The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Schools: Chartering a new course

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Schools: Chartering a new course: "

Schools: Chartering a new course
Some say charter schools are the future. Others say they're a niche. Experts say they're staying."


Homework is different for students at Santa Clarita Valley International Charter School.

Instead of filling out workbooks and memorizing historical dates, these kids start their own businesses and set up their own Renaissance fairs.

The project-based learning philosophy sets the school apart from its traditional public counterparts - a draw for some parents who are looking for an innovative, hands-on education for their children.

Educators are split on the issue.

Some say it's the future of education. Others argue the charter school appeals to only a niche population and fulfills the same basic needs as non-charter schools.

Across the state, charter schools have become a topic of controversy as they take students - and money - from traditional public schools.
A different approach
Lessons at SCV International are interactive, encouraging students to think, rather than memorize.

Educators there call it project-based learning.

Teaching without teachers � Ventura County Star

Teaching without teachers � Ventura County Star:

"Classroom instructors, educational experts, politicians and the media agree the classroom teacher is the most important contributor to student learning. As a practitioner with 15 years’ experience at the secondary, community college and university levels, I cannot avoid the popular and pedagogical debates concerning student achievement, teacher tenure and quality of instruction our children receive. The irony of the controversy is that when the trajectory of the high-stakes testing and standardization reaches its apex, there will be no need for individual teachers."

The state, and cadre of expensive experts it hires, will simply proscribe orthodox curriculum, methods and management. I envision a day when the policymakers replace the troublesome teacher with a singular, pedagogic hologram. Let’s ditch the science-fiction scenario for the moment. Instead, allow me to discuss three assumptions that accompany the popular treatment of these debates.

— Assumption No. 1: Effective teaching guarantees learning.

UC sleuths seek proof for glorious claims on admission applications - San Jose Mercury News

UC sleuths seek proof for glorious claims on admission applications - San Jose Mercury News:

"Did you donate the profits from your violin recital to support a homeless shelter? Were you part of a deer rescue squad during a major forest fire? Was that you who donated gallons of blood to the Red Cross?

Well, if you said so on your UC application, you better be ready to prove it.

Like no other higher education system in the nation, the University of California has a quiet team of vigilant auditors that review the accuracy of randomly selected applications — and may yank ones shined up by too much balderdash, big-talk or bull."

Ignorance bites California in the wallet - latimes.com

Ignorance bites California in the wallet - latimes.com:

"A new poll shows that the people want control of the state budget, but most don't know where the money comes from or where it goes."

Last week brought a blizzard of polling on how Californians feel about their government and the economy. In two words: dislike and despair. The fine print suggested we should save a little distaste for ourselves.

A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that, overwhelmingly, Californians want themselves -- not the governor or the Legislature -- to be in charge of big budget matters.

It also found that, even more overwhelmingly, Californians haven't a clue where the state gets its money or how it spends it -- basic essentials for people who want to run the show. This is, of course, after years of headlines and hand-wringing about California's fiscal crisis, budget cutbacks, IOUs and the potential for one of the world's biggest economies to go belly up.

Those who favored the comics pages in decades past may recall the words of the possum philosopher Pogo: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Government
Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, and Nicole Willcoxon

January 2010

Full Report[PDF] Press Release[HTML]  Read in Spanish

Some findings of the current survey:

• Two-thirds of Californians would pay higher taxes to avoid cuts in K–12 funding.
• Seventy percent support spending cuts in prisons and corrections.
• Tom Campbell is ahead in the Senate primary race among Republican likely voters.
• Meg Whitman’s lead grows in the primary race for governor.

 Job Approval Ratings: 
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature
   U.S. Congress
   Senator Boxer
   Senator Feinstein

 Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings: 
   President Obama
   Governor Schwarzenegger
   California State Legislature
   U.S. Congress
   Senator Boxer
   Senator Feinstein

 

 Mood of Californians: 
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California

 

 Time Trends for the Mood of Californians: 
   General Direction of Things in California
   Economic Outlook for California

 

This survey is supported with funding from The James Irvine Foundation.

Nonprofit's recruiters push education leadership jobs | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Nonprofit's recruiters push education leadership jobs | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle:

"Graduate students working toward degrees in business, law or public policy might find an unusual recruiter at their next job fair.

Here's the pitch: Forget about that cushy firm job. Why not work for a public school or an education nonprofit? You don't have to be a teacher or a principal. You could be a business manager or a chief executive. You can help kids, and the pay really isn't that bad.

That's essentially the message of Education Pioneers, a nonprofit that recruits and trains top-notch graduate students for leadership jobs in public education. The California-based organization, which operates in six cities nationally, announced last week that is expanding to Houston thanks in part to donations totaling $300,000 from the Houston Endowment and the John and Laura Arnold Family Foundation."

Statehouse Insider: Higher education plan in spotlight after measure idea | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun

Statehouse Insider: Higher education plan in spotlight after measure idea | mydesert.com | The Desert Sun:

"Higher education is taking a high priority in Sacramento.

A joint committee reviewing California's higher education master plan is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss how access to higher education affects the workforce, economy and state.

The second in a series of hearings comes at an interesting time: Just this month, the governor announced plans for a ballot measure amending the California constitution to prohibit the state from spending more money on prisons than higher education in the future.

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office last week urged lawmakers to reject the idea because it “would unwisely constrain” the state's ability to allocate money where it is needed. The report also said the measure is “unnecessary” because state officials can already shift funding among programs."

Is South Carolina BROKE ? |

Is South Carolina BROKE ? |:

"When California announced that it was broke, nobody was really surprised. After all, they spend money foolishly.

The proposed FY2010-2011 South Carolina Budget is filled with examples of how South Carolina has been spending money at a record pace, and yes spending our money FOOLESHLY! If not for the Federal Stimulus money this year, South Carolina would have had to cut even more than the Governor’s existing cuts. By examining the proposed budget, you can only conclude that without stimulus money in 2011 (which will NOT happen), South Carolina must either raise taxes significantly, or make another round of severe cuts. The current requests will really hurt certain groups, including retired state workers. The next round of budget cuts will no doubt be felt by EVERYONE!"

Teacher pay can vary greatly by district, California report says - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Teacher pay can vary greatly by district, California report says - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"The amount of money a California teacher makes these days depends greatly on the school district that cuts the paycheck, according to a state report released this month.

And the gap between the high and low salaries is wide.

Teachers in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District are the state's best paid, making an average of $95,365. That's nearly double the amount paid to the state's lowest paid educators – $49,753 – in the Konocti Unified School District in Lake County, according to a Bee analysis of districts with more than 100 teachers"

Duncan: Katrina Was The "Best Thing" for New Orleans School System - Political Punch

Duncan: Katrina Was The "Best Thing" for New Orleans School System - Political Punch

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Education Secretary Arne Duncan said today that Hurricane Katrina was “the best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans” because it gave the city a chance to rebuild and improve its failing public schools.

In an interview to air this weekend on “Washington Watch with Roland Martin” Duncan said “that education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better. And the progress that it made in four years since the hurricane, is unbelievable.”

The Education Department confirmed the quote to ABC and Duncan released the following statement in response: “As I heard repeatedly during my visits to New Orleans, for whatever reason, it took the devastating tragedy of the hurricane to wake up the community to demand more and expect better for their children.”

Here is Duncan’s full exchange with Martin on Katrina:

Martin: I was talking to you on James Carville and Mary Matalin. They’re of course very involved in what’s happening in New Orleans. What’s amazing is New Orleans, is that everything was devastated because of Hurricane Katrina. But because everything was wiped out, in essence, you are building from ground zero to change the dynamic of education in that city.

Duncan: That’s a fascinating one. I’ve spent a lot of time in New Orleans and this is a tough thing to say but I’m going to be really honest. The best thing that happened to the education system in New Orleans was Hurricane Katrina. That education system was a disaster. And it took Hurricane Katrina to wake up the community to say that we have to do better. And the progress that it made in four years since the hurricane, is unbelievable. They have a chance to create a phenomenal school district. Long way to go, but that city was not serious about its education. Those children were being desperately underserved prior. And the amount of progress and the amount of reform we’re seeing in a short amount of time has been absolutely amazing. I have so much respect for the adults, the teachers, the principals that are working hard. I’ve spent a lot of time talking to students at John Mack high school there. Many who had missed school for six months, eight months, 13 months after the Hurricane and still came back to get an education. Children in our country, they want to learn. They’re resilient. They’re tough. We have to meet them half-way. We have to give them opportunity. And New Orleans is doing a phenomenal job of getting that system to an entirely different level.

Bush Institute programs begin soon | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | National Politics

Bush Institute programs begin soon | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| National Politics

The George W. Bush Institute is rolling out plans for several conferences this year, along with a half-hour television show that will begin broadcasting next week.

The first three conferences are invitation-only. It is unclear what role the former president will play during the conferences or future episodes of the TV show. Laura Bush will participate in a U.S.-Afghan Women's Literacy Conference in mid-March.

Bush TV

The TV show, Ideas in Action, will be hosted by Bush Institute executive director Jim Glassman.

The first episode, which will air Thursday on participating public television stations and noncommercial cable stations nationwide, focuses on "The Twitter Revolution." Glassman and a panel of experts will discuss the role social media, such as Twitter, played in last year's pro-democracy uprising in Iran.

Several episodes have been taped at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Some will be taped at Southern Methodist University later this year.

Glassman's guests next week are:

Goli Ameri, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for Education and Cultural Affairs and a former U.S. delegate to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.:

San Diego Unified will pay $25,200 to a company that installs audio and visual systems as part of a settlement over how it chose a company to install technology for its $2.1 billion school construction and renovation bond.

Audio Associates of San Diego sued after the school district picked two companies to installinteractive whiteboards without competitively bidding the work last June. Instead, San Diego Unified used a process that is commonly used for supplies that have already been competitively bid by the state of California, such as computer technology.

Attorney Kevin Carlin, who represented the company, said it was improper to use that process for construction services, rather than for getting goods. Audio Associates argued it had been unfairly prevented from vying for a chance to do the installation work.

New York City Plans to Change Methods for Grading Schools - NYTimes.com

New York City Plans to Change Methods for Grading Schools - NYTimes.com

Months after handing out A’s and B’s to 97 percent of New York City elementary schools, education officials plan to change their methods for grading the city’s public schools, making it harder to receive high marks.

Under the proposed changes, schools would be measured against one another, with those where students show the most significant improvements getting the top grades. There would be set grade-distribution guidelines, with 25 percent of schools receiving A’s, 30 percent B’s, 30 percent C’s, 10 percent D’s, and the bottom 5 percent of schools getting F’s.
Currently, the progress reports measure improvements, but an unlimited number of schools can receive high grades.
The Department of Education plans to hold several sessions with principals on the proposed changes to get their views. In a memo to principals, Shael Polakow-Suransky, the chief accountability officer, acknowledged Friday that the department’s “accountability tools aren’t perfect,” and said that it would continue to do more to improve them.
“We want to be able to really show how much value a school is actually adding,” he said in an interview.

SAC City DAC Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment

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Education News & Comment The Black Parallel School Board

Education News & Comment

Unofficial black school board seeks candidates 

Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

 

The Black Parallel School Board is seeking community members to serve on its executive council.

The Black Parallel School Board is a community organization that advocates for African American students

in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Candidates for the council must be Sacramento residents of African descent and must commit to serving two years on the council, among other criteria, according to a news release from the organization.

Applications can be found at www.blackparallelschoolboard.com/17.html. They are due by Jan. 31.

For more information, call (916) 484-3729

Advice to the mayor: Pretend those schools you're closing are charters

Advice to the mayor: Pretend those schools you're closing are charters:

"A disclaimer: This post is about New York City schools. The chaos that's going on in New York is something all school advocates need to be following, because a lot of powerful forces would like it to be going on in our town too.

Or, to borrow a few lines: Start spreading the news. They want to be a part of it. If they can do it there, they 'll do it anywhere.

Anyway, the blogger NYC Educator posted an idea for Mayor Bloomberg, who is running New York schools with an 'I'm the decider' system and has closed 91 of them.

Pretend They're Charter Schools"

Scarborough and Bernstein In Heated Exchange With Teacher Union Head On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Scarborough and Bernstein In Heated Exchange With Teacher Union Head On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

The scene was Randi Weingarten, head of the AFT (teachers union), with Joe Scarborough, host of Morning Joe, journalist Carl Bernstein, and Willie Geist, host of Way Too Early.

You could sense the restraint used by everyone at the table but that couldn't hold back the sparks and impassioned quips that made their way to the camera.

It mainly seemed as if there were two different conversations going on at the same time, where the answers to questions never seemed to quite correspond.  Here are a few money quotes (taken out of order).  Still, quite the disconnect.  Or, cut to the chase and watch for yourself - video below:

Scarborough:  "Unions killed a bill that would have given NY kids (schools) $700 million".

Scarborough:  "Teacher unions have put job security ahead of students well-being."
Weingarten:  "We need to help all of us take more responsibility to help make sure all our kids get a decent education."

Weingarten:  "Teachers want to help kids succeed".

Bernstein:  "You've fought it all these years".

Scarborough:   Harlem Village Academies are at at 8th 100% proficiency level in Math after entering school a few grades behind.

Weingarten:  One charter school run by the union:  "95% did great in 5th Grade Social Studies".  

Watch for yourself in this 12 min.video Below (first 10 are the main event).

Click here for the story about Harlem Village Academies, as reported by The Daily Riff last 

CrisisMaven’s Economics Study Guide � CrisisMaven's Blog

CrisisMaven’s Economics Study Guide � CrisisMaven's Blog: "This blog has two main purposes:

It is meant to comment upon and elucidate matters of economic inquiry and economic policy, and it acts as a systematic study guide in economics meant to complement more traditional teaching approaches.

What CrisisMaven believes sets this collection of articles and overviews apart is that each single post or article attempts to look at a certain well-circumscribed subject within the vast field of economics for once through the collecting lens of some current event, as CrisisMaven believes it is only then that one’s mind will be receptive and interested in such subject, as well as each post tries to analyse the matter at hand in enough depth so that a reader, when finished, may with some confidence claim to have understood it thoroughly enough to follow any spirited discussion, be it with academics, researchers, practitioners in the field or other interested laymen (and women)."

The Way it Ought to Be �Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech

The Way it Ought to Be �Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech

The Way it Ought to Be

I'm at Educon.
If you're not familiar with Educon, it's a conference/conversation hosted by Chris Lehmann and the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA.

I was fortunate to be able to spend Thursday and Friday hanging around the school. Here's what I saw:

• Lots of smiles.
• Loud classrooms
• A principal's office that looked more like grand central with equal numbers of staff and students talking and working, coming and going
• Teachers who discussed personal issues with students
• A brief power outage that didn't paralyze learning despite them being a 1:1 school
• A lack of emphasis on technology
• Students occasionally off task
• Students excited to talk with adults

None of these things are particularly amazing and are all things you could find in many, if not all schools in North America.  I didn't see one thing that couldn't  be done almost anywhere. The teachers are good teachers but they aren't doing anything I haven't seen before. So what's the big deal?

There are many more observations and insights that one would make beyond the few I've listed but I'm not sure that any additions would tell us that "one thing".  It's obvious that leadership plays a significant role and that grows culture over time which is undeniably palpable.   While many will continue to deconstruct and analyze how, and if this type of place is replicable, Good teaching and caring adults can lead to a really wonderful place which Science Leadership Academy truly is. But maybe SLA isn't so unique after all? Maybe there are more schools and classrooms like this but we just aren't telling anyone? The level of connectedness among staff doesn't hurt their image but indeed follows closely with one of their guiding principles: Learning can – and must – be networked.  But behind that networked learning lurks teachers who know how to teach just like many of the teachers you work with or you already are.

Dallas ISD magnet schools' admissions policy waiver riles parents | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas ISD magnet schools' admissions policy waiver riles parents | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News:

"Frustration, anger and even talk of a lawsuit have bubbled up following a Dallas school board decision to change the competitive admissions process at a handful of top magnet schools.

The board of trustees approved a waiver Thursday so that parents at four magnets will not have to reapply for admission as their children move from one grade span to another at their schools.

For example, a child admitted to the William B. Travis Talented and Gifted school for grades 4 and 5 would not have to reapply to get into Travis' gifted school for sixth- through eighth-graders.

The change takes effect Feb. 1 – just in time for this year's magnet application season – and affects Travis, George Bannerman Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy; Harry Stone Montessori Academy; and Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School."

Rochester school forums delayed until bill is drafted | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Rochester school forums delayed until bill is drafted | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle:

"As protests against mayoral control of the City School District continued Friday, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy announced that the first two of the four public forums on school governance have been postponed.

The forums have been postponed, Duffy said, because Gov. David Paterson's staff has not completed writing the draft legislation.

'While they are working diligently on this, it is clearly not yet finished and we do not have a firm date when the draft legislation will be ready to take to the people,' Duffy said in a statement. 'I do not want to bring together gatherings of people and not have answers to their questions.'"