Parent involvement efforts in Renaissance process: successful, but messy

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Obey Defends Cuts to Race to the Top, Charters, TIF

Oakland youth and the Oscar Grant verdict

Tony Smith’s first anniversary in OUSD

Around the Edu-Horn, July 1, 2010

We know things are tough. But how about some fightin’ words.

Latest News and Comment from Education

Obey Defends Cuts to Race to the Top, Charters, TIF - Politics K-12 - Education Week

The Education Report

Parent Engagement Interview | Engaging Parents In School...

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Intercultural Charter School

Parent involvement efforts in Renaissance process: successful, but messy | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Some State Officials Worried About Race to Top Cut - Politics K-12 - Education Week

NorthJersey.com: N.J. Gov. Chris Christie calls on Dems in special session to put tax cap on November ballot

Eduflack: Around the Edu-Horn, July 1, 2010

We know things are tough. But how about some fightin’ words? � Fred Klonsky's blog

Investing in Innovation Fund (i3)

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by Benjamin Herold

by Alyson Klein

In the wake of President Barack Obama's veto threat, Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, defended his proposal to cut $800 million from the administration's education priorities to help pay for education jobs.
A fact sheet released by Obey's office says all of the money would come from new grants, so no one currently receiving funding would lose it. And it says there is no reason the programs couldn't see those funding levels restored in better economic times.
Then it takes each of the programs separately:
*Charters: The charter funding comes entirely from grants for new schools in an effort to defer "some funding for

By Katy Murphy
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 10:14 am in community, students, teens, violence
1 Comment

A jury could begin deliberations this afternoon or tomorrow in the Mehserle murder trial, and there’s been much talk (some have called it hype) about what the reaction in Oakland will be, especially if the former BART police officer is acquitted. Youth UpRising is doing its part to keep the peace producing the above video and organizing an event at 5 p.m. on the day of the verdict, whenever that is. (Flier below.)

Heard of other activities? Read the rest of this entry »

By Katy Murphy
Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 6:00 am in Tony Smith
5 Comments »

Tony Smith, Oakland school district superintendent. File photo by Anda Chu.

Tony Smith, Oakland’s superintendent of schools, hits the one-year mark today. We have a story about his first year in today’s Trib.

How would you grade his leadership so far? Now that he has a year behind him, what do you hope he accomplishes in the next 12 months? Or in the next few years, if he stays that long?

Parent Engagement Interview The national teacher organization “Teachers Count” has just published an interview with me that focuses on parent engagement issues. Readers might find it useful/interesting.

“Connecting Latino parents with Lake Tahoe school communities” A local paper in the Tahoe (Nevada/California) area recently published an article titled Connecting Latino parents with Lake Tahoe school communities. It’s another example of how a small effort by a school can pay dividends. Thanks to Colorin ...

“We need a real relationship with our schools, not one where a few people get together every now and then’’ At school focus groups, parents voice concerns, call for more input is the title of an article in today’s Boston Globe. It describes a series of fourteen parent focus groups organized by the school district to “solicit input about school closings, ...

Intercultural Charter School CONVICTED FELON EMPLOYED AT ORLEANS SCHOOL, May, 14, 2010. FOX8TV New Orleans - As parents pulled up to pick up their kids, many were shocked to hear the focus of our questions. "I am very surprised. I wasn't even aware of that", says parent ...

AllPrep Web Academy network ALLPREP CHARTER SCHOOL NETWORK LEAVES HUNDREDS IN LURCH, May 10, 2010, The Oregonian SISTERS --Suzanne Moore spent almost two years teaching at Sisters AllPrep Web Academy, but what she described as the "best job in the whole world" became a ...

Emma L. Harrison Charter School STATE BOARD REVOKES LICENSE OF WACO CHARTER SCHOOL, July 10, 1999, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (TX) AUSTIN The State Board of Education on Friday revoked the charter of a financially troubled charter school in Waco and tentatively approved new rules ...

For Alicia Ogburn, the parent of a kindergartener and third grader in the struggling Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia, the chance to have a voice in determining the future direction of her children’s school was an unprecedented experience.

“I loved it,” said Ogburn of her involvement on theSchool Advisory Council (SAC) at Daroff Elementary, one of eight schools designated for turnaround under Superintendent Arlene Ackerman’s Renaissance Schoolsinitiative. “I’ve done a lot of volunteering, but I’ve never been this close with this kind of situation.”

Joy Herbert, however, had a very different experience. Like Ogburn, Herbert joined a SAC, devoted months to the process, and ultimately cast her vote for an outside provider to turn around her child’s school, West Philadelphia High.

Unlike Ogburn, Herbert’s involvement left her frustrated and demoralized. Her council’s recommendation was disregarded, and she is one of four parents who found themselves the subject of a District “investigation” into an alleged conflict of interest.

“At one point, I really thought that my opinion actually mattered,” lamented Herbert.

The dust has just begun to settle following the whirlwind first stage of the

Some State Officials Worried About Race to Top Cut Imagine that you are a state education official who has spent months and months on Race to the Top, coaxing districts to sign memorandums of understanding and negotiating with union officials, tracking down data, and convincing the Gates Foundation ...

White House Threatens Edujobs Veto if Cuts to Race to Top Remain The Obama administration has signaled that it will veto the entire education jobs bill if the $800 million in cuts to its reform priorities remain. Here is what the administration told Congress in a statement on the edujobs bill, which the U.S. ...

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie calls on Dems in special session to put tax cap on November ballot

Thursday, July 1, 2010
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY JULY 1, 2010, 5:18 PM

BY JOSH MARGOLIN

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

State House Bureau

Live updates from property tax reform special session

FILE PHOTO

Governor Christie

TRENTON — Governor Christie opened a special legislative session this afternoon with a brief speech calling on Democrats to bring skyrocketing property taxes under control either through a constitutional amendment limiting tax hikes or a statutory cap that would do roughly the same thing.

Christie, a Republican, said he was offering a compromise to the Democrat-controlled Legislature in order to make the state more affordable.

"Before we leave for the summer, let us finish the job," Christie said after thanking the Democrats for joining with him in passing an austere state budget on Tuesday. "We must act and we must act now...We must help the citizens take back their state."

The governor spoke for just over 13 minutes. The speech marked the culmination of a chaotic 20 hours during which it was unclear whether the Legislature would convene or let Christie make an address. At one point, it was thought the governor

by Eduflack

Playing games with for-profit education stocks? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/39186.html

Can Michelle Rhee and ed reform tilt the DC mayor's election? http://tinyurl.com/27qm649

RT @TeacherBeat Weingarten Accuses ED of Protecting "Pet Programs": http://bit.ly/bhUoUr

Four new appointments to National Board of Education Sciences -- http://tinyurl.com/2avm9q8

RT @ED_Outreach - no reason why we can't continue to encourage ed reform and also prevent mindless ed cutbacks http://bit.ly/90cBiR

Woo hoo! @Eduflack elected vice chair of Falls Church City School Board -- http://tinyurl.com/28s9vbj

by preaprez

“Klonsky…where we get seated is the luck of the draw.”
That’s what my Region chair told me when I walked into the Illinois caucus meeting and saw that we we’re seated in the second to the last row. I hadn’t even said anything. She just knew I was going to say some smart

INVESTING IN INNOVATION FUND (I3)

Office of Innovation and Improvement Home

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WHAT'S NEW

View the Summary of i3 Applications Received here PDF [381KB]
Department of Education announces launch of data.ed.gov, which makes detailed information about i3 applications received available.
Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) FAQs(revised June 18, 2010) MS Word(398KB) | PDF (500KB)
Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) FAQs Addendum 5 (June 18, 2010) MS Word(59.0KB) | PDF (113KB)
Securing the i3 Private-Sector Match: A Resource for Applicants (May 7, 2010)
PDF (96KB) | MS Word (48KB)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Program Office: Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII)

CFDA Number: 84.396A (Scale-up grants); 84.396B (Validation grants); 84.396C (Development grants)

Program Type: Cooperative agreements (for Scale-up grants) and discretionary grants (for Validation grants and Development grants)

Program Description: The Investing in Innovation Fund, established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides funding to support (1) local educational agencies (LEAs), and (2) nonprofit organizations in partnership with (a) one or more LEAs or (b) a consortium of schools. The purpose of this program is to provide competitive grants to applicants with a record of improving student achievement and attainment in order to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student achievement or student growth, closing achievement gaps, decreasing dropout rates, increasing high school graduation rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates.

These grants will (1) allow eligible entities to expand and develop innovative practices that can serve as models of best practices, (2) allow eligible entities to work in partnership with the private sector and the philanthropic community, and (3) identify and document best practices that can be shared and taken to scale based on demonstrated success.

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