Thursday, April 11, 2013

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New teaching standards delve more deeply into climate change




Education Headlines

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Calaveras Unified trims staff as enrollment dips

Calaveras Unified trustees this week voted unanimously to send layoff notices to three part-time classified employees - a van rider, a custodian, and a yard duty worker. The district's teaching staff is also going to be smaller, with five fewer teachers reporting to district classrooms when a new school year begins late this summer, according to District Superintendent Mark Campbell.

School merger study nixed

The Sonora Area Foundation has turned down the Tuolumne County Office of Education’s request for a study on merging Summerville High and Sonora High into one district, the latest setback for advocates of school district reorganization.

Coachella Valley Unified silent on Jose Ramirez future

Although at least one assistant principal feared he would be transferred from his post during a Coachella Valley Unified school board meeting on Tuesday night, the board did not approve any such move, the district superintendent said.

Fresno Unified leaders approve alternate approach to discipline

More than 200 people rallying Wednesday against excessive suspensions and expulsions were buoyed by a commitment by Fresno Unified school leaders to embrace an alternative approach to discipline.

Twin Rivers board won't try to oust president

Cortez Quinn will finish out his term as president of the Twin Rivers Unified School Board after colleagues threatened to oust him. The school board voted 4-2 Tuesday night not to publicly consider removing Quinn as president before his leadership term ends in June.

Santa Ana Unified's credit rating slumps

The Santa Ana Unified School District has experienced "significant" financial deterioration over the last two years, according to Fitch Ratings, a leading municipal credit watcher that downgraded the district's credit rating by two notches this week.

SD students could get city bus passes

Some San Diego students who endure long and sometimes dangerous walks to and from school would be eligible for free city bus passes under a pilot program unanimously approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday.

Pajaro Valley begins campus construction projects

District leaders announced Wednesday $1.2 million in spending on the playgrounds, which will include making them accessible to children and adults with disabilities. Work will start this summer if state officials approve designs.

Sweetwater board cuts adult ed

A vote by the Sweetwater Union High School District board Tuesday left students enrolled in adult education programs hanging. The elimination of the Regional Occupational Program and Career Technical Education effective June 30 leaves a hole in local efforts to prepare students for employment.

County educators deny Oxford Preparatory Academy appeal

The county Board of Education rejected an appeal by Oxford Preparatory Academy to open a school in the Carlsbad Unified School District on Wednesday night. CUSD trustees had turned down the Chino-based charter school’s proposal in December.

New teaching standards delve more deeply into climate change

Under proposed new national science standards, students would learn concepts more thoroughly, including how human activity is driving global warming.

Two environmental fixes on 50-acre Chico school site OK'd

In a split vote and after hearing a last-minute plea from another firm, the Chico Unified School District trustees voted to purchase environmental mitigation credits for a 50-acre parcel of land that was originally purchased to house a third high school.

Parents choose L.A. Unified-charter partnership to run school

Parents at 24th Street Elementary School have overwhelmingly chosen a partnership between the Los Angeles Unified School District and a charter operator to run the persistently low-performing Jefferson Park campus.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Kern dropout rate ticks up

The school dropout rate in Kern County rose nearly 2 percent between the 2011 and 2012 academic years despite a decrease in the number of students who make up the group that was studied, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

Baldwin Park, West Covina receive high grades amongst California school districts

Improving the success of Latino, African-American and low-income students has been a tough riddle to crack for California school districts. But a recent survey of 148 of the state's largest unified school districts found four San Gabriel Valley districts are ranked in the top 10 in solving the problem, with Baldwin Park Unified School District taking the lead.

Santa Clara, San Mateo counties' high-school graduation rates rise

Graduation rates of public school students are climbing, with 78.5 percent of California students who started as freshmen graduating in 2012, the state Department of Education reported Tuesday.