Education - The Denver Post

Education - The Denver Post

Teacher-tenure bill passes out of Colorado Senate committee 604/24/2010The Senate Education Committee on Friday pushed a controversial bill to change the way teachers are evaluated and how they receive and keep tenure over its first big hurdle.

Schools can dish out help in battling childhood obesity04/24/2010 - Seems like America's lunch ladies are under attack by everyone from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his "Food Revolution" to retired U.S. military officers, who this week said obesity is a "national security threat" because about 27 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are "too fat to fight."

Teacher reform bill inspires many different opinions at Senate hearing04/23/2010 - Colorado teachers, principals, superintendents and even the president of the nation's largest labor union offered testimony for more than five hours Thursday on a controversial teacher reform bill.

Norton taps Penry to run her Senate campaign04/22/2010 - GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Jane Norton replaced her campaign manager Wednesday with state Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry — a move that she said signaled a new, aggressive direction for her campaign.

Ritter throws support behind changes in teacher evaluation04/21/2010 - Gov. Bill Ritter threw his support Tuesday behind a controversial teacher reform bill that appears to be gaining momentum as it begins its journey through the statehouse.

The Scavenger : Kids question Pelosi on 'home,' running for prez, dysfunctional gov't

The Scavenger : Kids question Pelosi on 'home,' running for prez, dysfunctional gov't

Kids question Pelosi on 'home,' running for prez, dysfunctional gov'

Oh kids. You gotta love them. Especially those who grill Nancy Pelosi. The tykes -- many of them children of journalists -- questioned the House speaker for her annual Q & A during "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day," getting insight on SF, her White House ambitions and the "nature of democracy." [Tip to NBC Bay Area]
Here are highlights of the 30-minute meeting press conference with the rookie reporters. For a full transcript, go the LA Times. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the entire list of questions.
Here, Pelosi gives a shout out to San Francisco:
Q: Where do you live?
A: Well, I live in San Francisco, California. I work in Washington, D.C. And when I work in Washington, D.C., I live in the District of Columbia. But my home is California. I was actually born in Baltimore, Maryland, which is close by here. And I feel a very special relationship there. But I hope you all come out to California. It is a very, very beautiful place. In San Francisco, we have the Golden Gate Bridge, and we have -- it is a beautiful place. And I'm very proud to represent it. But that's where my home is.

The answer to this question made headlines:
Q: Would you ever run for president since you have so much experience?
A. No. Dare I repeat the question? Did I understand it correctly? Would I ever run for President since I have so much experience? Was that the rest of it? Says she. No. I love the job that I have. And I believe that one of the reasons that I do it with the success that I have is that my Members know that I am here for them, for the House of Representatives, and I'm not thinking of another career path for myself. But I'm very proud to be the speaker of the House. It is a great honor, especially being the first woman.

One child -- bless his/her little, blunt heart -- asks a question that's often on everyone's mind.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/scavenger/detail?entry_id=62007&tsp=1#ixzz0m1ZOVkqo

It's Politics: Assemblyman Mendoza's kindergarten bill moves forward - Whittier Daily News

It's Politics: Assemblyman Mendoza's kindergarten bill moves forward - Whittier Daily News

It's Politics: Assemblyman Mendoza's kindergarten bill moves forward

Posted: 04/23/2010 01:27:55 PM PDT

Election 2010

Election Special Section

Assemblyman Tony Mendoza's legislation, AB 1967, to move California's kindergarten cutoff date from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1 was approved this week on an 8-1 vote by the Assembly Education Committee.

Mendoza, D-Norwalk, said that when the kindergarten start date was set, the education landscape was different because the class then was just three hours a day and more social. Now kindergartners attend class all day and the youngest students are not as mature as their peers, some of whom are almost a full year older.

AB 1967 would change the date for the 2012-13 school year.

Currently, 33 states have a kindergarten cutoff date on or before Sept. 30, and 24 of those have cutoff dates of Sept. 2 or earlier.

Mendoza's bill could affect about 100,000 children.

It also proposes to enroll kids with birthdays between Sept. 2 and Dec. 2 in pre-kindergarten programs maintained by school districts and providing funding for these kids.

A similar bill, SB 1381, has been introduced by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto.

Both bills move the kindergarten cutoff date, but Simitian's bill phases in the date one month at a time over a

Read more:It's Politics: Assemblyman Mendoza's kindergarten bill moves forward - Whittier Daily Newshttp://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_14946183#ixzz0m1YuE9Wd

Online movie available to help students ‘gear up’ for the California Standards Test - Imperial Valley Press Online - Local News

Online movie available to help students ‘gear up’ for the California Standards Test - Imperial Valley Press Online - Local News

Online movie available to help students ‘gear up’ for the California Standards Test

The Imperial County Office of Education is promoting two movies made for students to help them “Gear Up” for the upcoming California Standards Test.

The Office of Education’s TEAM GEAR UP — or Together Expect and Achieve More, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs — is promoting a short film about the tests titled “Pass the Popcorn, Pass the Test.” Last year’s movie, “CSTs-The Movie,” is also available for viewing online.

Both movies were developed by local educators to target teen and pre-teen audiences in order to help them prepare for the tests. The video highlights test-taking tips and has information to motivate students to do their best on the test.

“We hope this project helps students see the value in doing their best on the exams,” TEAM GEAR UP’s director Betsy Lane said. “(The movies are) a lot of fun!”

Both videos can be viewed on ICOE’s Web site athttp://www.icoe.org/educational/college-going-initiative/team-gear-up/csts-movie

>> Staff Writer Roman Flores can be reached at 760-337-3439 orrflores@ivpressonline.com

California Discourages Standardized Testing

California Discourages Standardized Testing

California Discourages Standardized Testing

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WRITTEN BY BRUCE WALKER

FRIDAY, 23 APRIL 2010 13:20

Standardized tests are not a perfect tool to measure academic achievement or intellectual ability. But standardized tests represent a serious attempt to objectively determine how much a student has learned and how well his mind works in certain defined areas. It is color-blind, gender neutral, and does not see the religion or national origin of those who take the test. The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) has worked for decades to remove any possible bias against those who come from different cultural backgrounds. The SAT Reasoning Test is intended to test how well the minds of the tested students do in solving problems and thinking logically. Rational thinking is at the heart of higher education or, if it is not, then higher education has been turned into something more akin to “re-education” along the lines of Marxist educational systems. In Soviet schools and colleges, a firm grasp of Marxist-Leninist “thinking” was imperative for every student who wished to advance academically or professionally. Any student who saw Marxism as destructive nonsense needed to be silent or he would end up working at a menial job like sweeping the streets of Leningrad. California’s Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) is discouraging students from taking the SAT in order to gain admission to California public universities. Why? Presumably the problem is that certain ethnic groups, blacks and Hispanics specifically, on average perform below average on the SAT. White students perform better than blacks and Hispanics. Asian students score better on the SAT than any ethnic group. Despite this disparity, blacks and Hispanics are graduating from California colleges at higher rates than in 1996, when Californians adopted Proposition 209, which banned racial preferences in college admissions. One logical conclusion from this is that more qualified blacks and Hispanics are now entering college and so these more academically competent minority students are also doing better while in college. The underlying and unspoken problem, it appears, is unhappiness with any objective measurement of a student’s academic ability, because those tests routinely show, as a group, that blacks and Hispanics fair relatively poorly in those areas. The success of Asian students demonstrates that “ethnic bias” in

Miller aiming to save teachers - The Reporter

Miller aiming to save teachers - The Reporter

Miller aiming to save teachers

BY RYAN CHALK/ RCHALK@THEREPORTER.COM

Posted: 04/24/2010 01:58:53 AM PDT

The state education funding crisis has led to massive teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, even school closures, and has spurred Congressman George Miller, D-Solano, to renew his call for action to help save education jobs.

Specifically, Miller, who chairs the Education and Labor Committee, is urging his House and Senate colleagues to approve $23 billion in funding that could save and create hundreds of thousands of education jobs across the country, including an estimated $2.8 billion to support education jobs in California.

"Teacher layoffs threaten our economic recovery and long-term stability at every level. This is a serious problem in my district and in the districts of my colleagues and it deserves serious attention," he stated in a press release. "Our teachers can't afford to lose their jobs, our children can't afford to lose a year of learning and our nation can't afford to stall the progress we've made to get our economy and our children's education back on track."

Miller has proposed directing $23 billion in federal dollars to local schools to help make up for state and local budget shortfalls.

The "Education Jobs" funding would be directed to California and then passed on to local school districts across the state using already established state funding formulas. This is the same infrastructure as the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Miller noted.

John Aycock, superintendent

of the Vacaville Unified School District, said that any funds to help sustain jobs and programs would be welcome, adding that he appreciates the work Miller does on behalf of education. For a district the size of Vacaville Unified, that

Capistrano teachers continue strike; school attendance low

Capistrano teachers continue strike; school attendance low

By Staff, City News Service
Friday, April 23, 2010

A school bus approaches a group of striking teachers outside Aliso Niguel High School in Aliso Viejo on the second day of the teachers' strike. (Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times)

Updated 2:46 p.m.

ALISO VIEJO — Capistrano Unified School District teachers were out on strike Friday for a second day in row because of 10 percent pay cuts, as student attendance continued to plummet.

Teachers picketed all 56 schools in the district Thursday, and student attendance was less than 50 percent.

Friday, only about 10 percent of high school students went to school, down from 23 percent Thursday. Middle school attendance was 27 percent, down from 39 percent Thursday, and elementary school attendance was about 45 percent, down from 48 percent Thursday, according to the school district.

The percentage of classroom teachers reporting to work was about 11 percent, compared to about 12 percent who crossed the picket lines on Thursday. Those who struck won’t get paid, said district spokeswoman Julie Hatchel.

Pay cuts of 10.1 percent were instituted to help balance the district’s budget. The Capistrano Unified Education Association, which has about 2,200 teachers as members, has agreed to the pay cuts — but only if their pay is restored on June 30, 2011.

The pay cuts are projected to save the district about $19.9 million, but the district still needs to close a $34 million

Read more: http://www.oclnn.com/orange-county/2010-04-23/education/capistrano-teachers-to-continue-strike-friday#ixzz0m1WGo3jG

Strike: Capo attendance at 30% | teachers, students, district - News - The Orange County Register

Strike: Capo attendance at 30% | teachers, students, district - News - The Orange County Register

Strike update: Talks resume Saturday

Day 2 of settlement talks between the Capistrano Unified School District and its striking teachers ended Friday afternoon without a resolution, although the two sides were expected to reconvene Saturday afternoon.

District and union bargaining teams met for about four hours Friday, ending just after 6 p.m., but had nothing to report, a union spokesman said.

A loud but peaceful crowd protests in support of teachers as seen from Capistrano Unified headquarters in San Juan Capistrano. Capo attendance drops to 30% in Day 2 of the teacher's strike.

CINDY YAMANAKA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

MORE PHOTOS »

Related stories

Capo strike Q&A: What parents should know

Capo teachers strike: A closer look at what's happening on campus

Database: Capistrano teacher salaries

Database: O.C. teacher salary comparison

Teacher pay cut

How it breaks down:

Permanent – 6.68 percent

• 3.7 percent: Salary cut
• 2.16 percent: 4 non-instruction furlough days spread over this year and next
• 0.82 percent: Employees pay more for health insurance

Temporary – 3.44 percent

• 2.7 percent: 5 furlough days spread across this year and next; all instructional days
• 0.74 percent: Suspend for 6 months step and column raises

Dispute: Teachers want the district to make the entire cut temporary, among other concessions.

2008-09 O.C. teacher base salaries

• $76,349: O.C. average K-12 salary
• $76,384: Capistrano average salary
• $91,127: Highest average (Laguna Beach)
• $70,336: Lowest average (Orange Unified)

With pay cut by 6.68 percent, average compensation (using 2008-09 figures) would drop to $71,281, ranking Capistrano Unified 10th among the 12 unified districts.

Note: Many O.C. districts are also taking furloughs, so their salary figures will also change.

More from Education

• Strike update: Talks resume Saturday
• Capistrano teachers strike: An overview
• Capo strike resumes for second day
• Tustin High shows off new plaza
• Attendance plunges during Capo strike

If an agreement can’t be hashed out this weekend, the district’s teachers union says teachers will return to the picket lines Monday. It would mark the third day of a strike that has crippled programs and activities across Orange County’s second-largest school district and pushed student attendance rates down to about 30 percent.

“No one was reporting any great progress, but the conversation will continue tomorrow (Saturday), which is a sign of progress,” Capistrano school board President Anna Bryson said Friday. “We remain hopeful, and 52,000 children are looking forward to having their education move forward smoothly.”

As the two sides met Friday afternoon at district headquarters in San Juan Capistrano, more than 300 students, teachers and parents gathered outside to stage a lively protest.

Chanting “Teachers united, will never be divided” while waving handmade signs outside the sprawling administration building, the demonstrators demanded that the school district resolve a bitter dispute over a 10.1 percent pay cut that was imposed on the district’s 2,200 teachers last month.

(Click here to view footage of the protest.)

“We totally understand in this economy we have to take a cut just like everyone else,” said demonstrator Colleen Harnett, an English teacher at Tesoro High School in Las Flores. “It’s the way they did it.”

Capistrano’s teachers union is not fighting the imposed 10.1 percent pay cut, but is demanding that the imposed cut have an automatic expiration date and that it be restored if the district receives additional, “unforeseen” funding over the next 15 months, among other demands.

The school district has offered to discuss the demands, but says it can’t legally agree to them upfront.

“It affects us a lot because the teachers aren’t there,” Ladera Ranch Middle School student Taylor Midland, 12, said, explaining how the strike has impacted her.

SCHOOLS REFINING OPERATIONS

Capistrano Unified schools spent Friday refining their operations and adjusting their lesson plans on Day 2 of a teacher strike that has sunk attendance rates below even Thursday’s levels.

Overall student attendance hovered at 30 percent Friday, although all 56 schools in Orange County’s second-largest school district remained open Friday.

Some students reported that the substitute teaching staff seemed to be more organized Friday.

At San Clemente High School – where a few classrooms were trashed Thursday by unsupervised students – students were separated by those who brought their own work to do, such as studying for upcoming college-level Advanced Placement Exams, and those who didn’t have school assignments.

“Yesterday was more chaos because it was the first day,” San Clemente High senior Alissa Vandenbelt said. “Today more substitutes were paying attention.”

Hundreds of Capistrano Unified teachers continued to walk their picket lines Friday, joined by students and parents.