http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9EJNHMO1.html

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9EJNHMO1.html

Hispanics in Texas less likely to graduate college

03/22/2010

Associated Press

Hispanics are less likely to graduate from public and private universities compared with whites in Texas and nationwide, a new study finds.

The nonprofit American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research used data from six-year graduation rates from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The study, entitled Rising to the Challenge: Raising Hispanic Graduation Rates as a National Priority, found that 51 percent of Hispanics who started college earned a bachelor's degree within six years, compared with 59 percent of whites.

The Texas figures indicate that 40 percent of Hispanics graduated within six years, compared with 45 percent for whites, according to results released last week.

"When the students aren't graduating it suggests there's something going on there at the institutional level," research fellow Andrew Kelly said.

The study recommends a greater focus on retention and graduation rates, along with better financial information for students and their families. Hispanic students were less likely to be aware of loan and scholarship assistance, the study found.

Southern Methodist University in Dallas graduated 71 percent of

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org

Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org

Joel Klein's Performance Review

The E-Accountability Foundation's review based on statements from parents, teachers, Regional supervisors, and other City employees and taxpayers from September 2002. Mr. Klein has no contract, but is an 'at will' employee of the City of New York. Rating: U; Recommendation: Resignation or Termination.
by Betsy Combier

We have been talking with parents, teachers, Principals, Regional personnel of the New York City Department of Education, the Office of Legal Services, retired Superintendents, Special Education evaluators and other personnel at all levels within the NYC DOE - yes, they are talking - and others who have worked for, presently work for, or are volunteers for the DOE, and we are horrified at the actions of Chancellor Joel Klein. Almost all of the people who have offered concrete proof of Joel Klein's actions have called us late at night, and they whisper into the telephone the information. As Mr. Klein does not have a contract and is an "At Will" employee of the Mayor, how can we hold him accountable for anything? By voting out Mayor Bloomberg.


We believe that Joel Klein should not continue as Chancellor of the nation's largest school system for the following reasons:


1. He listens to no one outside of his tight circle of friends, all of whom are earning huge salaries while our children are not given the services and resources they need to be challenged and to achieve their personal bests. He allows his staff to use taxpayer money for emergency equipment and sirens on their cars; he allowed Diana Lam's husband to obtain a job in a Bronx High School because he "doesn't second guess"; he allowed Deputy Chancellor Anthony Shorris to moonlight every thursday at Local 1199 for an additional $60,000 and stopped this illegal activity only when the press caught him, even as Mr. Shorris was telling City Council that there is no money to buy defibrillators for our schools, and New York City must violate the law for this reason; he stonewalls any request for information on anything, and buys curricula that penalizes the city, as he did in his decision to use Month-by-month phonics and establish the math curricula as TERC, CMP and Connected Math, or "fuzzy" math. See "Bruce Winokur, New York City Math Teacher, Fights Against the Fuzzy Math Folk, the Mayor and Chancellor"; and my daughter's cry for help when she was 9 years old: WHY TERC? Asks a 9 year old, Who Questions the Value of 'Fuzzy Math' For Her Future Academic Goals.


Every grievance sent to him by a parent is either never answered or answered by his Chief Counsel or someone at the

Local News | Court: Student can't sue over 'Ave Maria' ban | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Court: Student can't sue over 'Ave Maria' ban| Seattle Times Newspaper

Court: Student can't sue over 'Ave Maria' ban

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to let a high school student sue over school officials' refusal to let her play an instrumental version of "Ave Maria" at her graduation, a decision one justice says could lead to wide-ranging censorship of student speech.

By JESSE J. HOLLAND

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON —

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to let a high school student sue over school officials' refusal to let her play an instrumental version of "Ave Maria" at her graduation, a decision one justice says could lead to wide-ranging censorship of student speech.

The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Kathryn Nurre, a former student at Henry M. Jackson High School. Nurre, who was a senior in 2006, wanted to play "Ave Maria" - Hail Mary in Latin - with the band's wind ensemble at the graduation.

Administrators raised red flags at the Everett, Wash., school when they heard about the idea from the wind ensemble seniors, who had played Franz Biebl's uptempo 1964 rendering of "Ave Maria" without controversy at a winter concert.

A year before, choral performance of the song "Up Above My Head" at the 2005 commencement drew complaints and protest letters to the town's newspaper. Therefore, school officials said the seniors could not play the song since the title alone identified "Ave Maria" as religious and that graduation should be strictly secular.

Nurre sued, claiming unspecified damages from infringement of First Amendment rights. The federal courts threw out the lawsuit, with judges saying it was reasonable for a school official to prohibit the performance of an obviously religious piece.

The court's majority turned away her request for appeal without comment. But Justice Samuel Alito said he would have heard her case.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: Historic Step for Health Care

After lobbying undecided members of Congress, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says were about to win an historic advance on health care reform. Liz Stender of Working America member and Judith Cato of the Alliance for Retirement Americans are ready for reform.

Is Education On The Wrong Track? | The New Republic

Is Education On The Wrong Track? | The New Republic

Is Education on the Wrong Track?

A TNR Symposium.

• 
  
  Kevin Carey
• March 21, 2010 | 5:44 pm
• 
• Print

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Is Education on the Wrong Track?

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Are Charter Schools Overrated?

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Are Charter Schools Overrated?

Is Education on the Wrong Track?

TNR Symposium: Is Education on the Wrong Track?

From: Kevin Carey

To: Diane Ravitch, Ben Wildavsky, Richard Rothstein, and Andrew Rotherham

Subject: School improvement has to happen now, not at some magic moment when the conditions are just right. Also, surely we can find common ground on charter schools.

Richard, I sometimes wonder why you bother to write about public schools. You seem to have very little interest in the practice of education itself. You’re forever asserting that schools are, at best, incidental.

Of course hunger, mobility, stress, and poor health are barriers to learning.

But let me put it this way: Say we have a group of low-income minority students with chronic health problems whose parents are unemployed. They can attend one of two schools. The first has crumbling facilities, no coherent curriculum, indifferent leadership, and a poorly trained staff of unmotivated teachers who can never be fired. We suspect that academic results in this school are very bad, but we don’t know for sure because the only available data comes from the school itself, which reports that students are doing “fine, all things considered."

The second school has new facilities, a rich curriculum, and a strong principal. Teachers are well-trained and work in a cooperative, mutually supportive environment. Excellent teaching is rewarded, and there is no tolerance for incompetence. Student results on national criterion-referenced tests are reported to the community every year.

Do you care which school those children attend? Or are you indifferent, because the differences between them are “likely to be overwhelmed by the impact of

Reform Begins | The White House

Reform Begins | The White House

The White House Blog

Reform Begins

Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on March 22, 2010 at 08:36 AM EDT

After more than a year of extensive debate, the House voted last night to pass the most significant health reform legislation this country has seen in decades. It was a historic victory for the American people. And now, millions of Americans – workers, families, seniors, small business owners – stand to benefit from lower health care costs, expanded coverage and tough consumer protections.

This year, thousands of uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions will have the opportunity to purchase quality, affordable health insurance. Beginning in 2010, small business owners will no longer be forced to choose between offering health care and hiring new employees because they’ll be offered tax credits of up to 35 percent of premiums to help insure their employees. Medicare beneficiaries will no longer wonder how they’ll afford their prescription drug bills because they’ll be given a rebate of $250 if they hit the prescription drug donut hole in 2010. And early retirees will be provided help through the creation of a temporary re-insurance program to help offset the costs of expensive premiums.

This year, you will now have the security of knowing that insurers cannot deny coverage to your child because of a pre-existing condition. You won’t have to live every day in fear of having your insurance taken away from you if you get sick. And for new plans, there won’t be lifetime or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care you receive from your insurance companies.

Because we didn’t settle for the status quo, Americans who have insurance will now have the security and stability of knowing their coverage will be there when they need it most, and the millions of Americans who don’t have insurance will be provided with quality, affordable options. The legislation passed last night brings down health care costs for American families and small businesses, expands coverage to millions of Americans and ends the worst practices of insurance companies. And it begins to do so this year.

Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director

Student Loan Overhaul Tied To Health Care Bill

Student Loan Overhaul Tied To Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON — Riding the coattails of a historic health care vote, the House on Sunday also passed a broad reorganization of college aid that affects millions of students and moves President Barack Obama closer to winning yet another of his top domestic policies.

The bill rewrites a four-decades-old student loan program, eliminating its reliance on private lenders and uses the savings to direct $36 billion in new spending to Pell Grants for students in financial need.

In the biggest piece of education legislation since No Child Left Behind nine years ago, the bill would also provide more than $4 billion to historically black colleges and community colleges.

The bill was paired with the expedited health care bill, a marriage of convenience that helped the prospects of each measure. That combined measure passed 220-211.

"We are pairing this historic health reform with another opportunity that cannot be missed – the chance to make the single largest investment in college affordability ever at no cost to the taxpayers," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.

The Senate will take up the bill next week under the same expedited rules used for health care legislation. That means the Senate can pass the education measure by a simple majority, virtually guaranteeing its success despite qualms from some Democrats and opposition from Republicans.

House lawmakers passed the bill last year, but in the Senate it did not have 60 votes to overcome

Education Week American Education News Site of Record

Education Week American Education News Site of Record

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House Boosts College Aid for Students in Need

Riding the coattails of a historic health care vote, the House on Sunday passed a broad reorganization of college aid that affects millions of students.

• • Loan Bill Stripped of Early Ed., Other Priorities

(March 22, 2010, AP)

Teachers' Unions Slam Obama K-12 Budget Proposals

Fresh mandates and a plan to pour new funding into competitive grants draw fire from the NEA and the AFT.

• • Obama Effigy Hung at R.I. School With Fired Teachers

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Educators Embrace iPods for Learning

Although still banned by many schools, a growing number of others are using iPods and other MP3 players as educational accessories. (March 16, 2010) | Comments (2)

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Could School Bus Ads Save School Budgets?

School districts say it's practically free money, but opponents say children are being forced to travel to school on moving media kiosks.

• • Complete Coverage: Financial Crisis

(March 19, 2010, AP)

Tiny School District Sues Citizens Who Seek Info

An Arizona school district seeks to prevent four women from filing open records requests without first getting permission from a judge.(March 19, 2010, AP) | Comments (2)

ESEA Plan Draws Bipartisan Praise—and Questions

Congressional panels see much to like, while flagging concerns about turnarounds, competitive grants, and rural schools.

• • Interest Turns to ESEA Plan's Chances of Passing

(March 17, 2010) | Comments (3)

Mass. House Approves Anti-Bullying Bill

The bill would ban bullying, require school districts to come up with bullying prevention plans, and expand the definition of bullying to include cyberbullying.

• • Text Message Dispute Triggered Brutal Fla. Beating

(March 19, 2010, AP)

Hugs Outlawed at Portland School

A campus of nearly 600 7th and 8th graders joined a growing list of schools nationwide that have halted the display of affection.(March 19, 2010, AP)

La.'s Race to Top Team Navigates Last-Minute Bump

An all-white delegation was to make the pitch for a share of the $4 billion in stimulus money, until a black lawmaker was put on the team.

• • Complete Coverage: Schools and the Stimulus

(March 17, 2010) | Comments (3)

More Than 25 Percent of Detroit Schools Slated to Close

The closures are part of a $1 billion, five-year plan to downsize a struggling district and improve education, test scores and student safety. (March 18, 2010, AP)

N.J. Plans Sharp Cuts to Most School Districts

Districts could be forced to choose between proposing deep cuts or asking voters to approve big property tax increases in a state where property taxes are already the highest in the nation. (March 18, 2010, AP)

Boys Trail Girls in Reading Across States

In reading proficiency, boys lag by at least 10 percentage points in some states, while girls have caught up in math, a study finds.

• • Why Boys Fail: CEP Report on Gender Gaps Released

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U.S. Schools Work to Help Iraqi Students Catch Up

Seven years after the U.S. went to war in Iraq, schools are welcoming thousands of refugees with big gaps in their formal education.

• • Video: The Challenge of Resettlement 

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Comments Pouring in on Common Standards, But You Won't See Them - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

Comments Pouring in on Common Standards, But You Won't See Them - Curriculum Matters - Education Week

Comments Pouring in on Common Standards, But You Won't See Them

By Catherine Gewertz on March 22, 2010 10:15 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

The common core standards drew more than 2,000 comments in the first nine days that they were posted online for public reaction. By last Friday morning, the draft standards had gotten more than twice as many comments as the "college-and-career-readiness" draft drew during the entire month it was up for comment last fall.

(As you recall, the "college-and-career-readiness" standards came out first, outlining what students must master to earn diplomas. The newest draft takes those goals and maps out what students need to learn in each grade to reach them. That complete set of standards is what's up for comment now, until April 2.)

Chris Minnich, who's leading the common-standards work for the Council of Chief State School Officers, told me that the comments are currently trending about 75 percent positive and 25 percent negative. Not that we can know that independently; the current plan is not to post any of the actual comments, so we