Thursday, January 14, 2010

TN teachers, Bredesen reach deal | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

TN teachers, Bredesen reach deal | tennessean.com | The Tennessean:

"Teachers struck a compromise with Gov. Phil Bredesen over the use of student test scores in their evaluations, clearing away the biggest hurdle to the governor's education proposals."

The Tennessee Education Association, the state's biggest teachers union, endorsed a deal that would give teachers the right to choose some of the data that would be used in their evaluations.

Their support puts Bredesen's bill for K-12 education on track for a vote as soon as Friday. Bredesen has asked that the legislature pass the bill no later than Jan. 19 so that its measures can be included in Tennessee's application for $485 million in federal money through the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top program.

"I would be less than honest with you if I said teachers were excited about this," said Earl Wiman, the association's president. "What we're going to be saying to our teachers is, 'We have to step up to the plate.' "

Class Struggle - Suburbs too good for charters?

Class Struggle- Suburbs too good for charters?:

"Why are there so few public charter schools in the Washington suburbs? It seems obvious. Both Virginia and Maryland let local school boards decide if somebody, or anybody, is going to get a charter to compete with their own schools. It is a conflict of interest as bad as it would be to let the Post overrule any new newspapers in the region.

Amazingly, the local school board members I have asked about this, all of them caring and intelligent people, don’t see the problem. They have a blindspot about their blindspot, which reduces the chances of creative solutions to our educational problems."

Saturday detention at Langley H.S.

“The Breakfast Club” it’s not.

Danielle Burger, executive editor of the Saxon Scope, the student newspaper at Langley High School in McLean, Va., makes that clear in a story about kids ordered into Saturday detention.

While the influential 1985 movie told a story about a bunch of kids who talk and bond during detention, Langley’s detention on Saturday’s is a quiet, solitary affair.

She wrote:

“Students don’t dance around to music and attempt to break out. No sleeping, no talking, no hall privileges, no tardiness--Saturday school is serious business.”

How does someone wind up doing detention on Saturday? Cutting class. Leaving the school grounds. Failing to show up for detentions after school.

The story notes that not all schools have Saturday school, in at least one case because there is no one to staff it.

Read the story to find out what happens if a student breaks a rule on Saturday school, and more.

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - America’s Most Prestigious Public Universities Are Decreasing Representation of Low-Income Students and Spending More Institutional Aid on Students From Wealthier Families

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - America’s Most Prestigious Public Universities Are Decreasing Representation of Low-Income Students and Spending More Institutional Aid on Students From Wealthier Families:

"WASHINGTON (January 13, 2010) – Right now, Congress is working to pass legislation that would increase the amount of federal financial aid awarded to low-income students to help them attend college. But efforts on Capitol Hill to make college more affordable are being undermined by a very different set of priorities at some of our nation’s most prestigious public universities.

America’s Most Prestigious Public Universities Are Decreasing Representation of Low-Income Students and Spending More Institutional Aid on Students From Wealthier Families

As more low-income and minority students turn to college, many top public universities are turning away from them.

WASHINGTON (January 13, 2010) – Right now, Congress is working to pass legislation that would increase the amount of federal financial aid awarded to low-income students to help them attend college. But efforts on Capitol Hill to make college more affordable are being undermined by a very different set of priorities at some of our nation’s most prestigious public universities."

Charter school funds, employee vanish

Charter school funds, employee vanish:

"Leaders of KIPP San Antonio, a branch of one of the most successful charter school programs in the country, are reeling after learning a former employee may have embezzled tens of thousands of dollars from the school district's accounts.

According to KIPP board member Michele Brown, a member of the district's financial operation's team who was working from home last Thursday stopped returning phone calls and e-mail after 12 p.m.

The next morning, one of KIPP's financial institutions contacted officials to alert them to suspicious activity on an account. The employee didn't show up to work Friday and has not been located since."

Trust | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Trust | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

"Randi Weingarten's recent policy speech is getting a lot of attention, and for good reason. The AFT president's plans for reform to teacher evaluation and due process get to the heart of the most incendiary debates in education reform. But it's her underlying message about trust that really caught my attention.

Distrust is corrosive. It can drive people apart, even if they share the best of intentions. When we turn school reform discussions into simple morality plays, we risk diverting attention from the toxic environments that turn good people of all stripes into tyrants or obstructionists.� Weingarten is right when she calls trust the 'common denominator among schools, districts and cities that have achieved success.'"

Albany seeks trade: more charters, but change in who grants them | GothamSchools

Albany seeks trade: more charters, but change in who grants them | GothamSchools:

"Assembly Democrats are ready to approve a lift to the state’s charter school cap — but only if they get a substantial change to the way charter schools are launched and approved in return.

Under the plan being developed by members of the state Assembly, the power to approve charters would be consolidated under the state Board of Regents, who currently share that authority with the State University of New York and local school districts. (Schools authorized by a school district are also granted final approval by the Regents.) The SUNY office has the strongest reputation and has been praised by the Obama administration as a model for developing charter schools around the country.

The plan would also change who decides when and where a new charter school is needed."

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Education | School Lunches Have High Sodium Levels, Review Finds

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Education | School Lunches Have High Sodium Levels, Review Finds:

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg may want to start with school lunches if he wants to reduce New Yorkers’ sodium intake.

Some items on the city's public school lunch menu pack a heavy salt punch, according to a review of nutrition information on the Department of Education's website."

Among the items of note is a reduced-fat cheese sandwich, which contains a whopping 1,160 milligrams of sodium.

A pizza burger contains 951 milligrams, a ham and cheese sandwich comes in at almost 850, and a piece of chicken parmesan has 839 milligrams. Even a plain bagel registers at 700 milligrams.

The problem is magnified by the fact that kids can now eat up to three meals a day at school.

Health guidelines recommend Americans consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of salt a day.

Texas Shuts Door on Millions in Race to the Top Education Grants - NYTimes.com

Texas will not compete for up to $700 million in federal education money, Gov. Rick Perry said on Wednesday, calling the Obama administration’s main school improvement grant program an unacceptable intrusion on states’ control over education.
Mr. Perry’s decision, days before a Jan. 19 deadline, interrupted months of work by Texas officials and a consulting company financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to prepare the application for the federal grant competition, known as Race to the Top. Texas had been eligible to win up to $700 million of a total of $4 billion the department will award for encouraging charter schools, improving teacher instruction, overhauling schools and joining an effort to adopt common academic standards.

To Lead Schools, Christie Picks Voucher Advocate - NYTimes.com

To Lead Schools, Christie Picks Voucher Advocate - NYTimes.com:

"TRENTON — The man once described by teachers’ union leaders as “the antithesis of everything we hold sacred about public education” was chosen to serve as state education commissioner by Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie on Wednesday."

The nomination of Bret D. Schundlerto the post underscored the governor’s determination to press ahead with his push for school vouchers, more charter schools and merit pay for teachers.
It was the first selection by Mr. Christie to suggest even the possibility of a confirmation battle with Democrats, who control both houses of the Legislature. Thus far, the governor-elect has chosen nominees heavy on managerial experience, if lacking in drama or outsized personalities, and drawn bipartisan praise for his selections.
Mr. Schundler, 50, was a favorite of the conservative wing of the Republican Party and a leading voice for school-choice advocates during his nine years as mayor of Jersey City, but he failed in two runs for governor, in 2001 and 2005.
“We agree on the type of significant reform that needs to happen in our educational system here in New Jersey,” Mr. Christie said in making the announcement at the State House. “I want a strong, reasonable, bold leader who’s going to help me implement those policies.”

Texas Braces for Fight Over Social-Studies Lessons - WSJ.com

Texas Braces for Fight Over Social-Studies Lessons - WSJ.com:

"AUSTIN, Texas — Parents, teachers and activists lined up Wednesday for the chance to help shape the way history will be taught to millions of Texas children for the next decade.

The State Board of Education began taking testimony ahead of a tentative vote later 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. Board Chairman Gail Lowe said at the start of the hearing that Chavez and Christmas will not be removed from the standards."

San Francisco's InterSchola auctions school trash for cash - San Francisco Business Times:

Eighteen months ago, the Berkeley Unified School District needed to dispose of excess goods — furniture, kitchen appliances and vehicles were sitting in a warehouse — but getting it hauled away proved too costly.

That’s when Melissa Rich of San Francisco-based InterScholastepped in. Rich’s company was able to solve the problem by selling the district’s unwanted stuff, making a little money for the district and for her company.

“Those dollars could be used to fund other educational programs for things that they do need money for — like keeping teachers, nurses and buying sports equipment,” said Rich, president and founder of InterSchola, which has grown revenue 76 percent to $2 million in 2009 from $1.2 million in 2007.

Spot.us Wants Your Help Probing U.C. Regents' Investments - GOOD Blog - GOOD

We've talked about Spot.us before on this site. In fact, just over a year ago, we highlighted it as a peek into the future of journalism. Whether or not that prophecy comes true remains to be seen, but this precocious start-up is currently going after the Regents of the University of California.

We've made a lot of hay about the dire financial situation facing the U.C. system. (We already felt justified in doing so, but The New Yorker wrote about it, too, so now we know we're golden.)

Anyway, an interesting pitch regarding public higher education in California is now up on Spot.us, submitted by investigative journalist Peter Byrne. (Video pitch embedded below.)

Byrne wants to find out what the investment committee of the Regents of the U.C. system—which includes California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, Richard Blum, and Paul Wachter, a financial advisor to the Governator—is doing with the $53 billion in public funds that it oversees. He's particularly interested in possible conflicts of interest: situations where the movement of a lot of money from the U.C. fund between corporations and investment positions can benefit the Regents personally.

Not from 90210? Forget Going to School There | momlogic.com

Leslie Wasserman doesn't live in Beverly Hills, California, but her two daughters have been going to school in the tony 90210 zip code for 10 years. Come June, her youngest will have to find a new school.

Getty Images

Ronda Kaysen: Last night, the Beverly Hills Unified School District approved the controversial plan to end the district's practice of allowing out-of-area students to attend its schools. The board voted unanimously to notify all so-called "permit students" in kindergarten through 8th grade that they must enroll elsewhere because of the district's new financing plan. The board will allow all high school students to remain in the district, reports KTLA.

For years, the monied school district has offered permits to hundreds of kids who don't live in Beverly Hills so that they could attend the famously good schools there. In exchange for each kid, the district received $6,200 from the state and filled empty seats. But that equation became less profitable once the city actually collected more money in property taxes for education than it could from state education coffers. So, the school district decided to become a "basic aid" district, meaning it will rely on its property tax base for funding rather than an attendance base. That means the permit system is gone, and kids who hail from other zip codes will need to find another place to call school.

Federal Dollars at Stake in Maine Charter School Battle

Federal Dollars at Stake in Maine Charter School Battle:

"A National pro-charter school group today released a study that suggests interest in charter schools is on the rise. The Center for Education Reform says there are enough students on charter school waiting lists to hope 5,000 new charter schools nationwide. But Maine is still one of 11 states that does not allow charter schools, and some in Maine say that could cost the state in a big way."

Charter schools are funded like public schools, but they're organized by a group of teachers, parents, or a community. They operate free of the rules and regulations that govern traditional public schools, but their "charters" serve as performance contracts, which they must abide by.

Maine does not have any charter schools because legislation to create them has never passed. But the Maine Association for Charter Schools is determined to keep bringing bills forward.

"People here, especially educators, particularly from the alternative education movement, have been trying to get public school options going for 15 years," says Judith Jones, chair of the board of the Maine Association for Charter Schools. "We basically support and promote public school options and public school choice of all kinds for Maine families."

Student Press Law Center - News Flashes

Student Press Law Center - News Flashes:

"CALIFORNIA -- The high school that inspired a new Senate bill ensuring student free press rights for charter schools is now facing a stricter publication policy, leaving student journalists in a 'legal limbo,' the paper's adviser said.

SB 438, which if enacted will prevent attempted censorship by charter school administrators, passed the Senate's judiciary committee in a unanimous 5-0 vote today, according to the Orange County Register.

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), amends California Education Code Section 48907 -- the state's student free expression code -- to read 'pupils of the public schools, including charter schools, shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press ...'"

Perry decides to forgo federal school money | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Perry decides to forgo federal school money | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"Texas will not compete for a potential $700 million in federal grant funding for schools, Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday, because it could give Washington too much say in deciding what the state's students should learn.

His decision to forgo the money available in the Race to the Top grant competition defied pleas from local school leaders who said their districts could use it. But Perry, joined by state Education Commissioner Robert Scott, said the funding came with too many federal strings — such as having to adopt national curriculum standards.

“Our states and our communities must reserve the right to decide how we educate our children and not surrender that control to a federal bureaucracy,” Perry said in Houston, where many superintendents had lobbied for his support of the grant."

RN&R > Local Stories > Gibbons proposes sweeping school changes > 01.14.10

RN&R > Local Stories > Gibbons proposes sweeping school changes > 01.14.10

Gov. Jim Gibbons last week proposed a program to eliminate collective bargaining by local government workers and school district employees, abolish the public’s right to elect the state board of education in favor of a politically appointed board, increase the number of children in classrooms, provide public funding for private school tuition, and make the state school superintendent appointed by and answerable to the governor instead of to the state school board.

Gibbons, who was the target of a federal investigation over his secret earmark for a crony while he was a member of Congress, also called for eliminating “special earmarks” in state government and consolidation of smaller county school districts. Other proposals were described only in vague language—“Streamline school funding and create LOCAL empowerment districts.” (The capitalization was in Gibbons’ original written statement.)

UC minority enrollment among lowest in nation

UC minority enrollment among lowest in nation:

"Dominique Stewart-Thomas, 18, builds robots for fun and plans to study electrical engineering next year in college. She makes near-perfect grades in high school."

She is also black and lives in a single-parent household in Oakland, just a few miles from the UC Berkeley campus she hopes to attend.

But a study released Wednesday of the nation's 50 flagship public universities - the best in each state - shows that minority students like Stewart-Thomas make up only a fraction of students at these schools. UC Berkeley has one of the lowest rates, 17 percent.

"It's kind of sad and disheartening," Stewart-Thomas said. "UC Berkeley is in the Bay Area, with many different minorities and cultures. And it's in Berkeley - one of the most liberal, diverse communities in the United States."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/13/BANL1BHN99.DTL#ixzz0capiK1G4

State system could get Phila. campus | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/14/2010

State system could get Phila. campus | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/14/2010:

"Pennsylvania higher-education officials are in talks with Mayor Nutter's office about opening a state university campus in Philadelphia, state and city officials confirmed yesterday.

'It is something we would be interested in participating in,' said Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which oversees 14 universities, including West Chester and Cheyney.

System chancellor John Cavanaugh said shortly after starting the job in 2008 that he planned to explore the idea to help Nutter boost the city's college-degree attainment rate, one of Nutter's inauguration goals."

Continuing Education: Even with allies, the conversation about LGBT equality never ends: - Opinion - News at Metro Weekly magazine - Washington DC gay/lesbian newspaper, fashion, issues, trends, shopping.

Continuing Education: Even with allies, the conversation about LGBT equality never ends: - Opinion - News at Metro Weekly magazine - Washington DC gay/lesbian newspaper, fashion, issues, trends, shopping.:

"Particularly around the holidays, we are ceaselessly implored to have conversations with our families about our sexual orientation. Ditch that reindeer sweater for a Task Force T-shirt at the family's Christmas party. If Aunt Pearl asks you to pass the Thanksgiving gravy, ask her to pass a marriage-equality measure. And if any relations announce a wedding engagement, ask them if how they can sleep at night celebrating their joy at our expense.

I never worried much about the push to preach to my family. It's not that I don't think it's important. Rather, my family is already progressive. Sure, there's that one cousin in California who gets a little holier-than-thou with his right-wing rants, but his mother has far more social sway and was vocal in her Prop 8 opposition. My teens-to-20s straight nephews don't bat an eye at the notion of gay Uncle Will. My little sister is likely peeved that marriage equality may be coming to D.C., as that makes it far less likely I'll venture to her New Haven, Conn., home to get married. And Mom never hesitates to halt a conversation among her peers that's taken a homophobic turn with, 'My son is gay, and I support him. And his partner.'"

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