NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT

NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:

NPE News Briefs

Student Loan Interest Rates Double | The Real News

by Jessica Desvarieux, TRNN Producer Senators left for their 4 July recess without solving one of the biggest impeding debt debacles we’ve seen in a while. On July 1, rates of federally subsidized Stafford student loans are set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Now joining us to discuss all this is Stephen Lendman. Stephen is a ...read moreThe post Student Loan Interest Rates Double | The

4min 

PARCC, Pearson, Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change | Scathing Purple Musings

by Bob Sikes – In Melissa Ross’s interview with Florida board of education chairman Gary Chartrand on WJTC radio this morning, Floridians were reminded of education commissioner’s Tony Bennett’s many conflicts of interests. Explaining the difference between the two assessment consortiums which will create standardized tests for Common Core – SMARTER Balanced and PARCC – ...read moreThe post PARCC,

4min 

Why Gary Chartrand and Tony Bennett’s School Grade Task Force May Be a Sham | Scathing Purple Musings

by Bob Sikes – Two top-flight reporters were obviously told two different things by Bennett or someone speaking for him. Postal’s timeline – a much more practical one – involves speaking with Chartrand.  O’Connor’s just Bennett. Has O’Connor unmasked Chartrand and Bennett’s task force to be a sham? If Bennett will be making his recommendations to ...read moreThe post Why Gary Chartrand and Tony Be

4min 

Pitbull and Walmart: Selling Charters & Caffeine Shots! | Jersey Jazzman

by Jersey Jazzman – I swear, I couldn’t make this stuff up: Today, the misogynist rapper Pitbull gave the opening speech at the 2013 National Charter Schools Conference. Pitbull is “founding” a charter in Miami that will be managed by the for-profit company Academica, which has already made gobs of cash by building school facilities ...read moreThe post Pitbull and Walmart: Selling Charters &

4min 

Hedge Ur Bets | EduShyster

by Mazinger Z – Charter school proponents were all atwitter last week when CREDO released an update to its landmark 2009 study comparing performance to their public schools “competition.” The press release trumpeted that in 2013, charter school students were a whole “8 days of learning in reading beyond their local peers in public schools,” ...read moreThe post Hedge Ur Bets | EduShyster appeared

4min 

State pulling out of the standardized testing through consortium | Susan Ohanian Speaks Out

Posted by Susan Ohanian – Ohanian Comment: Conservative Oklahoma school superintendent Janet Barresi has pulled the state out of PARCC. Are progressives allowed to cheer? Although I admit to being delighted when anybody pulls out of PARCC or Smarter Balanced, Not being knowledgeable Oklahoma’s “situation,” I can’t speak to the issue except to say that ...read moreThe post State pulling out of the

4min 

Charter Operator Stunned at 2013 National Charter Schools Conference | Cloaking Inequity

by an anonymous charter Superintendent; posted by Julian Vasquez Heilig – As I am sitting here at the National Charter Schools Conference in DC, I am stunned at the lack of experience on many of the “expert” panels. As a charter school leader, I am starting my 15th year working with a charter that was started ...read moreThe post Charter Operator Stunned at 2013 National Charter Schools Conference

4min 

Why I am sending my daughter to P.S. 163 | Teach for Us

by Gary Rubinstein’s Blog – Over the past year there have been several articles analyzing which schools people on both side of the ‘reform’ debate send their children to go to school.  For example, Obama’s kids go to Sidwell Friends.  Duncan sent his kids to the progressive Chicago Lab School. This information is interesting since ...read moreThe post Why I am sending my daughter to P.S. 163 | Tea

4min 

Enduring Cartoon Versions Driving Education Reform | @ The Chalk Face knows Schools Matter

by PLThomasEDD – I read this paragraph just an hour before heading to my graduate literacy course in which we are discussing deficit views of race, class, and literacy, focusing specifically on the corrosive work of Ruby Payne. Despite Payne’s books and workshops having no basis in the rich and diverse scholarship on race, class, ...read moreThe post Enduring Cartoon Versions Driving Education Ref

4min 

Teacher as Journalist – Faces of the Layoffs | @ The Chalk Face knows Schools Matter

News updates from Philadelphia Ken have been a breath of fresh air while the biggest news story of the century is being played out in public schools all across the country, you would never know it if you get your news from the boob tube. With the latest 24 hour cycle, 7 days a week ...read moreThe post Teacher as Journalist – Faces of the Layoffs | @ The Chalk Face knows Schools Matter appeared fi

4min 

AFT’s New Action Strategy: Write a Letter Begging Arne to Help Stop What His Policies Have Created | @ The Chalk Face knows Schools Matter

by Jim Horn – This morning my email box had a copy of a letter from AFT employee, Sabrina Stevens, on behalf of her boss, President Randi Weingarten: Hey, there! I hope this message finds you well. I think we’ve only met briefly (at the first SOS March), but I’m getting in touch to make ...read moreThe post AFT’s New Action Strategy: Write a Letter Begging Arne to Help Stop What His Policies Have

4min 

The revolution will not be standardized in the struggle for education | Waging NonViolence

The ground under education reform is beginning to shift. Families, chafing under years of state and mayoral control, are demanding a return to democratic processes. There’s the feeling of something lurching under the public education system, and with it our understanding of how resistance should look in the years to come. As high school students ...read moreThe post The revolution will not be stan

4min 

War on Teachers and Women is a War on Children | @ The Chalk Face knows Schools Matter

by FreeToTeach – The war on teachers, women and children is in full force — with sequestration in effect as Republicans  keep busy finding ways to curtail women’s rights, cuts to the most vulnerable children are looming because apparently there’s just not enough money to go around. Conveniently, there’s plenty of money for more high ...read moreThe post War on Teachers and Women is a War on Childr

4min 

Teachers Want Accountability From the Top | Living in Dialogue – Education Week Teacher

by Anthony Cody – Over the past decade teachers have grown accustomed to being on the receiving end of “accountability.” Our unions have been castigated by corporate leaders and philanthropists for “protecting bad teachers.” Bill Gates has pumped billions of dollars into an effort to create airtight accountability systems that use test scores to measure ...read moreThe post Teachers Want Accountab

4min 

Bloomberg DOE Hurries to Privatize As Many Schools As Possible Before He Leaves Office | Diane Ravitch’s blog

by Diane Ravitch – This is an alarming account of the frenzied efforts by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Department of Education to cement his “legacy” of opening privately managed charter schools while abandoning the public schools for which he is responsible. The high school named for the famed Socialist Norman Thomas will be closed and set ...read moreThe post Bloomberg DOE Hurries to Privatize As M

4min 

Why the Debate Over Standards Flounders | Diane Ravitch’s blog

by Arthur Camins; posted by Diane Ravitch – “Ironically, the critique of standards as unwarranted, creativity-stifling impositionsis grounded in many of the same autonomy assumptions about the power of unencumbered individuals to drive innovation and improvement. For example, many supporters and critics appear to share the idea that regulation stifles creativity. What separates the two ...read mor

4min 

Letter from a Pennsylvania Student: Stop the Keystones! | Diane Ravitch’s blog

by Jordynn Schwartz; posted by Diane Ravitch – A reader sent this letter written by her 14-year-old daughter. She should become active in the opt-out movement. She should contact Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson “At the Chalkface.” Mother and daughter: resist. Join with others. Don’t let them destroy your education in the name of “accountability.” ...read moreThe post Letter from a Pennsylvania Studen

4min 

Susan Ohanian Joins the Honor Roll | Diane Ravitch’s blog

by Diane Ravitch – Susan Ohanian has been speaking, blogging, and agitating against bad education ideas for many years. Her writing is informed by a finely tuned sense of humanism–that is, she cares about people, especially children, more than big ideas and grand policies that treat people like widgets. She speaks with honesty, candor, courage, ...read moreThe post Susan Ohanian Joins the Honor Ro

4min 

‘Life is not a multiple-choice test’ | The Answer Sheet – The Washington Post

by Ron Maggiano; posted by Valerie Strauss – I recently posted the resignation letter of Ron Maggiano, an award-winning social studies teacher at West Springfield High School in Fairfax County, after a 33-year teaching career — four years shy of full retirement. In the following post, Maggiano recalls his first day of teaching — and ...read moreThe post ‘Life is not a multiple-choice test’ | The A

4min 

A BAT teacher’s dream… | GoPublicSchool

by Amanda Shaw – As America’s public schools are attacked by those seeking profit, …as politicians grease the wheels of the corporate takeover, …as the general public, without the help of true journalism,  is fooled by the lies… a new group of teachers is rising to fill the void and become the true advocate of ...read moreThe post A BAT teacher’s dream… | GoPublicSchool appeared first on NPE News

4min 

Empire | Seattle Education

Empire | Seattle Education:

Empire

 While preparing for a class on the history of architecture and its evolution from Egypt to Rome,  I read about villages created for Roman soldiers in lands far away from Rome. It occurred to me that there were similarities between what the United States is doing today and the final days of the Roman Empire.

The extent of the Roman Empire during the rule of Augustus.

        What caught my attention initially was that there were small towns which were created to house soldiers in occupying countries in Europe, Greece, Turkey, part of the Middle East touching the Mediterranean and Africa. These towns were designed on a grid system. This was an innovation and would be considered the initial idea of “town planning” as we know it today. The streets were numbered or named and each house had a number that we would consider an address. It was easier with these designations to find a specific soldier. If you look at ancient towns in Egypt you see a labyrinth of pathways and streets. Not so with these Roman constructions.

The labyrinth of streets in ancient Cairo.

        To house, feed, arm and outfit soldiers was expensive and with each conquered land came another occupation to the point that more Roman money was being spent outside of Rome rather than on Rome itself and its citizens.

        From that viewpoint, it was the beginning of the implosion of an empire.

The New New Fatherhood - Dana Goldstein

The New New Fatherhood - Dana Goldstein:

The New New Fatherhood

The old "New Fatherhood" was about mainstream, middle-class American men redefining masculinity to encompass spending more time talking to, playing with, and caring for children. Today at the Daily Beast, I write about the New New Fatherhood, as depicted by the sociologists Kathryn Edin and Timothy Nelson in their important book Doing the Best I Can: Fatherhood in the Inner City. The study is a follow-up to one of the books I recommend most often: Edin's Promises I Can Keep, which pretty much demolished the myth of the "welfare mom."

The new book questions the stereotype of the "deadbeat dad." It describes how low-income fathers love and yearn to spend time with their children. But instead of seeing "quality time" as an add-on to the traditional expectation of the father as provider -- as in the New Fatherhood ideal -- single dads in economically depressed neighborhoods have argued that quality time and emotional connection are a fair substitute for earning and contributing financially to a child's core needs. This is the New New Fatherhood.

I write:

"The problem with this vision of 'doing the best I can' is that it really isn’t good enough. It leaves all the most difficult responsibilities of parenthood, financial and disciplinary, up to mothers. Edin and Nelson conclude that 'lower-class fathers have tried to bargain for a wholesale reversal of gender roles,' in which dads are the 'soft,' emotional parents and moms are the tough, pragmatic ones. If this were true, 

Jersey Jazzman: Janet Barresi Makes Jeb! Bush Cry

Jersey Jazzman: Janet Barresi Makes Jeb! Bush Cry:

Janet Barresi Makes Jeb! Bush Cry

Not another screw up from my Chiefs!

We simply cannot afford to wait any longer on the Common Core assessments! Jeb! Bush is leading the charge, and he will simply not tolerate delays! Randi Weingarten is wrong to attack to Common Core (even though she never did), and we should no longer put up with her and the other lovers of the status quo incessantly whining that we are not ready! Full speed ahead! All of Jeb!'s Chiefs For Change agree!

Er... don't they?

State Superintendent Janet Barresi announced Monday that she is withdrawing Oklahoma from testing through a consortium of 20 or so other states to coincide with the new Common Core curriculum standards. 

That would be the very same Janet Barresi who,

PARCC, Pearson, Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change | Scathing Purple Musings

PARCC, Pearson, Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change | Scathing Purple Musings:

PARCC, Pearson, Tony Bennett and Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change

+TAG

In Melissa Ross’s interview with Florida board of education chairman Gary Chartrand onWJTC radio this morning, Floridians were reminded of education commissioner’s Tony Bennett’s many conflicts of interests.
Explaining the difference between the two assessment consortiums which will create standardized tests for Common Core – SMARTER Balanced and PARCC – Chartrand mentioned as an aside that Bennett is the chairman of PARCC. Florida will be using PARCC. To be precise, PARCC classifies Florida as “a Governing State in and the Fiscal Agent for the PARCC Consortium.” As “fiscal agent,” Florida is designated as the state that makes the financial decisions on behalf of the other PARCC states – 2o and the District of Columbia.
On paper, the fiscal agent is Florida. In reality it’s Bennett.  Indiana’s was designated as fiscal agent while Bennett was the state’s top educator. He brought the title with him to Florida.
There’s more associations.  Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education has 

Sued once for sullying the good name of Democrats, DFER is at it again

California's frequently amended constitution

State's governing document has grown to 75,000 words.

By Gloria Romero

(From the Orange County Register, July 1, 2013)

As we celebrate the 237th anniversary of our nation's Declaration of Independence, it's a good time to become more familiar with another document that seeks to enshrine the rights of the people: the far-less familiar Constitution of the State of California. Understanding its contents, along with historical circumstances under which provisions were inserted, sheds light on both the workings of California government today and the challenges it portends for fostering a more perfect union in the future.

The U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787, 11 years after the Declaration of Independence. The California Constitution was adopted in 1849, in advance of attaining statehood, and superseded in 1879 by the current constitution.

A constitution is a basic governing document. Many argue that it should not be easy to alter a government's constitution. Amendments should only occur after thorough debate.

The U.S. Constitution has been amended less than 30 times. By sharp contrast, the California Constitution – 102 years younger – has been amended more than 500 times. California's 1879 constitution is the third- or fourth-longest in the world (depending on the source). It's even been castigated as "the perfect example of what a constitution ought not to be." It runs hundreds of pages and, at 75,000 words, is four times longer than the federal Constitution. Efforts have been made to both revise and curtail its verbosity.

Undoubtedly, California's constitution is bloated. Some provisions micromanage even the most minute of governmental functions, restraining the Legislature from effectively functioning. Yet, proposed amendments keep coming. With a Democratic supermajority in Sacramento, I last counted six constitutional amendments quietly winding their ways through the Legislature – not counting what might appear on next year's ballot.

On the other hand, California's constitution has been hailed as a people's constitution. The right to amend it via a direct vote of the people became a staple a century ago during California's Progressive Era, during which there was widespread public disgust with powerful special interests and their control over elected officials, politics and the economy (sound familiar?). The initiative process was designed as a tool for citizens when they believed legislatures failed to enact laws representative of the people. It was championed by the reformist governor Hiram Johnson in order to empower everyday citizens.

Used moderately until World War II, initiatives have sharply increased in the past several decades.

It is relatively simple to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot: Petitions must be signed by the equivalent of 8 percent of the voters in the most-recent gubernatorial election. That translates to usually less than 1 million signatures in a state of almost 40 million people. Most special interest groups or wealthy individuals can easily qualify ballot measures with a commitment of $1 million.

There have been several efforts to tighten the rules for putting initiatives on the ballot, such as requiring more voter signatures to qualify initiatives and to require that constitutional amendments win 55 percent voter approval, rather than a simple majority. Others argue that ballot measures should be subjected to pre-clearance hearings on their constitutionality.

Several measures have wound up in court, where some have been overturned. Last week's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Proposition 8 raises new questions about the obligation of state officials to defend citizen-initiated laws.

Take time this week to read our state's constitution. You might be surprised to learn what's buried in those clauses and even develop new perspectives on what contributes to keeping California dysfunctional – and what's needed to change.

Diane in the Evening 7-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

YO @alexanderrusso
This is Diane speaking to her Researchers

Duncan Urges Pennsylvania Officials to Act to Save Philly Schools

Secretary Arne Duncan publicly urged Pennsylvania officials to take action to save the public schools of Philadelphia.    

by dianerav / 22min 

Breaking News: Deasy Critic Wins L.A. Board Presidency

In a changing of the regime, the leadership of the Los Angeles school board changed hands. Six-term president Monica Garcia is out. Dr. Richard Vladovic was elected as president, with Steve Zimmer as vice-president. Garcia was a close ally of Mayor Villaraigosa.

by dianerav / 12min

Why Is TFA Replacing the Mississippi Teacher Corps?

In response to news that the Walton Family Foundation awarded $4.3 million to Teach for America to send its ill-trained recruits to the Delta, a reader sent this comment: What upset me most about this award was that the Mississippi Delta is served by our own Mississippi Teacher Corps, which provides more summer training than TFA and a lot more support during the school year. It also requires that

by dianerav /

Governor Corbett to Public Schools: Sorry.

Governor Tom Corbett passed a budget that shows his disdain for public education, I.e., the future of the state. Philadelphia got the back of his hand. The burden of paying down the debt created by the state’s own School Reform Commission (which reforms nothing) will be placed on the working class, while big corporations skip away with no responsibility. One plan, says columnist Will Bunch, is t

by dianerav / 5min 

The Empire Strikes Back Against Kids Who Opt Out Of State Tests

The New York City Department of Education is treating students who boycott state tests as failures and requiring them to go to summer school if they hope to be promoted. Even if their teacher recommends them for promotion, they will be punished. There are consequences for those who defy the DOE.

by dianerav / 3min 

Three Dozen People Rally to Support Vallas

In a surging groundswell of support, about three dozen people rallied for ousted Bridgeport superintendent Paul Vallas. The meeting was held in a church led by the president of the Board that appointed Vallas. The mayor of the city, Vallas’ strongest supporter, spoke on his behalf. Mayor Finch is hoping that Vallas will do for Bridgeport what he did for Chicago, Philadelphia, and Néw Orleans.

by dianerav / 

Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst Fundraising Falls Flat

When Michelle Rhee announced on “Oprah” the creation of her group called “StudentsFirst,” she said she would raise $1 billion in one year. Then she backtracked and said she would raise that amount in five years. Joy Resmovits of Huffington Post got copies of the group’s tax forms (which are made public), and Rhee is far short of her goal. “In the fiscal year starting August 1, 2011 and ending Ju

by dianerav / 36min

Joel Klein Intervenes in NYC Mayor Race to Defend Record

Joel Klein lambasted the Democratic candidates in the race to succeed Mayor Bloomberg for their criticism of his policies. Klein defended the policy of giving free public space to charters, even though many of the charters have billionaires on their boards. He also defended his record of closing schools with low test scores even though many of the replacement schools exclude low-scoring students.

by dianerav / 7min 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-2-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Letter from a Pennsylvania Student: Stop the Keystones!A reader sent this letter written by her 14-year-old daughter. She should become active in the opt-out movement. She should contact Tim Slekar and Shaun Johnson “At the Chalkface.” Mother and daughter: resist. Join with others. Don’t let them destroy your education in the name

by mike simpson / 12min 

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Missed Its Fundraising Goal, Tax Documents Reveal #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Missed Its Fundraising Goal, Tax Documents Reveal:

Failed DC Chancellor Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst Missed Its Fundraising Goal, Tax Documents Reveal

Posted: 07/02/2013 2:11 pm EDT  |  Updated: 07/02/2013 2:15 pm EDT

The national lobbying group that aims to spread the education-reform gospel of former Washington, D.C., public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee is hauling in significantly more cash but has so far failed to meet its own fundraising goals, recently filed tax documents obtained by The Huffington Post show.

When Rhee launched StudentsFirst in December 2011 in an appearance on "Oprah,"she said her goal was to raise $1 billion in one year. StudentsFirst then adjusted its projection, saying it aimed to raise that hefty sum over five years.

The group still appears to be falling short. In the fiscal year starting August 1, 2011 and ending July 31, 2012, StudentsFirst raised $28.5 million, more than tripling its $7.6 million fundraising the previous year. During that period, the group's political 501(c)(4) arm raised $15.6 million and spent $13.4 million. Rhee herself drew a salary of about $300,000.

The lackluster fundraising news comes as Rhee faces a significant amount of staff turnover and questions about the group's effectiveness.

When it launched, StudentsFirst billed itself as a single-issue group in the tradition of the NRA, rolling out a lengthy policy document that zeroed in on measures that affec

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson given millions for his causes - Business - The Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson given millions for his causes - Business - The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson given millions for his causesBy Ryan Lillisrlillis@sacbee.comPublished: Sunday, Jun. 30, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 1ALast Modified: Sunday, Jun. 30, 2013 - 1:40 pmA Marriage Made IN ....Over the past 18 months, retail giant Wal-Mart and a charity funded by the company's foundin

by mike simpson / 2h 

Indiana universities rethink student teaching | Hechinger Report

Indiana universities rethink student teaching | Hechinger Report:

The 4 hidden powers of games for learning

John Scott Tynes started programming in the early 1980s, in middle school. “The main thing I did was play games and make games,” he said–from text-based adventure games to a crude graphics game inspired by Indiana Jones that featured a “fedora” (as seen from overhead, really, two concentric circles) cracking a “whip.” Tynes went on to work across the gaming universe, on everything from tabletop r

by Anya Kamenetz / 1min mark as read  //  save

Indiana universities rethink student teaching

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — On her last day of student teaching, Kirsten Smock was trying to guide her first-graders at West Terrace Elementary School through a lesson about fractions. She put up a picture of a circle divided in thirds, with one piece shaded green, and prompted students to describe the image. She wanted students to say that “two of three equal parts” were still white, but many didn’t get i

by Sarah Butrymowicz / 1min 

Teachers on screen: Video could be key tool

Indianapolis Star For Marcus Robinson, the CEO of EdPower, videotaping teachers started out as just a way to solve a nagging student-teacher classroom conflict. EdPower runs two charter schools and last summer began managing Arlington after the state took the school over from Indianapolis Public Schools, citing six years of low test scores. Katie Bonfiglio, a 9th grade English Teacher at Arlington

by Scott Elliott / 1min

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Tuesday, July 2, 2013 #neara13 #RYH4Ed #BATsACT

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Be True To Your School

Education Headlines

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Monterey County trying to prevent 'summer learning loss'

Although he doesn't know it, George is a lucky boy. He's one of only a few hundred in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District who gets to participate in summer classes, perhaps avoiding a much discussed dilemma now facing public education in the United States.

Alisal superintendent cleared in credit card audit, but district encouraged to increase controls

An audit into charges by Alisal Union District Superintendent John Ramirez to a district-issued credit card has cleared him of wrongdoing but also found the district needs to beef up its internal control policies.

New Upland Unified superintendent wants to enhance student programs

Nancy Kelly was not planning on starting her position as Upland Unified School District superintendent until this month. But, when the district's budget troubles became evident, she decided to step in early.

Westminster superintendent put on leave

The Westminster school board on Monday placed Superintendent Richard Tauer on an indefinite paid leave, sparking vocal complaints from members of a crowd of 170 and a push to recall the board's president and clerk.

County community schools program graduates troubled teens

It’s often said that everyone deserves a second chance, but what about a third or fourth? Students enrolled in the Juvenile Court and Community Schools program run by the San Diego County Office of Education are given the opportunity to earn it.

Schools focus on science, math fields

The fastest-growing career fields require education in science, technology, engineering or math, so Inland school districts are bumping up those classes or starting academies to delve more deeply into the topics.

Union City New Haven Unified sells former school site for $14 million

New Haven Unified has sold a former school property for more than $14 million, bolstering the district's coffers and illustrating further that the region's once-dormant real estate market is rebounding.

Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill for education funding

Gov. Jerry Brown signed sweeping education legislation Monday that changes the state funding formula for K-12 schools in a way that he hopes will help boost the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.

Marwell: Districts must plan carefully to make most of state, federal money for technology

California’s education leaders must take responsibility for ensuring that every district in California has the information it needs to make the most of this opportunity to upgrade classrooms for the 21st century. In an era of scarce resources, it is imperative that California’s school districts do their homework before committing the one-time funding that the governor and Legislature have had the vision to provide.

Judge rejects claim that yoga in schools is religious instruction

A San Diego Superior Court judge Monday rejected a claim by parents in the Encinitas elementary school system that teaching yoga in the schools is an improper attempt at religious indoctrination.

L.A. County must pay millions to LAUSD

An appeals court has ordered Los Angeles County to refund the Los Angeles Unified School District millions of dollars in redevelopment area property tax revenues that it had inaccurately withheld for years, and avoid shortchanging the LAUSD in the future.

Jerry Brown signs school funding overhaul

Gov. Jerry Brown ushered in the most sweeping changes to the way California funds its public schools in 25 years on Monday, signing into law a new funding formula that was the centerpiece of his legislative agenda for the year.

Governor Jerry Brown signs pension reform law exception for new leader of Inglewood Unified

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a little-known bill Monday that allows the new state-appointed leader of the troubled Inglewood Unified School District to collect his pension while getting paid by the K-12 district.

Fensterwald: Infusion of money for career education in new state budget

Programs that prepare students for college and careers are about to get a jolt of one-time state money that supporters are counting on to lead to a permanent and sustainable expansion of programs.

Monday, July 1, 2013

S.F. City College's finances in disarray

Money management at City College of San Francisco is rife with problems - from payroll headaches to infighting to poorly trained staff - even after a year of transformation, concludes a new analysis of how the troubled school manages its $343 million budget.

The face of Stockton USD's finances

Wayne Martin, whose demeanor is the very embodiment of the cautious and serious budgeting wonk, is retiring from Stockton Unified this week, and those who know him may find his first after-career destination to be both ironic and counterintuitive.

Grand jury: Marin schools safe, but could be better prepared for emergencies

The grand jury, in a report released last week, found there is a lack of solid and consistent training when it comes to preparing school employees for emergencies. It said schools in the county's 18 districts struggle with evaluating their safety plans, keeping safety teams intact when there are staff turnovers and maintaining adequate emergency supplies.