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Monday, April 19, 2010

Statewide honors go to 17 Sacramento County schools - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Statewide honors go to 17 Sacramento County schools - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Statewide honors go to 17 Sacramento County schools

by mgutierrez@sacbee.com (Melody Gutierrez)
Seventeen elementary schools in Sacramento County have been named 2010 California Distinguished Schools by the California Department of Education.
In all, 484 public schools were selected for the honor, which recognizes academic excellence and narrowing the achievement gap. Five schools in San Juan Unified were selected, four in Sacramento City Unified and three in Elk Grove Unified.
"These schools have persevered despite state budget cutbacks that have cut deeply into the budgets of local districts," said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of Public Instruction. "I encourage educators throughout our state to review the signature practices that Distinguished Schools are using to improve student achievement."
A full list of schools, including those in Placer and El Dorado counties, can be found online.
Following is a full list of Sacramento County elementary schools, listed by district and school:
• Center Joint Unified - Oak Hill Elementary
• Elk Grove Unified - Carroll Elementary
• Elk Grove Unified - Elitha Donner Elementary
• Elk Grove Unified - Elliott Ranch Elementary
• Folsom-Cordova - Sandra J. Gallardo Elementary
• Galt Joint Union - Lake Canyon Elementary
• Natomas Unified - Witter Ranch Elementary
• River Delta Joint Unified - Bates Elementary
• Sacramento City Unified - Aspire Capitol Heights Academy
• Sacramento City Unified - David Lubin Elementary
• Sacramento City Unified - Matsuyama Elementary
• Sacramento City Unified - St. HOPE Public School 7
• San Juan Unified - Cameron Ranch Elementary
• San Juan Unified - Carriage Drive Elementary
• San Juan Unified - Del Paso Manor Elementary
• San Juan Unified - Grand Oaks Elementary
• San Juan Unified - Green Oaks Fundamental
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Building Bridges to Better E-Learning Event Registration (EVENT: 204445)

Event Registration (EVENT: 204445)
Building Bridges to Better E-Learning
This event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time.

Can school districts build online-only courses that meet state standards and engage students? What’s the best way to use e-courses from outside providers? How should those courses be evaluated? What are the pros and cons of building your own e-courses? How hard is it to create a high-quality, multimedia-rich, online curriculum? Join two leading experts as they discuss the challenges of aligning online courses with brick-and-mortar realities.

Presenters:

Donna Hutchison, CEO, Idaho Digital Learning Academy (Boise, Idaho)
Martha P. Rizzuto, superintendent, Tarrant City Schools (Birmingham, Ala)

Moderator:

Michelle Davis, senior writer, Education Week

No phone is required to participate in the webinar. An archived version will be available within 24 hours of the presentation. The event is not close-captioned.
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This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Thompson: Fifteen Years After

by john thompson
Oklahoma-city-bombing-13If school reform in Oklahoma City succeeds, it will be a legacy of the cooperation that grew in response to the Murrah Building bombing. Our union president, for instance, was with his students on a field trip to the nearby hospital when the casualities flowed in, and he vowed to never again push away from the bargaining table. At our best, a bipartisan educational reform coalition continued the community spirit and it is exemplified by the nation's seventh Educare. Hard times, however, still damage our most




EWA has me doing a session on social media at SF conference next month http://ow.ly/1AlbJ --What's your best advice advice for ed reporters?






future arrow
Thursday, May 13
1 P.M. — 3:30 P.M.
  • New Media sessions -- Online 201 with Alan Gottlieb of Education News Colorado
  • Social Media Reporting Tools -- Mark S. Luckie and Alexander Russo
  • Orientation for Reporters New to the Beat
  • Special Seminar on Strategic Communications for Associate Members
  • Tracking Education Stimulus -- Matt Waite
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Distinguished Schools for 2010 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

Distinguished Schools for 2010 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)


State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces
2010 California Distinguished Schools


SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced 484 exemplary California public elementary schools were selected as 2010 California Distinguished Schools. The list of schools may be viewed online at 2010 Distinguished Elementary Schools - California School Recognition Program.
"It is an honor to recognize the schools, and the students, parents, teachers, and administrators who helped earn this most prestigious distinction," said O'Connell. "The 2010 California Distinguished Schools have been selected because of their academic excellence and for narrowing achievement gaps. These schools have persevered despite state budget cutbacks that have cut deeply into the budgets of local school districts. I encourage educators throughout our state to review the signature practices that Distinguished Schools are using to improve student achievement."
Schools earning the Distinguished School title agree to share their signature practices with other schools and serve as a mentor to other educators who want to replicate the work. An updated searchable database of these signature practices will be available later this spring by the California Department of Education.
The 2010 California Distinguished Schools are geographically diverse with locations in small rural communities, suburban neighborhoods, and large urban cities. Most have significant populations of students living in poverty or learning English. Regardless of the setting, all these schools have teachers and principals committed to ensuring student success.
"I had the privilege to call all the winning schools and personally shared the good news with each principal," O'Connell said. "These dedicated educators I spoke to clearly share a school-wide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance."
The California School Recognition Program is now in its 24th year and honors the state's most exemplary and inspiring public schools with the California Distinguished School Award. Although participation is voluntary, the award is highly sought after by schools in all areas of the state. Elementary and secondary schools are recognized during alternate years.
Schools were identified for eligibility on the basis of their Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progressresults, which are the state and federal accountability models, respectively. The applicants were also identified by their success in narrowing the achievement gap that exists between higher-performing and lower-performing students. All applicants underwent a stringent selection process conducted by the California Department of Education with the help of many educators from across the state. Each applicant was required to describe two signature practices that have led to an increase in student achievement and a narrowing of the achievement gap. Applicants were then selected to receive a thorough site visit to validate the signature practices.
The 2010 California Distinguished Schools will be honored during an awards ceremony and dinner at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on June 4, 2010. For more information about the California Distinguished Schools program, please visit California School Recognition Program.
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CNN Town Hall on Fixing America’s Schools – ED.gov Blog

CNN Town Hall on Fixing America’s Schools – ED.gov Blog

CNN Town Hall on Fixing America’s Schools

CNN Town Hall on Fixing America’s Schools
Secretary Arne Duncan answered questions about standardized testing, the cost of college, and other topics last week in Atlanta in an education town hall with parents, teachers, and students.
CNN sponsored the town hall, “Fixing America’s Schools,” which was hosted by CNN news anchor and reporter Don Lemon. The program was videotaped at Carver Early College High School.
A high school teacher expressed concern that “we are raising a nation of test-takers” and asked how the Administration’s proposals for improving the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would address the situation. A student asked about programs for youth in trouble with the law. And a parent wondered about federal assistance for college in a time of steadily increasing tuition costs.
One former Atlanta teacher in the audience wanted to know how we can encourage educators to go “outside the box and be creative in their teaching so they can reach all needs of the students.”
“I think teachers are unsung heroes,” Secretary Duncan answered. “The vast majority of teachers do an extraordinary job and are working unbelievably hard. We need to do a much better job of supporting those teachers, mentoring them, providing meaningful professional development, meaningful career ladders.”
The program was taped on Friday, April 16, and broadcast on Saturday and Sunday, April 17 and 18.
For video excerpts, go to CNN’s website at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/04/18/nr.education.town.hall.pt2.cnn?iref=allsearch andhttp://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/04/18/nr.education.town.hall.pt1.cnn?iref=allsearch
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GRITtv: Education Inequality in "Liberal" New York

GRITtv: Education Inequality in "Liberal" New York
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Marian Wright Edelman: A Call for Education Equity

Marian Wright Edelman: A Call for Education Equity

Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman

President, Children's Defense Fund
Posted: April 19, 2010 10:55 AM
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A Call for Education Equity



Title I was created "to ensure all children a fair and equal opportunity to obtain a high-quality education." However, the formula for distributing Title I funds is stacked against the very children it was most intended to help. The current formula (a complex combination of four formulas) favors large districts regardless of their child poverty rate while children trapped in areas of concentrated poverty in mid-sized cities and rural districts are seriously disadvantaged. The inequities between and within states are blatant and must be rectified in this reauthorization cycle.
Why should Mississippi, the state with the highest concentration of Title I eligible students (27.2%) and the highest concentration of child poverty (30.4%), get an average allocation of $1,318 for each Title I eligible student while Wyoming, with the lowest percent of Title I eligible students (11.6%) and a three times lower child poverty rate (11.6%), receives an average of $3,149 per Title I eligible student—a $1,831 difference per child?
And why should Virginia's Buchanan County Public School District, with over 30% Title I eligible students and a 28% child poverty rate, receive $1,363 per eligible student while Virginia's Henrico County Public Schools, with 9% Title I eligible students and a 10% child poverty rate, receive $1,943—almost $600 more per eligible student?
This is simply wrong and widens the opportunity gap between rich and poor districts and rich and poor children Title I was intended to help close. This resource inequity denies children in areas of concentrated poverty a way out and fuels the cradle-to-prison pipeline which is creating a new American apartheid. A revised and more just allocation must ensure ALL children an equal opportunity to learn and succeed. Injustice to any child or group of
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Quality teacher recruitment could be hurt by school cuts, N.J. education leaders warn | NJ.com

Quality teacher recruitment could be hurt by school cuts, N.J. education leaders warn | NJ.com

Quality teacher recruitment could be hurt by school cuts, N.J. education leaders warn

By Bob Braun/Star-Ledger Columnist

April 19, 2010, 5:20AM
teach.JPGJerry McCrea/ The Star LedgerJaymar Bugg, a Montclair High School physical science teacher; and tutor for eight years; works with Jackqueline Barnes of Montclair, a sophmore; Shayaun Pakizeg, a junior; and Solomon Walker, a junior; in advanced chemistry during a Sunday afternoon tutoring program for Montclair High School students held at the Montclair Library.Teacher education leaders in New Jersey warn the contentious school budget crisis could jeopardize future efforts to recruit instructors.
John Webb, who directs Princeton University’s prestigious Program in Teacher Preparation, said the state faces "the very real danger" the market for new teachers could "collapse" in the face of teacher layoffs caused by budget cuts. Districts letting teachers go won’t hire new teachers, he said.
The dean of the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education says he concurs with Webb’s assessment and adds that changes in attitudes toward teachers both in New Jersey and nationally could transform the nature of pubic school employment.
"The ground is shifting underneath teachers and those who want to become teachers,’’ says Richard De Lisi.
Joseph DePierro, dean of Seton Hall’s College of Education and Human Services, said newly trained teachers face a "major catastrophe" finding jobs this year. It’s as bad, he says, as the 1970s when many teachers were laid off because of declining enrollments.
"It’s a very uncertain time for new teachers,’’ he says.
William Behre, education dean at the College of New Jersey, said he is advising current teacher-education students to go to graduate school before looking for jobs.
"Normally, I would tell them to get a few years of experience before getting graduate degrees, but
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Education Week American Education News Site of Record

Education Week American Education News Site of Record

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Opinions involving special education and religious expression were among those authored by the retiring Supreme Court justice.
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Clever Ways to Avoid Reform � The Quick and the Ed

Clever Ways to Avoid Reform � The Quick and the Ed

Clever Ways to Avoid Reform

by Chad Aldeman
The Obama Administration has already handed out School Improvement Grants to 23 states. It’s instructive every once in a while to check in on how states are implementing this $3.5 billion program which calls on states to identify their bottom 5 percent of “consistently low-performing” schools. After identifying the worst of the worst schools, states must pursue one of four pre-determined turnaround models for the schools, two of which include replacing the principal. Here’s how some schools in Iowaare planning to deal with this mandate:
Targeting principals would have been a deal-breaker in more schools, but some leaders found ways around the rule.
Principals of the low-rated junior and senior high schools for Columbus will switch jobs. The principal of Thomas Jefferson High School in Council Bluffs has been promoted. And
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THIS BATHROOM HANDRAIL COST LAUSD $2,785!! - Perdaily.com

THIS BATHROOM HANDRAIL COST LAUSD $2,785!! - Perdaily.com

THIS BATHROOM HANDRAIL COST LAUSD $2,785!!

by Leonard
The biggest problem that drug dealers have isn't selling drugs to their customers, it's figuring out what to do with the obscene amounts of money generated by their illegal operation. LAUSD, with a budget bigger than the City of Los Angeles, has a similar problem. A tip we received from an LAUSD insider accompanied with project cost files once again demonstrates that these people should be prosecuted for the magnitude of their corruption. The source of our tip uses just two seemingly small expenditures -- shade canopies and bathroom handles -- to prove a point. If you really want to be outraged, just pick any school in LAUSD and examine the dubious projects --and their exorbitant costs -- at a time when teachers and staff are being furloughed and students graduate without fundamental knowledge of English and math.

Our tipster writes:

"Please review this report to see if you would agree the property tax funds for Measure K are being misused. http://www.laschools.org/efsep/archives/SEP-EF-2009-FINAL/ef-sep-
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