WJBD Radio

WJBD Radio: "A new federal program has lots of those in the educational field talking and reactions are mixed.

Race to the Top is an multi-phase initiative of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and aims to encourage and reward states for implementing significant reforms to education areas. The program is based on competitive entry, with millions of dollars in funding at stake. Districts must decide whether or not to sign on to Phase I of the program by January 11th and the Illinois State Board of Education is preparing the final application for the program which will be turned in January 19th. Awards will be made based on a point system, but the size of awards has yet to be fully determined. Many believe the program will replace the No Child Left Behind initiative.

Regional Superintendent of Schools, Keri Garrett says she has spoken with area district superintendents about the program, but they still have concerns the program's 'unknowns.' She says the bulk of information was released mid-December and the program has been evolving over the past couple of months, causing some confusion."

Educators face new challenges - ContraCostaTimes.com

Educators face new challenges - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"The decade began with ambitious plans for raising the bar on public education and student achievement.


After winning office as the nation's 43rd president, George W. Bush introduced a federal program, dubbed No Child Left Behind, aimed at improving education through higher standards and greater accountability.


For the better part of the decade, educators and school administrators worked diligently to implement the program and meet its expectations.


More recently, however, a recession of historic proportions has taken a heavy toll on the public school system, prompting deep budget cuts, and in some cases, a rethinking of what schools will offer.


'Our future depends on our ability to prepare the next generation for success in the hyper-competitive global economy,' said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. "In order to deliver the quality education our students need, we must get off this budget roller coaster and find a stable, long-term solution to education funding. Our future depends on it."

After years of focusing on state and federal goals aimed at improving public instruction, public school officials over the past year have wrestled with budget reductions brought on by massive state deficits.

In July, facing a $26.3billion shortfall, the state Legislature passed a budget that slashed more than $8billion in education funding.

Districts that had issued scores - and in some cases hundreds - of layoff notices won some reprieve with federal stimulus funding, but the state's financial outlook has not improved. Lawmakers now anticipating a new shortfall that could top $20billion.

In online education, Hartland teacher in a class all her own | livingstondaily.com | Livingston Daily

In online education, Hartland teacher in a class all her own | livingstondaily.com | Livingston Daily:

"Seventh-grade math teacher Melanie Laber uses the only teaching tool of its kind in the Hartland school system, a sort of computer drawing tablet the size of a blackboard linked to the computer on her desk as well as a projector which shine the display onto the tablet to illustrate a geometry problem. Laber also uploads online classes to help students with the lessons taught in the Hartland Middle School at Ore Creek classroom. Laber was honored with the distinction Online Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Virtual School. (Photo by GILLIS BENEDICT/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS)"

Dissident Voice : Neo-liberalism and Charter Schools

Dissident Voice : Neo-liberalism and Charter Schools:

"The Los Angeles Board of Education, little more than a managerial club belonging to LA Mayor Villaraigosa and his privatized charter crew, including Green Dot Schools, other educational maintenance organizations (EMO’s) and deep pocket entrepreneurs approved a resolution in August of 2009 to turn over 12 long-struggling campuses and 18 new ones to bidders from inside or outside the district, including some charter operators.1 The effort is all part and parcel of the capitalist “reform of education” that is sweeping the nation below the radar screen of any national news. It includes using the government, which the neo-liberals say they abhor, to asset strip the public realm; in this case to orchestrate the legal seizure of actual public buildings that house public schools paid for over the decades by public taxpayers."

COMMENTARY with TOM WATKINS: Educational excellence and educational genocide | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies

COMMENTARY with TOM WATKINS: Educational excellence and educational genocide | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies:

"We were exposed to the worst and the near best recently in metro Detroit. What a difference a few miles make. Detroit schools sink to a new low while West Bloomfield's International Academy soars.

Parents, teachers, politicians and educational officials from Detroit to Lansing were rattled to the bone as it was revealed that fourth- and eighth-graders in Detroit Public Schools scored the worst in the nation in math according to national test scores. The Detroit scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress, a rigorous national assessment, were the lowest in the test's 40-year history. Among fourth-graders, 69 percent scored below basic levels, as did 77 percent of eighth-graders. Results show 77 percent of eighth-graders and 69 percent of fourth-graders lack basic math skills."

U.S. : Socialism and the defense of public education | Education |Axisoflogic.com

U.S. : Socialism and the defense of public education | Education |Axisoflogic.com:

"The Obama administration is spearheading an unprecedented assault on public education in the United States. While providing trillions of dollars to Wall Street, Obama has starved states and local governments of funding and pressed them to address their soaring budget deficits by closing public schools and opening semi-private charter schools.

In Michigan and other states, school districts are slashing jobs and eliminating essential services such as student transportation. The school week in Hawaii has been reduced to four days due to teacher furloughs. The cutbacks have been extended to higher education as well, with California leading the way by imposing a 32 percent tuition increase."

School funding: Illinois officials sharpen school reform tools as they vie for federal money -- chicagotribune.com

School funding: Illinois officials sharpen school reform tools as they vie for federal money -- chicagotribune.com:

"Enticed by the prize of $4.35 billion in federal money for schools, Illinois and other states are polishing their academic credentials, legislating away obstacles to reform and turning on the charm.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan cautions that the unprecedented competition, called Race to the Top, will have 'winners and losers,' with perhaps 10 to 20 states qualifying for the first round of money plus the prestige of being recognized as a leader in public education reform.

Illinois is vying to be chosen in the first round. If successful, the state stands to gain between $200 million and $400 million during the next four years.

Education experts said this could be Illinois' best chance to afford big-ticket reforms for public schools, with the state beset by financial trouble amid a lingering recession."

Tom Vander Ark: 10 US education reformers that will impact 2010

Tom Vander Ark: 10 US education reformers that will impact 2010:

"1. Arne Duncan is taking advantage of an unbelievably large budget and pushing a tough reform agenda targeting low-income kids and struggling schools. While he'll have his hands full with reauthorization, he has assembled a top notch team.

2. Joanne Weiss leads the mother of all grant program--Race to the Top--with the same skill and diplomacy she exhibited at New Schools.

3. Jim Shelton and sidekick Shivam Shah run grant programs of historically gigantic proportions: i3, Promise Neighborhoods.

4. Gene Wilhoit is pushing state chiefs, supporting common standards, and asking us all to think hard about the future of learning."

Board reflects on trying times, past and future - Vallejo Times Herald

Board reflects on trying times, past and future - Vallejo Times Herald:

"The proverbial hot seat had the Vallejo school board's name stamped on its back all year. If it wasn't one thing, it was two, sometimes even three.

From firing the district's first superintendent in years to embarking on a journey to -- possibly -- close one or more schools, Vallejo City Unified School District board members were busy.

With only a few days left in 2009, four current members and one past one reflected on what has happened, and share their hopes for the new year."

Natomas budget cuts hit classrooms; parents worried - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Natomas budget cuts hit classrooms; parents worried - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"Natomas Unified School District officials have reached deep into classrooms to balance their budget.

They have cut days from the school year, reduced class periods for most juniors and seniors, relaxed graduation requirements and eliminated summer school.

And parents are worried."

Comment:

• 
  coopmike48 wrote on 12/27/2009 07:06:50 AM:

  School Boards have become hit men for the legislature. No matter how committed they are to our kids, our schools, no matter how they regret the cuts, their onerous job has become little more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. School Board members are public servants for the most part, spending countless hours, doing thankless work for our kids and community. When they fail to do the impossible, it is not for lack of trying. Talk to your school board members, they are on our side. Our communities must come together to support our kids and our schools. Tell the legislature to do their jobs and our school boards will take care of our schools.
  

Teacher in a Strange Land: The Rusty Gate

Teacher in a Strange Land: The Rusty Gate

Do teachers have a responsibility to be the gatekeepers of their profession? Can we settle for allowing our colleagues to give students less than they deserve?

Teachers ought to serve as gatekeepers for admission into the profession--and until that happens, we can't lay claim to being fully professional. I'm all for raising the bar for entrance to teaching (using better tools than SAT or Praxis scores), and investing more time, resources and research on effective teacher development.

In the meantime, however, we have teachers who are not doing the job well enough. Some of them should be gone--tomorrow; others have plenty of untapped potential but are floundering. No point in repairing the rusty gate granting access to teach unless we pay attention to supporting teachers once they're in the field.

Struggling teachers come in two basic flavors: #1) teachers who haven't had sufficient experience or training to do the job well and #2) teachers who once had the disposition and tools to be good teachers, but have checked out due to cynicism, fatigue, bitterness and unforgiving working conditions.

The first group is not necessarily easier to deal with. In some environments, "professional development" is seen as an administrative duty, and early-career teachers are threatened by the idea that their performance might be evaluated and found wanting. Their daily practice is marked by the overriding desire to keep a low profile. All teachers--from rank newbies to award-winning veterans--must consider themselves collaborative learners and practitioners. All of us are

Fredericktown reading program honored / Mount Vernon News

Fredericktown reading program honored / Mount Vernon News

FREDERICKTOWN — As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the Reading Recovery community in North America has honored the outstanding success of the program in Fredericktown Elementary School.

The school’s Reading Recovery program was one of the first of its kind in the nation, as well as in Ohio, and, since the 1986-87 school year, has been helping struggling first-graders improve in fluency, comprehension, alphabetic skills and general reading achievement.

There are documented long-term benefits from the program. For example, on the most recent third-grade Ohio Achievement reading test, 24 of the 26 pupils who participated in Reading Recovery in first grade achieved a passing score on the test; six were rated proficient and 18 placed in the advanced or accelerated ranges.

“The fact that the district has made a commitment to have three full-time reading teachers, has a huge impact on our really excellent, excellent reading scores in the district,” said elementary principal Emily Funston. “It starts in primary school, and because the children are reading well when they leave primary school, the reading scores are high all across the district.”

Read more about Reading Recovery at http://www.readingrecovery.org/

Nuggets of Green Goodness in the Healthcare Bill : TreeHugger

Nuggets of Green Goodness in the Healthcare Bill : TreeHugger:

"Conservative commentator David Frum describes the American health care system: 'The U.S. health care system costs too much, delivers too little and excludes too many. Americans pay 60 percent more per person for health care than any other nation. Yet Americans rank only 41st in life expectancy and live with the paralyzing fear that the loss of a job means the loss of coverage.'

Frum doesn't think much of the bill that was passed, but then he is Canadian, as am I, where we have rather good health care, job mobility, universal coverage and our businesses have a nice competitive advantage. Another big benefit of the government paying the bills is that it gets really concerned about the health of its citizens. For example, where I live, the government banned jun"

2010 Education Reform Bowl

Parent Involvement 2010

Parent Involvement 2010:

Parent Involvement 2010

What happens … begins in the council chamber, the school board meeting room, the state house, the U.S. Capitol, and the White House. "Every decision is a political decision," says NEA President Reg Weaver (speaking of teachers but applies even more for parents). "We should no longer accept people making decisions for us, about us, and without us."

How Can Schools, Families and Community Groups Put these Goals into Action?

• Recognize that all parents, regardless of income, education or cultural background, are involved in their children's learning and want their children to do well.

• Design programs that will support families to guide their children's learning, from preschool through high school.

• Develop the capacity of school staff and families to work together.

• Link activities and programs for families to improving student learning.

• Focus on developing trusting and respectful relationships among staff and families.

• Build families' social and political connections.

• Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power.

• Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children's educational development is a collaborative enterprise.

• Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.

• Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap between white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color.

When parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for college, and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school. When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, and support parent involvement at home and school, students make greater gains. When schools build partnerships with families that respond to their concerns, honor their contributions, and share power, they are able to sustain connections that are aimed at improving student achievement. And when families and communities organize to hold poorly performing schools accountable, school districts make positive changes in policy, practice, and resources.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~~ Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978)

Excluding teachers hinders education gains - The Boston Globe

Excluding teachers hinders education gains - The Boston Globe:

"MASSACHUSETTS HAS one of the finest education systems in the world. Our students are not only first in the nation on measures of math and reading, but also performed better than students in every European country on a recent international assessment of math and science skills."

Teachers are justifiably proud of these accomplishments. Teachers also know firsthand that significant achievement gaps remain: Minority, low-income, and special-needs students, along with English language learners, often struggle to meet education standards.

There is no simple formula for eliminating the gaps, but there are strategies that can help. Teachers must be equal partners with administrators, community leaders, and state officials in figuring out solutions. Other institutions in society must also be part of the mix. The three R’s alone cannot overcome the ill effects of poverty.

A complex education bill being debated in the Legislature seeks to address the achievement gaps. Some proposed changes are helpful and long overdue, while others could actually slow reforms by marginalizing the teachers who must

Amid criticism, Obama reaches out to blacks - The Boston Globe

Amid criticism, Obama reaches out to blacks - The Boston Globe:

"WASHINGTON - Stung by accusations from some African-Americans that he has not done enough for urban communities, President Obama has embarked on an effort to soothe a constituency once counted as his fiercest source of support"

In a series of interviews this week with media outlets aimed at African-Americans, Obama said he understands pent-up frustrations about foreclosures, bank bailouts, and festering social issues, while he also challenged assertions that he has given short shrift to cities.

Steps he has taken to improve education, health care, and urban economies, the president said, will improve the day-to-day lives of all Americans, including blacks and other minorities.

“This notion somehow that, because there wasn’t a transformation overnight, that we’ve been neglectful is simply factually not accurate,’’ Obama said in an interview with the American Urban Radio Networks on Monday.

“I can’t pass laws that say I’m just helping black folks. I’m the president of the entire United States,’’ he said. “What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are mos

2009 flubs and fiascoes of Mayor Daley :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics

2009 flubs and fiascoes of Mayor Daley :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics:

"Mayor Daley has endured countless highs and lows in his 20-year reign, but the seesaw seemed to stop in 2009: It was one gigantic downer.

The city's parking meter privatization fiasco drove Daley's approval rating to an all-time low -- and most of the $1.15 billion windfall was drained to fill a massive budget shortfall.

Daley's Olympic dream went up in first-round flames. Chicago learned it's losing talk-show icon Oprah Winfrey, two major trade shows at McCormick Place and the $2.5 billion deal that would have privatized Midway Airport."

The year on campus: change and hard times | digitalBURG.com

The year on campus: change and hard times | digitalBURG.com:

"For higher education, 2009 was a time of lofty goals and harsh realities, of major policy shifts in Washington and financial struggle on campuses nationwide.

In Washington, President Barack Obama called for the United States again to lead the world in college attainment by 2020. Congress poured billions of stimulus dollars into research and student financial aid and reshaped the federal student loan system. Veterans enjoyed vast new benefits and student borrowers with low incomes or public service jobs got new flexibility paying down their debts.

But the defining images of 2009 were thousands of miles away, in California: Students cramming into overcrowded classrooms, parents protesting tuition hikes, activists occupying buildings and breaking windows."

Cutting services for disabled children will be costly | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun

Cutting services for disabled children will be costly | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun:

"For the past 30 years, children younger than 3 with disabilities, their families and the professionals who work on their behalf have seen firsthand the benefits of early intervention. Early intervention is the process of providing therapies and education to babies at risk for disability because of premature birth, autism, drug exposure or other high-risk factors. Early intervention services have been instrumental in reducing special education costs."

In July 2009, the California Legislature signed into law provisions that eliminated early intervention services for babies at risk and raised the eligibility criteria for children with delayed development from 33 percent to 50 percent. The long-term negative fallout from this decision is unimaginable.

The number of children entering the school system at age 3 with significant, though preventable, disabilities will be detrimental to special education and health-care budgets. The cost to taxpayers for long-term care for these children will be astronomical.