CPS' Project Protection: Hire citizen safety patrols :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

CPS' Project Protection: Hire citizen safety patrols :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education:

"The most dangerous stretches of streets around 12 Chicago public schools will be protected by the 'eyes and ears' of paid citizen safety patrols under one phase of a $60 million anti-violence campaign unveiled Tuesday.
Such groups also will be called upon to function as paid, pseudo 'truancy officers,' visiting the homes of truant kids at 38 of the system's most violent schools to find out why students are cutting school."
Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman made clear Tuesday he is reaching out to the community for help -- and offering jobs amid a dour economy in return -- as he filled in some details of an anti-violence plan sketched out in September.
A centerpiece is a "probability model" that identified 1,200 students as being at high risk of being shot, and pinpointed 200 of them as being at "ultra high risk."
Less than halfway into the school year, Huberman said, 50 percent of the ultra-high risk kids have stopped coming to school. And, he said, of the 102 CPS students shot this school year, 40 percent were among those at high risk or more of such a fate.
Under the plan -- bankrolled with two consecutive years of $30 million in federal stimulus dollars -- this school year $18 million will be focused on the 38 high schools with the biggest violence problems and plans their administrators and other have written to create a "culture of calm" on their campuses, Huberman said.

Phila. teachers union boosts Pa. chances for grant | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/13/2010

Phila. teachers union boosts Pa. chances for grant | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/13/2010:

"Pennsylvania's bid to get up to $400 million in federal stimulus money to boost public education has been significantly improved with a pledge by Philadelphia's teachers union to help implement the comprehensive reform plan and with its endorsement by the state's largest teachers union.

The $4 billion federal Race to the Top program, which Pennsylvania wants a piece of, was part of the economic stimulus act passed last year. States seeking a share of first-round awards must apply by Tuesday; initial grants will be announced in April, with another round later this year. New Jersey is also applying."

Texas braces for fight over social studies lessons - Yahoo! News

Texas braces for fight over social studies lessons - Yahoo! News:

"AUSTIN, Texas – Parents, teachers and activists will sound off Wednesday on how history — topics from the fall of the Roman Empire to Texas cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash — will be taught to millions of Texas children for the next decade.

The State Board of Education begins hearing testimony, before a tentative vote this week on new social studies curriculum standards that will serve as the framework in Texas classrooms. But, as usual in votes before the conservative-led board, the wide-reaching guidelines are full of potential ideological flashpoints.

Early quibbles over how much prominence to give civil rights leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall, and the inclusion of Christmas seem to have been smoothed over in the draft now being considered. But board members are crafting dozens of amendments to be raised for consideration before the tentative vote, expected Thursday. The 15-member board won't adopt final standards until March."

With stimulus funds gone, Mass. schools brace for deep cuts - The Boston Globe

With stimulus funds gone, Mass. schools brace for deep cuts - The Boston Globe:

"School administrators across the state are crafting bleak budgets for the next school year and warning of steep cutbacks, including teacher layoffs, to cope with a probable sharp drop in funding from Beacon Hill and dwindling federal stimulus money.

Though schools grappled with thinned-down budgets last year, they got relief from a massive infusion of federal education dollars that is now all but spent, and officials are bracing for cuts that go deep into the classroom."

‘Baby Einstein’ Co-Founder Goes to Court Over TV Studies - NYTimes.com

‘Baby Einstein’ Co-Founder Goes to Court Over TV Studies - NYTimes.com:

"A co-founder of the company that created the “Baby Einstein” videos has asked a judge to order the University of Washington to release records relating to two studies that linked television viewing by young children to attention problems and delayed language development."



“All we’re asking for is the basis for what the university has represented to be groundbreaking research,” the co-founder, William Clark, said in a statementMonday. “Given that other research studies have not shown the same outcomes, we would like the raw data and analytical methods from the Washington studies so we can audit their methodology, and perhaps duplicate the studies, to see if the outcomes are the same."
Mr. Clark said that he had been seeking the information for years, but that the university had either denied his requests or failed to be fully responsive.
A spokesman for the university said its lawyers had not yet read the complaint and could not comment on the complaint.

Poison school pills - NYPOST.com

Poison school pills - NYPOST.com

Will the Legislature do what's needed to qualify New York for some of the $4 billion in Race for the Top funds?

After months of wrangling, Albany will decide sometime in a 90-minute window on Tuesday, between 3 p.m., when the state Senate reconvenes, and 4:30 p.m., when the state's application is due in Washington, DC.

The federal competition will likely be won only by states that have adopted several education reforms that teachers unions hate, including good charter-school laws and the use of student-achievement data in evaluating teacher performance.

Amid the last-minute brinkmanship in Albany, the New York State United Teachers and its allies, including the so-called Alliance for Quality Education, are trying to insert poison pills into the deal.

Even in Albany, where few things truly shock anymore, NYSUT's brazen cynicism is raising eyebrows:

* NYSUT is trying to reopen the mayoral-control debate, settled last year after tortuous negotiations, by pushing to remove Mayor Bloomberg's authority to locate charter schools in Department of Education facilities.

As the union knows full well, ending co-locations would leave Bloomberg unable to fulfill his pledge to create 100 charter schools in New York City over the next four years.

The Legislature should simply declare the topic of co-location settled and move on.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/poison_school_pills_1tkJz4GW6bfVe5GseFGy5N#ixzz0cVZaYwrE

New York City charter schools need to focus on the neediest

New York City charter schools need to focus on the neediest

Most of New York City's 99 charter schools, which enroll 30,000 students, have gotten superior results on state tests. It is important to understand why many of them perform so well, since Mayor Bloomberghas promised to double the number of charters over the next four years.

Last fall, a report by economist Caroline Hoxby of Stanford University hailed the city's charter schools and suggested that any student who attended a charter school for nine years would be almost as well educated as a student in well-heeled Scarsdale. A new study by economistMargaret Raymond of Stanford has confirmed that many of the city's charter schools get higher test scores. Raymond found that 51% of New York City charters produced significant gains in math, but only 29% did so in reading.

Union president makes new proposals for teacher evaluations, discipline - washingtonpost.com

Union president makes new proposals for teacher evaluations, discipline - washingtonpost.com:

"The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union on Tuesday proposed a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and said she has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers.

Randi Weingarten of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers gave a speech in downtown Washington that union officials described as a major effort to address flash points in labor-management relations."

Sacramento Press / A New Twist on No Child Left Behind

Sacramento Press / A New Twist on No Child Left Behind

While debate continues on the pro’s and con’s of the well publicized “No child left behind Act”, a small, privately funded Center for Children has maintained a quiet, unwritten policy that no child will ever be left behind or turned away because of a family’s inability to afford tuition.

For the past five years the Neuro-Linguistic Learning Center in El Dorado Hills has been helping children, teens and adults overcome the effects of ADHD, Autism and other learning disabilities. While the profound successes of their students have been well documented, their quiet policy of never turning a child away solely for financial reasons has remained an important part of their commitment to the Sacramento Community and to the children and families they serve.

“Says Gerald Hughes, Director of the NLC, “As the parent of several children who previously struggled with learning challenges, I feel I have a profound appreciation for the importance of the work we do. If a family is committed to getting help or their child, we will do everything we can to assist them--regardless of their financial situation.”

Gerald takes emphatic exception to the word, ‘disability’ and he refers to his clients as ‘our children’. Some of the challenges the children who come to the NLC include reading, writing, spelling, math, focus and attention, memorization, test-preparation, anxiety, lack of motivation, and even low self-esteem. Their diagnoses may include Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Sensory Integration Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, compulsive behaviors, and oppositional defiance.

Feinberg to Help Teachers Union Speed Due Process (Update1) - BusinessWeek

Feinberg to Help Teachers Union Speed Due Process (Update1) - BusinessWeek:

"Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The American Federation of Teachers hired Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration’s special master on executive compensation, to develop a faster process for dealing with teachers accused of misconduct as part of a series of proposals to improve public education.

The teachers’ union, the second biggest in the U.S. after the National Education Association, needs a “fresh approach” to speed the “glacial process” of these cases, AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a speech today in Washington."

What's Fueling the Redirection of Special Education Funds | NewAmerica.net

What's Fueling the Redirection of Special Education Funds | NewAmerica.net:

"Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article highlighting the large number of school districts that will opt to take advantage of an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provision that allows them to reduce state and local special education spending when their federal funding under the law has increased from the year before. This provision is particularly relevant in 2010 because supplemental IDEA funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has dramatically increased the funding each district will receive. The article, unfortunately, does not fully discuss why so many districts are suddenly able to utilize this provision. It turns out that many states, in an attempt to make more districts eligible for the funding reduction provision, loosened the requirements districts must meet to qualify."

Elk Grove Citizen : Archives > News > EGUSD considers new federal stimulus program, with caution

Elk Grove Citizen : Archives > News > EGUSD considers new federal stimulus program, with caution:

"Trustees, superintendent raise questions about process

By Cameron Macdonald - Citizen News Editor

The federal government is offering $4.3 billion to public schools across the country, if their states and school districts can meet a series of reform guidelines.�

Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) trustees expressed interest in this one-time funding, but raised many questions and concerns about the federal Race to the Top program’s application process at their Jan. 5 meeting.

“It has a lofty, catchy title and its goals are desirable,” Trustee Priscilla Cox said. “But the details are very problematic.”�

The school board approved the district staff’s action to submit a memoriam of understanding to begin the application process, but with the guarantee their district can back away from the program if it does not look beneficial.�"

School at Former Ambassador Hotel Site Named after Robert F. Kennedy - LAist

School at Former Ambassador Hotel Site Named after Robert F. Kennedy - LAist

The group of schools on the site of famous Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 will be named in his honor, the LAUSD Board of Education decided today. The move had been in the works for a long time and was voted upon unanimously.

"The Ambassador Hotel was once the center of Los Angeles style," LAist explained in a historical profile of the hotel. "It was an ode to art deco. In its prime, it housed the fabulous Cocoanut Grove, one of the hippest restaurants in the city... Since its closing in 1989, the Ambassador Hotel has lived the mysterious half-life of a movie set to which so many grand buildings in Southern California are reduced."

In the 80s, Donald Trump envisioned the world's tallest building for the site, but he faced the school district and its own a vision, which is now the pedantically named (well, not formerly named) Central Los Angeles Learning Center #1. Once the district beat out Trump, they battled preservationists who wanted the hotel building to be preserved. The costs were too high, so the district constructed faux-version of the hotel as the campus at the cost of $400 million, making it the most expensive K-12 education complex.

The American Spectator : Arne Duncan City Limits

The American Spectator : Arne Duncan City Limits:

"As U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is garnering much praise for rallying states to increase the number of charter schools and overhaul how teachers are trained and paid. But a string of stories about Chicago Public Schools, where Duncan served as its chief executive, are reminders that no one, not even Duncan, is a miracle worker when it comes to overhauling America's traditional public school districts.

On Sunday, Duncan's successor, Ron Huberman, drew criticism after the Chicago Tribune reported that he drove not one, but two cars -- including a hybrid version of Chevrolet's Malibu sedan -- leased on his behalf by the district for $1,800 a month. That news, along with the fact that the district leased a fleet of vehicles for its senior staff and other civil servants at an annual cost of $800,000, didn't sit too well with either the district's teachers or parents, who were already annoyed with Huberman over a new round of proposed school closings."

Text Of NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's State Of The State - cbs3.com

Text Of NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's State Of The State - cbs3.com:

"(AP) Remarks, as prepared, delivered Tuesday by Gov. Jon Corzine during his State of the State address:

Happy New Year to you all and a warm welcome to the members of the 214th legislature.

Let me especially welcome the new legislative leadership team.

Senate President Sweeney and Speaker Oliver."

Parents Choice Of Schools, Teachers & Principals - myMotherLode.com

Parents Choice Of Schools, Teachers & Principals - 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.

The first week of January is always the busiest time of the year for a governor.

And we started this week with some very good news for education.

The California legislature passed major education-reform bills and let me tell you, many people thought that could never happen.

But we know too many children have been trapped in low-performing schools.
The exit doors may as well have been chained.

Now, parents have the right to free their children from underperforming schools without a principal's permission.

That means parents can send their children to a new school or even a new district. That is a great freedom."

California Chronicle | Governor Signs Simitian School Accountability Bill

California Chronicle | Governor Signs Simitian School Accountability Bill:

"SACRAMENTO – Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill (SB) 2 (in the 5th Extraordinary Session), authored by State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). Senate Bill X5 2 expands and improves public access to Californias student performance data (CALPADS). The bill passed during a special session focused on enacting legislation to qualify California to compete for up to $700 million in federal 'Race to the Top' funding.

'This bill is a step in the right direction for our schools,' Simitian said. 'It makes us more competitive for federal funding, and it will ultimately help us use scarce resources in the best way possible.'"

Local News | Legislature weighs giving up control over university tuition hikes | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Legislature weighs giving up control over university tuition hikes | Seattle Times Newspaper:

"A proposal to allow the state's public universities to raise tuition without the Legislature's approval is gaining momentum in Olympia.

The University of Washington and Washington State University, in particular, long have wanted to set their undergraduate tuition rates but have been rebuffed by lawmakers who've wanted to retain that power and keep the cost of college in check.

However, the $2.6 billion state budget shortfall — on the heels of last year's big cuts to higher education — has prompted lawmakers to look again at the idea as a way to let the universities raise more money"

01.11.2010 - Researcher's study sheds new light on math ability, gender equity

01.11.2010 - Researcher's study sheds new light on math ability, gender equity:

"BERKELEY — Marcia Linn, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of education known for exploring the teaching and learning of science and their connection to gender, is offering proof once again that girls' math abilities are just as good as boys'.

Marcia Linn, professor of education
But Linn and her fellow researchers note in their global study, reported in the latest issue of American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin, that while there are only small differences, on average, between girls' and boys' math abilities, the gaps vary widely from country to country. For girls to perform as well as boys on math tests, the researchers found that they need equal access to education, encouragement to do well in math and female role models in math-oriented careers.

The study was funded by the National Science Foundation. It looked at results released in 2003 of two key math tests — one focusing on basic math knowledge and the other on students' ability to use math skills in the real world — that were administered to nearly half a million boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 16 in 69 countries. The tests were the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Programme for International Student Assessment."

California Munis: No Need to Panic - WSJ.com

California Munis: No Need to Panic - WSJ.com:

"It now costs more to insure Californian municipal debt against default than it does bonds issued by the government of Kazakhstan. The central Asian country satirized in 'Borat.'

That is neither a joke, nor hyperbole. Californian munis cost 2.6% of face value per year to insure, reports CMA DataVision in London, which tracks bond insurance data. Kazakh bonds: Just 1.8%. It is 'now less expensive to insure Kazakh debt than that of Greece, California and various other entities,' confirms CMA spokesman Simon Mott. (Crisis-stricken Greece, incidentally, costs about the same as California).

Borat, one. The Terminator, zero."