Friday, April 16, 2010

Students Are Mostly Individual, Pleasure-Seeking Calculators � The Quick and the Ed

Students Are Mostly Individual, Pleasure-Seeking Calculators

by Forrest Hinton

Incentives matter—a lot. In fact, incentives are the driving forces of all human actions and behaviors, by definition. People would literally sit motionless and quiet if there weren’t compelling reasons to speak or to take action. Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to remain in motion, unless acted on by another force. That force, for humans, and for other animals, is the incentive.
Some incentives encourage people to perform certain behaviors. When my body has gone without food for a period of time, a chemical reaction occurs in my stomach that tells my brain that I need victuals. This uneasy feeling inside of me causes me to move from where I am to seek out steak or apples or Starbursts. Other incentives (called disincentives) discourage me from certain behaviors. When I drive down the highway, I follow the speed limit mostly because I fear that law enforcement will pull me over and charge me a fine, causing me to

Colleges Matter

by Ben Miller

At the end of Anya Kamentez’s new book DIY U (look for a review here in the next few days), there’s a fascinating quote from Dennis Littky, a psychologist who runs 50 charter schools across the country:
“When kids drop out of high school people blame the high school. When they drop out of college they blame the high school or the kid. What about the college? Do you take any responsibility?”
Littky is getting at one of the biggest disconnects between how we think about K-12 and higher education. In the former, schools matter immensely, and student failure can be largely blamed on bad teaching and schools. In the latter case, the university matters little—low-income students fail because of their background and they are just harder to educate.
But what makes this belief even stranger is it’s not backed up by data. Research published in Crossing the Finish Line and elsewhere has concretely demonstrated that the odds of graduating for two academically identical students will vary significantly based upon the type and quality of the school in which they first choose

News10.net | Sacramento, California | Education Home

Education News

CSU Stanislaus' Stockton campus feels empty

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Class cuts and declining student interest at CSU Stanislaus is leaving some classes with just a single student.

Campus bigamy: More students taking classes at multiple colleges to get a higher education

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With college cuts forcing fewer and fewer class options for students, many are being forced to take whichever classes they can get -- even if they're at different schools.

Horizon Charter School's abrupt shutdown leaves students, parents puzzled, angry

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Parents are upset about Horizon Charter School closing down classes for an independent study program in south Sacramento.

More Education News

How Florida Can Move Forward With Reform � The Quick and the Ed

How Florida Can Move Forward With Reform

by Bill Tucker

There’s one local education agency (LEA) in Florida that has actually been operating for years with many of the reforms contained in the now-vetoed SB6: no teacher tenure, annual contracts, and merit pay. That same LEA has had no trouble attracting students (it’s the fastest growing in the state) or strong teachers (it has low teacher turnover, receives many applications for each opening, boasts a high number of national board certified teachers, and grew its full-time teaching force from just over 100 in 2005 to over 700 by 2009).
Ironically, the same Florida legislature that passed SB6 cut that LEA’s funding more than an

4 Sports To Be Cut At UC Davis - KCRA 3 Sports News Story - KCRA Sacramento

4 Sports To Be Cut At UC Davis

Dozens Of Students Affected By Athletic Department Cuts

POSTED: 11:28 am PDT April 16, 2010
UPDATED: 11:37 am PDT April 16, 2010

KCRA File

Four sports programs will be shut down at the University of California, Davis starting this summer.

Women's rowing, men's wrestling, men's swimming and diving, and men's indoor track and field are being cut, affecting 73 female athletes and 80 men.

It's unclear how many staff members will be affected by the cuts.

July 1 is the last day for the four sports.

The university is looking at slashing about $2 million out of the $20 million athletics budget.

Greg Warzecka, the university's director of athletics, said last week that

The Incredible Shrinking D.C. Surplus

by Stephen Sawchuk

So just how much cash does the District of Columbia's school system actually have? Good question, and there's a big interagency fight here in town going on to get to the bottom of it.
You may remember that last year that the district's school system cited a huge budget deficit to justify the layoffs of over 260 educators. The Washington Teachers' Union claimed that the deficit was being contrived by the district, but lost a court case arguing to have those teachers reinstated.
Then, Rhee stunned the D.C. council last week—and incensed the union—by saying that preliminary budget figures from show a $34 million surplus to help fund the performance-pay program in the district's tentative bargaining pact. The WTU took the surplus as further evidence that Rhee contrived the budget cuts, and it is planning to reopen its suit against the district.
Except that there's a new wrinkle: The $34 million surplus doesn't really exist, says D.C.'s chief financial officer,

It’s all about the exit strategy… | Reflections on Teaching

It’s all about the exit strategy…

April 16th, 2010 · No Comments · politics/policy

Three guys decide to play a round of golf: a priest, a psychologist, and an economist.

They get behind a *very* slow two-some, who, despite a caddy, are taking all day to line up their shots and four-putting every green, and so on. By the 8th hole, the three men are complaining loudly about the slow play ahead and swearing a blue streak, and so on. The priest says, “Holy Mary, I pray that they should take some lessons before they play again.” The psychologist says, “I swear there are people that like to play golf slowly.” The economist says, “I really didn’t expect to spend this much time playing a round of golf.”

By the 9th hole, they have had it with slow play, so the psychologist goes to the caddy and demands that they be allowed to play through. The caddy says O.K., but then explains that the two golfers are blind, that both are retired firemen who lost their eyesight saving people in a fire, and that explains their slow play, and would they please not swear and complain so loud.

The priest is mortified; he says, “Here I am a man of the cloth and I’ve been swearing at the slow play of two blind men.” The psychologist is also mortified; he says, “Here I am a man trained to help others with their problems and I’ve been complaining about the slow play of two blind men.”

The economist ponders the situation-finally he goes back to the caddy and says, “Listen, the next time could they play at night.”
– JokeEc-Jokes about Economics and Economist

This joke illustrates how economist view their work and approach in comparison to psychologist. In this view, psychologist are all about helping others by being kind, while the economist takes the purely functional approach. I think this overly idealizes the practicality of economists, and underestimates the functional approach in some branches of psychology, especially when it comes to education. I think economist could learn something from what’s been done there already since the overlap between behavioral economics and behavioral psychology looks

If You Can Read This, Thank a Non-Teacher? | Intercepts

If You Can Read This, Thank a Non-Teacher?

by Mike Antonucci

I’ve spent a lot of time and space the last few weeks writing about the number of teachers vs. the number of students. Jay P. Greene goes a step further and notes the real boom in education hiring has been among non-teachers – not just administrators, but support staff, secretaries, custodians, specialists, counselors, aides, you name it.
Jay’s blog post cites the National Center for Education Statistics finding that in 1950 American public schools employed one non-teacher for every 2.36 teachers. In 2007, there are almost as many non-teachers as teachers.
How this works out at the state level is best illustrated by the New York State Public School Report Card for 2008-09, which on page 4 disaggregates staffing numbers in a pair of tables (I combine the relevant numbers from two tables here):

voiceofsandiego.org | Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Make it even better with the newsblitz:

We give you a chance to look over the agreement that San Diego Unified struck with its former finance chief. Notice anything interesting? Let us know!

KPBS also talks about the factors that might have led the finance chief, James Masias, toresign and chalks much of it up to stress.

Ninety percent of Vista teachers say they want their superintendent to be replaced, the North County Times reports. Teachers have been sparring with the school district over cuts.

The Union-Tribune reports that Grossmont schools have scrapped the idea of naming an Alpine high school after Ronald Reagan.

A documentary follows Brooklyn Tech’s step team drama | GothamSchools

A documentary follows Brooklyn Tech’s step team drama

by Maura Walz

I confess: I’m gripped by whether the fictional McKinley High School glee club will win regionals. But right now I also love a short documentary that finds a similar real-life drama closer to home — will Brooklyn Tech’s girls step team ever win a competition?
“Step Brooklyn” follows the high school team through the 2008-09 school year as steppers audition, balance rehearsals with heavy course-loads, and try to win for the first time in years. It’s fascinating, and it’s currently up for a Webby award. (Full disclosure: “Step Brooklyn” was produced by three former classmates of mine, so I’m partial.)
Here’s a teaser from the documentary. You can watch the full half-hour video here.

NEA - National Teacher Day

National Teacher Day

May 4, 2010

Great Teachers Make Great Public Schools

On National Teacher Day, thousands of communities take time to honor their local educators and acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in making sure every student receives a quality education. This year's event takes place on May 4, 2010.

Teacher Thank-You Project

Join NEA’s effort to say “thank you” to teachers by participating in our Teacher Thank-You Project.

2010 Artwork and Materials Available

Be sure to download our 2010 poster and Web banners. Also, take a look at our sample proclamation, news release, and activity ideas to plan an unforgettable National Teacher Day event in your community.

2009 Events

NEA’s Teacher Thank-You Project

To kick-off National Teacher Day 2009, hundreds of local public school students and their teachers joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, members of Congress, and NEA President Dennis Van Roekel on May 4 to unveil NEA’s "Teacher Thank-You Project," a never-before-seen collection of thousands of thank-you cards artfully displayed on a larger-than-life mural measuring 8 feet tall and 75 feet wide. View photos from the event.

This project is an unprecedented effort to collect thank-you messages for teachers around the world. Thousands of cards from celebrities, athletes, lawmakers, notable public figures, and individuals have been compiled. To see a virtual version of the mural, watch video from the unveiling, and view pictures, go toTeacher Thank-You Project.

VIDEO

Teachers...We Just Want to Say Thanks!
Watch this video to see NEAs Teacher Thank-You Project, a first-ever effort to publicly thank teachers for their commitment and dedication to students.

Education Notebook What’s this blog about? Rochester community

Education Notebook

APR12

What’s this blog about?

CGR empowers the Rochester community to engage in informed debate, make wise community decisions, and hold our leaders accountable.

Our current partnership with Rochester City School District—acting as the public’s representative, documenting and reporting honestly on district progress, shortfalls and roadblocks—is an exciting new way of achieving our mission. Many in our community have lost faith in the district’s ability to significantly improve outcomes for our children. Yet our City’s future depends on its success.

When Superintendent Brizard and the Board of Education launched their strategic plan, they engaged us to assess the implementation of that plan. Foundation and donor funds also support this work. We have two main roles:

1. CGR acts as a mirror to the District, asking questions, sharing observations, identifying roadblocks.

2. CGR is a reputable and regular communication channel to the community. To many, RCSD must earn its credibility back, and the community needs more than annual test scores and graduation rates to assess its progress. Look for blogs, formal progress reports, and public forums on the District’s progress. With all that’s going on with education at the state and national levels, we hope to offer helpful context and analysis.

The work of reforming a school district is urgent, complex and just plain hard. CGR believes that by providing information, explanation and perspectives to the community, we can be a catalyst in moving education in Rochester forward.

Who are we?

Prior to our lives as CGR researchers, we were: a teacher, an economist, a reporter, a pastor, a youth worker, a professor. We are parents of RCSD students and of home schoolers. We are City and suburban residents and we are all passionate about education in Rochester. (See our bios.)

Elk Grove Citizen : Take a dip, give a dime

Elk Grove Citizen : Feature Story

Take a dip, give a dime

Freezing in 50 degree temperatures after their participation in the swim-a-thon were Makayln Bottge and Soriyah Amali.

Swim-a-thon raises $20K for high school aquatics

By Citizen staff

Published: Friday, April 16, 2010 10:07 AM PDT

Taking the $61 million school district budget shortfall in their own hands, supporters of the aquatic programs for Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) raised nearly $20,000 to help keep the district’s swimming program intact for the 2010-11 school year.

Hundreds of swimmers, coaches, parents and supporters converged on the Laguna Creek Racquet Club on Saturday April 10 for the first Sunrise to Sunset Swim-a-thon. Swimmers from eight Elk Grove high schools, several area masters swim programs, the Laguna Creek Gators, the Elk Grove Piranhas and the Cosumnes River Aquatics swim teams participated in the first major fundraiser put on by the Elk Grove Area Aquatic Sports Foundation or EGAAS.

EGAAS Treasurer Dave Pringle estimated the event raised $20,000, which will go to support the continuation of high school aquatics programs in the Elk Grove Unified School District.

Not only high school students swam but also elementary school students, middle school students, parents, coaches, master swimmers, triathletes and others.

Notable participants included: 1984 Olympic gold medalist Jeff Float, who coached swimming for a decade in Elk Grove and whose 50th birthday it was that day; Leon Tuttle, age 75, who swam to support his grandson Nick Tuttle; a high school swimmer and water polo player, head coach of the Laguna Creek Gators; the Cosumnes Oaks High School swim team Sara Ruddell; head coach of the Elk Grove Piranhas and assistant coach of the Laguna Creek High School team Brenda Smart; head coach of the Franklin Wildcats Stuart Jackson; assistant

Council members heading to D.C. to ask for funds

By Cody Kitaura - Citizen Staff Writer

Published: Friday, April 16, 2010 10:17 AM PDT

This weekend, four Elk Grove City Council members will be among 300 delegates headed to Washington, D.C., to request federal funding for local projects.

The Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce is organizing this annual trip for the Capitol-to-Capitol program.

Cap-to-Cap vice chair Tim Murphy said while many other groups descend on the U.S. Capitol at the same time to ask for funding, the Sacramento group is the largest and will include elected officials and business leaders from across the six-county region.

That group will include every member of Elk Grove’s city council except Council Member Gary Davis, who said he won’t be able to attend because of work.

Elk Grove Mayor Sophia Scherman took the trip several times including last year’s visit. She said the sheer number of officials lobbying on Capitol Hill makes for long security lines and crowded elevators.

She recalled having meetings scheduled every 15 or 20 minutes, and sometimes only having five minutes to make her pitch.

“You’re always talking to somebody all day,” Scherman said in a phone interview. “There’s absolutely no downtime at all.”

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