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Friday, October 8, 2010

Newark high school students protest conditions - Boston.com

Newark high school students protest conditions - Boston.com

Newark high school students protest conditions

October 8, 2010
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NEWARK, N.J.—Two weeks after Newark schools received a $100 million donation from the founder of Facebook, students in one high school there used the social networking site to stage a protest.

On Thursday, students at Barringer High School in Newark walked out of class in protest, saying their school is unsafe and unsanitary.

Students tell The Star-Ledger of Newark there are rats, mice, cockroaches, spiders, guns and fights in the hallways.

During the afternoon protest, students left the building in waves of 10 or 20, but some said security guards blocked doors to prevent anyone from

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Schundler: Christie nixed compromise with union | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

Schundler: Christie nixed compromise with union | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

Schundler: Christie nixed compromise with union

BY MICHAEL SYMONS • STATEHOUSE BUREAU • OCTOBER 7, 2010

TRENTON — Stung by criticism that he'd caved to the teachers' union after feuding with it for nearly a year, Gov. Chris Christie abandoned the state's best chance to win a $400 million grant rather than appear to compromise, former Education Commissioner Bret Schundler said today.

Schundler — subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee — said he made few, inconsequential changes to the state's Race to the Top application in order to gain support from the New Jersey Education Association for the state's bid for a federal education reform grant.

But Christie ordered him to abandon the changes, some of which were made with his staff's knowledge,

Hundreds Protest on Day of Action - The Daily Californian

Hundreds Protest on Day of Action - The Daily Californian

Hundreds Protest on Day of Action

Day Sees at Least 700 Assembled on Sproul, Doe Library 'Sit-in'

Photo: Protesters staged a sit-in within Doe Library's North Reading Room as they waited for Chancellor Birgeneau's response to their demands.
EVAN WALBRIDGE/STAFF
Protesters staged a sit-in within Doe Library's North Reading Room as they waited for Chancellor Birgeneau's response to their demands.

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Hundreds Protest on Day of Action
Photos from the day of protest on October 7, 2010.


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Thursday's national day of protest in defense of affordable public higher education began in small numbers but escalated throughout the day as UC Berkeley students, faculty, staff and community members came out to show their support through teach-outs, sit-ins and a noon rally in front of Sproul Hall that at one point drew a crowd of over 700 people, as estimated by UCPD.

Oct. 7 began with less than 10 picketers at the intersection of Bancroft Way and Telegraph Avenue at about 7:00 a.m., chanting and distributing flyers

L.A. teachers union may fight board decision to halt layoffs | California Watch

L.A. teachers union may fight board decision to halt layoffs | California Watch

L.A. teachers union may fight board decision to halt layoffs

A landmark agreement to halt teacher layoffs at Los Angeles schools serving disadvantaged children is now facing opposition from an unlikely source: the biggest local teachers union in the state.

The United Teachers Los Angeles is considering suing to block the layoff-ending settlement made on Tuesday with the L.A. school board, the ACLU and a coalition of other public-interest attorneys, according to the L.A.

College district hires inspector general to review construction

The Los Angeles Community College District has hired an outside firm to set up an Office of Inspector General and a whistle-blower program to review "financial integrity and legal compliance" of the district's $6 billion construction program and to receive any information about "potentially illegal activity, fraud, waste or corruption,” district officials announced this week.

The district hired Altadena-based Policy Masters Inc., and CEO Christine E. Marez will oversee the efforts.

"By employing an inspector general who reports directly to us, the board will be improving our oversight of the

After downturn, California's birth rate predicted to climb

Following a sharp decline in births during the recession, the number of babies born in California is expected to grow more than 12 percent over the next decade, according to a recent projection by the state.

The Demographic Research Unit's report, which is used to predict public school enrollment, received little media attention when it was released last month. But the projection shows how the demographics of birth – the age and race of mothers, where babies are born and the state's overall fertility rate – will change in the next 10 years.

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PROTESTERS MARCH THROUGH DOWNTOWN L.A. ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: PROTESTERS MARCH THROUGH DOWNTOWN L.A. ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION

UC Protests Focus on Funding - The Bay Citizen

UC Protests Focus on Funding - The Bay Citizen

UC Protests Focus on Funding

Economics Professor David Card was teaching micro-economics to about 90 UC Berkeley students when a group of student protesters burst into his classroom and urged his students to “walk out” and rally against budget cuts to education. ”We’re preparing for a midterm,” Card told them, but added, “Folks, this is Econ 101A, so we’re all about budgets.” He said the shrinking budget had resulted in fewer graduate student instructors for his course, which meant less time for each instructor to grade students’ work and respond to questions about course material. He told his students that, given that information, they could decide whether to walk out or stay in lecture. Card’s students stayed in their seats, but the rally advertised by the protesters drew about

Rise & Shine: Union gets one-year waiver from health care rules | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Union gets one-year waiver from health care rules | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Union gets one-year waiver from health care rules

  • The city teachers union got a one-year exemption from new federal health-care rules. (Post)
  • P.S. 282’s principal banned some teachers from an award ceremony held there this week. (Daily News)
  • Members of Congress asked for the city to speed up clean-up of 700 contaminated schools. (Daily News)
  • Some parents want the city to fire a Brooklyn teacher with a history of shoving students. (Daily News)
  • Joel Klein, plus 15 other district heads, lay out their formula for school reform. (Washington Post)
  • New Jersey’s fired ed commissioner blamed Gov. Christie for the states Race to the Top loss. (Times)
  • Federal grants are helping Chicago charter groups expand despite state budget cuts. (Times)
  • Michelle Rhee could be offered several top ed posts, but she may not want them. (Washington Post)

The Answer Sheet - Poll: Americans misunderstand learning disabilities

The Answer Sheet - Poll: Americans misunderstand learning disabilities

Poll: Americans misunderstand learning disabilities

A majority of Americans think that neurologically based learning disabilities are the result of laziness and cling to other serious misperceptions about the disorders, a new national poll found. Confusion about the definition and causes feeds into a stigma that has long surrounded learning disabilities, and leads to delays in diagnosis and early intervention that can change the course of a child’s life, the report said. Some 2.6 million students -- one in eight in the United States -- have been diagnosed with learning disabilities and receive special education in their schools. Many more are undiagnosed.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Teachers – ED.gov Blog

Inspiring the Next Generation of Teachers – ED.gov Blog

Inspiring the Next Generation of Teachers

Our nation focused on Education a few weeks ago as NBC transformed Rockefeller Center into a “Learning Plaza” (www.educationnation.com), where attendees walked through exhibits and gained information about the status of education in the United States. The two-day Education Nation Summit spotlighted some of the biggest issues we educators face today. The summit featured a Teacher Town Hall, many panel discussions on important topics regarding the challenges and opportunities of education reform, as well as a Department of Education announcement of the TEACH Campaign (www.teach.gov). TEACH celebrates teaching and offers resources and guidelines on how to enter the teaching profession. Many prominent educational leaders, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan participated in the Summit.

As baby boomers retire and we educate to compete in a 21st Century global society, our country will need many more outstanding teachers than are being prepared for the profession today. Secretary Duncan recently said that we require about 200,000 new teachers each year in the next 10 years. In addition, we need more Latino and African American males to enter the profession to provide role models and meaningful connections to the increasing numbers of Latino and African American students in our schools. African American and Latino males, for example, comprise less than 4% of our teaching profession. We’d love to hear from you!

How can we inspire and attract talented, accomplished people into the teaching profession? More specifically, how can we recruit more Latino and African American males into the profession?

Please help promote the TEACH Campaign:


www.teach.gov
www.facebook.com/teachgov
www.twitter.com/teachgov

Antero, Edit, Jemal, Jeff, Katie, Laurie, Leah, Linda, Lisa, Nick, Pam, Patrick, Tracey, Stephanie and Steve

Assembly passes main bill in California budget package - San Jose Mercury News

Assembly passes main bill in California budget package - San Jose Mercury News

Whittier sit-in rejects offer by “the genius” Huberman. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Whittier sit-in rejects offer by “the genius” Huberman. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Whittier sit-in rejects offer by “the genius” Huberman.

When long-time City Council member Eddy Burke said, “I don’t know what genius at the board of education made this decision, but whoever it is ought to see what it’s like to live overnight in a 35-degree dwelling place,” the genius was he was asking about was CPS boss Ron

Queens Teacher: Stop Scapegoating Teachers

Queens Teacher: Stop Scapegoating Teachers

Stop Scapegoating Teachers

Answer No. 1: Stop scapegoating teachers
September 27, 2010
Brian Jones

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How do we keep the good teachers?

The first thing we need to do is to stop vilifying teachers. Much of what passes for "reform" nowadays is really just a way to attack teachers. Even the blurb I received about the discussion on NBC begins with the following claims:

Research and school-based evidence around the country now confirms that the most important variable affecting the success of the student is the effectiveness of the teacher, and the second most important variable is the