Monday, February 1, 2010

Education Week: States Said to Lag in Using Data Systems Well

States have made progress in building data systems that track student performance over time, but are behind the curve in sharing the information in a way that leads to meaningful decisionmaking, according to a national survey released today.

The Data Quality Campaign, a foundation-funded organization in Washington that promotes and tracks the use of data in education, has been focused since 2005 on identifying the key components of state data systems and pushing for their development. Now that much of that work is under way, the group is shifting its focus to describe and promote the use of the data.

“The education sector is on the cusp of becoming an information-based enterprise,” the report says. “But reaching this goal depends on states taking actions that change the historically entrenched culture of using data for compliance reporting into one that values analysis of data and prioritizes constant communication to all stakeholders of the education system.”

Zero tolerance: Some sense, please | savannahnow.com

Zero tolerance: Some sense, please | savannahnow.com:

"THE PROBLEM with some zero tolerance policies is that they allow for zero common sense. Where there is obviously no malicious intent, the punishment should fit the crime.

Georgia must make it clear that bringing a weapon onto school property jeopardizes public safety. Sadly, we live in a world where neighborhood violence can bleed into neighborhood schools, and where crazed young people have spawned tragedies on campuses.

Schools must be safe zones. But that doesn't mean all offenses are alike.

Consider the 14-year-old Georgia student who gets good grades, behaves in class and takes part in after-school activities, who voluntarily turned in a pocketknife to his principal. In this case, Eli Mohone was arrested and forced to spend the night in a youth detention center in Morgan County before receiving a hearing.

If the student had been an adult going into a public gathering, where weapons are also banned, state law allows as an 'affirmative defense' to prosecution the notification of a law enforcement officer that one has a weapon, along with surrendering or securing the weapon as the officer instructs."

See how well your school district pays its teachers - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

See how well your school district pays its teachers

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

Published: Wednesday, Jul. 16, 2008 - 12:00 am

Last Modified: Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 - 4:43 pm

The average teacher salary last year was $66,995, an increase of 1.8 percent from 2008, according to new state figures. Districts laying off less-experienced, lower-paid teachers accounted for almost all of that increase -- cumulative school payroll in California was flat from 2008 to 2009. Teacher pay varies widely by district.
Updated: 1/19/10 ... Choose a region and county to see average teacher pay ...

Education Week: Charters: Students With Disabilities Need Not Apply?

Education Week: Charters: Students With Disabilities Need Not Apply?:

"With the Obama administration and many state governors calling for more charter schools, it may be time for policymakers to address directly the issue of these schools’ imbalanced enrollment of students with disabilities.

The enthusiasm for charter schools, which was also high during the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, reflects the desire of many parents to have choice within the public system. This desire has only been heightened by research showing superior results obtained by charters."

In a performance comparison of Boston charter school students with those not admitted, for example, Harvard University professor Thomas J. Kane found that the students attending charters outperformed their peers at traditional public schools. His research, however, was designed with the recognition that charter students are different along some critical, perhaps immeasurable, dimensions from students attending traditional schools. This is especially true in relation to students with disabilities: Traditional public schools are serving far greater numbers of them than charter schools, particularly those whose disabilities require significant special education services.

Findings from other research conducted in major cities, including Los Angeles and San Diego, further illustrate this phenomenon. In San Diego, where close to 10 percent of all students attend charter schools, the enrollment of students with disabilities in charters during the 2005-06 academic year approached just 12 percent; the average enrollment of these students in nonconversion (from scratch) charter schools was

Sacramento Press / Haitian Relief fundraiser

The Sacramento Chinese of Indochina Friendship Association is holding a fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti this Friday, February 5.

The fundraiser dinner will be held at Sacramento's Rice Bowl Seafood Restaurant and 100 percent of contributions will go to the American Red Cross to benefit the victims in Haiti. There will be entertainment, including dancing and singing, auctions (brand names purses, i.e. Louis Vuitton), and more. The dinner will be a 10-course Chinese food meal.

"Please tell your friends to come and support this worthwhile and important fundraiser to help the people in Haiti who have suffered so much from the catastrophic earthquake that has killed over 100,000 people and injured and left homeless countless many others," said Jerry Chong, Esq.

"The Sacramento Chinese Indochina Friendship Association has held successful fundraisers in the past for victims of catastrophic events in the United States and the world such as the 9/11 Twin Towers attacks in New York City, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the Tsunami in Indonesia, and earthquakes and floods in China and Taiwan. All proceeds from the

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

I would be remiss in giving you your recommended reading without mentioning this terrific series on the gaps in the safety net in San Diego County, by my co-workers Kelly Bennett and Dagny Salas. It may not be about education, but you'd better believe it affects kids. Now for the rest of your newsblitz:

We blog on a legal settlement over how San Diego Unified schools are choosing which company gets to install interactive whiteboards. KPBS reports on how those and other digital tools are http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/feb/01/san-diego-schools-get-high-tech-tools/" target="_blank" title="">changing San Diego classrooms.

The Union-Tribune writes about legislation that could help the school district recoup penalties for upping class sizes. SDNN debates whether California is really charging a penalty.

Obama Wants New, $300 Million Math and Science Program - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

Obama Wants New, $300 Million Math and Science Program - Curriculum Matters - Education Week:

"Today's a big day for budget geeks in Washington and beyond. President Obama this morning unveiled his new spending request for the coming fiscal year.

For the big picture, check out my colleague Alyson Klein's post over at Politics K-12. I'm going to first home in on what appears to be a brand-new math and science program, with a price tag of $300 million. It would be housed at the U.S. Department of Education.

More precisely, a White House budget summary says this proposal would provide grants 'to states to develop and implement instructional practices and improve teaching and learning in science and math aligned to new high standards.'

In addition, the president's request would dedicate $150 million 'within the Investing in Innovation Fund to competitive grants for school districts, nonprofits, and other organizations to test, validate, and scale promising strategies to improve teaching and accelerate student learning in STEM subjects.'

This $150 million appears to be part of a proposal by the president for $500 million more for the Investing in Innovation fund, or i3, which was created as part of the federal economic-stimulus law. It currently has $650 million."

Budget and ESEA Proposals Released - Politics K-12 - Education Week

The Obama administration is seeking to revamp adequate yearly progress, the main vehicle for gauging student progress under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, according to budget documents. It would be replaced with a system that measures whether students are ready for college and careers.

The total budget for fiscal year 2011 would be $49.7 billion, as compared to last year's $46.8 billion. Those totals include a proposal, also released last year, that would move Pell Grants to the mandatory side of the ledger, meaning they wouldn't be subject to the whims of the appropriations process.

The budget also includes a $3 billion increase in competitive funding for ESEA. That includes $1.35 billion to continue Race to the Top, plus $500 million for the Investing in Innovation Fund, which is meant to scale up promising practices.

And it would include $950 million in competitive grants to states and school districts that build comprehensive systems to recruit, prepare, retain, and reward effective teachers and principals. We don't have all the details yet, but it would seem that at least some of the money for the competitive teacher-quality program would come from consolidating other funding streams. (Last week, the Department announced that it would consolidate 38 programs into 11 under the budget.)

The budget also includes $210 million for Promise Neighborhoods, to help

Act Now To Help Save Education Jobs

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Congress to send him a new jobs bill to sign. He said it should be “our number-one focus in 2010.” The House of Representatives has already passed the NEA-supported Jobs for Main Street Act, which would save or create hundreds of thousands of education jobs, and provide a critical infusion of funds into struggling communities.

Now, it is the Senate’s turn.

The NEA urges the Senate to, at minimum, support the Jobs for Main Street Act as passed by the House. Some points to consider:

Quick action is needed. State budget outlooks for 2010 and 2011 look bleak, and governors and state legislatures have already begun to grapple with this budget crisis. Take a look at how much funding your state will lose once the stimulus legislation expires, unless Congress provides more funding in a jobs bill.
In addition to $4 billion for school construction, the bill includes an Education Jobs Fund — $23 billion that will help states retain or create an estimated 250,000 education jobs over the next two years. This fund will have an immediate impact. Take a look at how many education jobs the House-passed bill will save in your state.
This important legislation represents a critical step in helping stimulate economic recovery. Public education is the best investment—both in the short term and long term—for our economy, our schools, and our students.

Your quick action will make a difference. Contact your senators today and urge them to pass a jobs package that includes, at a minimum, the investments in education provided in the House-passed bill.

The Educated Guess: Model by example: close failing charter schools

The Educated Guess

Model by example: close failing charter schools

Posted in Charters

Russlynn Ali, one of several California expats in key positions in the U.S. Department of Education, praised and chided charter school reformers in a talk in San Jose.
She said that school districts should be partnering with charters as “labs of innovation we all can learn from.” What distinguishes effective charter schools are commonsense strategies – “more time on task, more parental involvement, strong leadership,” she said Saturday. But Ali, the assistant secretary of education for civil rights, also called for authorizers of charter school to be more resolute in shutting down schools that aren’t showing academic success. (Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on February 1st, 2010

Equal treatment for special-needs students in short supply at New Orleans public schools | New Orleans Metro Education News - - NOLA.com

A report presented to the state board of education last week shows wide, and stubborn, gaps in the number of students with special needs at the city's public schools -- particularly the independently operated charter schools.

At some Recovery School District charter schools, less than 4 percent of the students have special needs, while at others upwards of 15 percent do. On average, about 8 percent of the Recovery School District's charter students are classified as special-needs, while 12 percent are in that group at the district's non-charter schools. If distributed evenly, each school would have about 10 percent.

"While I strongly support charters, I will not hesitate to recommend non-renewal if a charter has not made significant progress at admitting its fair share of special ed students," said Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas.

Advocates say they still routinely hear stories from families who were discouraged from applying at individual charter schools, or were "counseled out" once there.

"This is just flat-out discrimination, and it flies in the face of the idea of school choice and equal access to education," said Thena Robinson, an attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

But many educators note that because parents can apply to virtually any public school in the city, some degree of variation is inevitable.

"We don't want to send a message that a school has to have X percentage," said Kathy Kilgore, director of the SUNS (Serving the Unique Needs of Students) Center. "Then what does a school do if it doesn't meet its numbers? You can't grow your own kids."

The report, prepared by state education officials, looked only at the Recovery School District charter schools. The district's 33 traditional schools and 37 charter schools must accept any child, regardless of need, from severely autistic children who require a full-time aide to students with speech impairments.

Discrepancies also exist in the percentages of special education students at the RSD's non-charter schools. But only one non-charter, a high-school program in its first year, has fewer than 6 percent special-needs students, compared to 11 charters.

At the Orleans Parish School Board's charter and traditional schools, the numbers range from 16 percent students with special-needs at Bethune Elementary to just over 1 percent at Franklin High School. But unlike the Recovery School District, where all the schools are open enrollment, several of the school board's charter schools, like Franklin, have established admissions criteria making apples-to-apples comparisons difficult.

Caroline Roemer-Shirley, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said schools with low percentages of special-education students are not necessarily behaving inappropriately or turning away students. For various reasons, they might not attract high numbers of children with special needs or, like Crocker Arts and Technology School, are relatively new and serve students only in the youngest grades.

Bonus pay stokes anger �| ajc.com

Bonus pay stokes anger �| ajc.com:

"Top investment staffers at the Georgia Teachers Retirement System received pay increases of up to $108,000 last fiscal year even though the fund they manage lost money and most state employees went without raises amid the state’s fiscal crisis."

The staffers earned “incentive pay” because, while the system’s fund lost 13 percent in fiscal 2009 and 3 percent in fiscal 2008, it beat the market averages. The fund has since recovered part of its losses, and retirement system officials say such “incentive pay” is common in the public and private sectors.

Some state retirement systems around the country have done away with bonuses under political pressure in recent years. And retirees and a teacher group say the incentives suggest system officials are out-of-touch at a time when educators and other state employees are going without raises and being furloughed.

“This issue reminds me of Wall Street financial investors giving themselves outlandish bonuses while the people they are basically working for suffer,” said Carol Brown, a Kennesaw retiree who taught for 30 years in Marietta andCherokee County schools.

In total, 28 investment staffers received $435,000 in incentive pay in fiscal 2009, which ended June 30. The top investment staffers are among the best-paid employees in state government.

A year of living on the edge for CPS boss Huberman :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

A year of living on the edge for CPS boss Huberman :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education:

"CPS BOSS | Each day, Ron Huberman gears up for 'unprecedented challenges' as he tries to bring a 'culture of calm,' raise performance and rescue system from budget disaster"

Seated among a circle of kids from Julian High School, Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman has become the student.

Dressed in crisp business attire amid jeans and gym shoes, Huberman brainstorms how to bring a "culture of calm" to troubled schools -- part of an anti-violence campaign that has brought him national attention.

"Who's got some ideas?" Huberman asks, pen and note paper at the ready.
By the end of the session, Huberman ticks off a string of student names and, like an A student, shares "what I learned today" from each.
Though he hit the one-year mark last week as CEO of the nation's third-largest school system, 38-year-old Ron Huberman is still doing his homework.
The man Mayor Daley tapped as his chief of staff, head of the Office of Emergency Management and CTA president has already tackled some stiff assignments at the Chicago Public Schools. He's still working on others.
But his toughest tasks may still be ahead, including:
• A looming, record budget deficit of up to $900 million -- nearly twice the size of the hole Huberman plugged last year.
• Talking concession with unions, including furlough days -- at $10

AVID classes push students to reach full potential | News | News from Fort Worth, Dallas...

ARLINGTON -- Students can't help but think of college when they step inside the AVID classroom at Carter Junior High in Arlington.

Brightly colored pennants from schools in Texas and beyond decorate the walls. To help students get there, class time is filled with study skills, testing strategies, critical-thinking exercises and tutoring.

The nationally known system, called Advancement Via Individual Determination, takes students who finished elementary school in the middle of the pack and pushes them to excel in more challenging classes. They start taking AVID as an elective in junior high and middle school and continue through high school.

As it has expanded during the last few years, Arlington administrators said they have seen AVID work time and time again. It helps students who might have floated through secondary school without failing but never realizing their potential, they said.

"We can put them on the college track," said Linda Rodgers, coordinator of secondary special populations for Arlington. "It's their choice what they do with it, but it's our job as educators to give them that choice."

AVID was developed by a public school teacher in 1980. It's in more than 4,000 schools nationwide; 75 are in Tarrant County, including in Fort Worth, Crowley, Mansfield and the Birdville school district.

ESCONDIDO: Guys Read, and like it, in middle school literacy program

ESCONDIDO: Guys Read, and like it, in middle school literacy program:

"Boys will be boys, but that doesn't mean they can't appreciate a good read.

At two middle schools in Escondido, boys are taking one lunch break a week to read and discuss books, stories, graphic novels and even song lyrics with one another and two adult volunteers.

'I joined it because I was interested in the articles they had to read,' said Del Dios eighth-grader Jose Agundez. 'It's pretty chill. All my friends are here.'

His eighth-grade friend, Ezequiel Ramirez, said he didn't like reading before joining the group.

'This makes it fun,' he said. 'They make you understand the stories.'"

Phila. teachers jittery over school-overhaul plans | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/01/2010

Phila. teachers jittery over school-overhaul plans | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/01/2010:

"Upon learning that University City High School was on the list for radical changes, one teacher described the mood as 'pretty gloomy.'

'It's like someone died,' said Jeffrey Rosenberg, a gym teacher and athletic director who has spent 15 years at the school. 'Our heads are spinning.'

The atmosphere wasn't much better at the Douglass School in North Philadelphia, which has had seven principals in the last seven years.

'Some people are very sad; some are saying maybe it won't happen,' said Betsy Wice, a retired reading specialist who returns every day to volunteer at the elementary school where she taught for 20 years. 'People are sort of clutching at straws.'"

New city school class features black literature

New city school class features black literature:

"Life in late 17th century America wasn't as simple as black or white, slave or free.

Native American servants, indentured Europeans, mail-order brides and free blacks were part of the mix, too.

Nobel laureate Toni Morrison captured the different voices in her 2008 novel 'A Mercy,' one of the works Pittsburgh Public Schools students will study in a new black literature course to debut in the fall.

The course will be offered to seniors at all high schools. Seniors may take the new course, an Advanced Placement English course or the standard 12th-grade English, which includes black authors.

'I think what is different for us is that we're offering it as a core course. Many districts offer it as an elective,' said Diane Carroll, a curriculum specialist who is part of the team writing the new course."

Union officials are disturbingly inflexible toward charter schools - washingtonpost.com

IT IS HARD to square the words of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten with the actions of many of her union's officials. Even as Ms. Weingarten issues stirring calls for new ways of thinking, labor leaders in places such as New York use their political muscle to block important reforms. Perhaps they don't think that she means business, or maybe they don't care; either way, it is the interests of students that are being harmed.

The United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the AFT affiliate that represents teachers in New York City, led the opposition to legislation favored by Gov. David A. Paterson (D) that would have lifted the state's cap on charter schools. Mr. Paterson, backed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, had hoped to better position the state for up to $700 million in federal education dollars. The Obama administration has made clear that states that deny parents choice in where their children go to school by limiting the growth of these increasingly popular independent public schools will be penalized in the national competition for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funds.
UFT officials were willing to lift the cap but -- saying more accountability and transparency are needed -- insisted on restrictions apt to have discouraged growth. The

States to government: hands off education - Yahoo! News

States to government: hands off education - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As the U.S. government discusses reauthorizing a sweeping education law and prepares to distribute billions of stimulus dollars for school reform, state legislatures are sending it a strong message: hands off.

Education policy has always been the territory of state and local governments, but in the last decade the U.S. government has interjected itself into curriculum and school reforms, the National Conference of State Legislatures said on Monday.

The group, which represents state legislatures, suggested using a federal model to fund education akin to that used to build the interstate highway system, whereby money is given to states, which then pass it on to local governments.

It would also like federal funds concentrated in areas where students are the most disadvantaged and not handed out equally to every congressional district.
The education law passed under former President George W. Bush and known as No Child Left Behind created a system of standards by which schools and school districts would be judged and federal funding awarded."

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education- Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Kids' sex talk horrifies teachers--Report

America isn’t the only country where there are concerns about kids engaging in sexual activity at ever younger ages. Teachers in Australia are reported to feel “helpless” while listening to fourth and fifth graders boast about their sexual exploits.

In an article in the Australian newspaper The Mercury Australian Education Union official Roz Madsen was reported saying that a recent union forum teachers described the discussions that the kids were having.

"The students are talking about what they have done on the weekend, sexual experiences that they are having," she was reported as saying. "Anecdotally it seems to be happening at earlier ages."

Continue reading this post »

Rhee's bad polls: should she go?

Public officials who try to make big changes to solve crises often risk their popularity. That is why favorability ratings for Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama dropped when they tried to revive devastated economies in the first years of their presidencies. That also explains why D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, pushing hard to raise student achievement in her low-performing district, has lost so much public confidence in a new Washington Post survey.
The ratings for both Rhee and her patron, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, have plummeted. This suggests he might lose the next election, and she might be forced to leave sooner to free him of the taint of her reputation for offending parents and teachers.