web site provided breaking news updates and photographs to provide readers with inside coverage as the overnight event progressed. And what seems to be a continuing trend with the online comments this semester, The Collegian became a bulletin board for hate speech."

UC Budget Reform Is in Students' Hands - Daily Nexus

UC Budget Reform Is in Students' Hands - Daily Nexus:

"Recently, there’s been a lot of talk on campus about budget cuts and student fees, especially now that the 32 percent increase has been approved by the Regents board. However, let’s back up a little bit and talk about the truth of the matter so that we can learn the best way to move forward, hold the correct people accountable and enact a positive change.

The UCs put themselves into this predicament. They cut a deal back in 2004 with Gov. Schwarzenegger to give him UC money in exchange for the promise of no budget cuts, no cutting back on student enrollment and no unpredictable student fee increases. Schwarzenegger kept up his end of the deal for a few years but eventually let the UC system down. Because the deal did not include California’s legislature, it is hard for offices in Sacramento to create policies that would change the situation to give us more aid."

Protesters Occupy Wheeler Hall - The Daily Californian

Protesters Occupy Wheeler Hall - The Daily Californian:

"In an act of civil disobedience that escalated into a mass demonstration, 40 activists occupied Wheeler Hall, a major UC Berkeley building, for more than 12 hours last Friday to protest one of the largest University of California student fee increases in recent history.

The protesters drew national media attention and support from at least 1,000 students after locking themselves in a section of the second floor of Wheeler Hall. They did so a day after the UC Board of Regents passed a 32 percent student fee hike to take effect throughout 2010, bringing resident undergraduate fees to total more than $10,000 per year for the first time.

The fees were approved to help offset the university's $813 million deficit for the fiscal year. UC Berkeley alone faces a budget gap of $150 million."

California's spendy initiatives are legislators' - Daily Democrat Online

California's spendy initiatives are legislators' - Daily Democrat Online:

"Legislators love to gripe about how California's wildly popular ballot initiative process ties their hands on the state budget.

But a preliminary analysis from the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies shows that the legislators -- not the public -- put on the ballot most of the measures requiring additional funding.

'Most of the ballot-box budgeting has come from you,' Bob Stern, president of the Los Angeles-based think tank, told the Senate and Assembly Select Committees on Improving State Government during a recent hearing in Oakland.

The new data come as legislators and reform activists explore changes in how California governs itself.

The center found that of the 68 ballot measures requiring additional money that voters approved between 1988 and 2009, 51 originated with the Legislature versus 17 with citizens and groups other than lawmakers.

Ballot measures originate with state and elected officials, but nonlawmakers sponsor ballot initiatives."

Bay Area ties to India a strategic asset

Bay Area ties to India a strategic asset:

"India has become a top-tier player in the world economy, and like China, its economic trajectory will influence global markets for the rest of this century. The good news for the Bay Area is that our ties to India are uniquely strong and deep. Indian immigrants have founded many of Silicon Valley's iconic firms; many are serial entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The Bay Area's Indian community broadly mirrors their success: Median income is more than $107,000, 75 percent of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and 70 percent are in management or professional positions. Roughly half are homeowners."

Teacher tenure a thorny issue, but some say it improves teaching - DailyBulletin.com

Teacher tenure a thorny issue, but some say it improves teaching - DailyBulletin.com:

"A recent report card on California's ability to fire poorly performing teachers won't end up on anyone's refrigerator.

A report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Center for American Progress, 'Leaders and Laggards,' examined the 50 states in eight categories, including school management, finance, technology and staffing.

California acquired a passing mark in many categories, but was given a F when it comes to firing poorly performing teachers.

According to the report, more than 85 percent of principals polled said that tenures are a barrier to removal of ineffective teachers.

'It's not a good thing for the students,' said James Kidwell, deputy superintendent of human resources for the Ontario/Montclair School District. 'It impacts the quality of their education. Students deserve high-quality teachers.'

Without the ability to fire ineffective teachers, school leaders cannot build a cohesive school culture, create an environment of accountability, and ensure that all students will learn, the report stated."

Errors riddle accounts of stimulus spending

Errors riddle accounts of stimulus spending: "Nine months after President Obama promised that his $789 billion stimulus package would be the most transparent spending bill in history, much of the information available to the public for the Bay Area and the rest of the nation is incomplete or inaccurate."

The White House's Recovery Act Web site - www.recovery.gov - shows that $660 million has been awarded to Bay Area transportation projects to create 997 jobs, which amounts to a staggering $661,986 per job.

Last week, the site showed that California Congressional Districts 00 and 99 received millions of dollars in stimulus funding even though neither district exists.

The Bay Area's total also included $1.8 million to purchase buses in Duluth, Minn., which the federal Web site pinpointed with a dot just below San Leandro, and $4.8 million for road work in Laredo - which is in Texas.

Glitches in reporting
The White House said the mistakes are simply reporting glitches and do not reflect widespread accounting problems or take away from the overall success of the stimulus plan, which they assert has already created more than 1 million jobs nationwide.

"The jobs and related projects listed are legitimate - they were just coded in the wrong congressional district," White House spokeswoman Liz Oxhorn said.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/11/23/MN2A1ANSVT.DTL#ixzz0XgiKSeLH

Final chapter looms for textbooks in Texas | AP Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Final chapter looms for textbooks in Texas AP Texas News Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"FORT WORTH, Texas — Textbooks could be going the way of slide rules and Big Chief tablets within a few years in Texas classrooms.

State legislation passed in the spring could put up-to-the-minute instructional content at students' fingertips — either online or in customized printed form — eliminating the mass-market hardback textbook.

The sea change could happen sooner rather than later, beginning as early as the 2010-11 school year.

'This is one of the few times we can do things cheaper, faster and better all at the same time,' said the measure's author, state Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston.

The legislation is one of two bills passed this year that allow the Texas Education Agency to create its own repository of digital textbook content."

Regents! We Do Need Some Education! >>

Regents! We Do Need Some Education! >>:

"UC students everywhere are feeling the pressure after the UC Board of Regents approved a 32 percent fee increase on student fees last Thursday. This vote will make it even more difficult for students currently struggling to make ends meet to get the quality education they expect from the University of California, quality that has been called into question.

The protest that ensued after the vote showed just how upsetting the news was. A group of around 300 students gathered outside of Covel Commons at UCLA, chanting loud enough for the Regents inside to hear the resounding cries of “Chop from the Top!” and “We’re fired up, we can’t take it no more!”"

Haves vs. Have-Nots at Public Universities - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com

Haves vs. Have-Nots at Public Universities - Room for Debate Blog - NYTimes.com:

"The University of California, which has already received $716 million in federal stimulus funds to offset a $1 billion budget gap, announced on Friday that it is raising student fees by 32 percent. That works out to about $2,500 per student a year.

Student protesters said that the higher costs will make it even harder for middle class and poor students to go to college, and will widen the education gap between the haves and the have-nots. But the students at the 10-campus California system are, on average, from far wealthier backgrounds than the average household in the state. This gap is pronounced at other prominent public universities, like Michigan and Virginia."

Earning College Credits by Taking Classes via YouTube | GOOD

Earning College Credits by Taking Classes via YouTube GOOD:

"Check it: A University of New South Wales science lecturer who goes by the name of Richard Buckland is broadcasting his classes on YouTube. But before you get all “this sort of thing isn’t new you blog-writing dolt” on me, read on. He’s using the videos as the basis for a class that advanced high schoolers can take to earn college credits."

Canadian parents win court battle against homework | World news | guardian.co.uk

Canadian parents win court battle against homework World news guardian.co.uk:

"Usually it is the children, not the parents, who are loath to spend their evenings practising spelling and learning times tables. But a Canadian couple have just won a legal battle to exempt their offspring from homework after successfully arguing there is no clear evidence it improves academic performance.

Shelli and Tom Milley, two lawyers from Calgary, Alberta, launched their highly unusual case after years of struggling to make their three reluctant children do school work out of the classroom."

Ra Ravishankar, "Orange Alert on Education"

Ra Ravishankar, "Orange Alert on Education"

Orange Alert on Education

by Ra Ravishankar

"I am somehow less concerned with the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than I am with the near certainty that people of equal talent lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." -- Stephen Jay Gould

I share the view espoused by Gould, which is why I am concerned about how the working poor in the U.S. are increasingly being priced out of higher education. As students protesting against cutbacks in education and increases in tuition have been saying all along, today's crisis reflects more the misplaced priorities of the ruling class than crude compulsions of economic conditions.

According to a recent report by the College Board, in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions have increased, on average, by 6.5% in 2009-10 relative to 2008-09. Among them, about 15% of students attend institutions where tuition and fees have increased by 12% or more, a hefty increase even in the best of times. However, even this pales in comparison with the 32% increase in tuition and fees approved last week by the Regents of the University of California.

A common rationale offered by college administrators is that their hands are tied: Federal funding of education has drastically reduced, and they have to somehow account for the shortfall. And they do have a point. As a percentage of total revenues of public degree-granting institutions, federal government outlays have fallen from 45.6% in 1980-81 to 29.5% in 2005-06. During the same period, the contribution of tuition and fees to total revenues has increased from 12.9% to 17.0%. In fact, tuition and fees at public four-year institutions have been increasing steadily since the late 1970s. From 1979 to 1989, they went up in inflation-adjusted dollars at an annual rate of 3%, increasing to 4% for the next decade and 5% for the current decade (with the rate of increase shooting up to 6.4% and 6.5% in the last two years).

Starting in the late 1970s, even as education costs were on the rise, wages went into decline. Inflation adjusted wages fell by about 12% from 1974 to 2004, and the educational burden became even more onerous for the poorest stratum of the working class. According to a report by the Southern Regional Education Board:

In 2006, the costs of a year at a public university, including room and board, were 8 percent of income for U.S. households in the top fifth of incomes -- 2 percentage points higher than in 1986. Costs for households in the middle fifth, however, were 29 percent of income -- 12 percentage points higher than in 1986. Costs for households in the lowest fifth were a staggering 125 percent of income -- 53 percentage points higher than in 1986.

Another study reports that "nearly one-half of all college-qualified low- and moderate-income high school graduates do not enroll in a four-year program of college study because of financial barriers." Those who do enroll graduate with ever-increasing debts. For instance, in 2007-08, about 61% of students in four-year undergraduate public schools graduated with some debt. The cumulative average of student debt in 2007-08 was $19,839, and it had been rising at a rate of 5.6% since 2003-04. More recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that federal student-loan disbursements in 2008-09 grew about 25% over the previous year to $75.1 billion. Such high levels of indebtedness followed by low wages after graduation could lead to default and financial ruin.

Meanwhile, college administrators continue to regurgitate the same old mantra of cost being no barrier for deserving students. University of California President Mark Yudof, for instance, has been talking up the Blue and Gold program as if it compensates for the 32% tuition hike. This program, he claims, guarantees that "no student with a family income below $60,000 would pay any fees, and this guarantee will continue in 2010." A factsheet on the UC website reveals the program to be much more modest with an annual budget of $3.1 million and only benefiting students receiving other financial aid. According to the UC-AFT, this program pays any difference between the cost of tuition and fees and any scholarship/grant that a student receives. The program also comes with a caveat: it will be evaluated annually "and its continuation beyond 2009-10 for both new and enrolled students will be subject to the University's determination of financial feasibility"!

Continue reading at:Ra Ravishankar, "Orange Alert on Education"

Create Petition | Race to Nowhere

Create Petition Race to Nowhere


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After signing, add your personal comments here.

we invite you to add your voice to a growing movement of educators, parents, medical professionals, policy makers and concerned citizens who want to see real change in education policies and practices.

too many students in all grades in the U.S. are under undue performance pressure and stress, get too little sleep and exercise, have too much unnecessary homework, and attend schools that are overly focused on standardized test scores, grades, and/or college admissions. Too many teachers are unable to engage in quality teaching because they have inadequate resources or are under too much pressure from federal, state, district and board mandates that force them to “teach to a test” as they attempt to “cover” an unrealistic volume of content.

as a result, students are no longer in classrooms that challenge them to solve complex problems and think creatively, to work collaboratively on projects, to explore issues with real-world connections, and to develop the real skills needed to succeed in the 21st century and the global economy. Many students are exhausted, anxious, disengaged, unhealthy and unprepared for the future.

petition
we the undersigned demand educational policies and practices that recognize EVERY child as a “whole child” and promote quality teaching in EVERY school so that every child has an opportunity to engage in meaningful learning, recognizing there are may paths to a successful future.

we ask to see a transformation of U.S. education in the 21st century and demand policies and practices that are in line with the known developmental needs of children and adolescents and which authentically engage students in developing inquiring minds without interfering with their right to a healthy childhood.

this petition will be presented to all major stakeholders including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, members of Congress, as well as members of state boards of education, state legislators, and local boards of education. We also encourage the use of this petition in your local school community.

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Notorious PR Firm That Reps Swift Boaters, Creationists, PhRMA Now Helping Fired IG | TPMMuckraker

Notorious PR Firm That Reps Swift Boaters, Creationists, PhRMA Now Helping Fired IG TPMMuckraker:

"A heavy-hitting conservative public relations firm that flacked for Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and boasts an impressive array of right-wing clients is now helping Gerald Walpin, who was fired this summer by President Obama as the inspector general for AmeriCorps.

Creative Response Concepts Public Relations (CRC) is representing Walpin, a secretary who answered the phone at the company confirmed to TPMmuckraker today."

The list of CRC's current and former clients reads like a who's-who of the right-wing establishment, from the Republican National Committee to independent groups like Rick Scott's Conservatives for Patients' Rights and authors like David Freddoso, who wrote The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. Other current and past clients of the Virginia-based firm include the creationist Discovery Institute, the original Swift Boaters who torpedoed John Kerry's 2004 presidential bid, PhRMA, the Federalist Society, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

CRC's president is Greg Mueller, former press secretary for Pat Buchanan's presidential campaign.

The Los Angeles Times had reported Walpin was getting free PR help from a firm that represented the swift boat group.

GOP Inquiry Fails To Show Obama's Firing Of AmeriCorps IG Was Politicized | TPMMuckraker

GOP Inquiry Fails To Show Obama's Firing Of AmeriCorps IG Was Politicized TPMMuckraker:

"A congressional GOP inquiry into the firing of the inspector general for AmeriCorps has been garnering headlines mostly for revealing details of allegations of sexual misconduct by Sacramento Mayor and Obama ally Kevin Johnson. But on the key question of whether the IG, Gerald Walpin, was fired for improper political reasons, the report brings little new to the table.

Prepared by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the report asserts that the White House's 'failure to use a transparent process to effectuate Walpin's removal deprived the President of an opportunity to explain his action in an appropriate way.'"

But in a statement given to TPMmuckraker, White House spokesman Ben LaBolt fired back that Issa and Grassley hadn't shown any kind of substantive wrongdoing. "There is nothing new in today's report, which ignores the multiple bases for Mr. Walpin's removal and doesn't provide a shred of evidence that suggests he was removed for any reason other than performance issues," he said.

Let's take a moment to review the state of thee Walpin case. The Obama Administration fired Walpin in June, citing, among other things, a May AmeriCorps board meeting in which Walpin was "confused, disoriented, unable to answer questions and exhibited other behavior that led the Board to question his capacity to serve." A unanimous vote of the bipartisan board originally referred concerns about Walpin to the White House, board members have told TPMmuckraker.