EducationNews.org - EducationNewsToday

EducationNews.org - EducationNewsToday

EducationNewsToday

Teach for America is put to test

Ladi Ogunro had ambitions of becoming a lawyer, hoping to transform the lives of the less fortunate. But as his senior year approached at the University of Michigan, he began to question the hefty cost of law school and decided to explore other options.

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Wanted: Good parents

At South Hadley High, kids went wild. But where were the parents? ...

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Ravitch: A new school agenda

I used to be a strong supporter of school accountability and choice. But in recent years, it became clear to me that these strategies were not working. The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program enacted in 2002...

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College Tour '10: Georgia Tech

Before our visit, we knew Tech had at least three positive attributes - proximity (five hours door-to-door by air from our Florida home to campus), price (even for an out-of-stater, it is less expensive...

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It's a win-win for seniors who tutor kids

Adult tutors say they learn as much as the students they help. ...

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How Washington is undermining the Bay State's high education standards.

The Obama administration announced the winners of its Race to the Top contest this week. Even though the competition was supposed to award money to states making strides in K-12 public education, one state that is a recognized leader in educational standards didn't receive a dime...

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Teacher bill needs improvements

The Florida House is poised to ram through sweeping changes to employment rules for public school teachers this week without listening to critics or allowing any improvements to the legislation. The bill (SB 6), ...

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Math lessons in Mandarin? Local schools go global

In a growing number of Seattle-area classrooms, students spend half their school day immersed in a language other than English. One example is Beacon Hill International School in Seattle, where kindergartners can study in Spanish or Mandarin Chinese. ...

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Report cites questionable charter-school practices

One Philadelphia charter-school operator runs a private parking lot on the side. Another rents out apartments and collects the rent at his school. Yet another rents property to herself, signing her lease as both tenant and landlord. ...

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Penn neighborhood blooms around a top school

The Yeows, Elizabeth and Emmanuel, both 37 and transplants from Southern California by way of the Washington suburbs, had their hearts set on a Center City lifestyle after Emmanuel, a federal employee, was transferred here last summer....

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East Providence schools deficit may reach $1 million as costs mushroom

EAST PROVIDENCE — School officials failed to track the expenses of up to 20 out-of-district special-education students, and the mistake created a deficit for the last fiscal year. ...

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New standard makes whiteboard content more accessible

In what educators and vendors are calling a giant step forward in education technology, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) recently announced that all major interactive whiteboard vendors have agreed to make their educational content available... ...

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New York schools brace for layoffs

School districts across New York are anticipating larger class sizes, fewer extracurricular activities and electives, and major layoffs. ...

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Teachers balk, leave state union

Teachers in a Marion County school district have become the first in Iowa to split from the state's largest teachers union. ...

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Tense time for students

After months of sifting through college catalogs and sweating out essays, the 12 seniors The Enquirer is following through the college admission process are three weeks from locking in on their schools. ...

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Judge says threats to confiscate children may be coercion

An Arizona homeschool family's constitutional lawsuit against authorities – including sheriff's deputies, social service workers and even an assistant attorney general – has been advanced by a judge who ruled that a threat to take the family's children into custody could have been perceived as coercion. ...

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Tutoring benefits seniors' health, students' skills

Experience Corps is a program operating in 22 cities nationwide that trains volunteers over 55 to......

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Healthy, and Safe, School Lunches

A Senate bill would set much-needed nutritional standards for the more than 30 million lunches served each school day to children across the country. ...

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School districts floating bond, tax rate issues

Construction, raises and technology are key goals for nine jurisdictions....

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Where's superman for the middle class?

4.4.10 - Guggenheim's film exposes the immense flaws in America's public school system and follows the lives of a handful of parents and their children who struggle to find alternative routes to a better education....

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Teachers union election: a look at caucuses and candidates | GothamSchools

Teachers union election: a look at caucuses and candidates | GothamSchools

Teachers union election: a look at caucuses and candidates

by Anna Phillips

In part two of a rough guide to the upcoming teachers union elections, here’s a look at the union’s internal party system and who’s running for major positions.

Part of the reason why UFT ballots have the heft of a college acceptance package is that they’re filled with a dizzying number of names. This year, 1,485 candidates are running for about 900 positions.

Most of those positions are for delegates to the conventions held by the national and state union branches, as well as the country’s largest teachers union, the National Eduction Association. But others have a direct influence on how the union is run and where it stands on issues like merit pay, charter schools, and how difficult it is to fire a teacher.

Along with voting for a union president, UFT members also cast their votes for ten officer positions and 78 executive board positions. The executive board, which meets once a month and votes on resolutions, breaks down into 42 “at large” positions held by any UFT member, and 36 positions that are parceled out among elementary (11), middle (5), and high school teachers (6), as well as “functional” employees (14) such as guidance counselors.

Rise & Shine: Frozen school aid may not come until June

by Maura Walz

• Governor David Paterson said he could delay $2.1 billion in school aid until June. (Legislative Gazette)
• Boy Scouts rallied at City Hall to protest the sale of the city’s only Scout campground. (SI Live)
• A Brooklyn woman is organizing a prom dress giveaway for city high school students. (Daily News)
• Many school districts are agreeing to do more to protect against bullying. (SI Live)
• A former Fortune 500 CEO makes the case for common standards. (Wall Street Journal)
• Richard Cohen wonders why parents don’t get more blame in bullying cases. (Daily News)
• Colorado officials will meet today to decide whether to apply to Race to the Top again. (Denver Post)
• A member of Massachusetts’ first Teach for America class praises the experience. (Boston Globe)
• The Philadelphia Inquirer supports school turnarounds, but warns against relying too much on charters.
• A Boston Globe columnist argues that a lack of money is killing public education.

Remainders: Screaming tabloids hurt NY’s RttT shot, Randi says

by Anna Phillips

• A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research finds weaker teachers leave tough schools.
• Arthur Goldstein asks why the DOE makes old teaching methods new again and forces them on teachers.
• Kim Gittleson posts a round up of the most discussed education studies published last month.
• Carol Boyd, a member of the Coalition for Educational Justice, has a new blog.
• Norm Scott says votes for UFT opposition group New Action have declined since 2001.
• Reflecting on RttT, Weingarten suggests NY’s anti-union print op-eds contributed to the state’s loss.
• District & charter school parents are holding a conference on kindergarten waitlists and overcrowding.
• Parents association members can now serve on citywide and district community education councils.
• A blogger says the test for whether states really care about education is whether they apply for RttT 2.
• Bronx Academy of Promise Charter School staff pose for a photo after joining the union.
• A Nevada school district wants a refund for history textbooks because of how they portray race & gender.
• The Economist interviews former NYC policy analyst and education professor Brian Jacob.
• With the August recess approaching, lawmakers don’t have much time to pass ESEA.
• Andy Smarick counsels Massachusetts on what to do to win RttT.
• And there’s a math contest to select a teacher and student to ring in the NY stock exchange.

Sacramento Press / NIA-WOMEN OF PURPOSE’s Literacy and Learning Program

Sacramento Press / NIA-WOMEN OF PURPOSE’s Literacy and Learning Program

NIA-WOMEN OF PURPOSE’s Literacy and Learning Program

NIA-WOMEN OF PURPOSE presents its Literacy and Learning Program. In recognition of National Library Week…April 11-17, 2010 “EARLY YEARS ARE LEARNING YEARS FOCUS” and Week of the Young Child, April 11-17, 2010. NIA adopted and will provide children’s books and educational materials to Women’s Civic Improvement Center’s (WCIC) Headstart Program. The first in a series of events will be held Tuesday, April 13 at 1:30pm at WCIC'S Headstart Program, 3930 8th Avenue, Sacramento, California 95817.

NIA-WOMEN OF PURPOSE, Inc is based on the giving circle concept which promotes giving back because we are all blessed in order to be a blessing to others. On an annual basis NIA will distribute member's contributions to

Education | Schools group urges contract changes | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education | Schools group urges contract changes | Seattle Times Newspaper

chools group urges contract changes

A coalition of Seattle community groups is pushing for big changes in the contract for Seattle public-school teachers.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

Coalition proposals

A GROUP of community organizations wants to see the following nine elements in the new contract for Seattle teachers:

1. Teachers should have increased collaboration time with peers.

2. Teachers should have increased classroom-preparation time.

3. Seattle Public Schools should expand its mentoring and coaching programs for teachers.

4. There should be a four-tier teacher-performance-evaluation scale, as opposed to the satisfactory/unsatisfactory evaluation currently used.

5. Currently in Seattle Public Schools, principal observations are the primary factor in teacher evaluations. Instead, student-academic growth should be used as the primary factor in teacher evaluations.

6. Teacher performance, as opposed to seniority, should be the predominant factor in staffing decisions, including placement, transfers and layoffs.

7. Currently, the process to remove ineffective teachers can take 18 months or longer. Instead, the lowest performing teachers should be removed in less than 12 months.

8. There should be opportunities for increased compensation for teachers based on performance, additional responsibilities, subject-matter expertise in hard-to-staff areas, and placement in high-need schools.

9. The teaching profession in Seattle should be opened up to attract additional talent, including through programs such as Teach for America.

Poll highlights

Sixty-four percent of parents and 59 percent of nonparent voters strongly support increased compensation for teachers based on performance, additional responsibilities, subject-matter expertise and placement in high-needs schools.

More than 75 percent of teachers didn't want to use student academic growth as the primary factor in their evaluations, with 48 percent "strongly opposed."

Nearly three-quarters of teachers strongly support having more time to prepare for class and to collaborate with peers.

Fifty-five percent of teachers oppose using teacher performance as the predominant factor in making decisions about placing, transferring or laying off teachers.

The poll, conducted by DMA Market Research, had a margin of error of about 7 percentage points.

Source: Alliance for Education

A coalition of Seattle community groups is pushing for big changes in the contract for Seattle public-school teachers.

Saying it has strong parent and public support, Our Schools Coalition has nine proposals, including such controversial ideas as evaluating teachers in part on how well their students do and basing any teacher layoffs on performance as well as seniority.

It's unclear what effect the proposals will have on the negotiations between teachers and the Seattle School District, slated to start this month.

Seattle Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson said she welcomed the input, calling it "important to our work," but negotiations between the district and the teachers union are confidential, and parents and community members have no official role.

Still, the coalition hopes to influence what happens at the bargaining table with a new poll that shows a majority of parents and Seattle residents support all nine of its suggestions, and a majority of teachers support seven of the nine.

"We can put these ideas out there and show the support that's out there, and encourage the district and the (school) board and the union to be bold," said Chris

Student lands UW's first prized Putnam

The University of Washington has its first Putnam Fellow since the elite college-math competition began some 72 years ago.

UCLA diverting student fees to fund Pauley Pavilion upgrade | California Watch

UCLA diverting student fees to fund Pauley Pavilion upgrade | California Watch

UCLA diverting student fees to fund Pauley Pavilion upgrade

April 6, 2010 | Erica Perez

When UCLA officials first planned a $185 million upgrade of Pauley Pavilion, they expected the bulk of funding to come from donors – alumni and others eager to overhaul the aging home of the school's renowned basketball team.

But it didn't quite turn out that way. With economic realities dampening fundraising expectations, UCLA is now planning to using student fees that were levied for other purposes to fill the gap, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Flickr photo by BobT2

The university will tap $10 million in student fees that were set aside for seismic upgrades and $15 million in student fees that were supposed to go to maintenance on two specific student facilities to help pay for the project.

The move raises several questions: How can the university change the original purpose of student fees? Why spend money for seismic upgrades on Pauley Pavilion, when more than a dozen other buildings are known to be more dangerous in a quake?

The UC regents first approved the seismic-safety student fee at UCLA in 1988 – $39 per year to be used exclusively for seismic and other safety corrections to Kerckhoff Hall and Ackerman Union. Both buildings were rated "very poor" for seismic safety and were

Judge rejects union attempt to block charter conversions

by Corey G. Johnson

Corey G. Johnson

In the battle for control of Los Angeles schools, now both teachers and charters can claim victory.
A superior court judge on Friday denied a lawsuit filed by the United Teachers of Los Angeles that, if successful, would have blocked the Los Angeles Unified School District from turning over new campuses to charter school management firms.
Photo by Jason Morrison
According to the LA Times, the suit was prompted by the school district's controversial reform initiative that allowed for teachers, charters and others to bid for control of more than 30 schools. Filed in December, the suit

Best Speaking Sites | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Best Speaking Sites | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Best Speaking Sites

by Larry Ferlazzo

I thought I’d write a post sharing links to all “The Best…” lists I’ve created that relate to developing English speaking skills. Because of some technical issues that I’m too lazy to fix, these particular links might not work well if you’re subscribing to this blog via email, or viewing it on Facebook. RSS Readers feeds should be fine. If you go directly to my blog, though, they’ll all work fine.
They include:

The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English

The Best Websites For Practicing English Pronunciation

Blogging Advice

“Infographics Help Decision-Making Process”

The Best Sites For Learning About The Spring Season

Very Nice Educational Link Collection From Baltimore

Report cites questionable charter-school practices | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/05/2010

Report cites questionable charter-school practices | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/05/2010

Report cites questionable charter-school practices

By Martha Woodall

Inquirer Staff Writer

One Philadelphia charter-school operator runs a private parking lot on the side. Another rents out apartments and collects the rent at his school. Yet another rents property to herself, signing her lease as both tenant and landlord.
These are some of the findings in a draft of a city controller's report on 13 Philadelphia charter schools obtained by The Inquirer that cites excessive salaries, compliant boards whose members are handpicked by school chiefs, inflated rents, and rampant conflicts of interest.
It "is abundantly clear that taxpayer money is at risk," according to the draft report, which is expected to be released within two weeks.
City Controller Alan Butkovitz declined on Friday to comment on specifics because the completed report has not been made public, but he confirmed that the document The Inquirer obtained was his final draft.
"Charter schools are an experiment in using private business models in the educational field, but this is not private money," Butkovitz said. "Charter schools are spending tax dollars as if it's nobody's business - as if they were private fiefdoms."
The Controller's Office opened its special fraud investigation of city charter schools several months after The Inquirer reported allegations of financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest at Philadelphia Academy Charter School in April 2008. Butkovitz's office has since been sharing information with the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is conducting its own criminal investigation of at least nine area charter schools, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Although charter-school operators and others have claimed previous allegations of financial abuse disclosed by The Inquirer were not the norm, the

Penn neighborhood blooms around a top school

The Yeows, Elizabeth and Emmanuel, both 37 and transplants from Southern California by way of the Washington suburbs, had their hearts set on a Center City lifestyle after Emmanuel, a federal employee, was transferred here last summer.

The Education Report Oakland and the status quo option

The Education Report

Oakland and the status quo option

By Katy Murphy
Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 6:08 pm in OUSD central office, middle schools, school reform, students, teachers
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It’s not on the school reform menu, but the Oakland school district might order it anyway: the status quo.

This is a new development in OUSD, a shift in thinking that followed a conference call with state education officials late last week, said Oakland school district’s spokesman, Troy Flint.

Oakland school administrators had assumed the district would be eventually required to adopt one of four drastic changes prescribed for the schools on the state’s “persistently lowest-achieving” list – including closure, charter school conversion or the replacement of the school principal or staff. That, despite the fact that all of the Oakland schools on the list are new, products of similar reforms. At a town hall meeting on March 24, Superintendent Tony Smith called the