Report details reversal on school - The Boston Globe

Report details reversal on school - The Boston Globe:

"The state Education Department appeared poised to reject a controversial Gloucester charter school application last year until the Patrick administration intervened, prompting Commissioner Mitchell Chester to abruptly change course, the state inspector general said yesterday as he released new information from his investigation into the issue."

The new evidence, hotly contested by education officials yesterday, consists of a letter and a memorandum drafted by a midlevel official in the department’s charter school office last Feb. 5, a day after her office met with Chester to tell him that the Gloucester application failed to meet the approval criteria.

In the draft letter, addressed to the Gloucester charter school organizers, the department’s new schools development specialist, Ruth Hersh, said that Chester had decided against recommending the school for approval and included an explanation of the application’s problems.

DeKalb school workers protest superintendent's raise �| ajc.com

DeKalb school workers protest superintendent's raise �| ajc.com:

"Shouting in unison Monday night, more than 250 DeKalb County school workers protested their superintendent’s $15,000 pay raise."


Teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and a few students yelled "Shame on the board!" as the school system held its regular meeting.

Inside, Superintendent Crawford Lewis and all but one of the board members remained quiet about the disgruntlement.

Lewis declined comment and the board vice chairwoman Zepora Roberts said she didn’t have anything to say about the protest or the superintendent’s raise. Roberts said the board would issue a statement, but she declined to say when.

That answer wasn't good enough for bus driver Michelle Favors, who marched for about two hours.

“We’re not going to give up until they hear our voice,” said Favors, a single mom. “We just want some fairness.”

Last week, the board voted to raise Lewis’ pay from $240,000 to $255,000. The board also extended his contract until January 2013.

Op-Ed Columnist - A Serious Proposal - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - A Serious Proposal - NYTimes.com:

"The president of the American Federation of Teachers says she will urge her members to accept a form of teacher evaluation that takes student achievement into account and that the union has commissioned an independent effort to streamline disciplinary processes and make it easier to fire teachers who are guilty of misconduct."

In a speech to be delivered Tuesday in Washington, Randi Weingarten plans to call for more frequent and more rigorous evaluations of public schoolteachers, and she says she will assert that standardized test scores and other measures of student performance should be an integral part of the evaluation process. The use of student test scores to measure teacher performance has been anathema to many teachers. Ms. Weingarten is not proposing that they be the only — or even the primary — element in determining teacher quality.
But she told me in an interview over the weekend that she wants to “stop this notion” that her membership is in favor of keeping bad teachers in the classroom. “I will try to convince my members that, of course, we have to look at student test scores and student learning,” she said.

Changes for state charter schools? The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Changes for state charter schools? The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"The Palmetto State's charter school law would receive a major makeover under a pre-filed bill that's being both lauded and lamented.

Rep. Phil Owens, R-Easley, is the legislation's primary sponsor and has met with supporters and detractors. His main objective was to ensure parity among the state's public schools so that all students would have equal opportunities, regardless of the type of school they attend.

The state's charter school law was passed in 1996, and it hasn't undergone a significant revision since. Owens compared the state's law with the national model and tried to update it to meet that standard.

State education leaders seemed to agree on the need to address some problems within the existing charter school legislation but differed on solutions. Some aspects of the bill have been met with staunch opposition, and those include:"

Texas teaching program spearheads Obama education effort | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas teaching program spearheads Obama education effort | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News

WASHINGTON – A Texas teaching initiative is at the forefront of President Barack Obama's plans to vastly increase the number of science and math teachers in the U.S. over the next several years.

UTeach, started at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997, is a program that allows college students to earn a teaching certificate while pursuing math and science majors. The program has spread across the country, and Obama endorsed it last week as one of five public-private partnerships that will advance a goal of training thousands of new teachers.

"Our future depends on reaffirming America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation," Obama said at a White House ceremony Wednesday. "And that leadership tomorrow depends on how we educate our students today, especially in math, science, technology and engineering."

The Dallas-based National Math and Science Initiative is helping universities across the country implement UTeach. Already active in 14 schools, the program will educate nearly 5,000 new math and science teachers over the next five years.

Class Struggle - New ideas from Weingarten

Class Struggle- New ideas from Weingarten:

"Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, likes surprises. In a speech scheduled for this morning, she provides several, starting with what was, at least for me, an intriguing question she asked her members last summer:

'When your union deals with issues affecting both teaching quality and teachers' rights, which of these should be the higher priority--working for professional teaching standards and good teaching, or defending the job rights of teachers who face disciplinary action?'

Weingarten said 69 percent chose good teaching, while 16 percent said job rights. I find that surprising, though not because the teachers endorsed professionalism. Most of the teachers I know think of"

The Answer Sheet - Willingham: The zeitgeist of reading instruction

The Answer Sheet- Willingham: The zeitgeist of reading instruction:

"My guest today is cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, a professor at the University of Virginia and author of 'Why Don't Students Like School?'

By Daniel Willingham
I have written (on this blog and elsewhere) about the importance of background knowledge and about the limited value of instructing students in reading comprehension strategies.

To be clear, I don’t think that such instruction is worthless. It has a significant impact, but it seems to be a one-time effect and the strategies are quickly learned. More practice of these strategies pays little or no return. You can read more about that here."

Teachers to receive violence training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Teachers to receive violence training The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"Charleston County teachers will be among those in five school districts taking part in a new state Department of Education pilot teacher education initiative aimed at reducing family and dating violence.

Charleston teachers, along with those in Greenville, Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale, will participate in a special training curriculum on the effects of domestic violence and teen dating violence on children, how to identify and support a child witness, and how to respond to a child's disclosure and make the appropriate referrals for help."

Texas school board keeps ban on boy's long hair - Nation - Wire - Kentucky.com

Texas school board keeps ban on boy's long hair - Nation - Wire - Kentucky.com:

"MESQUITE, Texas -- A Texas school board has agreed to adjust its grooming policy for a 4-year-old boy whose long, flowing hair got him suspended. But his parents say it isn't enough.

Pre-kindergartner Taylor Pugh has been under in-school suspension since November at Floyd Elementary School in Balch Springs near Dallas. He sits alone with a teacher's aid in the school library.

After a closed-door meeting Monday, the Mesquite school board decided Taylor could wear his hair in tight braids but keep it no longer than his ears."

Entry Level - A Young Educator, Dane Martinez Accepts the Role of Role Model - NYTimes.com

Entry Level - A Young Educator, Dane Martinez Accepts the Role of Role Model - NYTimes.com

Hoping for a career in television sports news, the Bronx-born Dane Martinez did an about-face after 9/11. After graduating fromSyracuse University, he came home and taught under the Teach for America program. Now 29, he is the program manager of school leadership development for the city’s Department of Education.



Decoding the job title: It means that I do a lot of content and design of school leadership stuff to develop the principals, the assistant principals and the aspiring principals across the city. The office is relatively new, in general. It was only created in 2007.


Before that? Achievement First Bushwick Middle School — I was the dean of the students. I was basically the person in charge of culture, discipline, student investment, student incentives, parent groups. The whole theme of the school, as at all Achievement First schools, is to strive to go to college. The fifth grade wasn’t known as the fifth grade, it was known as the class of 2019, because that would be the year that they would go to college.

Superintendent Walt Rulffes gets national recognition for leading School District - Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Superintendent Walt Rulffes gets national recognition for leading School District - Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 2 a.m. - Las Vegas Sun

Four years ago, the decision on who should lead the beleaguered Clark County School District came down to two men who offered distinctly different styles: Walt Rulffes, who had run the district’s finances and was holding the top job on a temporary basis; and Eric Nadelstern, a veteran educator lauded for his innovative approach to accountability in New York City Public Schools.

Nadelstern was recruited by a group of Nevada business and civic leaders who praised him as an agent of change. The group, calling itself the Council for a Better Nevada, said the School District under Rulffes would just be more of the same — which at the time was no compliment.

When Nadelstern withdrew from consideration, the Clark County School Board gave the job to Rulffes.

And he’s shown to be not more of the same.

'Gifted' schools - latimes.com

'Gifted' schools - latimes.com:

"It's natural -- and smart -- for cash-strapped public schools to seek out private financial help. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, though, this raised eyebrows when the help took the form of key employees whose salaries are paid by wealthy benefactors. As The Times has reported, some see a conflict of interest when people who work for the schools receive their paychecks from individuals or groups with their own ideas about public education. So far, the district appears to be handling this merger of public and private resources responsibly. But there's no question that when privately financed reform plays a large and long-term role in public schools, everyone should be a little wary."

Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations - washingtonpost.com

Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations - washingtonpost.com:

"The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union is proposing a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers, according to the text of a speech made public Monday night.

Randi Weingarten of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers plans to deliver the speech Tuesday. Union officials describe it as a major effort to address flash points in labor-management relations."

Inaction could put state out of 'race' -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

Inaction could put state out of 'race' -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:

"ALBANY -- The Race to the Top has become a race against the clock in the state Legislature.
�
In classic Albany style, lawmakers are waiting until the last possible moment to act on legislation that proponents say would greatly enhance the state's chances to secure up to $700 million in federal education reform grants.
The deadline to apply for the federal Race to the Top program is Jan. 19.

But with only today and the date of the deadline currently scheduled as legislative session days (Jan. 18 is Martin Luther King Day), lawmakers are cutting it extraordinarily close -- especially in light of a consensus from lawmakers that the issue is unlikely to come up today.

Indeed, some have suggested Gov. David Paterson might keep legislators later this week in order to pass laws he says are needed to compete for the money."

Hold firm on education reform - The Boston Globe

Hold firm on education reform - The Boston Globe:

"AS HOUSE and Senate conferees hammer out final details of an education reform bill this week, no issue is more contentious than how much power local and state administrators should have to override union contracts in underperforming schools. At such schools, there’s a tension between the formal process for resolving disputes over work rules and the need to make changes swiftly so that children don’t fall further behind."

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill recognize that efforts to improve failing schools must address hair-trigger labor grievances that usually lead to long arbitration processes. The teachers unions are naturally protective of their rights.

And yet the well-being of students has to come above all else. What’s needed is a final bill that gives the state the ability to make major changes in the lowest-performing schools, to adjust compensation to reflect teacher merit when appropriate, and to extend the school day or year for either more instruction time or better faculty training. Providing the state with these powers doesn’t mean that all teachers at troubled schools will be broomed out - practical barriers alone make that exceedingly unlikely - but it would provide greater flexibility at schools where the status quo clearly is not working.

California State General Obligation Bonds -- Seeking Alpha

California State General Obligation Bonds -- Seeking Alpha:

"The offering statements for the State of California’s most recent bond issues remind me of New York City’s for the sale of general obligation bonds and notes in 1974.

Then, the City's short-term debt had no source of funding other than issuing new notes to retire the old. A few months later, the market refused to accept additional paper. That resulted in monetary default on $1.6 billion principal amount of NYC general obligation tax and revenue anticipation notes.

The City’s bonds did not default because bond principal and interest is funded one year in advance and held separate and apart from all other governmental funds. Those requirements and others like them are spelled out in the State’s Constitution, as it is in most of the other states."

UTSA is one of the country’s top producers of Hispanic math, science grads - San Antonio Business Journal:

UTSA is one of the country’s top producers of Hispanic math, science grads - San Antonio Business Journal:

The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked third in the nation among Hispanic Serving Institutions in the number of math and science degrees awarded to Hispanic students.

The rankings are based on a National Science Foundation-funded study conducted by the University of Southern California Center for Urban Education. The center examined academic data from the 2005-2006 school year for the Top 25 predominately Hispanic colleges and universities — which are concentrated in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Arizona and New Mexico.

UTSA earned the No. 3 ranking for awarding 357 degrees to Hispanic students in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math. Forty-four of all of UTSA STEM degrees went to Hispanic students in the academic year included in the survey.

Students Win Settlement in California Free Speech Case | California Progress Report

Students Win Settlement in California Free Speech Case | California Progress Report

As a result of a legal settlement at a California high school, school administrators are on notice to stop censoring student speech.

After settling an 18-month legal battle, Fallbrook Union High School District must pay nearly $28,000 as a result of a principal violating the speech rights of student journalists and unfairly retaliating against the high school’s newspaper advisor.  In addition, the Fallbrook administration is obligated to issue letters praising the student journalists as part of the lawsuit settlement.

In 2008, Fallbrook high school teacher Dave Evans was removed by the principal as the newspaper advisor a day after Evans warned the school board that parents and students were preparing to sue the district for the principal's censorship of a news article about the dismissal of the superintendent and an editorial critical of the federal government’s abstinence-only sex education program. The principal, Rod King, also cancelled the journalism program, which had just captured second place in the American Scholastic Press Association national competition.

In 2006, I authored a law that prohibits censorship of student press by

Need to Trim Corrections Spending, Governor? Stop Wasting Money on the Death Penalty! | California Progress Report

Need to Trim Corrections Spending, Governor? Stop Wasting Money on the Death Penalty! | California Progress Report

If Gov. Schwarzenegger thinks he can cut $3.5 billion from state spending on corrections, he is being unrealistic and impractical.

In his state of the state address Wednesday, Gov. Schwarzenegger promised to restore the California dream by increasing funds for education and cutting funds for prisons in the budget proposal he releases today. That’s a great theory. But his only real proposal is to outsource prison administration to private companies. The state’s powerful prison guards’ union will ensure that plan fails. Meanwhile, the governor continues to slash education, health care, and other vital services.

So let’s consider something the governor can actually do right now to make a serious dent in the corrections budget: convert all 700 death sentences in California to permanent imprisonment saving the state $1 billion over the next five years.

A slew of articles have recently documented the decline of the death penalty nationally. Death sentencing hit an all time low in 2009.  As reported this week on National Public 

Kiplinger Rates Poly a ‘Best Value in Public Colleges’ | Mustang Daily - News for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Kiplinger Rates Poly a ‘Best Value in Public Colleges’ | Mustang Daily - News for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:

"Cal Poly ranked number 50 on a list of “100 Best Values in Public Colleges 2009-10.” Cal Poly was the only California State University to make the list and climbed from a number 58 ranking in the study last year.

The list, released by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, a Washington DC-based publication, gave Cal Poly the dead-center position in the yearly review based on factors including tuition, student-to-teacher ratios, graduation rates, retention rates and admissions rates.

Despite budget cuts that resulted in furloughs, department cuts and larger class sizes, Cal Poly is staying true to its core values, according to�Provost Robert Koob.

“The ranking reaffirms that Cal Poly still offers a good, affordable education,” Koob said. “It’s a question of preserving options in the deficit.”"