SAC Agenda for August 2012 - State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care (CA Dept of Education)

SAC Agenda for August 2012 - State Board of Education (CA Dept of Education):

California State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care

California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, CA 95814

Wednesday, August 22, 2012
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Council Members

Pete Cervinka, Co-chair
Camille Maben, Co-chair

Nancy Bargmann
Magdalena Carrasco
Julian Crocker
Sydney Fisher-Larson
Mark Friedman
Linda James Perry
Katie Johnson
Nancy Remley
Ryan Storm
Natalie Woods Andrews

MEETING AGENDA

Item 1 Welcome, Introductions and Opening Comments

Sue Burr, Senior Education Policy Advisor, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.; SAC Co-Chairs Pete Cervinka, Program Deputy Director, Benefits and Services, California Department of Social Services and Camille Maben, Director, Child Development Division, California Department of Education

Item 2 Roles and Responsibilities of the State Advisory Council

Overview of the council mission, functions, and responsibilities as stated in the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007.

Item 3 Presentation on the California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan (A Required American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Project)

The California Comprehensive Early Learning Plan (CCELP) is a required plan for the future of California’s system of early learning and care. This presentation includes the purpose and key elements of the CCELP, progress to date, and a timeline.

Item 4 Overview of Additional American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Projects

A summary of early care and education projects funded by $10.8 million of federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars. There are ten projects at varying stages of implementation, including the Comprehensive Plan. The projects are all intended to improve kindergarten preparedness in the state, leading to improved long-term outcomes.

Item 5 Overview of Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge

An overview of California’s application and progress on the $52.6 million federal Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant. Approximately 74 percent of California’s RTT-ELC grant funding will be spent at the local level to support a voluntary network of 17 Regional Leadership Consortia (Consortia), to implement Quality Rating and Improvement Systems. RTT-ELC also funds ten other projects. The grant objective is to improve the quality of early learning programs and close the achievement gap for children with high needs.

*** ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING ***

Please note: This council was named the Head Start and Early Learning Advisory Committee when originally designated by Governor Brown. It is now referred to as the State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care.

THE ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE

Public comment is taken on each agenda item. If you wish to speak, place your name on the sign-in list. Prior to making your comments, please state your name for the record and identify any group or organization you represent. Depending on the number of individuals wishing to address the commission, the chair may establish specific time limits on presentations.

Materials available for this meeting are posted on the State Board of Education Web site no later than the Monday preceding the meeting. Any person who wishes to request this notice or other meeting materials in an alternative format, requires translation services, or needs any disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, which would enable that person to participate at the meeting, must make that request at least seven days prior to the meeting date to Simon Marquez (contact information below).

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY

Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in a meeting or function may request assistance by contacting Simon Marquez, 1430 N Street, Suite 3410, Sacramento, CA, 916-319-0625, smarquez@cde.ca.gov.

Questions: State Board of Education 

Pass / Fail : Size matters in new district-level 'Race to the Top' competition | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : Size matters in new district-level 'Race to the Top' competition | 89.3 KPCC:

Size matters in new district-level 'Race to the Top' competition

by By Tami Abdollah

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside L.A. Unified headquarters downtown as the board met inside to discuss the district's dire budget picture. (March 2012) LAUSD hopes the new Race to the Top competition will bring them much-needed dollars. Credit: Tami Abdollah / KPCC
The new Race to the Top application, which for the first time this year allows districts to apply directly to the federal government for the competitive awards, will also allow larger school districts to qualify for more money, said LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy.
Deasy said he had only just received the application information today and was reviewing it.
"I'm reading it literally as we speak," Deasy said. "I'm extremely pleased with what appears to be a major 

Dear Meryl Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Dear Meryl:

Dear Meryl

by admin

Ms. Meryl Streep

c/o Leslee Dart

Dart Group

sent by facsimile

212 277 7550

If you really appreciate teachers, please pull out of

phony “Teachers Rock” event promoting

the themes of the “Won’t Back Down” movie:

public school privatization and wholesale teacher firing

Dear Ms Streep:
I am writing to ask you to reconsider your participation in the “Teachers Rock” event next week. As parents, we are concerned that this event is part of a larger propaganda campaign to force privatization on public schools. The movie, “Won’t Back Down,” is just the latest and most intensive move in this effort.
While we have been unable to view the entire movie, we have seen the trailer and read promotional stories that are already being published. We also know that the producer, Walden Media and Philip Anschutz, were behind the “Waiting for Superman” documentary whose one-sided and often misleading content created a great deal of controversy among those of us who strongly support our nation’s teachers. Even Roger Ebert eventually rethought his positive “Superman” review.
“Won’t Back Down” is poised to be equally if not more controversial because it claims to be “based on real events” about the “parent trigger law” which allows parents to sign petitions to close their school and turn it into a charter school.
As an active and informed parent, I know that parent empowerment is not the real agenda behind this so-called parent trigger law. It was in fact written by the head of a charter management company which initiated the first parent trigger campaign. The law was taken up by ALEC and has been pushed in a number of other states with generous financial backing of the Walton Foundation (which is sponsoring “Teacher Rocks”) and other corporate school reform funders.
Our small Chicago organization and a larger network with which we are affiliated, Parents Across America, are working to get out the truth about “Won’t Back Down.” We can’t afford to put on a big show or produce a Hollywood movie to make our voices heard, but we do hope you will listen to us. You can find more information about this issue on our web sites, www.pureparents,org and www.parentsacrtossamerica.org.
Thank you so much for your attention.
Best wishes,

Julie Woestehoff
Executive Director

Time to tweet some stars about the Won’t Back Down movie

by admin

The propaganda campaign for the parent trigger law created by charter school operators and promoted by ALEC is in full swing.
The big kick-off event is a concert called “Teachers Rock.” Like the “parent tricker” itself, this concert pretends to honor teachers while promoting a movie, “Won’t Back Down,” that is designed to get a lot of them fired and replaced by Teach for America newbies.
The concert will take place this Tuesday, Aug, 14th, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. CBS will air a one-hour special using footage from the concert and the WBD movie, tributes to teachers from stars, etc. on Friday, Aug. 17th, at 8 pm EDT.
We know that most of the performers, like the actors in the movie, don’t have a clue how they are being used to

GO TO Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Dear Meryl: 

Outrage in Philadelphia! « Diane Ravitch's blog

Outrage in Philadelphia! « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Outrage in Philadelphia!

by dianerav

The $2 billion William Penn Foundation has funded the Philadelphia Student Union for 17 years.
However, the student union does not support the foundation’s radical plan to privatize large numbers of public schools in Philadelphia.
Surprise! The William Penn Foundation will no longer fund the Philadelphia Student Union.
William Penn, the large-hearted man for whom the foundation is named, would not approve.

A Student Voice of Wisdom

by dianerav

I discovered Stephanie Rivera on Twitter. Ah, the power of social media. Stephanie took issue with Students for Education Reform, which is a mini-version of the Wall Street hedge fund managers group called Democrats for Education Reform. DFER thinks that charter schools will close the achievement gap, but sadly there is no evidence==other than an anecdote about a handful of charters–that this remotely possible on any scale. It hasn’t happened in Washington, D.C., which is awash in TFA and charters, nor in New Orleans, nor in New York City. Where is the evidence that they can close the achievement gap other than by skimming top students and kicking out low-performing students?
Stephanie met with the leaders of SFER in her part of New Jersey, and they tried to convince her she was wrong 

Poverty & Race! A must read! « Deborah Meier on Education

Poverty & Race! A must read! « Deborah Meier on Education:

Poverty & Race! A must read!

by debmeier

I’m resting up after a provocative conference of SOS in Washington D.C. I come away more determined, but full of questions. It was a gathering of good friends and allies and we all left with new ideas for next steps. While there I picked up a bi-monthly publication I had not read before. I just read it (14 pages in all).
Advice: read Poverty and Race, published by Poverty and Race Research Action Council, (info@prrc.org) It’s advisory board includes some friends/colleagues such as Pedro Noguerro, Gary Orfield, Bill Kornblum, and more. I’m reading volume 22, number 3 (May-June) which consists of three great little essays. One is on building a movement “in a Limited Age” by Deepak Bhargave of the Center for Community Change in Washington D.C. It’s a must read as a follow-up for our three days together at SOS. After exploring the data regarding how people 

Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education | Truth in American Education

Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education | Truth in American Education:

Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education

by Shane Vander Hart

Do you remember when Republicans used to be considered the party of local control?  I don’t think they can accurately be portrayed that way anymore, at least not when you look at the leadership within the party.  There has been a bipartisan assault at the federal level by former President George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind and President Barack Obama with Race to the Top, the Common Core State Standards, dictating school lunch menus and portions and the No Child Left Behind waivers.  Unfortunately Mitt Romney doesn’t look like he’s going to be much better especially since he’s been getting his education policy advise from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who has been a Republican cheerleader of the Common Core State Standards.

States have, by and large, allowed this to happen.

At the state level it isn’t much better.  Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s track record on local control has been abysmal, and this upcoming legislative session look for more of the same.  He’s going to keep trying to push 

Pass / Fail : Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption | 89.3 KPCC:

Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption

by By Tami Abdollah

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal has invalidated LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption at 45 schools. Credit: Cayoup/Flickr (Creative Commons-licensed)
A major class-action settlement that gives LAUSD teachers layoff protection at several dozen schools in high-poverty areas has been invalidated by the California 2nd District Court of Appeal.
The 2 to 1 decision, with Associate Justice Kathryn Doi Todd dissenting and Associate Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst and Associate Justice Victoria M. Chavez concurring, focuses on the technical aspects of Reed vs. United 

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying ! « MomsRising Blog

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying ! « MomsRising Blog:

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying !

by Mary Olivella

While we continue the momentum towards passage of the DREAM Act, mothers across the country are standing in support of the 1.76 million immigrant youth who will be able, starting August 15, 2012, to seek a form of administrative relief from deportation.
This first step in the long-awaited deportation relief for youth who came to our country as children is an immense victory for families across the nation.  With that said, MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground family-oriented advocacy group of more than one million members across the nation, urges people to be very careful and thorough when applying for this new process.
At MomsRising we are absolutely thrilled that families with DREAM-eligible youth can begin to have peace-of-mind thanks to this deferred action,  although the DREAM Act is still necessary to provide youth with a permanent solution.  In applying for deferred action,we ask our youth and their parents to be very cautious when 

HechingerEd Blog | Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements

HechingerEd Blog | Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements:

Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements

by Sarah Garland

This week the Obama administration announced it had released a total of 33 states from some No Child Left Behind requirements with the approval of Nevada’s application for a waiver from the law. “While well intentioned, the law’s rigid, top-down prescriptions for reform have proved burdensome for many states,” a statement from the U.S. Department of Education said.
But some states seem to be feeling the same way about the Obama administration’s own prescriptions for reform.

(photo courtesy of Daniel J. Calderón)

Georgia is in a contentious battle with the feds over the money it won through the Race to the Top competition. The Department of Education has threatened to reduce the state’s award by $33 million after Georgia changed 

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier | ED.gov Blog

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier | ED.gov Blog:

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Cross-posted from the White House Office of Public Engagement

Earlier this year, I had the most amazing opportunity – to be part of a dynamic and creative team of people who are making it easier for high-school students and adult learners to achieve their dreams of going to college.  I work at the Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) which provides over $150 billion in grants, loans and work-study funds every year to individuals going to college and career schools.  This summer, we launched a new website along with a Facebook page, a Twitter account and, a YouTube channel.  Each of these new resources are designed to make it easier for students and parents to understand and navigate the financial aid process.

What makes it exciting for me is that I know these new resources will help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders like me achieve their dreams for higher education.  I, along with many of my family members and friends, was able to go to college and graduate school because we had access to financial aid.  Below is an overview of all of FSA’s new resources that you can now take advantage of. I hope you take the time to go through the resources and that they help you achieve your academic dreams.

If you’re a student thinking about college or career school or a borrower already in repayment, the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid has launched some exciting new tools to help you through the financial aid process.

StudentAid.gov is a new website that provides straightforward and easy-to-understand information about planning and paying for college. The site combines content and interactive tools from several ED websites.

StudentAid.gov offers more than just information in an easy-to-read format; it also features videos and infographics to help answer the most frequently asked questions about financial aid.

As a mobile-optimized website, StudentAid.gov is fully accessible on tablets and smartphones. StudentAid.gov’s new look was tested with students, parents and borrowers, and we will continue to make improvements and updates based on your feedback.

Some New Features:

Income-Based Repayment Calculator: If your student loan debt is high but your income is modest, you may qualify for the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). To find out whether you might be eligible to repay your loan under IBR, use our new IBR calculator.

Videos: We’ve developed videos to help make the financial aid process easier to understand. We’ll continue to roll out new videos and update our playlists on the Federal Student Aid YouTube channel.

Infographics: Our infographics will help you understand what steps you need to take to get money for college or career school.

Social Media: In addition to StudentAid.gov, Federal Student Aid has also launched Twitter and  Facebook  to offer you alternative options to learn about the student aid process.

Vandna Wendy Bhagat is the Director of Awareness and Outreach for the Office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education.

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Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline' - CNN.com

Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline' - CNN.com:

Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline'

By Michael Martinez, CNN

updated 5:08 PM EDT, Fri August 10, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• U.S. Justice Department accuses Lauderdale County of violating constitutional rights of pupils
• Juveniles accused of school offenses are jailed and not given due process, feds say
• African-Americans and children with disabilities are most affected
• In 2010, the county settled a separate class-action suit and pledged juvenile justice reforms

(CNN) -- Officials in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, have operated "a school-to-prison pipeline" that violates the constitutional rights of juveniles by incarcerating them for alleged school disciplinary infractions, some as minor as defiance, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.

"Students most affected by this system are African-American children and children with disabilities," the Justice Department said.

The federal agency's civil rights division seeks "meaningful negotiations" in 60 days to end the constitutional violations or else a federal lawsuit would be filed against state, county and local officials in Meridian, according to a Justice Department letter dated Friday to those officials.

The letter also names two Lauderdale County Youth Court judges, 

Ed Roundup for 8-10-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Ed Roundup for 8-10-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Education Roundup for the Week Ending August 10, 2012

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.

More High School Career Technical Education
Courses Now Meet Rigorous UC Standards

More than 10,000 high school career technical education (CTE) courses now meet the rigorous college preparatory course standards, known as "a-g," that are used for admission at the University of California and California State University.

That's nearly one-fourth of the 37,867 CTE courses in the state, according to a joint annual report issued recently by the California Department of Education and the University of California Office of the President. By comparison, only 258 courses met that standard in 2000-01.

This upward trend demonstrates today's CTE courses do more than teach students a trade or specialized skill. They now blend in with a solid core of rigorous academic instruction to ensure students are ready for careers and college, if they choose, in preparation for the economy's increasingly complex high-tech jobs.

The annual report, California High School Career Technical Education Courses Meeting University of California "a-g" Admission Requirements for 2011–12 (DOC; 1MB)  , offers information on these CTE courses, which "a-g" requirement they meet, and where they are taught in California's public schools.

For more information about the "a-g" requirements, visit the University of California's "a-g" Guide  . For lists of approved CTE courses, visit the University of California Doorways  Web site.

California Student Named National
President of Prestigious Student Organization

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated Cupertino student Nikitas Kanellakopoulos for being elected and installed as the 2012-13 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)  National President.

Kanellakopoulos is a junior at Monta Vista High School in the Fremont Union High School District in the Santa Clara County city of Cupertino.

FBLA is a national education association designed to help prepare students for careers in business and business-related fields. There is also a California FBLA that helps secondary students build business career experience and learn about civic and personal responsibility. FBLA and California FBLA are part of a number of career technical student organizations recognized by the California Department of Education to provide students with increased leadership development, and industry-based competitions to demonstrate their career readiness.

This is part of Torlakson's California Career Readiness Initiative designed to lower the student dropout rate in California and provide high school graduates with the skills needed to pursue further education and training as they prepare to enter the workforce.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

School Tech Connect: The National Idiocy

School Tech Connect: The National Idiocy:

The National Idiocy

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

When I get into a conversation about the Common Core, I try to ask the person I'm talking to to identify a particular standard in the CCS that he or she finds superior to its counterpart in the current Illinois Learning Standards. Nobody can ever name anything. Nobody has any idea what this is about, I find.

Try it sometime. You get this stare and a stuttered statement about them just being more rigorous or whatever. It's all magical thinking. Like this new set of standards is going to level the huge diversity in student backgrounds, interests, aptitudes, and habits that teachers confront under the current set of standards. That 

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education:

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240

by seattleducation2011

 

Birds of a feather and all, Stand for Children, which is about the takeover of our public schools, has not only received donations from members of Bain Capital but the Managing Director at Bain Capital is on the Board of Directors for Stand for Children. Oh what a web…
Stand for Children is also behind Initiative 1240 in our state which is an illegal maneuver to privatize our public schools by setting up charter schools with no local or state oversight by a public entity. See the article Why Initiative 1240 is Unconstitutional by David Spring.

To get a better understanding of the history of Stand for Children, check out an article published in Rethinking Schools, For or Against Children?

For an article that begins to connect the dots between ALEC, Bain Capital and Stand for Children, see:

Corporate Reformer Bain Capital Much Like Terrible Corporate Education Reformers

Bain Capital has received a lot of negative press lately from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign as 

Schools Matter: Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy

Schools Matter: Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy:

Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy

by Judy Rabin

Students stand up against high stakes testing, corporate education reform.

Blogger Nikhil Goyal Common Core and Race to the Top are destructive.

Day 33: SOS Convention and Featured in Newsday

Posted: August 4, 2012 | Author: Nikhil Goyal | Filed under: Posts |2 Comments »

Today, I had a fabulous time at the Save Our Schools Convention in Washington D.C.
I left my house at 7 AM sharp, hopped on a 8:45 flight from J.F.K., and arrived in D.C. a little more than a hour later.

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull – SchoolBook

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull – SchoolBook:

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull

by Patricia Willens

In the quiet days of August, after summer school ends and before principals return to work, followers of education issues and news found it a good time to re-hash ongoing debates, ourselves included.
WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show re-aired interviews from leaders of different schools of thought regarding education reform. First up, former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor and the founder of Students First, Michelle Rhee, on the occasion of launching a New York chapter, studentsfirstNY. You can hear the interview here:

Next, the show aired a taped interview with Diane Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University and author. The discussion focuses on school performance and the frustration some teachers feel about standardized testing. You can hear it here:

The Rhee versus Ravitch showdown also appeared on CNN this week. In an interview, Ms. Rhee decried the 

New Student Labor History Resource « Student Activism

New Student Labor History Resource « Student Activism:

New Student Labor History Resource

by Angus Johnston

This is really cool.
The Student Labor Action Project, a group that works with students across the US on economic justice organizing, has just completed a year-by-year history of its work. Here’s a sample, chosen pretty much at random:

2006

SLAP students at Temple University and University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia waged a campaign against security guard firm, AlliedBarton. Philly SLAP and the city’s Jobs with Justice coalition held numerous marches and protests to try and secure a living wage and benefits for security officers working on campuses and throughout the city. In Vermont, SLAP students also ran a living wage campaign for campuses workers. The National Student Labor Week of Action featured 250 actions on campuses. In 

Jersey Jazzman: Ledger Logic

Jersey Jazzman: Ledger Logic:

Ledger Logic

by Duke

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board confronts logic.

Hoo boy:

New Jersey’s teacher tenure bill was signed into law this week, a resounding victory in the first round of the reform fight — but it’s not over yet.

To get that crucial legislation passed, reformers had to abandon their push to end the practice known as “last in, first out,” which protects absolute seniority rights during times of layoffs. The state’s largest teachers union insisted upon it.

Now, that sacrifice will fall hardest on cities such as Newark that face hundreds of layoffs over the next few years. They’ll be forced to purge their younger teachers,