Your Turn to Weigh In on the Commencement Challenge – ED.gov Blog

Your Turn to Weigh In on the Commencement Challenge – ED.gov Blog

Your Turn to Weigh In on the Commencement Challenge

Cross posted from the White House blog.

The White House and Department of Education are kicking off the final phase of the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge – your input.
Starting today at WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement you can view a three minute video and short essay from each of the six high school finalists and rate them from 1-5. President Obama will choose from one of the top three publicly rated schools to visit and deliver the commencement address this spring.
The Commencement Challenge launched on February 19th, when the White House and Department of Education invited public high schools across the country to submit applications to have President Obama speak at their graduation. Over 1,000 high schools submitted applications, demonstrating how they are making significant strides on personal responsibility, academic excellence and college readiness, and how they are working toward the President’s national goal of having the most college graduates by 2020.
The six finalists, Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, KS, Clark Montessori in Cincinnati, OH, Denver School of Science and Technology in Denver, Colorado, Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, CA, Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, MI and MAST Academy in Miami, FL, were announced on April 9th. Over the last two weeks, the Get Schooled Foundation, which includes founding partners Viacom and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, worked with each school to create short videos highlighting how the school best fulfills the Commencement Challenge’s criteria. Starting today, you can watch the videos, read the essays and submit your ratings. Your top-three rated schools will go to the President and from there he will select one national winner.
The Commencement Challenge highlighted stories of success in schools across the country and I am especially proud of these six finalists for their dedication to producing and promoting academic excellence. Visit WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement anytime between 8 AM EDT on Monday, April 26th through 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, April 29, and help decide the best high school for the President’s first annual high school commencement address.

This entry was written by jjohnson, posted on April 26, 2010 at 10:00 am, filed under News. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with theRSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.

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The Educated Reporter: Detoxing college.

The Educated Reporter: Detoxing college.

Detoxing college.

by Linda Perlstein

When I went back to Wesleyan for a reunion a few years ago, I came across flyers urging students to stop using cocaine. Not because cocaine is, you know, dangerous and illegal ... but because it makes its way to American noses by way of oppressive labor practices in the third world. If you knew much about Wesleyan—it was the model for the movie “PCU” and its genius scene with the marchers shouting, “No more protests! No more protests!”—you wouldn’t be surprised.

Given that Wesleyan is a sort of Reed East, I read this Inside Higher Ed piece on drug use at Reed with interest and noted with familiar bemusement the U.S. attorney and county D.A.’s attempt to liberal-guilt students into sobering up. They wrote in a letter to the student body, “The fact is that the drug trade is now fueled by one of the most potent forces in the West: greed.”

The promised crackdown on illegal drugs at Reed does not seem to mention the most prevalent illegal drug of all: alcohol. I suppose on a campus dealing with heroin overdose, focusing on the illegal illegals

This Week In Education Washington: Teachers Of The Year Take Ove

This Week In Education

Washington: Teachers Of The Year Take Over

by Alexander Russo

Only one of the state teachers of the year deigned to respond to my questions about the TOY experience: New Jersey's Maryann Woods-Murphy. Maybe my suggestion that they heckle Arne Duncan had something to do with it. Or maybe they had better things to do. In any case, if you want to know what at least one of the state teachers of they year thinks about merit pay, RTTT, and who's going to be named national teacher of the year, read on. An edited version of our email exchange is below.
What is the biggest issue going on in your classroom or school this year?

MWM: This year's hot topic is the budget and the public perceptions of the teaching profession. Because times are difficult, teachers have been seen in New Jersey by some as overpaid workers. To make matters more

Public Voting Begins Tomorrow for Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge | The White House

Public Voting Begins Tomorrow for Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge | The White House

Public Voting Begins Tomorrow for Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge

by The White House

President Obama to choose national winner from three finalists selected by public
WASHINGTON – The White House and the Department of Education announced today that voting for the top three finalists of the first annual Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge will begin tomorrow, Monday, April 26.
From 8 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 26th through 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010, the public will have an opportunity to review and rate a three-minute video and short essay from each of the six high school finalists at http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement. President Obama will select the national winner from the three high schools with the highest average ratings. The Commencement Challenge winner will be announced on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 and the President will visit the winning high school to deliver the commencement address later this spring.
“It is clear from these videos and essays that each of these schools is doing outstanding work to provide students with the skills and education they need to succeed in college and in their careers,” said President Obama. “I encourage all Americans to review and rate these six finalists to help choose the winner of this competition.”
Each school’s 3-minute video was produced by its students with support from The Get Schooled Foundation, which includes Viacom and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among its founding partners. The schools also submitted a 200-word essay highlighting how they best met the criteria of the Commencement Challenge.
The Commencement Challenge, launched in late February, invited the nation’s public high schools to submit applications showing their dedication to providing students with an excellent education that will prepare them to graduate ready for college and career choices. Applications were judged based on the schools’ performance, four essay questions and supplemental data. The six finalists were selected for their dedication to academic excellence and for showing how they are helping prepare students to graduate college and career ready, and prepared to meet the President’s goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020.
Finalists:
Blue Valley Northwest High School (Overland Park, Kansas) Clark Montessori Junior High and High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) Denver School of Science and Technology (Denver, Colorado) Environmental Charter High School (Lawndale, California) Kalamazoo Central High School (Kalamazoo, Michigan) MAST Academy (Miami, Florida)
Background on rating and selection process:
Rating the Finalists
On Monday, April 26, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. EDT, public review and rating of the six high school finalists in President Obama’s High School Commencement Challenge will begin on http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/Commencement. A three-minute video and short essay from each school will highlight how it best satisfies the criteria of the Commencement Challenge. Visitors to the website can view each finalist’s video and written submission, presented in random order. For each school, visitors are encouraged to watch the video and read the essay question before deciding on a rating. Visitors will be allowed to rate the finalists on a scale of 1-5 (with 1 as the lowest rating and 5 as the highest). After a rating is submitted, the next school’s video and essay question will be presented for review and rating until all six schools have been viewed. The ability to rate videos will end at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Thursday, April 29, 2010.
Rating Criteria
Voters are encouraged to rank the finalists based on the criteria of the Commencement Challenge including:
Educational success of the school as an example for other high schools around the country; The ability of the school to engage students in learning and to foster personal responsibility and academic excellence; and The success of the school in preparing students to graduate college and career-ready, to help meet the President’s 2020 goal that America have the highest proportion of college graduates of any nation in the world.
Determining the Winner
At the end of the rating period (April 26, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. EDT to April 29, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EDT), the three schools with the highest average ratings will be submitted to President Obama for final selection. The winner of the Commencement Challenge will be announced on Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

Commencement Challenge | The White House

Commencement Challenge | The White House

Commencement Challenge

It’s your turn to weigh in on the six Commencement Challenge finalists! Watch the three-minute video and read the short essay from each of the six high school finalists, then give each school a rating from 1-5. Learn more about the rating system and criteria.

Start rating below:

Environmental Charter High School

Lawndale, CA

 

ECHS is alive.  We’re blocks from the world’s most congested freeway, yet we step onto campus with fruit trees and a running stream of reclaimed water, which was once asphalt, and we know we’re in an environment designed to envision a better life.  As freshmen evaluate community health, sophomores debate the sustainability of progress, juniors examine the American dream, and we ask, “How are we powerful?” In our urbanite amphitheatre, we showcase art, host composting workshops, and train freshmen for success at ECHS. We give tours and present solutions and best practices, so 98% of us feel comfortable public speaking. With more graduation requirements than schools nationally, we pack our schedules with AP and college courses and exceed service requirements.  ECHS is challenging; but, we thrive – we’ve learned education is empowerment and graduation is a milestone on our journey to a better world. We are 68% Latino, 20% African-American, 78% low income.  Arriving 2.5 grade levels behind peers in math and English, by graduation we outperform national averages. 92% of us were accepted into universities in 2009 and most are first in our families to attend.  We’re prepared to redefine the American Dream, rewrite our futures and heal our planet.

Select rating1 Point2 Points3 Points4 Points5 Points

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With Nowhere Else To Cut, Teachers Are Next To Go : NPR

With Nowhere Else To Cut, Teachers Are Next To Go : NPR

With Nowhere Else To Cut, Teachers Are Next To Go

by LARRY ABRAMSON

Listen to the Story

Weekend Edition Saturday

[3 min 34 sec]

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April 24, 2010

Tens of thousands of teachers across the country could receive pink slips in the next few weeks. After cutting their budgets to the bone and exhausting millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds, school districts have resorted to staff cuts to balance their budgets. New Jersey, California and Illinois are among the hardest-hit states.

SCOTT SIMON, host:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Im Scott Simon.

School districts across the country say they're facing teacher layoffs of historic proportions. If that sounds like a headline from last year, it was. But in 2009 the stimulus package saved many education jobs. Now most of that rescue money is gone, and more than 100,000 teachers stand to lose their jobs.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

LARRY ABRAMSON: Projected layoffs in California: 26,000. In New Jersey: more than 6,000. Illinois: 20,000.

Unidentified People: Save our state, save our state, save our state, save our state...

ABRAMSON: In Springfield, Illinois, thousands marched on the state capitol Wednesday, demanding a tax increase to prevent more cuts to education. Teacher Don Dixon from Champagne, Illinois says his school is already coping with disastrous reductions.

Mr. DON DIXON (Teacher): You know, we just laid off 153 people in the second round. The first round we laid off about 50, and it's only going to get worse.

ABRAMSON: In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christy is dueling with the teachers union over the 

Notes from the news, Apr. 26 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 26 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 26

by Erika Owens

Budget woes hit schools hard and harder The Inquirer
Pennsylvania is in a better position than other states because of legislated increases in education funding and how it has chosen to use stimulus funds.
Rendell campaigns in area for more school aid The Inquirer
Rendell toured the Philly burbs to rally support for his budget, which again includes increases in state funding for education.
Williams Ramping Up Campaign WDUQN
The gubernatorial candidate supports school choice and says he won't commit to funding the "costing out" report.
Catchment Maps Available Online A Very Public Education blog
The maps are one of many improvements to the school profile pages on the District's site.
Pa. Education Sec. to Head Allentown's School District KYW
Zahorchak will leave his post May 7. His replacement has yet to be named.
See also: Ed. Sec. Zahorchak heading for Allentown The Notebook blog
Phila. School District to Hold Public Budget Meetings KYW
DOE Auditors: Philly Grants 'High-Risk' Fox 29
Phila. Schoolteacher Inducted into Teacher Hall of Fame KYW
Knowing Your Kids A Good Day Teaching blog
Black woman leads former whites-only Philly school AP via Washington Post
Pa. Worker Gets 7.5 Years in Teen's Starvation Death KYW
6 Reasons I Surround Myself with People Smarter Than I Am Philly Teacher blog
New Film Highlights Serious Problems in Public Schools KYW
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.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Notes from the news

One-stop shop for college now open at City Hall

by Erin Gilbert

Sidebar Article:

No

Featured Title:

From the April edition

Author:

by Michelle Welk

In Philadelphia, only 20 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree.
A college graduate can expect to earn at least $2 million over his lifetime. A high school dropout will make less than one-fourth of that.

College in California: Better, or More, or Other? | California Progress Report

College in California: Better, or More, or Other? | California Progress Report

College in California: Better, or More, or Other?

from California Progress Report by christine

By Peter Schrag
By now it’s pretty clear that not only is the California’s 50 year-old Master Plan broken but that the state’s whole higher education system faces a set of critical choices in direction, mission and funding:
Chose elitist excellence over access, especially at Berkeley, UCLA and maybe UC San Diego?
Or, greatly expand access to meet California’s impending shortage of trained people, as recommended in last week’s report from PPIC, the Public Policy Institute of California? Or create a whole new profit-making University of California “cyber campus” offering UC courses and degrees through the Internet and other new technologies all over the world?
read more

Prop 16 - A Monopoly Wants To Stay That Way

from California Progress Report by christine

By Dave Johnson
Proposition 16 is being sold -- and sold, and sold, and sold -- as a "right to vote."  TheProp 16 website makes it sound so reasonable,

The Effect of the Oil Rig Disaster on California Politics

from California Progress Report by christine

By Brian Leubitz
Over at CalBuzz, they're taking a look at how the Louisiana oil rig explosion might affect the Tranquillion Ridge project, coastal drilling, and the political landscape in general:
Now, the metastasizing oil spill* in the Gulf of Mexico, and the apparent loss of the lives of at least 11 oil workers that followed a blow-out on a rig on Tuesday night - Earth Day - 

I’m not your stepping stone… � SCUSD Observer

I’m not your stepping stone… � SCUSD Observer

SCUSD Observer

leave a comment »

A story in today’s Sacramento Bee highlights the city council race for District 5. It’s an informative article that features the rise of SCUSD trustee, Patrick Kennedy, who has held a position on the school board for two years. Kennedy’s opponent in the race is Jay Schenirer, a former SCUSD trustee.

The underlying nuance in the article fails to mention that Kennedy’s position on the school board appears only to have served as a political stepping stone for higher ambitions.

Conversely, Schenirer’s history on the school board (and the decisions he made regarding Sacramento Charter High School) may serve as his stumbling block.

If Kennedy’s seat on the board is vacated because he is elected to a higher office, his replacement needs to be

Schools Matter: US DOE Office of Inspector General: Charter School Fraud and Embezzlement Update

Schools Matter: US DOE Office of Inspector General: Charter School Fraud and Embezzlement Update

US DOE Office of Inspector General: Charter School Fraud and Embezzlement Update

by Jim Horn

Click page to enlarge. Truly inspired by Wall Street banksters and casino capitalists. Download report here.

School For Sale!

by Kenneth Libby

Now that a major news outlet has finally paid attention to the business practices of Dennis Bakke and his management company (with a well-deserved round of applause for Stephanie Strom), reporters and school districts may begin to more carefully scrutinize the company's dealings.

Someone in Arizona might want to keep their eyes on an Imagine School currently listed for sale in Sierra Vista. The asking price is $6.3 million, with 5 years left on the lease. The listing also claims Imagine makes $456,968/year in income from the tenant (Imagine School at Sierra Vista). Here's a PDF flier about the property.

Virginia Demands More Failure from Disabled: Cancels Portfolio Assessments

by Jim Horn

From WaPo:

Virginia education leaders moved this week to introduce a standardized test for students with disabilities and phase out a widely used alternative that many officials say is undermining the state's accountability system.

Wall Street: Massively Fraudulent Sociopaths

by Jim Horn

Here's the link to the Bill Moyers interview with Bill Black. It runs about 25 minutes. Here is a clip:

. . . BILL MOYERS: Why did it take so long for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the SEC, to kick into gear on this? I mean, have they kicked into gear?

WILLIAM K. BLACK Well, they haven't kicked into gear fully, or they'd be naming Blankfein and other senior leaders of Goldman. And they've, as you just mentioned, they've only gone after a junior person. And there would be, if they were really in gear, there would be criminal charges here. 

The Educated Reporter: Making the grade: story ideas.

The Educated Reporter: Making the grade: story ideas.

Making the grade: story ideas.

by Linda Perlstein

Okay, yeah, sorry about the headline. Such an easy fallback title that shows up practically everywhere.

The topic, though: so much there! Over the last five years or so, school districts have taken a hard look at the way students are graded. Efforts to make grades more “meaningful” butt up against efforts to leave no child behind, as a lawsuit in Austin demonstrates. Minimum-grading policies that set a floor of 50 may seem like coddling, but then again, isn’t the 0-100 scale, with a 40-point range of acceptability and 60 points of failing, sort