My View: California not honoring UC commitment - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

My View: California not honoring UC commitment - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee

Mark Yudof has been roundly criticized for likening his role as the president of the University of California to being the caretaker of a cemetery. On Nov. 18, faculty and staff learned that it is the policymakers and leaders of state government who are the caretakers for the cemetery that holds the tens of thousands of dreams of K-12 students and the countless visions of innovators.

The beginning of the last chapter of the greatest public university in the world can be found among the pages of the report of the Legislative Analyst Office at www.lao.ca.gov. Its authors make it clear that in the current political climate the state of California will not honor its commitments to faculty, staff and future generations of students.

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - UC hike may flood COC

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - UC hike may flood COC:

"As University of California tuition rises, the overflow of students who can't afford the higher price tag might flood community colleges like College of the Canyons, officials said Monday.

UC officials last week raised tuition 32 percent to more than $10,000 a year for undergraduate fees - about triple the cost of a decade ago. This latest blow to California's higher-education system threatens to heap more of a burden on inexpensive community colleges."

Bridgepoint Education to Present at Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin' Management Access Conference

Bridgepoint Education to Present at Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin' Management Access Conference:

"SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of postsecondary education services, announced today that Andrew Clark, Chief Executive Officer, and Dan Devine, Chief Financial Officer, will make a presentation at the Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin’ Management Access Conference on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10:30 a.m. Pacific Time) at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, CA.

The presentation will be audio webcast live at http://www.wsw.com/webcast/wedbush10/bpi/. The webcast will also be available on the 'Events & Presentations' section of the Bridgepoint Education website at http://ir.bridgepointeducation.com/events.cfm for 30 days."

Local School Likes New Education Initiative | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Local School Likes New Education Initiative News10.net Sacramento, California News:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States and that is good news for a Sacramento school.

The School of Engineering and Sciences is part of the Sacramento City Unified School District's new approach to education. It is a small, theme-oriented working to prepare students in grades 7 through 12 for degrees in engineering and science.

Principal Belinda Kirk told News10, 'Science and engineering has to come alive in all content areas, such as English, math and science. How do you ingrain math and science in those particular courses?'"

Preventing the Spread of H1N1/Swine Flu in Your School

Preventing the Spread of H1N1/Swine Flu in Your School

"This free webinar, designed for families, educators and administrators, will offer tips, suggestions and information on how to prevent the spread of H1N1/swine flu in schools. Drs. Meg Fisher and Peter Wenger will provide expert advice. Dr. Fisher is a world renowned pediatric infectious disease consultant, and Dr. Wenger specializes in pediatric infectious diseases, immunizations and infection control. This is an opportunity that you do not want to miss!"

Ex-Intel CEO Barrett, Xerox CEO Burns Part of National Science Education Push

Ex-Intel CEO Barrett, Xerox CEO Burns Part of National Science Education Push:

"Former Intel CEO Craig Barrett and current Xerox CEO Ursula Burns are part of a group that will push forward the Obama administration’s effort to improve science and math education in the United States. In addition, the public-private partnership will look to grow an interest in the subjects among U.S. students. Group members said the effort is important to help keep the United States competitive in the global economy.


Craig Barrett, former chairman and CEO of Intel, has been vocal over the past few years about the need to improve the math and science education in the United States to ensure that the country continues to be competitive in the global economy."

5 Tips from the Nation's Top School Principals

5 Tips from the Nation's Top School Principals:

"The nation's top principals gathered in Washington, D.C. last month, winners of the National Distinguished Principals award. The honor—which went out to 63 principals of public and private elementary schools—is sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, together with the U.S. Department of Education.

They came from all over country, leaders of elementary schools of all sizes in large cities as well as rural areas, each principal confronted with the issues particular to their region and school. All were nominated for the prestigious award by their peers, bosses or community members and determined by the NAESP to be the best of the best."

Obama Urges Efforts to Enhance Math, Science Education | USA | English

Obama Urges Efforts to Enhance Math, Science Education USA English:

The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States. President Barack Obama says the private sector is coming through with talent and money to support the cause.

"The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States. President Barack Obama says the private sector is coming through with talent and money to support the cause.

A student experiment in robotics was front and center at the White House.

The metal contraption built by two teenagers caught and threw a ball. President Obama said the demonstration was held to underscore the importance of science and math education."

Hindu monk welcomed at University of Nevada-Reno

Hindu monk welcomed at University of Nevada-Reno

People belonging to different religions and denominations came to listen to well-known Hindu monk Swami Vedananda at University of Nevada-Reno (USA) on November 20, which was organized by Universal Society of Hinduism (USH).
Welcoming Swami, Bruce Brinkerhoff, Director of Public Relations for Northern & Western Nevada for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), thanked Swami for coming to Nevada to spread the message of love, human improvement, and peace.

In his keynote address, Swami Vedananda said that self of the person (called Atman) is at the base of everything and the first cause of everything. He talked about real nature of reality, final emancipation from the cycle of birth and death, nature of Brahman (the supreme being) and its relation to the world and individual soul, etc.

Rajan Zed, USH president, who organized this event, pointed out that peace began with us and we should lift our eyes from our own selfish concerns to some greater ideal. We should seek unity that celebrated diversity, he added.

Others who participated included Michael Slater and Barbara Slater, chairpersons of National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families; Sierra Foundation; Sharon Limroth and her group from local Rosicrucian Order; Ron Arnold, Lutheran Pastor; Tell Gifford, Dean DeGidio, Trish Sebastian, and Zona Allgire-Avila of Vedanta Nevada; Susannah Lee of Sustainable Energy Forum; etc.

Details of the picture attached: From left to right—Lutheran Pastor Ron Arnold, Professor Tell Gifford, Bruce Brinkerhoff of LDS, monk Swami Vedananda, Hindu leader Rajan Zed.

Social Media Revolution

Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?

Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore. This video is produced by the author of Socialnomics.

In Manhattan, Preparing for Kindergarten Admission Test - NYTimes.com

In Manhattan, Preparing for Kindergarten Admission Test - NYTimes.com:

"Kayla Rosenblum sat upright and poised as she breezed through the shapes and numbers, a leopard-patterned finger puppet resting next to her for moral support."

But then came something she had never seen before: a visual analogy showing a picture of a whole cake next to a slice of cake. What picture went with a loaf of bread in the same way?

Kayla, who will be 4 in December, held her tiny pointer finger still as she inspected the four choices. “Too hard,” she peeped.

Test preparation has long been a big business catering to students taking SATs and admissions exams for law, medical and other graduate schools. But the new clientele is quite a bit younger: 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents hope that a little assistance — costing upward of $1,000 for several sessions — will help them win coveted spots in the city’s gifted and talented public kindergarten classes.

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr steps down | 89.3 KPCC

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr steps down 89.3 KPCC:

"Steve Barr, the founder and chairman of the influential charter school company Green Dot Public Schools, is stepping down from day to day activities and his position as chair. A spokeswoman said today Barr is leaving Green Dot to work on “national education issues.” She gave no other details about his departure."

Steve Barr wanted smaller schools with young, motivated teachers willing to experiment with lesson plans. He opened his first Green Dot campus nine years ago with only 140 high school students.

Barr’s view was that his charter schools – independent from school district control - could outperform traditional schools, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

Education researchers point out that charter schools like Green Dot attract motivated students with parents active in their children’s education. Green Dot says 80 percent of its ninth graders graduate – and the vast majority of those graduates get into four year colleges.

Parent involvement is up in area schools, UCLA education researcher John Rogers said, while L.A. Unified and other school districts now talk about a school's guiding principles not whether it should be run by the district or as a charter.

“All these changes, to some extent, were initiated because Steve Barr really pushed on the system and sought to open it up by establishing his group of charter schools,” Rogers said.

Rogers remembers Barr talking to him about opening a school in the mid 1990s. At the time Barr had a slew of Democratic party experience under his belt. In 1990 he co-founded the non-partisan "Rock The Vote" outreach campaign and hosted an inaugural ball for President Bill Clinton.

The latest updates from Barack Obama's Facebook news feed. - By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson - Slate Magazine

The latest updates from Barack Obama's Facebook news feed. - By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson - Slate Magazine

Our colleagues at Slate have released the latest version of their hit satirical feature, "Barack Obama's Facebook Feed." This edition has updates on health care and Sarah Palin -- as well as Khalid Sheikh Muhammad's iTunes playlist.

Barack Obama's Facebook Feed

Health care, Sarah Palin, and Khalid Sheikh Muhammad's iTunes playlist.

By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson

Posted Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, at 11:33 AM ET

The Yearbook Chronicles | Show Cast, Episode Guides, Trailers, Aftershow & Previews | MTV Tr3s

The Yearbook Chronicles Show Cast, Episode Guides, Trailers, Aftershow & Previews MTV Tr3s

MTV Tr3s Shows

Show Summary

In the United States, a student drops out of high school every 29 seconds. The chances of the student being Latino...very likely, considering that Latinos have the highest high school dropout rate among all racial or ethnic groups in the nation. In response to this disturbing reality, MTV Tr3s brings you Yearbook Chronicles, which tells the story of both, the Latino youth who have made it, and those who, caught in a web of personal life struggles and peer pressures, were forced to cut their high school journey short. In this special documentary, MTV Tr3s gives you an inside look into the lives of four Latino students who are members of their senior yearbook club at Bell High School, located in southeast LA. As they complete their senior year, the yearbook members reflect on their past struggles, share their hopes and dreams for the future and remember the friends who have dropped out of school along the way. Understanding the importance of an education, these students embark on a quest to find their former classmates to find out why they dropped out and encourage them to return to school. In this special documentary, MTV Tr3s gives you an inside look into the lives of four La This is a must-see para toda la familia, so be sure to get everyone together and tune in to Yearbook Chronicles, Saturday, September 26 at 2pm.

Amid fee hikes, UC publicizes tax breaks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Amid fee hikes, UC publicizes tax breaks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Lost amid the hubbub of campus protests last week was a message University of California leaders desperately want middle-class families to hear: Yes, the new fee hikes mean you'll have to come up with more money to pay for your child's education – but you'll get a lot of it back when you do your taxes.

The federal stimulus package included many changes to the tax credits that parents can claim for children in college. It upped the maximum credit from $1,800 to $2,500 per student, raised the household income ceiling for eligibility from $116,000 to $180,000 and increased the length of time parents can claim the credit from two years to four."

No Free Lunch | California Progress Report

No Free Lunch California Progress Report:

"Bond measures often succeed at the polls, and it’s easy to see why. They require only a simple majority vote; generally – but not always – pay for infrastructure, such as schools and highways; and appear to be “free money” since voters aren’t asked to raise taxes in order to repay the bondholders.

In reality, there’s no free lunch. Debt service (principal plus interest on bonds) becomes a new General Fund obligation paid out of the same limited revenues that also fund services that enhance the quality of life for all Californians – everything from K-12 and higher education to in-home care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities."

Susan Ohanian's Testing Outrages (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

Susan Ohanian's Testing Outrages (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):

"The NCTE gives The Doublespeak Award annually to those 'who have perpetuated language that is grossly deceptive, evasive, euphemistic, confusing, or self-centered.' Previous winners include George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Exxon, the National Rifle Association, and the Tobacco Industry.

NCTE deserves the award for its document, 'The LEARN Act and NCTE,' signed by NCTE's Executive Director and the Director of the NCTE Office in Washington. The LEARN Act would spent 2.35 billion on literacy programs that spanning birth to grade 12. NCTE voiced its strong support of LEARN and urged NCTE members to support it as well. The article responded to criticism of NCTE's position and easily meets each of the requirements of Doublespeak:"

It is grossly deceptive: In response to the claim that the LEARN Act involves too much testing, the NCTE article points out that LEARN includes formative testing, but only mentions in passing that LEARN will also include all the other dreaded and unnecessary uses of testing. In other words, they argue that because one kind of testing is ok, all the others can be included as well. Nor is it clear that formative testing done by outsiders is a good idea; see comments by J. Lucido, following the prize-winning NCTE paper (sources below).

It is evasive: Critics have pointed out that LEARN assumes that direct instruction is the only path to literacy development. The NCTE paper asks us not to worry, there will be no phonics in high school, evading the question of whether intensive phonics should be included anywhere, whether direct instruction is the only path, and ignoring the evidence that shows that literacy competence is largely acquired through reading, not through direct instruction. It is also evades all research showing the powerful effect of libraries on children's reading ability and literacy development in general, noting only that the word "library" does in fact occur in the LEARN act.

California budget's going to be dreadful -- latimes.com

California budget's going to be dreadful -- latimes.com:

"The Capitol's budget oracle projects $20.7 billion in new red ink for the next 19 months. Here's my projection: More punting, 'kicking the can down the alley' and numbers-rigging.

Hope we're both wrong. Hope there's an economic miracle or political heroism, which would require sacrifice to the demagogues. But, based on history and facts, that's too much to hope for.

Here's how nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor gently put it last week in calculating the latest general fund deficit: 'Addressing this large shortfall will require painful choices, on top of the difficult choices the Legislature made earlier this year.'"

The Educated Guess » How LA charters will spend Gates’ $60 million

The Educated Guess » How LA charters will spend Gates’ $60 million:

"A one-year residency program for aspiring teachers;

A data warehouse of assessments to measure individual students’ growth;

A performance-based pay system that teacher help design.

A consortium of five charter school organizations operating in Los Angeles will make these innovations with a seven-year, $60 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,plus $16 million in matching money that they must raise.

They are also precisely the sorts of things that the state should be considering in its application for the Race to the Top competition. Improving teacher performance, including using data as a factor to set teachers’ pay, is a primary focus of the $4.35 billion federal program."

Data Quality Campaign | Home

Data Quality Campaign Home

2009 Survey Results by State

States have made remarkable progress in developing longitudinal data systems that can track student progress over time, from prekindergarten through 12th grade and into postsecondary education. This map shows how many of the 10 essential elements each state reports based on responses to the 2009 DQC survey of states about their current data collection systems. More About the 10 Essential Elements for States