Tuesday, April 27, 2010

EducationNews.org Plans for SAISD closings approved

EducationNewsToday

Plans for SAISD closings approved

Austin Academy, Brewer Elementary, Nelson Elementary, Smith Elementary, Steele Elementary and W.W. White Elementary to close in first round

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Students, mentors form bonds

Last school year, 92 percent of Columbus students in Project Mentor said they got better grades, raised expectations for themselves, behaved better, skipped school less or bonded with their parents....

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Clock ticking for school

After three years, state must intervene in Riverview Gardens. Elected board likely to be removed....

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Capistrano Unified teacher strike is over

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – A five-day standoff between the Capistrano Unified School District and its teachers union ended late Monday, with the two sides coming to a tentative agreement that ends teacher picketing....

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Broward art, music, PE teachers asked to take half pay

4.27.10 Principals at dozens of Broward County public schools have given librarians and teachers of art, music and physical education a choice: Take a pay cut of almost 50 percent, or take your chances waiting for a job to open up at another school. ...

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Schools face October deadline to shrink classes despite budget crunch

Florida school districts soon will have to swallow what foes of the state's class-size rules warned would be "bitter medicine": By this fall, they must shrink all "core" classes to meet required sizes even as they continue to struggle with anemic budgets...

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Black woman leads former white boys-only school

A private boarding school for underprivileged students in Philadelphia is now led by Autumn Adkins, who describes herself simply as "a... ...

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Gray: Reform and Rhee not tied

D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) says Chancellor Michelle Rhee and ongoing city school reform efforts are not "inextricably tied," but he's not ready to say one way or another whether he would keep her on the job if he is elected mayor this year...

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VP, Jill Biden pay respect to teachers

At a time when it has become almost a national sport to bash teachers, Vice President Joe Biden and the Second Lady, Professor Jill Biden, took a different, and welcome, tact yesterday by hosting the 2010 State Teachers of the Year. ...

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Avatar's James Cameron pushes tech careers to young

AFP - 'Avatar' director James Cameron urged young Americans Monday to pursue careers in science and technology to keep the United States at the forefront of technical innovation -- and allow him to make more blockbuster movies. ...

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Online lockers keep school in students’ reach

Most afternoons after classes at Mark Twain High School in San Diego, Kevin Vazquez heads to the Logan Heights branch of the city library, sits at a computer and logs on to his school’s server to complete his homework. ...

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Bumpy road for Richmond’s Patrick Henry charter school

Some Richmond parents are in limbo as they look ahead to next school year. They have taken a leap of faith and applied to a school that doesn’t exist except on paper but is scheduled to be up and running in July. ...

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Charter ultimatum: Pol seeks quota on special-needs kids

Charter schools that don't enroll as many kids with disabilities or limited English as do traditional public schools would be shut down under a bill introduced by a top Democrat in the state Senate, The Post has learned. ...

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Poor conditions plague city alternative school

The Oklahoma City school for pregnant teenagers and other at-risk youths lacks heat in some classrooms, has a computer lab infested with termites and a roof that leaks in the rain. ...

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Solar power making a comeback among schools

Web surfers requesting a Google Earth view of the Athenian School in Danville, Calif., are greeted with an image of what school officials call the "solar A"—a mass of 1,300 solar panels on a hillside near the school,... ...

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Rise & Shine: Review shows elite HS boost for charter students | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Review shows elite HS boost for charter students

by Philissa Cramer

Curriculum will not be managed centrally after a new city DOE reorganization. (GothamSchools, Times)
Union officials and others are upset about the changes’ cost in a tight budget year. (Post, NY1)
Minority students at charter schools were more likely to get into specialized high schools. (Post)
The Post says State Sen. John Sampson is backing down on his proposed charter school special ed bill.
A fact-finder ruled last week against a Bronx Science dean accused of harassment. (Riverdale Press)
Middle-class Brooklyn areas are losing city-funded after school programs. (Brooklyn Paper, Courier-Life)
Student test scores will soon figure into New Haven teachers’ evaluation results. (New Haven Register)
Teachers at failing Boston schools had until yesterday to apply to keep their jobs. (Boston Globe)

This Week In Education TV: New HBO Series Takes On Charters & Choice

This Week In Education

TV: New HBO Series Takes On Charters & Choice

by Alexander Russo

Leave it to The Wire's David Simon to work some scathing dialogue about school reform into his new HBO series, Treme, set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Here's a snippet from a father-daughter scene from the second episode:

Where'm I gonna to go to school?
Tulane's working on something for faculty kids. Lusher.
Lusher's not a high school Daddy.
They're adding high school.
Plus it's public.
Not anymore, it's charter.
Where are they going to put the high school?
They're taking over Forshey.
What about the Forshey kids? Where are they going to go?

The secrets of transparency, and the son of SB 6 � Tangerine, Florida

The secrets of transparency, and the son of SB 6

by tangerineflorida

Submitted by Brandon Larrabee on April 24, 2010 – 7:00pm Death, Taxes & Politics

TALLAHASSEE — This was to be the session of unprecedented transparency on state budget negotiations, in part because of the indictment of now-former House Speaker Ray Sansom related to accusations he manipulated the state’s higher education budget.
So it raised more than a few eyebrows in the press corps when Senate Ways and Means Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said at a budget negotiating session that the House and Senate had already agreed to more than $3.7 million in funding for “a Florida A&M line item.” And the upper chamber wanted to kick in $2.25 million more — something House budget chief David Rivera, R-Miami, quickly accepted.
The matter came up during a gaggle with Alexander after the meeting.
Reporter: What are those items for FAMU for?
Alexander: Well, some outreach missions that we thought were close to FAMU’s sort of niche in the world.
Reporter: Senator, we’re looking hard for the level of transparency that you promised earlier this session.

Sacramento Press / Johnson to lead two national education panels

Johnson to lead two national education panels

Mayor Kevin Johnson will have the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on a regular basis.

Johnson told reporters at a Monday press conference that Duncan selected him to co-chair a mayoral advisory council that will focus on federal education issues. The Duncan panel is one of two education panels to which Johnson was recently appointed: He will also lead a U.S. Conference of Mayors task force on K-12 public schools.

Johnson described education as a key “civil rights issue” and said the majority of Sacramento schools are not keeping up with state standards.

“The simplest thing I can do is make sure we do a better job of aligning our city programs and services with the school district,” he said, adding that the services would include public safety, facilities, and out-of-school programs.

He noted that he wants to pursue education advocacy efforts more aggressively.

Johnson said he will discuss with Duncan education developments at the

Local News | Celebrating new Chinese institute | Seattle Times Newspaper

Celebrating new Chinese institute

A new institute dedicated to spreading Chinese language and culture across Washington state was officially launched Monday, a partnership of Seattle Public Schools, the University of Washington and Hanban, a Chinese nonprofit group affiliated with China's Ministry of Education.

By Linda Shaw

Seattle Times education reporter

Students from Seattle's Franklin High School perform a lion dance on Southwest Thistle Street on Monday to celebrate the launching of the Confucius Institute, a new program dedicated to spreading Chinese language and culture across Washington state and capitalizing on the growing international interest in China.

ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Students from Seattle's Franklin High School perform a lion dance on Southwest Thistle Street on Monday to celebrate the launching of the Confucius Institute, a new program dedicated to spreading Chinese language and culture across Washington state and capitalizing on the growing international interest in China.

Called the Confucius Institute, it will join about 250 similar organizations across the globe, one of a number of Hanban's efforts to capitalize on the growing international interest in China.

Its efforts have been met with suspicion in some communities, most recently in suburban Los Angeles, where some parents expressed concern that a Hanban program might promote the Chinese government's political views.

Washington officials don't share those worries.

"We see nothing but upsides to teaching the languages and cultures of the world," said Stephen Hanson, the UW's vice provost of global affairs.

The institute is "about opening up China," said Michele Anciaux Aoki of the Office of Superintendent of Publi

A cry for help from higher ed

College leaders from this state aren't alone in trying to figure out how to navigate a massive erosion in public funding for their institutions. On Monday, leaders from about 30 colleges in the Western United States met at the University of Washington to strategize about how to "reset" their finances.

Bates Technical College faculty votes 'no confidence' in leaders

The faculty at Bates Technical College has voted "no confidence" in the college's leadership after administrators last week handed out layoff notices to 45 faculty members.

Daily Press endorses Measure A

Daily Press endorses Measure A
It's the best investment we can make

By Daily Press Staff
Written by Daily Press Staff Member

write the author

April 27, 2010
It's easy to say no to our children when they're demanding that extra piece of candy or an expensive pair of designer jeans. But, when it comes to education, it's nearly impossible to look into their eyes and deny them what they need to succeed in a world that is more competitive than ever.

That is why the Santa Monica Daily Press, as concerned as we are about working families struggling to get by during this recession, must endorse the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's Measure A, an annual per parcel tax of $198 (seniors exempt) that will be in effect for five years and generate a much-needed $5.8 million annually to help close a projected $12-$14 million budget gap. We cannot allow this community to place the burden of creating a balanced budget on the backs of our children, the future of our world.

Education has long been a core value in Santa Monica and Malibu.

CSUS weighs admission rules change for 2011-12 - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

CSUS weighs admission rules change for 2011-12

RANDY PENCH rpench@sacbee.com An older couple and a teenage man sustained injuries – which authorities say are not life-threatening – in an accident Monday afternoon on westbound Highway 50 just west of the Sunrise Boulevard exit.

California State University, Sacramento, officials are considering whether to declare the campus "impacted," an action that would make it harder for students outside the region to get in.
An impacted CSU campus is one where more qualified students want to enroll than the university has funding to accommodate. The designation allows campus officials to control enrollment more tightly than is normally

The problem with consultants… | Reflections on Teaching

The problem with consultants…

by alicemercer

From Building a Better Teacher – NYTimes.com

Doug Lemov realized he had a problem. After a successful career as a teacher, a principal and a charter-school founder, he was working as a consultant, hired by troubled schools eager — desperate, in some cases — for Lemov to tell them what to do to get better…

…Lemov himself pushed for data-driven programs that would diagnose individual students’ strengths and weaknesses. But as he went from school to school that winter, he was getting the sinking feeling that there was something deeper he wasn’t reaching. On that particular day, he made a depressing visit to a school in Syracuse, N.Y., that was like so many he’d seen before: “a dispiriting exercise in good people failing,” as he described it to me recently. Sometimes Lemov could diagnose problems as soon as he walked in the door. But not here. Student test scores had dipped so low that administrators worried the state might close down the school. But the teachers seemed to care about their students. They sat down with them on the floor to read and picked activities that should have engaged them. The classes were small. The school had

Marshall would close, Benson become a career-tech center under Portland's high school plan | OregonLive.com

Marshall would close, Benson become a career-tech center under Portland's high school plan

By Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian

April 26, 2010, 8:00PM

Steven Nehl/The OregonianPortland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith unveiled her plan for reorganizing the district's high schools, aimed at cutting the dropout rate and offering all students comparable programs.Only one of Portland Public Schools' nine neighborhood high schools --Marshall -- would close and four other small neighborhoods would be rezoned to new high schools under the redesign that Superintendent Carole Smith proposed tonight.

Vocationally oriented Benson High would convert from a four-year school to a career-tech center that students from across the district could attend part time as juniors and seniors. And beginning with this year's seventh-graders, students would have extremely limited opportunities to attend a neighborhood high school other than their own.

Lincoln High Constitution Team stars in national competition

by Charles Pope, The Oregonian

Portland's Lincoln High represented Oregon in the national finals of the "We the People" competition in Washington, D.C. Lincoln's constitution team is mostly sophomores.

University of Oregon hires finance director for embattled athletic department

by Jeff Manning, The Oregonian

Interim AD Lorraine Davis approached Jamie Moffitt about the new position in the days after Mike Bellotti's controversial compensation package was made public.

Beaverton officials return 'Crash the Tea Party' teacher to classroom

by Melissa Navas, The Oregonian

Beaverton School District officials say technology teacher is not a threat to students and did not share any of his political views in the classroom.

Climbers And Creepers | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Climbers And Creepers

by Larry Ferlazzo

The Royal Botanic Gardens in the UK has a Climbers and Creepers feature that is accessible to Beginning English Language Learners. The “Games” section in particular has simple biology-related activities.
I’ve placed the link on my Science page.

Blinkx Video Search

Geolover

Thinkfinity Launches Redesigned Site

GetGlue For Recommendations

Crocodoc Becomes Number One!

Pain for Asian youth didn't end with school assault | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/26/2010

Pain for Asian youth didn't end with school assault

By Jeff Gammage

Inquirer Staff Writer

On March 16, ninth grader Lindi Liu was exiting a bathroom stall at South Philadelphia High when another boy kicked the door inward, bashing him in the head.
As Liu picked himself up off the floor, he could hear the boy laughing.
The incident lasted only seconds, but for Liu, a 16-year-old immigrant from China, the consequences have been profound.
His vision frequently turns blurry, to where he can't count fingers held in front of his face. He forgets conversations that occurred moments earlier, and sometimes struggles to identify everyday objects, like the chicken on his dinner plate. He gets sudden nose bleeds.
District spokesman Fernando Gallard said the school inquiry showed Liu was injured carelessly but unintentionally. The boy was kicking the doors of the stalls in turn, and did not realize Liu was there, he said.
"It seems it was not intended as an assault or intended to injure anyone," he said.
However, a student who was in the bathroom at the time contradicted that.
Dong Chen, 19, said the assailant kicked only one of five doors, the one with a broken lock, behind which stood Liu. Chen said when the door hit Liu's head, "we could hear it, it was so loud. Pow!"
Liu's parents are frightened for their son's health.
"I'm so upset," Liu's mother, Hui Qin Chen, said through a translator as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't know what to do."
On Dec. 3, South Philadelphia High generated national headlines when Asian students suffered a daylong series of assaults carried out by groups of mostly African American classmates. About 50 students staged a

San Jose: Program helps turn apathetic teens into motivated students Education - San Jose Mercury News

Education - San Jose Mercury News

News > Education

San Jose: Program helps turn apathetic teens into motivated students

As an eighth-grader at Ocala Middle School, Nancy Campos constantly ditched class, yelled at teachers when she did show up and spent a majority of her time in the principal's office.
Now a sophomore at Mount Pleasant High, Nancy has an A average, near perfect attendance and dreams of attending Stanford University.

Mountain View High students return to school after being stranded in Paris

Schools try fundraisers to save music, sports, small classes

School furloughs leave parents in the lurch

Learning to read: Genes play biggest role but teachers matter, study says

Fisher: Reading for those who can't

Late SJSU prof's 'greenhouse' to go on sale

National Hispanic University in E. San Jose sold to for-profit college chain

Volcanic fallout: Dozens of Los Gatos High School musicians stranded in Germany

Psychedelics conference describes the long strange trip to the lab

California's university system: What went wrong?

Forty wild horses and burros gallop into the big city to be auctioned off to the public