San Francisco's school of last resort

San Francisco's school of last resort:

"With a convicted bank robber and a former methamphetamine user in charge, John Muir Charter School on Treasure Island is not your typical public school."

But the typical public school experience didn't work for the 105 students at John Muir.

Among them are former robbers and thieves. Some are teenage parents. All were academic failures elsewhere and, at one point or another, on the state's long list of high school dropouts.

Each one wants another chance.

This school gives them that as well as health care, bus passes, individual support, construction job training, and a capitalistic reason to show up: a paycheck.

John Muir offers its students a fast track to the elusive diploma and the option of vocational job training in various construction fields. Getting a paycheck with benefits gives them one more reason to go to class.

"We're taking the kids our school system can't handle," said Garry Grady, the former bank robber, as he sat in his musty administrator's office watching students head back to class to solve algebraic equations, complete a plant biology worksheet and finish a lesson on Adolf Hitler.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/11/29/MNRG1A9R7G.DTL#ixzz0YGMGlEMi

Chaos control is a challenge as Montgomery enrollment surges - washingtonpost.com

Chaos control is a challenge as Montgomery enrollment surges - washingtonpost.com:

"Oakland Terrace Elementary School in Silver Spring, one of the most overcrowded schools in an crowded district, has 800 students, 10 kindergarten classes, 11 portable classrooms and only four and a half restrooms. But the numbers are an abstraction until lunchtime.

At 11:25 a.m. one recent day, the cafeteria was packed with 175 kindergartners, many of whom seemed to be making as much noise as possible. As the din crescendoed, someone turned off the lights to calm the students down. Most fell silent, and Jennifer Dunkin, the team leader who was riding herd over the group, began reading from a book."

Ruling on D.C. Teacher Layoffs Raises Broader Issues - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Ruling on D.C. Teacher Layoffs Raises Broader Issues - Teacher Beat - Education Week:

"A Washington superior court judge has backed Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a dispute with the Washington Teachers' Union over layoffs. The union sought a preliminary injunction that would essentially have required Rhee to reinstate teachers who were laid off supposedly due to budget cuts while other legal claims worked their way through the District of Columbia school system.

In essence, the union said that Rhee hired hundreds of young teachers over the summer, more than the district could pay for, thus forcing a later need to make cuts. Because of a series of administrative rulings in the late 1990s, layoffs in D.C. are done not only by seniority but also by performance. In this case, principals laid off many veteran teachers. That precipitated protests, allegations from the WTU that Rhee was bypassing termination procedures in the contract, and hearings with the D.C. Council."

Blather, Rinse, Repeat at The Core Knowledge Blog

Blather, Rinse, Repeat at The Core Knowledge Blog

In a debate on the Education Next website, Joe Williams of Democrats for Education Reform and Pedro Noguera of New York University wrestle with the question, “Should school reformers pay more attention to the non-academic needs of poor children?” The more pertinent question might be which of the two groups Williams and Noguera speak for–the Education Equality Project (Williams) and the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education (Noguera)–is paying attention to the academic needs of poor children. Based on the evidence, it’s hard to say.

The tale of the tape:

Word count in the “debate”: 4,188
Number of times the word “accountable” or “accountability” is used: 8
“Tests” or “testing”: 12
“Reform”: 23
“Teacher” or “educator”: 34
“Performance” and/or “pay”: 12
“Choice” and/or “charter”: 23
“Money” and/or “funds”: 14
“Unions,” “NEA,” or “AFT”: 9
“Parents”: 6

Curriculum: 1

I guess they both agree on one thing: What kids actually learn in school apparently doesn’t matter a bit.

A growing expulsion pipeline | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

A growing expulsion pipeline Philadelphia Public School Notebook:

"Unlike some 11th graders, Kyle Mechin knows exactly what he would like to do after high school.

“I want to go to UCLA film school. I want to be a horror movie director,” he said.

An A and B student at Swenson Arts and Technology High School, Mechin was on his way to achieving his goal. He was taking a digital media arts class to learn filmmaking, and was encouraged by news that a friend who took the same class received a full scholarship to the college of her choice because of her work in that course."

This Week in Education: Controversy Envelops Study on Charter Management Organizations

This Week in Education

Controversy Envelops Study on Charter Management Organizations

By Debra Viadero on November 25, 2009 9:28 AM No Comments No TrackBacks

Released just yesterday, Education Sector's report on charter management organizations, or CMOs, is already embroiled in controversy, according to Alexander Russo over at This Week in Education. Russo picked up on the fact that the final report is missing the name of its author, Tom Toch, Education Sector's co-founder. He quotes Toch saying:

"I removed my name from the report because a good deal of my analysis was removed and, as published, the report does not reflect my research findings on the current status and future prospects of charter management organizations."

So what's missing? Due to copyright rules, Toch wasn't able to share the original report with Russo. But, if you compare the new report, "Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation's Best Charter Schools," with a commentary that Toch wrote for EdWeek back in October, you can find some clues. Both reports raise questions about the capacity of CMOs to meet the high expectations for growth that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has set for them, but Toch's commentary gives a much more bleak assessment.

Stay tuned: This story isn't finished yet.

Flypaper: Education reform ideas that stick, from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Flypaper: Education reform ideas that stick, from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute:

"Despite the rainy weather, early morning start, and day-before-Thanksgiving scheduling, the CAP event with Secretary Duncan and NYC Mayor Bloomberg was standing room only. Going in it wasn’t at all clear what the actual purpose of the event was (Ed Trust’s Kati Haycock was on the panel as well). As it turned out, it was a stage for Bloomberg to make some important announcements.

Secretary Duncan’s opening speech was generally his ARRA/RTT talking points—not bad by any means, just not hot-off-the-presses new. Of note, he once again name-checked Louisiana for its strong use of data. He also said that RTT isn’t so much about states competing with one another as it is about each state building consensus within its borders for major change."

Class Struggle - Bloomberg ties test scores to teacher tenure

Class Struggle - Bloomberg ties test scores to teacher tenure:

"Here's an item from my colleague Nick Anderson on the national education beat.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who oversees city schools, said Wednesday morning in Washington that he has directed the nation's largest school system to ensure that principals use student test scores to evaluate beginning teachers who are up for tenure.

'It is an aggressive policy,' Bloomberg, an independent who this year ran as a Republican for re-election, said in an appearance at the Democrat-leaning Center for American Progress. 'But our obligation is to take care of our kids.'"

University World News - US: Shifting balance of foreign students

University World News - US: Shifting balance of foreign students:

"Although a recent report applauded the fact that the number of foreign students attending American colleges and universities hit a new peak in 2008, a disaggregation of the data reveals worrisome underlying trends in undergraduate and graduate student numbers.

More than 670,000 foreign students enrolled in American colleges and universities in 2008-09, an 8% increase from the previous year, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors 2009 report. Not only is this the largest percentage increase since 1980-81, it is the third consecutive year significant growth has occurred."

S.F. mayor in India pioneering deals

S.F. mayor in India pioneering deals:

"Hot on the heels of India's prime ministerial visit to Washington, a 50-plus-member Bay Area delegation arrived in Bangalore today, ready to do business."

San Francisco's developing ties with the "Silicon Valley of India" might not quite achieve the status as a "defining partnership of the 21st century" - as President Obama described the U.S. relationship with India - but the delegation, headed by Mayor Gavin Newsom, is scheduled to sign some concrete deals during its three-day trip, some in fields, like clean energy, in which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Obama said the two countries would cooperate.

"San Francisco will be the first city in the nation to implement some of the cooperation agreements," said Jim Herlihy, co-chairman of the San Francisco-Bangalore Sister City Initiative ( www.sfbangalore.org).

In addition to a biotech project linking UCSF with a Bangalore company, the two cities are set to sign agreements aimed at increasing the two-way flow of business, investment, IT, clean-energy initiatives and tourism.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/28/BUS91ANE2T.DTL&type=business#ixzz0YGB06RRI

State seeking conventional wisdom on constitution | San Francisco Examiner

State seeking conventional wisdom on constitution San Francisco Examiner:

"SAN FRANCISCO — A soaring state budget deficit blamed on legislative gridlock has frustrated a coalition of business and civic groups who have rallied together to kick-start the process of rewriting the California Constitution.

The aim of the coalition, named Repair California, is to revamp the state constitution, which is partially blamed for the Legislature failing to pass a timely budget 22 times in the past 30 years. The process of rewriting the document, which spells out the functions of the state and how it’s run, is bold and faces numerous challenges."

http://www.repaircalifornia.org/

Reform at a snail's pace -- baltimoresun.com

Reform at a snail's pace -- baltimoresun.com:

"The Obama administration has given U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan $5 billion for a 'race to the top' fund designed to encourage states to adopt educational innovations that produce major improvements in student achievement. But in the race to take advantage of this federal largesse, Maryland is limping along at a snail's pace compared with the rest of the pack.

State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick hasn't announced a plan to compete for the federal aid, even though the deadline for the first round of applications is less than two months away. Meanwhile, Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has said education is one of his administration's top priorities, hasn't lifted a finger to remove the roadblocks that put Maryland at a competitive disadvantage in qualifying for funds."

Immigration: Is SB 81 being ignored? - Salt Lake Tribune

Immigration: Is SB 81 being ignored? - Salt Lake Tribune:

"In particular, by law, all children residing in this country must be provided with a K-12 education paid for with taxpayer money. A 2007 Utah legislative audit reported the education costs for undocumented children at $85 million. That estimate was probably low and has undoubtedly risen. Many studies have reported other costs that can be attributed to unauthorized or illegal immigrants. Utah is one of the few states to offer in-state tuition rates to illegals, in violation of federal law."

A similar California law was declared in violation of federal law and required California to refund the excess tuition paid by U.S. citizens. The issue is now before the California Supreme Court and if upheld will cost Utah millions of dollars in repayment of excess nonresident tuition to those U.S. citizens who attended Utah colleges.

E-Verification is a step in instituting the policy of "attrition through enforcement" in reducing the presence of unauthorized immigrants. Simple enforcement of current state and federal immigration laws will solve the supposed problem of having to round up all the illegals for deportation. Restricting employment, benefits and other enticements will facilitate the process of self-removal.

Without jobs and benefits, unauthorized immigrants will tend to return to their respective homelands. Self-deportation would allow them to retain the earnings they may have accumulated and to use the education, experience and learning they may have attained to, hopefully, correct the problems of those home countries.

Law enforcement, and government in general, should also be ensuring compliance with federal law against aiding, abetting and encouraging or inducing "an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing ... that such ... residence is or will be in violation of law." Many actions in Utah seem to clearly defy this law.

Dear Reader...Raising the drop out age: Because it is time.

Dear Reader...Raising the drop out age: Because it is time.:

"In November the Prince George’s County Board of Education announced they would support legislation in the 2009 General Assembly to ask for an increase in the allowable drop out age. Under current state law students are allowed to drop out of school at the age of 16 years old. However as recently reported after the announcement by both the Montgomery County and Prince George’s County school boards, this law actually costs the county more than it saves in the long run. In fact because of the lost revenue the county gets as students drop out, the few pennies it will cost to enforce this law is well worth the expense."

Budget cuts hit broad swath of Cal State -- latimes.com

Budget cuts hit broad swath of Cal State -- latimes.com:

"Rochelle Corros is passionate when she speaks about her college major: Recreation and leisure studies is not just fun and games, she says with conviction. Graduates run city and state parks, recreation departments, hospital clinics, theaters and cruise lines. They help keep kids off the streets.

So the Cal State Dominguez Hills senior was floored by an August letter from administrators telling her that admissions to the program would be suspended and courses slashed as the campus grappled with steep budget reductions."

California's future demands bigger investment in schools

California's future demands bigger investment in schools:

"A story on National Public Radio's Web site about MySpace and Facebook recently quoted students from the Urban School of San Francisco."

I teach at Urban, and what stung me was its description as "an elite private school." As a journalist and teacher, this kind of thing gets under my skin.

With tuition at $30,800 a year, it's inevitable that Urban will be stereotyped as a prep school for smarties who exist in a parallel universe of privilege. But as someone who has spent several years teaching in public schools, I also know that California's per-pupil spending rate of $7,571 a year - watch out, Mississippi, we're racing you to the bottom - doesn't provide even the basics, let alone enough for a truly decent education. My hometown of Milwaukee spends twice as much, and still only 46 percent of high school students graduate. The fact is that we could and probably should be spending four times as much on public education as we do now.

At Urban, I'm rarely impressed by excess, just by thoughtful teaching, the resources to support it and kids who work so hard that I sometimes have to tell them to slow down. But stereotypes persist. When I got my job at Urban, a friend who works at a community college promptly checked my delight. "Isn't that the fancy private school in the Haight?" she asked. "How nice for you."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/29/IN2H1ALA7P.DTL#ixzz0YG2fmrNf

Statehouse Insider: Valley lawmakers get a spot at table on education plan | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun

Statehouse Insider: Valley lawmakers get a spot at table on education plan mydesert.com The Desert Sun:

"On the heels of student protests over University of California's fee hikes and amid a special session on education, state lawmakers last week named a joint committee to evaluate the master plan for higher education."

Lucky for the desert, we've got representation at the discussion table:

Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, a Coachella Democrat, was among 10 Assembly appointees to the committee.

The committee will evaluate the state's framework for higher education — established 50 years ago — to “ensure the quality, access and affordability of the public college in California,” according to a release from Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' office.

“We need to look at the master plan and need to create a new one for the 21st Century,” said Pérez, a former school teacher and Coachella Valley Unified School District board member.

The first hearing is Dec. 7.

Pérez won't be the only desert rep talking education in coming days.

The Assembly Education Committee, whose vice chair is Palm Desert Republican Brian Nestande, meets Dec. 2 on legislation that would allow the state to compete for the $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funding.

Last week Nestande introduced three pieces of legislation to address what he called “common-sense reforms” aimed at improving opportunities for teachers and increasing accountability.

Value-added education in the race to the top

Value-added education in the race to the top:

"Bill Clinton may have invented triangulation - the art of finding a 'third way' out of a policy dilemma - but U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is practicing it to make desperately needed improvements in K-12 education. Unfortunately, his promotion of value-added education through 'Race to the Top' grants to states could be thrown under the bus by powerful teachers' unions that view reforms more for how they affect pay and job security than whether they improve student learning."

The traditional view of education holds that it is more process than product. Educators design a process, hire teachers and administrators to run it, put students through it and consider it a success. The focus is on the inputs - how much can we spend, what curriculum shall we use, what class size is best - with very little on measuring outputs, whether students actually learn. The popular surveys of America's best schools and colleges reinforce this, measuring resources and reputation, not results. As they say, Harvard University has good graduates because it admits strong applicants, not necessarily because of what happens in the educational process.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/29/INRD1ANKU6.DTL#ixzz0YFzmNsUU

Online university of hope

Online university of hope:

"It has no campus, no lecture theatres and hardly any paid staff, but the international University of the People has at least one big plus: no tuition fees.

This, and the fact its courses are taught entirely online and are designed to make it accessible to people who, because of poverty, geography or personal restrictions, would never contemplate university study.

'Hundreds of millions of people deserve to get education and don't,' says UoPeople's founder Shai Reshef, a Californian businessman. 'We are showing a way that this mass of people can be educated in a very efficient and inexpensive way.'"

Opinion: UC students need a teach-in on California's budget mess - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: UC students need a teach-in on California's budget mess - San Jose Mercury News:

"Two voices called out when I heard that dozens of students on University of California campuses had been arrested for occupying college buildings in protest of the 32 percent fee increase that UC regents had passed.

One was that of the indignant college sophomore who was hauled off to the city jail in Boston in 1970 after refusing to leave the plaza at Government Center during a Vietnam War protest. The other was that of my disbelieving father who asked, 'You were taken where for doing what?'

I am the age my dad was then and closer in sensibility to him now than to the youth I once was. I also have a daughter who's a freshman at UC-Davis and, much to my relief, was busy studying calculus when others took over Mrak Hall."