Education Week: Lure of 'Race to the Top' Roils California Legislature as Fiscal Crisis Continues

Education Week: Lure of 'Race to the Top' Roils California Legislature as Fiscal Crisis Continues:

"Leaders in California are still at odds over what new policies and school improvement efforts they must embrace to make the state a strong contender for some of the $4 billion being offered in federal Race to the Top Fund grants as the deadline to apply closes in.

With up to $700 million in economic-stimulus money on the line in the cash-starved state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, and a bipartisan group of state lawmakers are pushing to lift California’s cap on charter schools and to make it easier for parents to move their children out of low-performing schools, among other measures.
But some Democratic lawmakers in the Assembly, who are the majority in that house of the legislature, along with the two state teachers’ unions and organizations that represent school board members and administrators, have so far declined to..."

Calif. Higher Ed Leaders Call for More State Funds - ABC News

Calif. Higher Ed Leaders Call for More State Funds - ABC News:

"California's promise of an affordable higher education for its residents is being jeopardized by state budget cuts, the leaders of the state's college and university systems warned."

The cuts threaten to violate a half-century-old document known as the Master Plan for Higher Education that has made California's higher education system a model for the world.

In a rare joint appearance, the heads of the University of California, California State University and community college systems on Monday told lawmakers the education promise was in doubt because they don't have the money they need.

"You better increase the size of the pie because that's what the issue is all about," Jack Scott, chancellor of the state's 110 community colleges, told a joint legislative committee examining the state's master plan.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature have cut spending at UC and CSU by 20 percent to help balance the state's budget amid the steep economic downturn. Community colleges received about 8 percent less funding in 2009-2010 fiscal year.

To deal with the cuts, the UC system, which has about 220,000 students, has raised student fees 15 percent since January, reduced freshman enrollment by 6 percent and forced most of its 180,000 employees to take furloughs and pay cuts up to 10 percent.

Governor Schwarzenegger Says Money For Schools Is Up To The Assembly- myMotherLode.com

Governor Schwarzenegger Says Money For Schools Is Up To The Assembly- myMotherLode.com:

"Governor Schwarzenegger was Tuesday's KVML 'Newsmaker of the Day'. Here are his words:

'Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

This week our state Assembly has been debating education legislation that is crucial to the future of California schools.

We have an incredible opportunity right now to make our schools better, because the Obama Administration has put together the largest pot of discretionary funding for education reform in U.S. history."

The program is called Race to the Top and it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for California's students.

But right now our state can't compete for this funding because we don't have laws in place that will make us competitive against other states.

That is why I called a special session of the Legislature on education reform and the Senate passed laws that make us eligible for up to $700 million in federal funding for our schools.

Imagine what that investment could mean to our children, especially in these difficult economic times.

Now it is time for the next step. It is time for our state Assembly to pass the comprehensive package already passed by the Senate.

Keep the Promise of Affordable Higher Education | California Progress Report

Keep the Promise of Affordable Higher Education California Progress Report:

"Testimony given at Joint Committee for Review of the Master Plan on Higher Education - December 7, 2009)

The Master Plan for Higher Education promised affordable access to a high quality post secondary education for all Californians who wished to pursue it.

It wedded a visionary economic blueprint for the state’s workforce to the moral, intellectual and political purposes of providing our state’s citizens with the means to participate in our democratic institutions.

It was meant to be accountable due to its substantial cost.

Its goals remain the right ones, but changing political and economic circumstances have undermined its promise today, and threaten, if unaddressed, to renege on its promise for future generations."

Legitimacy of our perspective:

The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) represents librarians and lecturers in the UC system, and in the community college system, we represent full and part-time classroom faculty, counselors, librarians, and paraprofessional classified staff.

We have followed closely the deteriorating circumstances in which they work, with increasing workloads; and now more recently with furloughs and layoffs.
The CFT and our members are committed to equipping our students to take their places in the economic, social and political life of California.

We value equal educational opportunities for all people and we continue to support any legislative efforts to benefit the students and educational employees in the State of California.

I am an Accounting Professor at Sacramento City College in the Los Rios Community College district and have been a teacher in California for more than thirty years.

I have participated directly and indirectly in past reviews of the Master Plan for Higher Education and most recently in 2002, was a CFT representative to assist in the work of the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education (Pre-K-16) chaired by Senator Dede Alpert.

Mo. schools complain over supplies with Obama logo - Yahoo! News

Mo. schools complain over supplies with Obama logo - Yahoo! News:

"COLUMBIA, Mo. – Several Missouri schools are complaining about notebooks and pencils with designs similar to the logos from President Barack Obama's campaign. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that complaints from unhappy officials at three Missouri schools have prompted the supply company responsible for the materials to travel across the state recalling notebooks and pencils.

The design at issue includes a picture of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Above the coins is the phrase: 'CHANGE' and underneath it reads: 'WE CAN BELIEVE IN.' Below the words is a circle used by Obama's campaign, in which the top half is blue and the bottom is red with three white lines cutting through it."

U.S. Census Finds Increase in Foreign-Born Workers - NYTimes.com

U.S. Census Finds Increase in Foreign-Born Workers - NYTimes.com:

"Nearly one in six American workers is foreign-born, the highest proportion since the 1920s, according to a census analysis released Monday.

Because of government barriers to immigration, the share of foreign-born workers dipped from a 20th-century high of 21 percent in 1910 to barely 5 percent in 1970, but has been rising since then, to the current 16 percent.

In 2007, immigrants accounted for more than one in four workers in California (35 percent), New York (27 percent), New Jersey (26 percent) and Nevada (25 percent)."

Supreme Court to Hear Rights vs. Religion Case - NYTimes.com

Supreme Court to Hear Rights vs. Religion Case - NYTimes.com:

"WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal from a Christian student group that had been denied recognition by a public law school in California for excluding homosexuals and nonbelievers. The case pits anti-discrimination principles against religious freedom."

The group, the Christian Legal Society, says it welcomes all students to participate in its activities. But it does not allow students to become voting members or to assume leadership positions unless they affirm what the group calls orthodox Christian beliefs and disavow “unrepentant participation in or advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle.” Such a lifestyle, the group says, includes “sexual conduct outside of marriage between a man and a woman.”

The law school, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, part of the University of California, allows some 60 recognized student groups to use meeting space, bulletin boards and the like so long as they agree to a policy that forbids discrimination on various grounds, including religion and sexual orientation. The school withdrew recognition from the Christian group after it refused to comply with the policy.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, ruled in favor of Hastings in March.

Class Struggle - Do we need lunch periods, or even cafeterias?

Class Struggle - Do we need lunch periods, or even cafeterias?:

"A flood of emails Monday resisting my suggestion of longer school days to raise achievement leads me to wonder if parts of the regular school day could be put to better use. Is the typical raucous high school lunch period, in an overcrowded and sometimes dangerous cafeteria, really necessary? My colleague Jenna Johnson wrote last week of imaginative principals letting students avoid the cafeteria in favor of staying in classrooms to catch up with work or having club meetings. Can lunch become a time for stress-free learning, rather than Lord of the Flies with tile floors?"

Okay, I confess I have long considered lunch a waste of time. I avoided the cafeteria during high school. My favorite lunch was eating a sandwich in a classroom while convening the student court, of which I was chief justice, so we could sanction some miscreant for stealing corn nuts from the vending machine. (I heard a radio ad for that classmate's business when I was home recently---he has become a successful attorney.) At the office these days I stay in my cubicle and have crackers and fruit juice, maybe a cookie if somebody has brought them from home.

For homeless college students, each day brings tests of will - washingtonpost.com

For homeless college students, each day brings tests of will - washingtonpost.com:

"Lots of college students have special tricks to help them get through these next few weeks of finals. Red Bull, coffee amped up with espresso shots, secret study spots . . .

Ronnell Wilson has learned that this is the time to be extra careful about his backpack. Right before midterms, he lost all of his class work when someone at the shelter swiped his backpack as he slept.

Miracle Lewis front-loads all of her presentations and reports early in the semester, always volunteering to go first and turning her projects in early. All she has left now are final exams in statistics and professional ethics."

Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses - USATODAY.com

Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses - USATODAY.com:

"LINCOLN, Neb. — Bojaio Sun knew next to nothing about football – or the state of Nebraska, for that matter – until he started looking for U.S. colleges and universities on the Internet. Now, as one of a growing number of Chinese students at the state's flagship university here, he catches every game he can.

'I am very proud to be a 'Husker,' he says.

President Obama announced plans last month to 'dramatically expand' to 100,000 the number of U.S. students who study in China over the next four years, calling such exchanges 'a clear commitment to build ties among our people in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations, and the world.' But Sun, who grew up in China's Jiangxi province, is part of a surge already taking place in the other direction. Last year alone, 98,510 Chinese graduate and undergraduate students poured into U.S. colleges and universities, lured by China's emphasis on academic achievement and the prestige of U.S. higher education."

LAUSD facing 5,000-plus job cuts - LA Daily News

LAUSD facing 5,000-plus job cuts - LA Daily News:

"The Los Angeles Unified school board is expected to vote on a two-year budget plan today that calls for the elimination of more than 5,000 district positions unless employee unions agree to furloughs and pay cuts.

The layoffs could be avoided if all district employees were to take an 11.75 percent pay cut, which could come in the form of furloughs or other cuts.

The district is facing a shortfall of some $1.2 billion through 2012, according to a report by Chief Financial Officer Megan Reilly.

The layoffs would include nearly 1,400 teachers, which would balloon class sizes in kindergarten through third grade to a student-teacher ratio of 29 to 1 from 24 to 1."

Nonprofit to offer practical advice to D.C. charter schools - washingtonpost.com

Nonprofit to offer practical advice to D.C. charter schools - washingtonpost.com:

"Charter schools will have a new place to turn for advice next year when members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board start a nonprofit organization that will research how the schools can best be run.

The group will focus on finances and governance and is being set up by Chairman Thomas A. Nida, who steps down from the Charter School Board in February, and Dora Marcus, who was on the board until last month. Both reached their two-term limits."

"There's a lot of focus with academic achievement for schools," Nida said. "There's not nearly as much work done helping establish best practices for financial management and governance."

The Charter School Board has been criticized for tending to shut down charters for financial reasons rather than for academic ones. Nida said that's because it was easier to catch financial problems early and that it underscored the need for more research about how to evaluate charter schools' finances.

Detroit Public Schools to demolish vacant buildings | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Detroit Public Schools to demolish vacant buildings freep.com Detroit Free Press:

"Detroit Public Schools officials announced today they will begin tearing down the most dangerous vacant school buildings beginning in January."

Robert Bobb, the district's emergency financial manager, made the announcement outside the old Sherrard School, which closed in 2007.

The graffiti-marked school is an example of the kind of vacant schools Bobb said are being targeted. Glass and other debris litter the grounds of the school. And stolen windows make it an easy target for thieves -- and neighborhood children -- to enter.

"They have been a real blight," Bobb said of the buildings.

The district will use $3.1 million in money left over from the 1994 bond and nearly $30 million from the bond proposal voters approved in November.

In all, 14 buildings will be demolished, though more may be added to the list, officials said. Among the 14 schools: the old Cass Tech High, Finney High, Chadsey High and Munger Middle.

Portland pushing big-school model for high schools; parents have lots of questions | Portland News - – OregonLive.com

Portland pushing big-school model for high schools; parents have lots of questions Portland News - – OregonLive.com:

Portland Public Schools wants every high school student to have access to band, choir, career pathways and at least 10 college credit courses. Those opportunities don't exist for all students today.

But to implement this new core program, the state's largest school district is going big, making a 180-degree turn from the small school programs it began just five years ago.

Portland proposed this model after gathering feedback from community forums this fall and during the past 18 months. Parents and students overwhelmingly favored the idea of bigger schools where students would have access to a wider variety of courses and opportunities. And Portland's small schools have struggled to meet academic achievement benchmarks and received mixed reviews from students, who say they want more electives and advanced courses.

The district has tried to redesign individual schools before, but this is the first time the district has tried to change its entire system, a move prompted in part by the results of a study that revealed that only 54 percent of students in the class of 2004 graduated within four years. The statewide graduation rate, measured differently, was 68 percent in 2008.

Portland's new model of a neighborhood high school requires each campus have 1,200 to 1,350 students. Bigger schools means fewer schools -- likely six to seven high schools, not the 10 campuses in the district now.

The overall goal is to improve the graduation rate, narrow the achievement gap and eliminate inequities within the system.

WNYC - News - NY Charter Schools Score Well in National Study

WNYC - News - NY Charter Schools Score Well in National Study:

"NEW YORK, NY December 07, 2009 —New York gets higher scores than most other states for the quality of its charter schools, according to a national study.

The Washington- based Center for Education Reform, which supports charters, looked at funding, operations, and limits on charters. The group's President, Jeanne Allen, says schools do well in New York because there's a tough application process.

'They have to demonstrate their ability to teach, they have to demonstrate their ability to pursue their mission, they have to demonstrate that they know what to do with budgets, that they know what to do with law and the regulations that do apply,' Allen says."

City to study ways to improve food system - Crain's New York Business

City to study ways to improve food system - Crain's New York Business:

"While public officials repeatedly talk about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating jobs in New York, the city's public schools spend nearly $300,000 a year on Romaine lettuce trucked in from California and Maryland.

That's one of the many inconsistencies between political rhetoric and reality that City Council Speaker Christine Quinn hopes to eliminate with a comprehensive reform of city food policy. On Monday she announced a six-month effort to examine the local food system and recommend improvements.

In the case of Romaine lettuce, that could involve building a plant in the city to wash, cut and bag lettuce so it is eligible for purchase by the Department of Education. Jobs would be created at the plant and at farms upstate, and emissions from transporting the lettuce would be reduced."

Sacramento business owners, developers back Kerridge - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com

Sacramento business owners, developers back Kerridge - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com:

"Sacramento's business leaders love the job City Manager Ray Kerridge is doing. They aren't so sure about the City Council.

A letter signed by nearly 60 developers and business owners will be delivered today to Mayor Kevin Johnson and the City Council expressing support for Kerridge and concern that 'petty politics' on the council will hinder the city's drive out of economic turmoil.

The letter was the product of a closed-door meeting last week called by members of the business community.

They expressed concerns that a recent city building department scandal and infighting within the City Council would result in the reversal of city development policies designed to streamline development."

Sacramento Press / A Look Back: Mayor Johnson- Transparency and Accountability -- or Propaganda?

Sacramento Press / A Look Back: Mayor Johnson- Transparency and Accountability -- or Propaganda?:

"A Look Back: Year One: Mayor Johnson's First 12 Months of Propaganda

The first of several parts in response to Mayor Johnson's recent evaluation of his first year in office.

Part One — Effective Government and Accountability — or Propaganda?"

Propaganda as described by Wikipedia: Propaganda is a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda.

Mayor Kevin Johnson has continued to be a disappointment throughout his first year as mayor of Sacramento. While running for office, he promised transparency. Unfortunately the mayor is transparent in the sense we can see right through his propaganda. Sadly the mayor is not appearing accountable to provide the people of Sacramento a mayor of truth and integrity.

As I read the mayor's blog submission "Year One and A Look Back: Mayor Johnson's First 12 Months," I grew greatly disappointed seeing our mayor blatantly omit truth to communicate with us in a manner that insults and underestimates our intelligence. Below are segments from Johnson's blog posting and the obvious propaganda techniques he uses to sway and influence public interest and opinion. It is my hope that Johnson will learn his fastest move is our slowest, and he should pump his brakes, slow his roll and put as much focus and concern into becoming a world-class, first-tier classy mayor prior to attempting to make Sacramento a world-class city. If a city is a reflection of its mayor, Sacramento is in a world of trouble.

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education | PTA

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education PTA

National PTA developed this publication as a tool for State PTAs and other family and child advocates to increase systemic, effective family engagement in all of our nation’s public schools. Family engagement in education is a critical strategy for ensuring students’ academic achievement, graduation from high school, and overall success in life. Low levels of family engagement in schools must be addressed at the federal, state, and local levels through the development of sound public policy and implementation, evaluation, and replication of best practices.

Implementation of state policies at the local school level is among the most critical components of achieving greater family engagement in education by requiring State Education Agencies (SEAs) to develop effective policy that, in turn, governs activities of the Local Education Agencies (LEAs), or school districts.

The purpose of this reference guide is two-fold:

It provides families and advocates with information on family engagement provisions within state education laws so that they can better advocate for their children’s education on the school and district levels.

It guides policymakers’ and advocates’ development of their legislative reform initiatives as well as their efforts to monitor the implementation of laws already in place.

The reference guide provides key facts, background, analysis, noteworthy statutes, and policy recommendations for crafting successful family engagement legislation at the state level. Finally, the reference guide contains a survey of laws including legal citations pertaining to family engagement in education in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

PTA Resources

State Laws on Family Engagement in Education

Downloadable PDF of PTA's State Laws on Family Engagement Report (full version, 2.5 MB)

The Education Report

The Education Report

Former Oakland school board member dies at 34
By Katy Murphy

Jason Hodge, the youngest person to win a seat on the Oakland school board, died unexpectedly yesterday at age 34. His cause of death was unavailable.

Hodge, a 1992 Skyline High School graduate, was first elected to the board in 1996 at age 21 and served two terms. He later became the public information officer for Vallejo City Unified.

You can read the Tribune story about him here.