University cuts will take long-term toll» Redding Record Searchlight

University cuts will take long-term toll» Redding Record Searchlight:

"University of California students took the streets in the run-up to Thanksgiving to protest the regents' decision - driven by state budget cuts - to raise fees by nearly a third for the coming school year.

It's hard to blame the kids. For the first time, fees will rise north of $10,000 a year. That's steep for in-state tuition at a public school, and the jarring increase will force some students (or their parents) to run the numbers and reassess whether they can still afford UC.

And the worst part? The UC kids are the privileged ones. They might have to pay more to attend Berkeley or Davis, but with the academic talents that got them admitted and the prestige of their degrees, they'll be able to pay back a few thousand dollars more in student loans if they must. At least, for the most part, there are still seats available in the lecture halls."

Autism Treatment Works in Kids as Young as 18 Months - Neurology | Alzheimer's Disease | Stroke - FOXNews.com

Autism Treatment Works in Kids as Young as 18 Months - Neurology Alzheimer's Disease Stroke - FOXNews.com:

"The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis.
The study was small — just 48 children evaluated at the University of Washington — but the results were so encouraging it has been expanded to several other sites, said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of the advocacy group Autism Speaks. Dawson, a former University of Washington professor, led the research team.

Early autism treatment has been getting more attention, but it remains controversial because there's scant rigorous evidence showing it really works. The study is thus 'a landmark of great import,' said Tony Charman, an autism education specialist at the Institute of Education in London."

Tufts Daily - The crisis of scientific illiteracy

Tufts Daily - The crisis of scientific illiteracy:

"Today the United States is faced with a serious crisis in scientific literacy and education. In the midst of debate over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, health care reform and the economy, this issue has receded further and further into the background. And yet the topic remains as salient as it has ever been. Our world is driven by scientific innovation and technology. Twenty-first century economies will be knowledge-based, science-oriented and dependent on workers in sectors like energy, biological sciences and information technology. The early by-products of this paradigm shift are already evident with the advent of personalized genetic testing, pharmacogenomic research, hybrid vehicles, advanced power sources and hundreds of other innovations and discoveries."

A priority of Obama's education plan, charter schools gain traction - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

A priority of Obama's education plan, charter schools gain traction - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Charter schools have come into vogue as an attractive alternative for parents and kids looking for innovative learning environments and higher test scores.

They've also become a priority in President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the nation's education system."

And California legislators have pushed through laws that simplify charter funding and lift a cap on how many can operate in the state.

A new report by the California Charter Schools Association shows that more charters have opened this school year than in any year since 1992, when legislation first made them possible. The addition of 88 charter schools this year brings the total to 809 schools in California. Collectively, they enroll 341,000 students – about 5 percent of the state's student population.

City Hall Memo - Bloomberg and Teachers Wrestle Over 4% Pay Raises - NYTimes.com

City Hall Memo - Bloomberg and Teachers Wrestle Over 4% Pay Raises - NYTimes.com:

"As he sought to persuade wary voters that he deserved a third term as mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg sold himself as a no-nonsense financial watchdog who was ready to swing the budget ax."

But City Hall’s contract negotiations with the United Federation of Teachers are sorely testing those claims.

The powerful union is asking the city for 4 percent annual raises for its 87,000 teachers, the same pay increase that the Bloomberg administration gave municipal workers throughout the mayor’s second term.

A year ago, the teachers’ raises seemed inevitable. In fact, the city has already set aside enough money to give teachers 4 percent increases over the next two years.

City’s Schools Share Space, and Bitterness, With Charters - NYTimes.com

City’s Schools Share Space, and Bitterness, With Charters - NYTimes.com:

"Suzanne Tecza had spent a year redesigning the library at Middle School 126 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, including colorful new furniture and elaborate murals of leafy trees. So when her principal decided this year to give the space to the charter high schools that share the building, Ms. Tecza was furious.

“It’s not fair to our students,” she said of the decision, which gives the charter students access to the room for most of the day. “It’s depriving them of a fully functioning library, something they deserve.”"

Forest Kindergarten at Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs - NYTimes.com

Forest Kindergarten at Waldorf School in Saratoga Springs - NYTimes.com:

"SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Fat, cold droplets splashed from the sky as the students struggled into their uniforms: rain pants, boots, mittens and hats. Once buttoned and bundled, they scattered toward favorite spaces: a crab apple tree made for climbing, a cluster of bushes forming a secret nook under a willow tree, a sandbox growing muddier by the minute."

They planted garlic bulbs, discovered a worm. The rain continued to fall. It was 8:30 a.m. on a recent Wednesday, and the Waldorf School’s “forest kindergarten” was officially in session.

Schools around the country have been planting gardens and planning ever more elaborate field trips in hopes of reconnecting children with nature. The forest kindergarten at the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is one of a handful in the United States that are taking that concept to another level: its 23 pupils, ages 3 ½ to 6, spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather. This in a place where winter is marked by snowdrifts and temperatures that regularly dip below freezing.

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness - washingtonpost.com

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness - washingtonpost.com:

"As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied.

This year, two major studies offer contradictory conclusions on a movement that now counts more than 5,000 charter schools nationwide, including dozens in the District and Maryland and a handful in Virginia."

City schools may imitate best of charter schools | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

City schools may imitate best of charter schools democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle:

"Rochester schools could take a big step forward in student achievement next school year.

Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard wants to take five schools and model them after successful charter schools."

Administrators, the teachers union and parents must be willing partners to ensure success.

This page, in its "Rescue City Schools" project in 2008, advocated that the district try to replicate the success of True North Rochester Preparatory School. That school had some of the best math scores in the county last year, despite serving mostly poor kids.
In fact, Brizard mentioned that school in a recent meeting with the Editorial Board where he announced the "autonomous schools" project.


Brizard's idea is to choose five schools and give them as much autonomy as possible, in terms of having control over how monies are spent and how faculty are selected.
So far, the teachers union is on board. It's expected to approve a contract extension on Monday that calls for working with the district on this.

SAC CHARTERGATE

SAC CHARTERGATE:

SAC CHARTERGATE

Sacramento citizens shining the light on Kevin Johnson, St. Hope and the takeover of Sacramento High School.

"New allegations that mayor Kevin Johnson offered hush money to a young Hood Corps volunteer who complained of his unwanted sexual advances splashed across media outlets around the country last week. The story has national legs given the zeal of congressional Republicans to underscore the involvement of Obama Administration officials in the dismissal of Inspector General Gerald Walpin, whose findings related to the illegal use of federal funds by St. Hope included the revelations."

The Associated Press: AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid

The Associated Press: AP Impact: For-profit colleges haul in gov't aid:

"RALEIGH, N.C. — Students aren't the only ones benefiting from the billions of new dollars Washington is spending on college aid for the poor.

An Associated Press analysis shows surging proportions of both low-income students and the recently boosted government money that follows them are ending up at for-profit schools, from local career colleges to giant publicly traded chains such as the University of Phoenix, Kaplan and Devry.

Last year, the five institutions that received the most federal Pell Grant dollars were all for-profit colleges, collecting over $1 billion among them. That was two and a half times what those schools hauled in just two years prior, the AP found, analyzing Department of Education data on disbursements from the Pell program, Washington's main form of college aid to the poor."

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

An Oakland science teacher’s message to Obama

I heard about President Obama’s Educate to Innovate science initiative yesterday while driving 13 tired students back from a four-day intensive workshop in geospatial technology in Sacramento.

My students gave up four days of their Thanksgiving vacation, slept on the floor in classrooms, ate cheap food we cooked ourselves, and put in 15-hour days in the field and computer lab to develop real science technology skills. They collected GPS waypoints and created a computerized map of River City High School. They produced seasonal climate maps of U.S. cities from data they collected on the Internet — original products that took up to eight hours to complete. Read the rest of this entry »

Picture Show: Urban Chickens | GOOD

Picture Show: Urban Chickens GOOD:

"We frequently extol the virtues of local food, but nothing is more local than one’s own backyard. To wit, in urban settings all across the country, a growing number of city-dwellers young and old are exploring the wonders of raising and farming backyard chickens. Recently, the photographer Todd Parsons scoured the San Francisco Bay Area for evidence of this burgeoning movement. The following photos offer a glimpse at a variety of hens, eggs, and coop architecture, revealing the chicken to be a strangely beautiful bird, and illuminating the deep and powerful connection we can make with our food—especially when it comes from the home."

Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary - St. Petersburg Times

Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary - St. Petersburg Times:

"Trinity's walking school bus? It's elementary

Cars began rolling into the Fox Wood Park parking lot at 9 a.m. sharp. Moms pulled up to the curb and the doors flew open, little children emerging with backpacks and lunch boxes.
Guiga Vieira and her kids, 7-year-old Lucas and 5-year-old Isabela, greeted them all as they arrived to walk to Trinity Elementary School together. In just a month, the walking school bus that Vieira started up has grown from a handful of participants to more than 40.

'Every week, we get two or three more families,' Vieira said. 'Now that they see it's working, the kids want to walk.'

Trinity Elementary leaders are thrilled with the community effort to have children walk to campus, which is just three blocks from the park, rather than drive."

State charter schools program is 'out of control'

State charter schools program is 'out of control' StarTribune.com

State charter schools program is 'out of control'

Junk bonds fuel a building spree, but schools are more crowded, insiders are taking fees, and state regulators can't do much about it.

Minnesota's charter school movement, which sparked a national rethinking of public schooling nearly two decades ago, has been infected by an out-of-control financing system fueled by junk bonds, insider fees and lax oversight.

State law prohibits charter schools from owning property, but consultants have found a legal loophole, allowing proponents to use millions of dollars in public money to build schools even though the properties remain in the hands of private nonprofit corporations.

Hunger in America: How to help - Making a Difference- msnbc.com

Hunger in America: How to help

Organizations fight trend of growing hunger

A USDA survey last week found one in seven Americans struggled to get enough to eat in 2008, the highest level since the report began in 1995.

Wondering what you can do this holiday? Below is a list of links to get you started and connected with organizations like food pantries and soup kitchens.

• Feeding America
• Meals on Wheels
• Community Dining Room (Connecticut)
• Connecticut Food Bank
• Pantry of Broward, Inc. (Florida)
• Food Bank of Northern Indiana
• Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks
• Second Harvest Heartland
• Salvation Army link: Food banks in the North West
• Action Against Hunger
• Bay Area Rescue (San Francisco)

Serve.gov

• Press release on intiative to end hunger
• Hunger Toolkit (.pdf)

Listing sites (unverified)

• Soup kitchens
• Food pantries

technology resource technology resources

technology resource technology resources:

"America is on the move! The grant and resource opportunities covered in Technology Grant News represent a variety of approaches to supporting technology use and development. Technology Grant News invites you to use our publications as an entrance into the world of growing philanthropic support available for technology.

Technology Grant News provides, accurate, one-stop information on technology grants, free technology resources, technology partnerships, strategic alliances and technology advancement for your organization. Our publications provide a valuable and unique service for colleges & universities, K-12 schools, non profits, libraries & museums and towns & cities -- we research and compile the latest information from all sources on this technology funding, support and assistance and present it in ‘one place’ in time for you to quickly respond and take advantage of the programs."

Official Google Blog: Gone Google at EDUCAUSE 2009

Official Google Blog: Gone Google at EDUCAUSE 2009:

"Last week the Google Apps for Education team headed to Denver for EDUCAUSE 2009 where the higher education community meets annually. It was at this conference three years ago that we first unveiled Google Apps for Education. Since then, we've witnessed staggering growth in the world of cloud computing in education. Lots has happened over the past year especially: more than 100 new features have rolled out in Google Apps, we've engaged well over six million students and faculty (a 400% increase since this time last year), launched free Google Message Security for K-12 schools and have integrated with other learning services such as Blackboard and Moodle."

These developments are just the beginning. According to the newly-released 2009 Campus Computing survey statistics, 44% of colleges and universities have converted to a hosted student email solution, while another 37% are currently evaluating the move. Of those that have migrated, over half — 56% precisely* — are going Google.

To toast the students and faculty that are shaping this movement, we hosted our customers and EDUCAUSE conference attendees at the Denver Public Library. Check out the photos to see what these schools have to say:

Foodie fave brings lessons to school :: WRAL.com

Foodie fave brings lessons to school :: WRAL.com:

"An outdoor classroom at a middle school in Berkeley, Calif., serves a the basis for lessons in social studies, math and science.
The 'edible schoolyard' is the brainchild of Alice Waters, famed chef and owner of Berkeley's Chez Panisse."

Waters, a pioneer in the organic movement, conceived the garden in 1994 as a way to improve on school lunch programs.

"This is a delicious revolution that we're talking about," she said.

"This isn't hard to do. All of the ideas that I have had about food have proven to be true. That if they grow it, they cook it, they want to eat it."

Sixth graders at Martin Luther King Middle School spend their first period planting, harvesting and eating organic delights.

The garden and its adjacent kitchen provide plenty of learning opportunities.

"Teachers use every little drop of water or dew and every plant and every bed to to teach," said Fritjof Capra, of the Center for Eco-Literacy.

Wet plants yield lessons on the water cycle and condensation.

"It completes a circle for a lot of students who don't know the least little thing about nature and farming and they get to see that whole cycle," teacher Esther Cook said.

Apple Tablet To Redefine Newspapers, Textbooks and Magazines - apple tablet - Gizmodo

Apple Tablet To Redefine Newspapers, Textbooks and Magazines - apple tablet - Gizmodo:

"Steve Jobs said people don't read any more. But Apple is in talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a 'new device.' And they're not just going for e-books and mags. They're aiming to redefine print.

Several years ago, a modified version of OS X was presented to Steve Jobs, running on a multitouch tablet. When the question 'what would people do with this?' couldn't be answered, they shelved it. Long having established music, movie and TV content, Apple is working hard to load up iTunes with print content from several major publishing houses across several media."