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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Local News | 18 state schools to share in federal improvement grants | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | 18 state schools to share in federal improvement grants | Seattle Times Newspaper


18 state schools to share in federal improvement grants

Eighteen schools in Washington state will receive large federal grants, part of a $3.5 billion effort to overhaul the nation's lowest-performing schools.
By Linda Shaw
Seattle Times education reporter
Information online
For a full list of 18 schools that received one of the federal grants, see "What's New" at
Eighteen schools in Washington state will receive large federal grants, part of a $3.5 billion effort to overhaul the nation's lowest-performing schools.
Forty-one Washington schools applied for the three-year awards, but there wasn't enough money for all of them. Together, the 41 schools asked for $49 million for the 2010-11 school year. Washington state will receive only $50 million total for three years.
To win one of the federal grants, school districts had to agree to make one of four major changes at each school: close it; replace its principal and at least half its staff; turn it into a charter school; or "transform" it. The latter has a number of requirements such as tougher teacher evaluations.
All the winning Washington schools will use the "transform" option, except three of Tacoma's middle schools. One of those is closing, and two others will replace its principal and at least half its staff.
For the first year of the grant, Seattle Public Schools will receive $2.1 million for three schools: Cleveland High, Hawthorne Elementary and West Seattle Elementary. The Highline School District will receive $1.8 million for Cascade and Chinook middle schools. Marysville School District will receive $2.1 million for Totem





University of Washington President Mark Emmert, right, greets Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, at the Seattle conference of Western college leaders on Monday. The UW gathering was one of five being held around the U.S. this month.
Enlarge this photoKEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES
University of Washington President Mark Emmert, right, greets Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, at the Seattle conference of Western college leaders on Monday. The UW gathering was one of five being held around the U.S. this month. Read story

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
Celebrating new Chinese institute
NEW - 5:49 PM
18 state schools to share in federal improvement grants
UPDATE - 5:06 PM
UW President Mark Emmert leaving to head NCAA

Past UW presidents

from The Seattle Times: Education
In the past 50 years, seven men have led the University of Washington.
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Oregon Institute of Technology named one of 10 best green study programs | OregonLive.com

Oregon Institute of Technology named one of 10 best green study programs | OregonLive.com

Oregon Institute of Technology named one of 10 best green study programs

By Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian

April 27, 2010, 4:37PM
Oregon Institute of Technology, which powers its Klamath Falls campus with geothermal heat, has been selected to a list of the schools that offer the best "green" study programs.

WiseChoice, an on-line college guidance service, included OIT's Renewable Energy program among its top 10 list of programs. The course of study includes alternative fuels, windpower and geothermal heat. Graduates find jobs with utility companies, consulting firms, manufacturers and government agencies.

Earlier this month, OIT fired up the first geothermal combined heat and power plant in Oregon, and the only geothermal electric plant operating in the state. It has a capacity of 280 kilowatts using existing wells on the


Sherwood School District names Redmond administrator new superintendent

by Melissa Navas, The Oregonian
Heather Cordie, assistant superintendent in the Redmond School District, will replace Dan Jamison who will step down June 30.

Who knows the ocean? Oregon's Neah-Kah-Nie High does

by Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
The team from a small high school in coastal Rockaway Beach wins seventh place among hundreds of U.S. high schools in an ocean sciences competition

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.

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

by Kimberly Melton, The Oregonian
The depth and scope of the changes are less than some advocates had hoped and many parents had feared.
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NorthJersey.com: Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances

NorthJersey.com: Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances

Students walkout to protest state of Englewood School District finances
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
BY MICHELLE SARTOR
NORTHERN VALLEY SUBURBANITE
NEWS EDITOR
ENGLEWOOD – Hundreds of Dwight Morrow High School students took part in a walkout Tuesday morning showing their displeasure with the state of the district’s budget. Voters rejected the tax levy increase in the April 20 election.
Dwight Morrow High School students hold signs April 27 encouraging motorists on Knickerbocker Road in Englewood to honk in support of their efforts protesting the state of the district budget.
ELIZABETH LARA/THE RECORD
Buy this photo
Dwight Morrow High School students hold signs April 27 encouraging motorists on Knickerbocker Road in Englewood to honk in support of their efforts protesting the state of the district budget.
The demonstration, which was organized through Facebook and forwarded text messages, began around 8:15 a.m. after homeroom and lasted until around 10 a.m. when education leaders asked the students to return inside.
Students held up signs asking motorists to honk in support of their education. Cheers rang out from the crowd each time a horn sounded.
Freshman Chanel Ortiz believed the rally was important.
"It’s good for everybody to participate in this because we really need this for our school and we really care about everything. We want a better education for us," she said. "We just need money for our school."
Students said even this year money has been tight and they have to bring paper to use the district printers. They were concerned about keeping events such as prom and trips, saying certain trips have already been canceled because of budget constraints.
Class size was another big issue on students’ minds. They worry about the quality of learning in larger classes.



EDUCATION NEWS
• Provisional ballots tallied affirm North Arlington budget defeatTHE RECORD
• Gov's office to protesting NJ students: Stay in classrooms todaySTATE HOUSE BUREAU
Students walkout, despite warnings from governor’s office, union leadersTHE RECORD This news item has video.
• State plans seminar on how to protect kids from sexual predators THE RECORD
Pension proposal received poorlyHERALD NEWS
• Tests put graduation of students 'at risk' HERALD NEWS
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Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Education - ContraCostaTimes.com



Danville teachers 'work' at McDonald's to raise money

Tassajara Hills Elementary School and McDonald's teamed up Monday for a fundraiser that included some school staff 'working' at the restaurant
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Local News | UW President Mark Emmert leaving to head NCAA | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | UW President Mark Emmert leaving to head NCAA | Seattle Times Newspaper

UW President Mark Emmert leaving to head NCAA

University of Washington President Mark Emmert is leaving to become president of the NCAA.
By Nick Perry
Seattle Times higher education reporter
Related
About Mark Emmert
A native of Fife, Pierce County, Mark Emmert became the 30th president of the University of Washington in 2004.
Age: 57
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, DeLaine. They have two grown children, Steve and Jennifer.
Education: Bachelor's degree in political science, UW; master's and doctoral degrees in public administration, Syracuse University.
Professional background: UW president, 2004-2010; chancellor, Louisiana State University, 1999-2004; chancellor, University of Connecticut, 1996-1999; provost and vice president for academic affairs, Montana State University, 1992-1995; various academic and administrative positions, University of Colorado, Denver, 1985-1992; assistant professor of political science, Northern Illinois University, 1983-1985; university fellow and research assistant, Syracuse University, 1980-1983.
Key achievement: Raised more than $2.6 billion for UW scholarships, fellowships, endowments, programs and facilities.
University of Washington President Mark Emmert is leaving after nearly six years on the job to become president of the NCAA.
Emmert has been considered a rainmaker at the UW. One of his biggest achievements was leading an enormously successful fundraising effort that raised $2.68 billion by the time it ended in 2008. And he has been credited for recruiting top faculty and overseeing the continued success of the UW's medical school and other colleges.
But Emmert seemed to lose something of his golden touch in the last couple of years. His compensation package of $905,000, which made him one of the highest paid college presidents in the country, increasingly became a source of irritation to faculty and the public — especially as the UW was forced to cut services and eliminate some 850 staff positions due to state budget cutbacks.
By accepting the NCAA position, Emmert fills a vacancy created by the passing of NCAA President Myles Brand in September 2009 and will take over duties of the office from interim President James L. Isch. He will be based in Indiana and starts work Nov. 1.
Brand was paid about $1.7 million a year.
In a letter to faculty and staff, Emmert said he was accepting the post with "very mixed emotions" and that the UW was the only university he would want to preside over.
"DeLaine and I always have been, and always will be, Huskies for life," he said in a prepared statement.
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Schools Matter: Waltons and Broad to DC Schools: No Rhee, No Funding

Schools Matter: Waltons and Broad to DC Schools: No Rhee, No Funding

Waltons and Broad to DC Schools: No Rhee, No Funding

by Jim Horn
You might say that the attempted corporate coercion of public institutions has just been kicked up a notch. If DC teachers are stupid enough to approve the contract put together for them by Walmart lawyers with its $65 million in corporate sweetener, then they are stuck with Broom Michelle for as long as the oligarchs want her as their boardroom conduit. Simply put: A vote for the contract is a vote to keep Rhee at least for 2 more years and the oligarchs in control.

From Bill Turque at WaPo:

New Jersey Students Role Models for Civil Disobedience

by Jim Horn
New Jersey students exhibit the intensity, determination, and focus that should serve to inspire students nationwide. What 18 year old or what parent will organize a nationwide walkout and boycott of the tests? That will change the political rhetoric overnight. Video from Star Ledger.




Newark students walk out of school, take City Hall
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New teacher pipelines narrow as hiring freeze continues | GothamSchools

New teacher pipelines narrow as hiring freeze continues | GothamSchools

New teacher pipelines narrow as hiring freeze continues

by Anna Phillips
picture-31
For years, the number of new teachers entering the city’s job market by way of alternative certification programs has been in the thousands. But this year the flood has slowed to a trickle.
When Chancellor Joel Klein announced a teacher hiring freeze last year, organizations that recruit and train new teachers, such as Teach for America and New York City’s Teaching Fellows, began planning to admit fewer teacher-hopefuls. Together, those two programs are planning to take fewer than 700 applicants this year, down from over 2,000 two years ago.
“We anticipate at this point that our needs will be more limited than they have been in past years, except for perhaps this year,” the Department of Education’s Executive Director of Recruitment and Teacher quality, Vicki
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Finding Employment WITHOUT a High School Diploma � The Quick and the Ed

Finding Employment WITHOUT a High School Diploma � The Quick and the Ed

Finding Employment WITHOUT a High School Diploma

by Forrest Hinton
Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released data related to College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2009 High School Graduates. According to a corresponding news release, just over 70% of all 2009 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges and universities in October 2009—an historical high. That means, of course, that 3 out of 10 high school graduates and 10 out of 10 high school dropouts were not enrolled in college.
For anyone out there doubting the value of a high school diploma these days, compare the jobless rates of high school dropouts with those who graduated from high school but did not enroll in college. In October 2009, it’s clear that the job prospects for both groups were bleak. But the economic future of those not owning a high
Quick Hits
Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day. The content of these Hits is not necessarily endorsed by the organization or any particular team member.
What is The Fundamental Theorem of Politics? (Greg Mankiw’s Blog)
Is there a tradeoff between increased consensus and watered-down reform in RTT applications? (Politics K-12)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recruits the best principals for its worst schools and gives them the autonomy to transform these low-performers. Is this model replicable in other urban districts? (The New York Times)
About one-third of all college applicants end up transferring to an undergraduate college before earning a degree. How do colleges determine which transfer students to admit? (Inside Higher Ed)
5:33 AM (8 hours ago)

DIY U

by Ben Miller
America’s colleges and universities were among the first institutions to make use the of the Internet. But while academics have recognized for decades how the spread of technology can have huge
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The Perimeter Primate: Contradictions & ed deform

The Perimeter Primate: Contradictions & ed deform

Contradictions & ed deform

by The Perimeter Primate
Has anyone else noticed that the talk and actions don’t jibe?
For example, experienced, high quality teachers are held up as the ideal; people bemoan when poor kids don’t get to have them. On the other hand, recent college graduates with five or six-weeks of summer training are held up as a model of perfection. Which is it folks?
Then there’s class size. Some people argue that class size really doesn’t matter all that much; it's only a matter of teachers trying harder. But then small class sizes with benefits touted are used as a main selling point to entice parents into both elite private and charter schools. Which is it folks?
There’s also the issue about reading. If the universal achievement of high reading levels is as important as everyone says it is, then why have school libraries been utterly abandoned in the schools where children need them most, one reason being because they have so few books in their homes?

For instance, in 1999, Oakland Unified had librarians and functioning libraries in every of its middle and high schools (14 middle schools + six comprehensive high schools = 20 secondary school librarians). Today, after ten years of the standards and accountability movement and with the closure and/or break-up of secondary
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The Educated Guess NPR tunes in to Steve Poizner

The Educated Guess

NPR tunes in to Steve Poizner

Posted in Uncategorized
A reader pointed out that Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner continues to draw unflattering attention to “Mount Pleasant,” his autobiographical account– some might call it a novel – of his year teaching a government course at an East San Jose high school.
The National Public Radio show This American Life devoted half of last week’s hour-long show debunking Poizner’s harsh characterizations of the students and the East San Jose neighborhood around the high school. The show’s host, Ira Glass, flew into San Jose and interviewed neighbors, students and teachers along with checking into crime figures, dropout rates and Mount Pleasant test results.
(Read more and comment on this post)
By John Fensterwald on April 27th, 2010
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