Texas School Board Wars � The Quick and the Ed

Texas School Board Wars � The Quick and the Ed

Texas School Board Wars

by Forrest Hinton

Last night, Kris Amundson, ES Communications Manager and former chair of the Fairfax Co., VA School Board, appeared on Al Jazeera English to discuss the Texas School Board’s ongoing curriculum debates. In this clip she explains Thomas Jefferson’s role in the Enlightenment, how some conservatives are trying to rewrite history textbooks, and how the Board’s decisions might impact schools across the United States. Kris begins at the four-minute mark.

Bruce Dixon: When Reforming Education Means Destroying Communities

Bruce Dixon: When Reforming Education Means Destroying Communities

Bruce Dixon

Co-founder, Black Agenda Report

Posted: April 8, 2010 04:27 PM

When Reforming Education Means Destroying Communities

On April 10, representatives of communities around the country will converge in D.C. to demand the firing of Arne Duncan and the reversal of the Obama administration's policies on public education. There is an unbroken line of bipartisan continuity, grassroots activists for public education say, between the education policies of Republican George Bush and Democrat Barack Obama. Even before Bush Secretary of Education Rod Paige declared teachers unions to be"terrorists," organized educators were targets in the crusade for corporate-friendly school reform.

Activists claim that the Obama administration's current "Race To The Top" awards federal education dollars to states based largely on how many public schools they disband and privatize, and how many public school teachers they fire. This wholesale dismantlement of public education and the scattering of public school workforces will have profound consequences well beyond education for inner city communities.

Most urban public school teachers actually live in and near the communities where they teach. The majority are women, often minority women, who have struggled for years to attain advanced degrees and additional certifications. They take part in frequent high-level instruction to hone and enhance their skills. Even when they are not the heads of their

This Week In Education Thompson: "I Don't Care" In The Classroom

This Week In Education

Thompson: "I Don't Care" In The Classroom

Over at GothamSchools, teacher C.W. Arp correctly explains how "‘I don’t care’ is one of the Gigantic Problems." Of course, elementary students like Arp‘s and teenaged students like mine actually "care." Cultivating a reverence for learning is so much more difficult, however, when schools must compete with so many other factors for the affection of our kids. Before the recession when my school had a student parking lot that had cars in it, too many students worked 35 hours a week or more. Some students struggled to support their families, some worked to support their cars, and most labored for a

Video: 17 Best Movie Prom Scenes Of All Time

From Seventeen magazine, via Jezebel, the best prom scenes from the movies, starting with this one from Twilight. Is your favorite in there? Plus the dance scene from She's All That below the break.

Marching for California Again | California Progress Report

Marching for California Again | California Progress Report

Marching for California Again

Posted on 08 April 2010

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By Gavin Riley

With Sunday's 15-mile walk from Livingston to Turlock, the March for California's Future is past the two-thirds mark in both distance and days of travel. The March is our quest to start a groundswell of support for fundamental change in the once "golden" state.

Since leaving Bakersfield on March 6th with our core group of seven marchers, we have covered 265 miles as of Sunday and stopped at 22 different sites in the San Joaquin Valley on our way to the state capitol in Sacramento, where we will hold a massive rally on April 21. More than 1,500 Californians have marched with us part of the way, and more will join us as we walk the rest of the way.

We draw inspiration for this walk from the famous marches for justice in the 1960s and particularly the 1966 march from Delano to Sacramento by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. We are covering much of the same ground.

The farm workers of California had become the invisible element in the great agricultural boom of the Valley - and the large agribusiness corporations liked it just fine. Exploitation translated into higher profits. Most Californians were either unaware of the problems (no minimum wage, no overtime, no collective bargaining rights, long hours, no medical care and poor working conditions) or preferred to ignore it.

Chavez's march up California Highway 99 to the Capitol grew stronger by the day and became a visible picture of the unseen costs associated with the fruit and vegetables we bought everyday. That march did not end the problem, but it was the tipping point in changing the dynamic for farm workers.

Today we are in need of another game changer in California. Lawmakers in Sacramento look inept and are viewed as a laughingstock by the whole country. This is due to the

Large, varied system of alternative schools serves returning students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Large, varied system of alternative schools serves returning students | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Large, varied system of alternative schools serves returning students

by Kate Nelson

Philadelphia has created a diverse, privatized system of alternative education designed to recapture disengaged teens, while also launching a first-of-its-kind Re-engagement Center to match those who wish to return with programs that meet their needs.
But it is a daunting task. There are tens of thousands of casualties of the District’s traditional schools, older teens who attended for years but never progressed past a 4th- or 5th-grade reading level or passed many courses.
read more

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Milwaukee vouchers did nothing to improve teaching/learning

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Milwaukee vouchers did nothing to improve teaching/learning

Milwaukee vouchers did nothing to improve teaching/learning

by Mike Klonsky

Milwaukee's two-decade old voucher program (the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program) is a bust. 20 years, millions of dollars and lots of divisive politics funded by the extreme right-wing Bradley Foundation, have done nothing to improve measurable learning outcomes for the city's 87,000 students.

You may remember that during the presidential campaign, the supposed benefits of Milwaukee's voucher system

Eduflack: Great Teachers, New Contracts, and Incentives, Oh My!

Eduflack: Great Teachers, New Contracts, and Incentives, Oh My!

Great Teachers, New Contracts, and Incentives, Oh My!

by Eduflack

After a few days, the dust is finally settling on the supposed deal between Michelle Rhee and the teachers' union in Washington, DC. By now, we've all heard the Cliff Notes version -- significantly increased teacher pay, performance bonuses, elimination of full protection of tenured teachers' jobs from budget cuts, huge financial assistance from national philanthropies.

A year ago, we thought the deal was dead as a doornail. Earlier this week, a tentative agreement was reached (the members of the DC union still have to vote. As always, Bill Turque of The Washington Post has terrific coverage of the issue, starting with the announcement story from earlier this week here and a very interestingstory this AM about how former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke served as consigliere to bring this final deal over the finish line.

Whether intentional or not, the trio of chairs for the Education Equality Project -- NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, UNCF President/CEO Michael Lomax, and NCLR President/CEO Janet Murguia -- weigh in on the general topic this morning's Washington Post in a strongly worded commentary on the need for "great teachers" in historically disadvantaged schools.

The EEP trio offers up a three-point plan on great teachers and improved student outcomes:

Schools Matter: Ed Deformer Jeb Bush and the Party of Stupid Prevail in the Florida Legislature

Schools Matter: Ed Deformer Jeb Bush and the Party of Stupid Prevail in the Florida Legislature

Ed Deformer Jeb Bush and the Party of Stupid Prevail in the Florida Legislature

by Jim Horn

It's all up the Governor Charlie Crist now:

• Email the Governor

• Email the Lt. Governor

• Telephone:
  
  • Citizen Services Hotline: * (850) 488-4441*

Presidential Proclamation-- National D.A.R.E. Day | The White House

Presidential Proclamation-- National D.A.R.E. Day | The White House

Presidential Proclamation-- National D.A.R.E. Day

A PROCLAMATION

Every day, young Americans face pressures to engage in violent activities, drug use, and other harmful behavior. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering our children to resist violence and substance abuse.

Drug dependence affects individuals from all backgrounds, and its debilitating effects often go unaddressed. Too many of our families are afflicted by addiction, and too many lives are ruined by its harmful impact. Drug abuse is not an isolated crime, and communities experience the tragic results when drug-related violence and gang activity reach our neighborhoods. It takes parents, guardians, educators, clergy, law enforcement officers, and other mentors to demonstrate that a healthy and drug-free lifestyle can build a strong foundation for future success.

Families must be vigilant in recognizing and addressing the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse. From prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to chemical inhalants, many substances can be harmful if abused, and preventing our children from doing so is vital. I urge friends and loved ones to be role-models and to discuss the consequences of drug use with the young people in their lives.

Community-based prevention and treatment programs can provide young Americans with mentors and reinforce positive behavior. Through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, law enforcement personnel contribute their expertise to help teach America's youth to resist peer pressure, and to abstain from drugs, gangs, and violence. We all have a responsibility to join these professionals in enabling youth to choose alternatives to violence and dangerous behavior and to lead the next generation of Americans toward a brighter future.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 8, 2010, as National D.A.R.E. Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Notes from the news, Apr. 13 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 13 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 13

by Erika Owens on Apr 09 2010 Posted in Notes from the news

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Butkovitz: Charter schools spending like it's their money Daily News
The city controller also found that the District is not doing an adequate job of oversight of the $350 million spent on 67 charter schools.

See also: oversight " style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(76, 153, 72); ">City Controller report blames District for lack of charter oversightThe Notebook blog
Report faults oversight of Philadelphia charter schools WHYY
Phila. Controller Says There's No Oversight of Charter Schools KYW
Charter-school report puts blame on School District The Inquirer
Charter Schools Had Blank Checks Fox 29
Report: Philly charter schools risk taxpayer money AP via Atlanta Journal Constitution

Getting Started Series: The Parent Talk Philly School Search blog

A letter from a J.S. Jenks Alumna This Year at Jenks blog

Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.

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Notes from the news

This Week In Education RTTT: Did Sloppy McKinsey Work Cost Minnesota?

This Week In Education

RTTT: Did Sloppy McKinsey Work Cost Minnesota?

by Alexander Russo

Much was made of the outside help that some states got from the Gates Foundation (and whodominated the RTTT finalists list), but this Minnesota Public Radio segment (Application called 'sloppy') reveals that at least one state isn't sure that it was helped all that much:

News: Peformance Pay Is All The Rage

States push to pay teachers based on performance AP: For parents and politicians hungry for better schools, the idea of paying teachers more if their students perform better can seem as basic as adding two and two or spelling "cat."...R.I. Ed. Chief: Failing Schools Need Sweeping Change EdWeek: Gist said she was troubled by the state's continuing poor test scores, noting only 17 percent of low-income students were proficient in reading, according to the 2009 Nation's Report Card...Philly charter schools risk taxpayer money USA Today: An investigation of Philadelphia charter schools has found that questionable financial practices are putting public funds at risk of fraud, waste ...Groups oppose Okla. education-spending initiative AP: A coalition of business and labor groups said Thursday it will work to defeat a ballot initiative to dramatically increase spending on public education that coalition members said would devastate the budgets of many other state services and possibly force tax increases.

Can The iPhone Be The Magic "Cure" For Dyslexia & Reading? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Can The iPhone Be The Magic "Cure" For Dyslexia & Reading? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Can The iPhone Be The Magic "Cure" For Dyslexia & Reading?

April 9, 2010 8:33 AM

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Howard Hill writes from the guardian.co.uk sharing an incredible discovery at the age of 57:

"I was hopeless at school, messy and terrible at spelling. And although the term dyslexia was not something I came across until much later in life, when I did I understood immediately that I had a number of its symptoms. My writing often had a jumbled logic. The advent of computers, of course, brought spell-checkers, but even so my word blindness can carry such conviction that I sometimes find myself staring incredulously at the red line underneath words, before finally realising that "during" does not begin with a "J". . .

He goes on to talk about his sudden joy and freedom to be able to read books deprived from him in his childhood because of the iPhone format. His first book was the Count of Monte Cristo. He explains:

" . . .So why I had found it easier to read from my iPhone? First, an ordinary

Education Research Report: Many College Students Lack Needed Tech Skills

Education Research Report: Many College Students Lack Needed Tech Skills

Many College Students Lack Needed Tech Skills

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

When students enter college, they either have it or they don't. And which side of the digital divide they fall on may well shape their identities and what route they take into careers, suggests a new study.

The research looked at the computer technology knowledge of 500 undergraduate students and how skills they brought from high school impacted their early college coursework. The findings, published online in advance of regular publication in the journal New Media and Society, should be on the radar screens of both high school and university educators, says Joanna Goode, a professor of education studies in the University of Oregon's College of Education. Institutions, she said, "are perpetuating rather than resisting inequalities associated with the digital divide."

"I found that high-school opportunities around technology really shape students' abilities to engage fully in university academic life," Goode said. "If students don't have experiences in high school, they show up for