8 'Renaissance' provider matches announced | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

8 'Renaissance' provider matches announced | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

8 'Renaissance' provider matches announced

by Paul Socolar

UPDATED
District staff has proposed today a resolution that the SRC authorize these matches between Renaissance Schools and turnaround teams:

• Bluford and Daroff: Universal Companies
• Douglass: Young Scholars Charter School
• Harrity, Mann, and Smedley: Mastery Charter
• Stetson: ASPIRA of PA.
  
• Potter-Thomas: Promise Academy (managed by the superintendent's office).

West Philadelphia was not assigned to a provider - more news on this to come.
Potter-Thomas was considering providers as a Renaissance School but has been designated a Promise

The Math on IBR � The Quick and the Ed

The Math on IBR � The Quick and the Ed

The Math on IBR

by Erin Dillon

Daniel Bennett from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity writes in an op-ed atForbes.com that income-based repayment is a “sweet deal for students”. Sure, IBR may sound like a great bargain for students–you pay less than you normally would each month and then taxpayers cover any remaining balance after 20 years. But the reality is a little different.
To demonstrate his point, Bennett includes a chart in the op-ed showing the monthly “savings” for students who enter IBR based on their income and debt levels. But what the chart doesn’t include is the cost of the extended repayment term (20 years, not 10 years) and assumptions about increases in salary over 20 years.
To get the IBR “sweet deal”, students need to maintain consistently low wages for 20 years. Getting a few thousand dollars in loan forgiveness is probably not worth a career of low wages for most people. And with the extended repayment term students actually end up paying more total because of accrued interest.
The math changes, of course, for students entering public service. For those borrowers, they simply need to maintain a low-enough paying job for 10 years to qualify for loan forgiveness. This increases the cost to taxpayers, but it also may prevent high debt levels from discouraging students from entering public service – a

Schools Matter: Charter School Student Beating by Teacher Captured on Camera Phone

Schools Matter: Charter School Student Beating by Teacher Captured on Camera Phone

Charter School Student Beating by Teacher Captured on Camera Phone

by Jim Horn

• Reviewed by a Student on October 10, 2008
  (Rating: 1 / 5) Report As Inappropriate
• this is the worst school to regester at because their is nothing but fights all day every and 24/7

Are you fan like the President of the "No Excuses" charter schools with no oversight, except for what student camera phones can provide? Then you may enjoy Jamie's House Charter School, where a special education

Multiple Pathways Report - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

Multiple Pathways Report - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Submits Report and Recommendations to Increase Number of College- and Career-Ready Students Recommends Expanding Linking Learning Approach to Transform High Schools

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released a report and recommendations about expanding a high school transformation approach that links rigorous academic course work, career technical training, work-based learning opportunities and greater student supports. The approach, originally known as Multiple Pathways, is now referred to as Linked Learning.

"Linked Learning is a promising approach to transforming our high schools so students graduate career and college ready and ready to be successful in the global economy of the 21st Century," O'Connell said. "This report provides a roadmap for policymakers as they consider ways to systemically transform our high schools and significantly improve results for children."

The report, titled Multiple Pathways to Student Success, Envisioning the New California High School, was written in response to AB 2648 authored in 2008 by speaker-emeritus Karen Bass. The legislation required the California Department of Education (CDE) to explore the feasibility of establishing and expanding the Linked Learning approach in increasing success for California's high school students. Funding for the report came from the James Irvine Foundation and the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006.

"Multiple Pathways helps keep kids in school—keeps them in the game until they cross their own personal goal line – whether it's college, a profession, or a good job you can raise a family on," Bass said. "Multiple Pathways doesn't just prepare students, it empowers them."

Students enrolled in a pathways program are more likely to pass the California High School Exit Examination as sophomores, to graduate from high school, and to complete college entrance requirements. Students in these career-themed programs also get hands-on learning experience in real-world learning environments.

"Linked Learning is a way to remove what is now a false and faulty separation between academic rigor and career preparation. Our students need both if they are to succeed," O'Connell said.

Anne Stanton, Director of the James Irvine Foundation's Youth program said, "We applaud this report's bold vision for transforming high schools in California to promote increased student engagement and achievement. We look forward to working with the Department of Education and educators across the state to make high-quality Linked Learning programs available to all interested students."

L.A. Area Chamber Senior Vice President of Education & Workforce Development David Rattray said, "We support the bold and creative recommendations within this report, which answer the challenge of looking at a total transformation of California high schools through the Linked Learning approach. The business community has been and will continue to be engaged in driving reform at school sites helping to guide curriculum and projects and provide students with real-world examples of how they can use what they are learning in the workplace."

The report includes a number of key recommendations for policymakers and education advocates to consider, including:

• Revising the California Education Code to state that the purpose of high school is to educate and prepare all students to be postsecondary and career ready upon high school graduation
• Moving the high school system from a seat-time/course completion system to a system where students progress based upon mastery of identified standards
• Augmenting the accountability system to foster college and career readiness, increasing of graduation rates, and decreasing the number of dropouts
• Changing the financing of high schools to an enrollment-based system and tie a portion of the funding to student graduation and retaining students in school
• Expanding curriculum and instruction options support rigor and relevance within the high school system
• Consolidating Career Technical Education into a coherent system
• Improving the conditions to establish and expand Linked Learning programs.

The AB 2648 Executive Summary and full report, Multiple Pathways to Student Success: Envisioning the New California High School, will be posted at 11:00 a.m. today at the CDE Web site: .Assembly Bill 2648 Multiple Pathways - High School.

“Wanted: Peer Reviewers for Promise Neighborhoods” | Engaging Parents In School...

“Wanted: Peer Reviewers for Promise Neighborhoods” | Engaging Parents In School...

“Wanted: Peer Reviewers for Promise Neighborhoods”

by Larry Ferlazzo

I’ve written about efforts by the Obama Administration to replicate the Harlem Children’s Zone.
The Department of Education is now seeking peer reviewers for grant applications by groups who want to create these “Promise Neighborhoods.”

Maryland PIRC Website

This Week In Education Quote: Charter Groups "Attack Every Hint Of Criticism"

This Week In Education

Quote: Charter Groups "Attack Every Hint Of Criticism"

by Alexander Russo

"No one's saying there are not some very good charter schools out there, but this "attack every hint of criticism" stuff is like using a sledgehammer to swat a fly." - Charles Lussier, Baton Rouge Advocate (see CER email below)

Dear Friends:

The Center for Education Reform responded quickly and decisively after The New York Timespublished an article that maligned charter schools using faulty and discredited data.

We immediately issued a press statement clarifying the record, we placed a letter to the editorin The New York Times, and we're planning for a "Fight the Myths" campaign.

Now, as promised, we're sending along a Toolkit that will help each charter school advocate

Confirmed: NEA Active Membership Down 20,000 | Intercepts

Confirmed: NEA Active Membership Down 20,000 | Intercepts

Confirmed: NEA Active Membership Down 20,000

by Mike Antonucci

When NEA has good news to report, you never have a problem getting hold of it. I recall at one NEA convention I was handed membership figures that were about a week old. They showed substantial growth in all categories.
This year it hasn’t been so easy. NEA’s official numbers for 2009 seemed to contradict the internal reports delivered to the union’s board of directors. And while the latest numbers are much more realistic, they still leave some unanswered questions.
According to NEA sources, the union lost almost 25,000 active certificated members compared to last year at this time, but picked up an additional 4,000 education support employees as members. NEA also reported gains in students, retirees and higher education faculty. Unfortunately for NEA, the gains in those lower dues

Salazar to deliver commencement address at Denver school Education - The Denver Post

Education - The Denver Post

Salazar to deliver commencement address at Denver school 205/12/2010U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will deliver the commencement address at the Denver School of Science and Technology, a home-state consolation prize resulting from the President's High School Commencement Challenge.

Brain bank at CU aims to help find cause, cure of MS 305/12/2010 - With the recent relocation of the Rocky Mountain MS Center's brain bank, CU becomes home to the largest MS-exclusive collection of human brains in North America for the purpose of finding the cause and cure of the neurological disease.

Colorado House ready to vote on controversial teacher reform bill05/11/2010 - A controversial teacher bill took another step forward in its legislative journey Monday as it narrowly passed the House appropriations committee to set up a vote today on the House floor.

Teacher to Teacher: Teacher Effectiveness and ESEA – ED.gov Blog

Teacher to Teacher: Teacher Effectiveness and ESEA – ED.gov Blog

Teacher to Teacher: Teacher Effectiveness and ESEA

Throughout the spring, the Department of Education’s Teaching Ambassador Fellows have been having conversations with teachers about a new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Our job is to listen and contribute our collective teacher voices to policy at the Department.
In our first blog, we asked about assessments. We heard from many teachers that you appreciate the focus on measuring growth over time. We also heard the desire to have authentic assessments that get at multiple points of view on student’s work, knowledge and even emotional development and provide more useful information for instruction. The Department hopes that work coming out of the Race to the Top Assessment Competition will help get us more useful assessments like this.
This blog entry is inspired by joining in the celebrations honoring this year’s State Teachers of the Year from all fifty states and territories and theNational Teacher of the Year in Washington, DC this week. We enjoyed hosting these representatives of great teachers across the country for a discussion of the blueprint for ESEA reauthorization.
One teacher raised concerns about the definition of an “effective teacher.” The blueprint would require that states create definitions of effectiveness developed in collaboration with teachers, principals, and other stakeholders. In Race to the Top, the Department says that student growth must be a significant factor, but that measurements of effectiveness must include other measures, such as multiple observation-based assessments on teacher performance or evidence of leadership roles that increase the effectiveness of other teachers.
What are your thoughts on defining teacher effectiveness? Should it be based in significant part on student growth? What other measures should be taken into account?
Teacher Ambassador Fellows

Education Week: Few States Meet NCLB Goals for English-Learners

Education Week: Few States Meet NCLB Goals for English-Learners

Few States Meet NCLB Goals for English-Learners

By Mary Ann Zehr

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Read more FREE content!

• Printer-Friendly
• Email Article
• Reprints
• Comments
• 
• 
  
  Article tools sponsored by:
  

Only 11 states met their accountability goals for English-language learners under the No Child Left Behind Act in the 2007-08 school year, concludes a study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education.

That same school year, 59 percent of school districts or district consortia that receive federal money for English-language-acquisition programs achieved all their goals for ELLs.

Those are some of the findings included in three research briefs released this month by the Washington-based American Institutes for Research. The briefs are precursors to a much more comprehensive study evaluating implementation of Title III, the section of the NCLB law that authorizes aid for English-language-acqusition programs, which is being underwritten with an Education Department grant for $2.7 million over three years.

The briefs do not report what proportion of districts or states met all their goals for ELLs in the 2006-07 school year.

A prior evaluation of Title III implementation by the department found that in the 2005-06 school year, no states met all their goals for such students. That school year, only Louisiana met its goal for adequate yearly progress in math for ELLs. Not one state

College, K12 Inc. Forge Language-Learning Partnership

Online foreign-language courses will be offered to high school students via Middlebury College in Vermont. (May 12, 2010)

Arizona Gov. Signs Bill Targeting Ethnic Studies

Gov. Jan Brewer signed a bill targeting a school district's ethnic studies program, hours after a report by human rights experts condemned the measure.(May 12, 2010)

Several States Stay Off Charter School Bandwagon

(May 12, 2010)

New Online Source of Education Journalism Launched

(May 11, 2010) | Comments (1)

FROM THE WIRES

• • Ga. School Board Eyes Ban on Seclusion in Schools
• • 9 Killed in Latest Attack at China School
• • 500 Teachers in Charlotte, N.C., May Be Laid Off

MORE WIRE STORIES

Schools Matter: Vulture Philanthropists Double Their "Social Investments" in 7 Years

Schools Matter: Vulture Philanthropists Double Their "Social Investments" in 7 Years

Vulture Philanthropists Double Their "Social Investments" in 7 Years

by Jim Horn

There is good reason that, despite all the evidence that charter schools weaken public schools rather strengthen them, Arne Duncan and his philanthro-capitalist handlers have made charter schools a core demand for states to get some of the bribe money from RTTT: Money, Big Money.

The NYTimes report on Monday that

New York did not win one of the first Race to the Top grants. Last week, the State Senate voted to more than double the number of charter schools in the state, another move aimed at winning Race

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Latest from the Chicago's school 'Renaissance'

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Latest from the Chicago's school 'Renaissance'

Latest from the Chicago's school 'Renaissance'

by Mike Klonsky

No more foreign languages taught here

Did Mayor Daley bring Ron Huberman over from CTA to manage the complete and total dismantling of public education in the city? It's beginning to look that way.

The latest target of Daley/Huberman is the district's World Languages program. In short, it's a goner. Elementary school students will no longer have a chance to learn a foreign language at their neighborhood public school

The House That Ron Huberman Bought � Edumacation Archive

The House That Ron Huberman Bought � Edumacation Archive

The House That Ron Huberman Bought

The budget belt is tightening in Chicago and the schools are getting squeezed. Schools will be shoe horn 35 students into a room and many teachers will be losing their jobs, but cheer up because the education business isn’t bleak for everybody. CPS head Ron Huberman just bought a new $900,000 house. According to several real estate sites, “LUXURY & ALMOST NEW CONSTRUCTION “GEM” IN THE HEART OF LINCOLN SQUARE! 5 BED/3.1BATH ON XTRA WIDE LOT. CHEF’S KIT W/ VIKING SS APPLIANCES, HUGE ISLAND, CHERRY CABS & EAT-IN KITCHEN+FAM ROOM! HOME FEATURES BRAZILIAN CHERRY HWFS, 3 FIREPLACES, 2 WET BARS, 8 FT SOLID CHERRY DOORS, CRWN MOLDING, 2 W/ D HOOKUP UP & DWN, SECUR/SOUND READY. HUGE DECK OVER GARAGE!WALK 2 PARKS, TRANS & STARBUCKS.”

Now, as schools are being asked to cram 35 students in the room, a little controversy has erupted because the fire code requires 20 square feet per student. Isn’t it great to know that if Ron wanted to have a teacher hold class in his living room, you could legally seat 20 students in the

Media Advisories--Department of Education

Media Advisories--Department of Education

Event Date: 5:30 to 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Contact: Jo Ann Webb or Elaine Quesinberry, 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY TO DISCUSS IMPORTANCE OF A WELL-ROUNDED EDUCATION AT HARVARD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION PUBLIC FORUM

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, will participate in a Harvard Graduate School of Education public forum, "What Matters and What Counts? Expanding What We Value in Schools," on Wednesday, May 12, at the graduate school in Cambridge. The forum aims to stimulate discussion about ways to expand what schools value and accomplish, as well as explore how researchers, policymakers and educators can promote rigorous, high-quality, assessable and accountable work in areas other than literacy and math.

Event Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL LAB DAY, ADDRESS NEW SCHOOLS SUMMIT ON WEDNESDAY

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will take part in a pair of events Wednesday in Washington. Wednesday morning, Secretary Duncan will highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in recognition of National Lab Day. Later in the morning, Secretary Duncan will join U.S. Rep. George Miller in a question and answer session on the Obama administration's education reform agenda.

At 9 a.m., Secretary Duncan will recognize National Lab Day by visiting Martin Luther King Elementary School, 3200 Sixth St., S.E. There, he will observe the student's solar car project and talk with them about the long-term value of STEM education to our nation's economy. National Lab Day is a nationwide initiative to build local communities of support and to foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators.

At 11 a.m., Secretary Duncan will join Rep. Miller in a question and answer discussion on the administration's education reform efforts at the NewSchools Venture Fund Summit. Secretary Duncan will lay out the administration's education agenda for the coming years, and talk about the role entrepreneurs can play in advancing education reform. The annual summit invites leaders from across the education, business, policy and nonprofit sectors who are passionate about transforming public education for underserved children.

Event Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw 202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

U.S. EDUCATION OFFICIAL TO ADDRESS CINCINNATI CONFERENCE ON TEACHER COMPENSATION

Brad Jupp, senior program advisor for teacher quality initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education, will address a Cincinnati conference Thursday bringing together educators to explore trends in teacher compensation.

Jupp's remarks, scheduled for 10:45 a.m. at the College of Mount St. Joseph, are part of a daylong forum on teacher wages sponsored by Leadership Cincinnati, a program of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. Teachers, principals, union representatives, school board members and administrators are expected to attend.

The issue of teacher compensation comes as local districts across America consider the most effective ways to reward teachers and promote excellence in education.

Event Date: 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: Jo Ann Webb (202) 401-1576

ASSISTANT DEPUTY SECRETARY TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION ON DRINKING AND DRUG USE AMONG STUDENTS

Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS), will participate in the Department's policy briefing "The Power of Peers and Perceptions," which focuses on drinking and drug use by students. The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 13, in the Departmental Auditorium, will feature students discussing how they motivate their peers to make healthier choices around alcohol and other drugs. In addition, grantees of the OSDFS Models of Exemplary, Effective and Promising Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention on College Campuses program, who work with high-school students and college students on campuses, will share their novel programs for reducing risky behavior among students. Officials from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington, N.C., will join Jennings.

Event Date: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Contact: David Thomas 202-401-1576
press@ed.gov

DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO BE PANELIST IN WORKSHOP AT SUMMIT SERIES DC10

Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton to discuss today's youth and the future of education

Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, will participate in Summit Series DC10's Innovation in Education panel on Teaching Today's Youth on Thursday, May 13. He will join several panelists, including recording artist John Legend, entrepreneur Marc Ecko, Teach for America CEO Wendy Kopp, and WordWorld Founder Don Moody, in discussing the future of education. During the panel discussion, Assistant Deputy Secretary Shelton will focus on the role of innovation in improving educational opportunities.

Summit Series DC10 is an invitation only conference taking place Thursday, May 13-Sunday, May 16 in Washington D.C. The Summit connects top young innovators, influencers, and business leaders to inspire a new generation of leaders to succeed in business and in life.

NewSchools Venture Fund Congressman George Miller: We don't know enough to compare teachers.

TheEdReformer — May 12, 2010 — Congressman Miller answers a question by NewSchools Venture Fund CEO Ted Mitchell by saying that the way we determine who goes and who stays in the teaching profession is by using information, rather than broad formulas that have no evidence to back them.

NewSchools Venture Fund Michelle Rhee, District of Columbia Public Schools

TheEdReformer — May 12, 2010 — Michelle Rhee tells edReformer that there is no sense in having collaboration between the status quo, unless there's an acknowledgment that change is about helping children. This is right after her, Go Hard or Go Home message at NewSchools Venture Fund.