School Tech Connect: EduJobs Pulled By Reid

School Tech Connect: EduJobs Pulled By Reid

EduJobs Pulled By Reid

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Edweek has a good summary. Apparently they didn't do enough offsets to pay for itself. As you know, every bit of domestic spending that helps actual people has to be offset by spending on other programs that help actual people.

The whole offset thing doesn't come into the question when we're shoveling money out the window; it only comes into play when average Americans might get a scrap. I can tell you exactly what's going to happen to this $33.5 billion that Congress just authorized for Afghanistan.

It's going to vaporize, just like this money did:

$10 billion school funding bill is dead again. Does anybody care? � Fred Klonsky's blog

$10 billion school funding bill is dead again. Does anybody care? � Fred Klonsky's blog

$10 billion school funding bill is dead again. Does anybody care?

by preaprez

First they tried to attach it to an Afghan war funding bill. The Republicans and blue dog Democrats said no, so the Administration and Democratic Party Congressional leaders pulled it. And billions more went to the war.
Then they attached it to a domestic spending bill. The Republicans and blue dog Democrats said no, so yesterday Senate leader, Harry Reid, pulled it.
I’m talking about the $10 billion dollar federal package to keep teachers on the job and class sizes below 35.

Concern over students switching schools - The Boston Globe

Concern over students switching schools - The Boston Globe

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

MIT, NU lauded in annual college review

Brown University has the happiest students in the United States, MIT the most studious, and Bowdoin the best fed, says Princeton Review Inc. The rankings come from the Framingham company’s annual survey of 122,000 students for its book, “The Best 373 Colleges,’’ which comes out today. (By David Beard, Globe Staff)

Brainchild of MIT scientist is bound for space shuttle

CAMBRIDGE — In 1994, Nobel laureate Samuel C.C. Ting began to plan an ambitious experiment: launching a powerful instrument into space that could detect particles left over from the big bang and bring serious science to the International Space Station. (By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff)

Teachers warned of possible shake-up

The Boston Teachers Union has alerted teachers at five underperforming schools that Superintendent Carol R. Johnson intends to ask them to reapply for their jobs, setting off a wave of anxiety among teachers and a war of words between the union and district administrators.(By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

Salem State College offers graduate program in tourism, hospitality

Salem State College is providing students a new opportunity to prepare for jobs in the growing hospitality industry. (By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent)

For six state colleges, a new outlook

With a flourish of the governor’s pen yesterday, much of the bookstore fare at Bridgewater State College became collectors’ items. (By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

• Hexter to step down as Hampshire College president(AP, 8/2/10)
• Iffy Senate outlook for state aid package (AP, 8/2/10)
• Microsoft to sell Office for Mac 2011 in October (AP, 8/2/10)
• Average Va. in-state tuition, fees up 10.6 percent (AP, 8/2/10)
• We're No. 1! UGA tops party schools ranking (AP, 8/2/10)

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

• Vt. school says renovations can't be put off more (AP, 8/2/10)
• Concern over students switching schools (Boston Globe, 8/2/10)
• Vermont school district considers camera policy (AP, 8/1/10)
• GLOUCESTER Controversial Gloucester charter school preparing for Aug. 31 opening (Boston Globe, 7/31/10)
• 2 months later, where is Kyron Horman? (AP, 7/31/10)

LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS

• Adult stem cell research far ahead of embryonic (AP, 8/2/10)
• Cambridge to consider student immigrant resolution(AP, 8/1/10)
• Maine independent touts his business background (AP, 8/1/10)
• When Double Dippers become economic party poopers(AP, 8/1/10)
• Oil spill taints UC Berkeley's BP-funded research (AP, 7/31/10)

The Educated Guess � Amid confusion, no vote on SIG money

The Educated Guess � Amid confusion, no vote on SIG money

Amid confusion, no vote on SIG money

Posted in Program innovation, Turning around failing schools

After hearing complaints Monday that unclear rules had created confusion and unfairly excluded Los Angeles Unified and other districts, the State Board of Education postponed divvying up $316 million in federal money for the worst-performing schools in the state. Board members acknowledged the situation was “a mess.”
Faced with a time pressure to get the money out to districts before school starts, the board won’t be delaying long. On an 8-1 vote, board members asked for state officials to consider revising the figures. But if federal officials won’t allow any tweaking and further delays, then the board agreed to meet as soon as legally permitted to pass what they concede would be flawed allocations.
(Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on August 3rd, 2010

Final vote on common core is unanimous

Posted in Common Core standards, State Board of Education

Voting 9-0, the State Board of Education approved the common core standards in English language arts and math Monday after major players in California education, including the California Teachers Association, the state PTA and the California Math Council, lined up to announce their full support. California became the 33^rd state, plus the District of Columbia, to adopt common core. It did so an hour before the deadline for either passing them or losing points toward the state’s Race to the Top application.
The standards broadly outline what skills and concepts students should master at every grade level. They were developed under the direction of the National Governors Association and the Council of State School Officers, at the encouragement of the Obama administration.
(Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on August 2nd, 2010

A smarter way to divvy up turnaround money

Posted in State Board of Education, Turning around failing schools

Doug McRae has a sharp eye and a rational mind. A retired vice president in the publishing division of McGraw-Hill who follows state education policy closely, McRae saw the state’s peculiar recommendations for distributing $316 million in federal money this fall for turning around the worst performing schools and thought, There’s got to be a better way.
So McRae spent a good part of Saturday and Sunday creating a new formula for dividing up School Improvement Grant dollars that strikes me as fair and sound. Instead of giving huge sums – up to $6 million — indiscriminately, for the most part, to 63 schools and goose eggs to a dozen schools in Los Angeles Unified and 18 other schools, he’s come up with a set of reasonable criteria that school districts – even those that would get less than they had hoped – would have a hard time disputing.
(Read more and comment on this post)

The Best Sites For Learning About The Russian Fires | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Sites For Learning About The Russian Fires | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The Best Sites For Learning About The Russian Fires The images of the countless fires in Russia are terrifying, and they don’t expect rain anytime soon. I’m also adding this list to A Compilation Of “The Best…” Lists About Natural Disasters. Here are my choices for The Best Sites For Learning About ...

“Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book” Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book is the headline of an article in The New York Times. It’s a more informative article on the study I’ve written about previously that shows the impact of summer reading on student achievement. I’m adding this post ...

Legislature bolsters free-speech rights at charter schools | California Watch

Legislature bolsters free-speech rights at charter schools | California Watch

Legislature bolsters free-speech rights at charter schools

by Corey G. Johnson

Corey G. Johnson

The California State Assembly approved legislation yesterday that guarantees free-speech rights for students and teachers at charter schools.
Passed by a 51-19 vote, Senate Bill 438 now goes to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will have 12 days to either sign or veto it. The Senate approved their version of the bill in January.
Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, wrote the bill after administrators at the Orange County High School of the

CSU San Bernardino hires former bank chief terminated by feds

by Erica Perez

Erica Perez

CSU San Bernardino has hired as its new vice president for university advancement a local credit union CEO who was ousted from that position as part of a federal takeover a few weeks ago.
After 27 years as president and CEO of the San Bernardino-based Arrowhead Credit Union, Larry Sharp was dismissed as the bank's chief in mid-July. This comes a couple weeks after the National Credit Union Administration seized the bank June 25, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reported. Sharp was one of several of

Texas needs more minority teachers, experts say | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas needs more minority teachers, experts say | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Texas needs more minority teachers, experts say

07:04 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 3, 2010

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
tstutz@dallasnews.com

AUSTIN – Texas' minority student enrollment continues to surge, but the state's teacher corps isn't keeping pace.

That has left large numbers of black and Hispanic children without the role models experts believe would help them achieve more.

Hispanic students made up more than 48 percent of the enrollment in Texas schools in the 2008-09 school year, the most recent figures available, and the state projects they'll be more than half by the 2011-12 school year.

When black student enrollment – increasing at a much slower pace – is added, more than 62 percent of students are minorities. A decade ago, it was 53 percent.

Two out of three Texas teachers in the past school year were white, a

Three South Bay students head to China Girls Math Olympiad - San Jose Mercury News

Three South Bay students head to China Girls Math Olympiad - San Jose Mercury News

Three South Bay students head to China Girls Math Olympiad

Eight girls leave Tuesday to represent the United States at the international competition in Shijiazhuang, a city about 168 miles northeast of Beijing. They are the cream of the mathematical crop, those who rose to the top in successive exams beginning with one taken annually by many secondary math students.

Parents push for sprinklers, automatic alarms at Trace Elementary

Online dating sites are a treasure trove for scientists

Stanford professors find works of art from darkest moments of Holocaust

Rise & Shine: City finds teacher faked fall on observation day | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: City finds teacher faked fall on observation day | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: City finds teacher faked fall on observation day

by Philissa Cramer

• A Brooklyn teacher threw herself down stairs to avoid a performance review, investigators say. (Post)
• The city tossed a mound of books from the windows of a Catholic school it’s leasing. (Daily News)
• City schools and colleges accounted for half of all construction starts in the last two years. (Crain’s NY)
• A nonprofit gives special assistance to visually impaired students who are heading to college. (NY1)
• The Harbor School is finally holding school fulltime on Governor’s Island. (WNYC)
• West Harlem residents still can’t decide what should be done with the old PS 156 building. (Times)
• The Post points out that the union’s charter schools saw larger-than-average test score drops.
• Chicago has dropped a plan to save money by eliminating non-varsity sports. (Sun-Times)
• An independent review of test irregularities in Atlanta found no evidence of systemic cheating. (Times)
• In letters to the editor, readers including a city teacher weigh in on kindergarten teacher quality. (Times)

Editorial: Reality behind Texas' school ratings is murky | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Editorials

Editorial: Reality behind Texas' school ratings is murky | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Opinion: Editorials

Editorial: Reality behind Texas' school ratings is murky

07:10 PM CDT on Monday, August 2, 2010

In Texas, a single word can make all the difference for a school. The state's accountability ratings use elaborate formulas to mash up the complexities of student performance and affix one of four labels to each campus: exemplary, recognized, acceptable or unacceptable.

Effect on North Texas schools

While many districts saw improved ratings, some of those got help from new rules that give credit for failing students who are predicted to pass future TAKS tests.

• Of the eight local school districts that earned exemplary ratings, four jumped up as a result of the Texas Projection Measure.

• Three of the 17 recognized districts used the projection measure to earn that rating, and nine districts benefited from other rules that boosted them in the ratings.

• Of the 14 districts that saw their ratings improve this year, 10 benefited from one of the rules that gave them a bump up.

What's The Big Story? Find out atdallasnews.com/opinion

Blog: Opinion

And while those ratings didn't tell parents everything they needed to know about their kids' schools, they offered a reasonably consistent and understandable overview of performance.

Not anymore.

The meaning behind those one-word assessments has become murky, as the state started awarding extra credit for failing students who are predicted to pass theTAKS test in the future.

Friday's announcement that huge numbers of schools earned top ratings sounded fabulous on its face. But a closer look revealed that most of the gains

Edujobs Drama Continues - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Edujobs Drama Continues - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Edujobs Drama Continues

by Alyson Klein

Remember we told you the Senate was slated to finally, finally vote on a $10 billion edujobs package tonight? Well, that didn't end up happening.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Majority Leader, pulled the legislation, which also included $16 billion in Medicaid aid for states, after a cost estimate found that the bill was not completely offset (meaning paid for) by cuts to

Sacramento Press / New Music Teachers’ Association Helps Parents Find Quality, Local Instructors

Sacramento Press / New Music Teachers’ Association Helps Parents Find Quality, Local Instructors

New Music Teachers’ Association Helps Parents Find Quality, Local Instructors

by david terry

Sacramento, CA — A new music teachers association based in Sacramento is making it easier for parents and aspiring musicians to locate qualified music education programs in their communities. The North American Music Teachers Association (NAMTA) recently launched an online community dedicated to connecting music students with quality teachers and assisting music teachers with the business side of music education.
According to David Terry, a Sacramento resident and president of NAMTA, “Parents and students looking for quality music lessons in their communities enjoy free online access to NAMTA, where they can view our member profiles. One of the things parents appreciate about NAMTA is they can immediately see which music teachers have been background check approved. And that peace of mind is very important in this day and age.”
Viewing NAMTA teacher web pages and reviews by current and former students will help parents and students

Teachers union’s political funds grow and some migrate south | GothamSchools

Teachers union’s political funds grow and some migrate south | GothamSchools

Teachers union’s political funds grow and some migrate south

by Anna Phillips

New York City’s economy is still suffering, but the teachers union’s political coffers have grown, as have union members’ donations.
An analysis of the United Federation of Teachers’ political activities, done by Kim Gittleson, shows that contributions from union members to the union’s political action committee are at their highest level in 10 years. The amount of money in the fund, called

Explaining to middle schoolers why fair isn’t always equal

by Maura Walz

Older M.S. 223 students working with the Summer Bridge program made this bulletin board to welcome the new sixth-graders. (Photo courtesy M.S. 223)

School districts around the country are increasingly trying to bring special education students into mainstream classrooms. The challenges this presents — and the possible benefits — were on display last week inside a summer school classroom in the Bronx.
Each summer, the South Bronx’s M.S. 223 brings in as many of its rising sixth-graders as it can find for a