Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, November 1, 2010

Arkansas school board member officially resigns over anti-gay post - CNN.com

Arkansas school board member officially resigns over anti-gay post - CNN.com

Arkansas school board member officially resigns over anti-gay post

By the CNN Wire Staff
November 1, 2010 7:14 p.m. EDT
Clint McCance, vice president of the Midland School District in Arkansas, resigned officially on Monday.
Clint McCance, vice president of the Midland School District in Arkansas, resigned officially on Monday.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Clint McCance: "I am a better person today than I was a week ago"
  • McCance submitted his formal resignation Monday
  • It was unanimously approved by the school board
  • McCance made inflammatory remarks about gay people on his Facebook page

(CNN) -- A school district member in Arkansas who came under fire for an anti-gay post on a social networking site formally submitted his resignation to the school board Monday, according to the Midland School District superintendent.

The board unanimously voted at a specially called meeting to accept Clint McCance's resignation, Superintendent Dean Stanley said.

McCance, then vice president of the school district in Pleasant Plains, wrote on his personal Facebook page that he wanted gay people to commit suicide, according to The Advocate, a newspaper focusing on gay news.

McCance used the terms "queer" and "fag" repeatedly, promised to disown his own children if they are gay and stated that he enjoys "the fact that [gay people] give each other AIDS and die."

In his typed, one-paragraph resignation letter, McCance said that he "did not represent my school or my position well in my statements on line" and that he was "sorry for all the trouble it has caused the school district and those people that I love in this school system."

Fidel Castro Speaks About Project Censored | Dailycensored.com

Fidel Castro Speaks About Project Censored | Dailycensored.com

Fidel Castro Speaks About Project Censored

THE EMPIRE AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF HUMAN BEINGS

That’s terrific! I exclaimed when I read down to the last line about the revelations of the famous journalist Seymour Hersh, printed in Democracy Now! and collected as one of the 25 most censored news items in the United States.

The material is entitled “The War Crimes of Stanley McChrystal, U.S. General” and it was included in Project Censored, put together by a university in California, including the essential paragraphs from those revelations.

Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal, named the commander responsible for the war in Afghanistan by Obama in May of 2009, had earlier been the head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) reporting to Dick Cheney [Bush’s vice president]. Most of Gen. McChrystal’s 33-year military career is being kept classified [in other words, secret], including his services between 2003 and 2008 as commander of JSOC, the highly secret elite unit that for years the Pentagon refused to acknowledge its existence. JSOC is a special unit, of ‘black’ operations of the Navy Seals (Marines Special Forces) and Delta Force [secret army soldiers for special operations, formally called ‘Special Forces Operational Division-Delta (SFOD-D), while

CALPADS Increases School Meals - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

CALPADS Increases School Meals - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

CALPADS Dramatically Increases Students' Access to School Meal

State longitudinal education data system certifies more than 650,000
low-income students for free school meals without paperwork hassles

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that implementation of the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), the state's longitudinal education data system, has led to great progress in enrolling eligible children for free meals without the need to complete any additional paperwork. O'Connell warned that further progress to efficiently enroll hungry students in school nutrition programs will be delayed as a result of the Governor's veto of funding for CALPADS.

"Since the integration of our school nutrition certification program with CALPADS last August, school districts have enrolled hundreds of thousands of eligible, hungry children in school nutrition programs," O'Connell said. "School meal programs ensure that California children are ready to learn, grow, and become successful adults. In these tough economic times, school nutrition programs provide the only consistently healthy meals for many students, who would otherwise go hungry.

"By utilizing CALPADS, districts were able to directly certify an additional 212,000 students for free meals in just three months, about a 47 percent increase from the previous year's total when the California Department of Education used a system other than CALPADS. The students were immediately eligible for free, healthy lunches and breakfasts at school, and districts eliminated hundreds of thousands of pages of paperwork. The Governor's short-sighted veto of CALPADS funding means system improvements that could directly certify another 10 to 30 percent more students are now on hold."

Currently more than 2.1 million students in California public school districts are eating a free or reduced-priced lunch, but more than a million other students are eligible and do not participate in the program. With the integration into CALPADS, California has enhanced its ability to serve disadvantaged students because districts no longer have to upload data into another system for the direct certification to occur.

"Through direct certification using CALPADS, we were able to increase the number of students who qualified for free meals by 54 percent — that is significant in my book," said Kathy Drennen, Director of Child Nutrition Services for Lincoln Unified School District. "CALPADS has increased accuracy and is saving us time and money. The best benefit is that it is allowing us to provide nutritious meals to students whose families, for one reason or another, have neglected to apply for participation in school nutrition programs. These hungry students come to school with no money. Because of CALPADS, we no longer have to spend a lot of time and effort trying to contact the students' parents or guardians in order to give them access to free or reduced-priced meals."

In the three months since CALPADS was integrated with California's award- winning school nutrition direct certification process, 662,000 children have been directly certified, representing a 47 percent increase in just three months compared to the 450,000 students directly certified last school year through the state system that did not use CALPADS). The Governor's veto of funding for CALPADS has put on hold the California Department of Education's plans for CALPADS enhancements that would allow between 70,000 and 200,000 additional students to be directly certified for free school meals in the coming year.

"For over a decade we have been advocating for paperless ways of enrolling low-income students in the meal programs" says Ken Hecht, Executive Director of the California Food Policy Advocates. "This new data show that with the CALPADS match, we can indeed use technology to efficiently serve needy families. Less paper is good for schools and good for families."

Under the federal National School Lunch Act, states across the nation are required to directly certify children in welfare and food stamp households to receive free school meals. Students participating in these programs already have had family members go through a detailed process to establish financial need. Recognizing that school districts should not have to waste time once again re-establishing the need for school meals, the process of "direct certification" matches current Food Stamp and CalWORKs enrollment records against school enrollment data. CALPADS automates this process by using student data that school districts have already entered into the system.

The National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program play an important role in providing nutritious meals for low-income children at little or no charge. These programs benefit children's overall health, and research indicates that well-nourished children have fewer behavioral problems in school, lower absenteeism, and better academic performance, including higher test scores.

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Sacramento Press / Correction: Vote for Community!

Sacramento Press / Correction: Vote for Community!

Dear Mr. Mayor, I know that you have been busy with the election and all, and then the wedding plans, and finding a place for Sacramento’s homeless, and keeping the Kings in town, the rail yard deal,etc. etc. etc. But Dude; you gotta proof read the emails your vast media machine puts out. They got some of it wrong. I did a quick Big Education Ape touchup: what do you think?
your pal,
Mike


Correction: Vote for Community!


Dear Neighbor,

This email isn't going to bore you with the standard "here's why Election Day is important to democracy" lecture. If you're reading this, you know Election Day matters.

Berkeley H.S. Sexual Harassment Case Settled - The Bay Citizen

Berkeley H.S. Sexual Harassment Case Settled - The Bay Citizen

Berkeley H.S. Sexual Harassment Case Settled

An out-of-court settlement was reached last week on the restraining order against Anthony Smith, a counselor at Berkeley High School accused of sexually harassing a 16-year-old female student. Stephen Rosenbaum, an attorney who represents the student, said he is still pressing the Berkeley Unified School District to remove Smith from campus. Rosenbaum says he is considering a lawsuit against BUSD. Smith voluntarily agreed to abide by the terms set out in the restraining order even though that order is no longer in effect. His lawyer, Kimberly Fanady, said Smith will stay at least 50 yards away from the student and refrain from communicating with her. The resolution followed an Oct. 19 order by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Taylor Culver giving Smith and Rosenbaum

In Berkeley, 2 Measures Would Grow Cannabis Industry

Berkeley residents will vote on two ballot measures Tuesday that could lead to a greatly expanded medical cannabis industry in the city — and hundreds of thousands of new dollars for the city’s coffers. Measure T would increase the number of locations where marijuana is sold from three to four, and also permit six 30,000-square-foot indoor growing areas in the city’s industrial zone in West Berkeley. These places would not be open to the public, but would be used to grow cannabis, test it, distill it into tinctures or creams, or cook it into food products. Measure T would also explicitly permit medical cannabis collectives to operate in residential neighborhoods, but would limit the size of their growing operations to 200 square feet. Collectives are usually composed of

For Richmond Law Student, Latino Vote Gets Personal

Twenty-year-old Bianca Rojo doesn’t take voting lightly. Five years ago, immigration authorities deported her parents to Mexico because they were in the United States illegally. Rojo’s parents took her two younger brothers with them. “I hate seeing families separated by a broken immigration system,” Rojo said. “It’s affecting a lot of children that are U.S. citizens. My life has been changed dramatically.” Rojo, a U.S. citizen and Richmond resident, believes the only lasting way to keep families like hers together is for Latinos in the U.S. to become more politically active. Now a third-year criminal justice student at San Francisco State University, Rojo works as an intern at a law firm. Her goal is to become an immigration attorney. Between school and

No deje que interfiera Cualquier persona con su derecho al voto el martest // Don't Let Anyone Interfere with Your Right to Vote on Tuesday

The California Majority Report // Don't Let Anyone Interfere with Your Right to Vote on Tuesday
No deje que interfiera Cualquier persona con su derecho al voto el martes
01 de noviembre 2010 @ 15:37
Faux News y la máquina de ruido de la derecha es desmotado para reclamar "fraude electoral", si los republicanos no se ejecutan de la mesa el martes. En la derecha Mark Levin al programa de radio, el candidato del Partido Republicano del Congreso de Arizona exige que los demócratas son transporte escolar "mexicanos" en la frontera para votar en el suroeste.http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/az_house_candidate_dems_are_busing_mexicans_in_to.php El domingo, Brett Baier, dijo Fox News cubrirá las acusaciones de "fraude electoral" en "cada show. Fox incluso amablemente puesta a una dirección de correo electrónico para informar supone los casos de "fraude electoral". Sin duda, el ala afirman que ACORN perpetrados "fraude electoral", a pesar de que organiztion de acción comunitaria que vale la pena ya no existe, debido a la Breitbart-estafa perpetrada contra ellos.
No nos equivoquemos, si los demócratas superan a las expectativas, la máquina de ruido hará todo lo posible para poner en cuestión y tratar de invalidar las elecciones e interferir con la cuenta en las carreras de cerca. Y, sus reclamos de "fraude electoral" estará dirigido a las personas de color, los bajos ingresos, aquellos que perdieron sus hogares a los votantes de ejecución hipotecaria y los jóvenes.

Una de las formas en que tratará de generar sus reclamos de "fraude electoral" es mediante la participación en actividades ilícitas y de intimidación en los lugares de votación. Ya ha habido informes de los republicanos operativos grabación en vídeo y se cierne sobre los votantes en los lugares votar por adelantado en el Condado de Harris en Texas. Senado de Illinois del Partido Republicano Mark Kirk candidato planea tener "la integridad de los votantes" escuadrones en los barrios afroamericanos. También en el Condado de Harris en Texas, se repartieron volantes en barrios afroamericanos erróneamente decir a los votantes que voten por los demócratas recta en realidad es un voto para los republicanos y que un voto por candidato demócrata a gobernador Bill White es un voto para una candidatura demócrata recta. http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7749845

En California, hemos visto la intimidación de los votantes del Partido Republicano y tácticas de supresión en la acción. En 1988, un grupo republicano envió guardias uniformados en los colegios electorales en gran medida de los barrios latinos de Santa Ana. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-11-15/news/mn-188_1_polling-places En 2006 su carrera contra la congresista Loretta Sánchez. campaña republicana del Congreso candidato Tan Nguyen estaba relacionado con una carta a los votantes latinos les advertía contra el voto. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E6DA123FF930A35753C1A96E9C8B63

Si alguien trata de dejar de votar o intimidaciĂłn de testigos, se puede tomar una acciĂłn inmediata.

El Partido DemĂłcrata de California ha puesto en marcha en lĂ­nea - 1-877-321-VOTE (8683) - para informar intimidaciĂłn a los votantes, la falta de papeletas, la negativa de los trabajadores del recinto para permitir el propietario de una casa cerrada a votar en su precinto anterior o similares .

El Comité de Abogados por los Derechos Civiles Bajo la Ley también ha establecido líneas telefónicas y Twitter. Su número de teléfono es 866-OURVOTE (687-8683). En Twitter enviar un tweet a @ 866ourvote e incluyen una breve descripción de la cuestión, junto con un hashtag y su código postal, un hashtag seguido de EPCA y hashtap seguido de EP2010. Un ejemplo de ello es pío - line @ 866ourvote larga est espera de 2 horas. Algunos salir después de ver la línea # 90049 # # EPCA EP2010

El Partido DemĂłcrata de California proporcionĂł la siguiente informaciĂłn Ăştil Q y A de voto sobre las cuestiones comunes.

¿Necesita una identificaciĂłn para votar?
Si usted está en su precinto de origen, y usted está en la lista, no necesita mostrar ninguna identificación para votar.

Si usted está esperando en fila para votar cuando el cierre de las urnas:
Usted puede votar si se encuentra en el lugar de votaciĂłn o en lĂ­nea antes de las 8:00 pm del dĂ­a de las elecciones.

Si necesita ausentarse del trabajo para votar:
Puede tomar hasta dos horas de trabajo para votar sin pérdida de salario, dando el aviso del empleador por el final del día el viernes, 29 de octubre.

Si alguien te reta en su derecho al voto en base a su nacionalidad, residencia o de identidad:
La única persona que puede cuestionar su derecho al voto es un oficial de distrito del Condado de los trabajadores. Intimidar a los votantes está en contra de la ley. Por favor, informe de un incidente como éste para los trabajadores del recinto oficial.

Si usted necesita un voto no-Inglés:
Usted puede solicitar una boleta en su idioma. Si no está disponible, puede ser una traducción publicada.

Si necesita ayuda para votar debido a una discapacidad:
Si no puede leer ni escribir, o tiene una discapacidad fĂ­sica, puede pedir ayuda.

Si su lugar de votaciĂłn es inaccesible porque tiene una discapacidad fĂ­sica:
Usted puede tener un trabajador del recinto vienen fuera del lugar de votación y le permitirá votar allí.

Si tiene que llevar a sus hijos al lugar de votaciĂłn:
Usted puede traer a sus hijos menores de 18 años en la cabina de votación con usted.

Si usted comete un error en su boleta electoral:
Si usted comete un error, usted tiene el derecho a recibir dos veces una boleta de reemplazo.

"Provisional" Boletas
Si alguna vez una pregunta sobre su derecho al voto, siempre se puede votar por "boleta provisional." Una "boleta provisional" es lo mismo que en una boleta regular, pero no se contabiliza hasta que los funcionarios del condado están en condiciones de confirmar la información de registro después de las elecciones. En algunos casos, la documentación de su dirección de residencia puede ser requerida.

Usted debe votar en una "boleta provisional" SI:

Los funcionarios electorales no pueden confirmar su inscripciĂłn.
Has recibido una boleta de ausente, pero nunca volviĂł.
Los registros muestran que se ha mudado.
Parece que ya ha votado.
Usted está de voto en una casilla electoral fuera de su precinto de origen.


Don't Let Anyone Interfere with Your Right to Vote on Tuesday

Faux News and the right-wing noise machine is ginning up to claim "voter fraud", if Republicans don't run the table on Tuesday. On Mark Levin's right-wing talk radio program, a GOP congressional candidate from Arizona claimed that Democrats are busing "Mexicans" over the border to vote in the Southwest.http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/az_house_candidate_dems_are_busing_mexicans_in_to.php On Sunday, Brett Baier said Fox News will cover allegations of "voter fraud" on "every show. Fox even helpfully set-up an email address to report supposed cases of "voter fraud." No doubt the wingers will claim that ACORN perpetrated "voter fraud, " even though that worthwhile community action organiztion is now defunct, due to the Breitbart-perpetrated scam against them.

Make no mistake, if Democrats outperform expectations, the noise machine will do everything it can to call into question and attempt to invalidate elections and interfere with recounts in close races. And, their claims of "voter fraud" will be directed at people of color, the low income, those who lost their homes to foreclosure and young voters.

One of the ways they will attempt to generate their claims of "voter fraud" is by engaging in unlawful and intimidating activities at polling locations. There have already been reports of GOP-operatives videotaping and hovering over voters at early vote locations in Harris County Texas. Illinois GOP senate candidate Mark Kirk plans to have "voter-integrity" squads in African-American neighborhoods. Also in Harris County Texas, flyers were distributed in African American neighborhoods erroneously telling voters that a straight Democratic vote actually is a vote for Republicans and that a vote for Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bill White is a vote for a straight Democratic ticket . http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7749845

In California, we have seen GOP voter intimidation/suppression tactics in action. In 1988, a Republican group posted uniformed guards at polling stations in heavily Latino neighborhoods of Santa Ana. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-11-15/news/mn-188_1_polling-places In his 2006 race against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Republican Congressional candidate Tan Nguyen's campaign was linked to a letter to Latino voters warning them against voting. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E6DA123FF930A35753C1A96E9C8B63

If someone tries to stop you from voting or you witness intimidation, you can take immediate action.

The California Democratic Party has set up at hotline -- 1-877-321-VOTE (8683)-- to report voter intimidation, lack of ballots, refusal of precinct workers to permit a foreclosed homeowner to vote at their former precinct or the like.

This Week In Education: Media: NYC Education Website Finds New Home

This Week In Education: Media: NYC Education Website Finds New Home

Media: NYC Education Website Finds New Home

Tumblr_lapvukyKyy1qzyb10o1_500Good news it seems that Insideschools.org, one of the first and most in-depth education websites, has found a new home at the New School after it became necessary for them to leave Advocates For Children, the nonprofit where the site had been since 2002. Its founder, Clara Hemphill, left in 2006 and has been at the New School since 2008. One of its former writers, Philissa Cramer, left to co-found GothamSchools.org. The site claims nearly 900,000 visitors per year, and has been cited frequently in the mainstream

Election 2010: Check Here for Edu-Updates on Governors, Superintendents' Races - State EdWatch - Education Week

Election 2010: Check Here for Edu-Updates on Governors, Superintendents' Races - State EdWatch - Education Week

« Teacher Pay, Evaluation In Play in State Elections | Main

Election 2010: Check Here for Edu-Updates on Governors, Superintendents' Races

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As devoted EdWeek readers know, this election has potentially big implications for school policy at the state level. We'll be here at State EdWatch throughout the evening on Nov. 2, tracking the results of some of the key governors' and state superintendents' races as they roll in. Check back that night for updates, and go to edweek.org for our coverage of the winners and losers.

Expect results from the east coast to arrive first, though a lot will depend on how tight the races are. Most of the polls in Florida, for instance, close at 7 p.m. east coast time, though the state's two gubernatorial candidates, Alex Sink and Rick Scott, appear to be in a dead heat, so we may have to wait a bit to crown the victor.

The Georgia governor's race, which pits Democrat Roy Barnes against Republican Nathan Deal is another to track. Moving west, Iowa incumbent Chet Culver, who has touted his expansion of preschool, is locked in a tough contest against former Gov. Terry Branstad, who sees his opponent's program as too costly and bureucratic.

If you're keen on edu-flavored congressional races, tune in to my colleague Alyson Klein's blog on Politics K-12.

And for a nationwide overview of results as they come in, check out Edweek.org's50-state map, which will provide updates on governors and superintendents' contests, as well as ballot initiatives.