Florida Union Opposes State RTTT Plan - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Florida Union Opposes State RTTT Plan - Teacher Beat - Education Week:

It looks like the question I asked the other day—whether unions will agree to sign off on state Race to the Top plans—is a resounding "no," at least for the Sunshine State, says this Associated Press story.

The AP story talks a lot about the performance-pay elements of Florida's plan, and certainly the state has had its fair share of problems with performance pay. But let's not forget that this isn't just about performance pay. Student achievement must be factored into teacher evaluations as well. The union also seems to have problems with the school-turnaround language.

Having the union backing isn't an absolute requirement for the state to receive Race to the Top funding, but it will be weighed as part of the application. The state's aggressive MOU agreement also says that districts and unions that don't bargain the relevant sections of the state plan will forfeit

Race to the Top Hopefuls: Clear the Week of March 15 - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Race to the Top Hopefuls: Clear the Week of March 15 - Politics K-12 - Education Week:

If you're a finalist for a Race to the Top grant in Round 1 of the competition, then the week of March 15 is when your state team will have to come to Washington, D.C. and make your in-person pitch to the peer reviewers.

This nugget of information, plus more on the Race to the Top timeline, is contained in a new FAQs document released by the U.S. Department of Education today.

Those who are finalists will be notified around March 1, which leaves about two weeks for states to prepare their Olympic-sized sales pitches. It's unclear if those who do not make it to the interview round of this education reform pageant will be informed then as well.

Round 1 winners are expected to be announced in early April. (And losers will have until June 1 to get their Round 2 applications in.)

Some notes on the PEP in the Bronx � JD2718

Some notes on the PEP in the Bronx � JD2718:

"Went to the Panel for Educational Policy meeting in the Bronx last night. Noticed a few things:

1. “Mismanagement” may be a good description of how the DoE operates, but it makes a lousy chant.


I think mismanagement is far too weak to describe much of what they do… but listening to the smaller stuff at the PEP, mismanagement seems present in all the little stuff. School closings? Intentionally destructive policy, meant to harm kids, hurt teachers, disrupt neighborhoods. They are not closing schools out of mismanagement, but mismanagement pervades the entire process all the same."

I bet some linguist or speech person could explain how the stress pattern (short-long-short-short) makes a lousy chant. Bad rhythm. Hard to understand. Just not punchy.

2. Closing schools is on the agenda. Even if the PEP pretends it is not.

The audience was loaded with kids, faculty, parents from closing schools. Columbus had the most. But Monroe Academy of Business and Law was there. SCRL. New Day. A bunch of kids and a few faculty from Global Enterprise. FDA. And school closings were a major part of public comments. They seeped in during the middle of the meeting. And they were all that came up at the end. School after school, student, teacher, parent, principal got up to challenge the DoE. A few challenged “school closing as policy” – most made the case for keeping their own school open.

Two UFT VPs spoke,

Dyslexia defined: ‘Uncoupling’ between IQ and reading (re-issue)

Dyslexia defined: ‘Uncoupling’ between IQ and reading (re-issue):

"Washington, Dec 20 (ANI): A new study has provided a validated definition of dyslexia by showing how otherwise bright and intelligent people struggle to read.

Contrary to popular belief, some very smart, accomplished people cannot read well. This unexpected difficulty in reading in relation to intelligence, education and professional status is called dyslexia.

And now researchers at Yale School of Medicine and University of California Davis have presented new data to explain this learning disorder.

“For the first time, we’ve found empirical evidence that shows the relationship between IQ and reading over time differs for typical compared to dyslexic readers,” said Sally E. Shaywitz from Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Paediatrics, and co-director of the newly formed Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity."

University World News - US: Universities should prepare for postdoc unions

University World News - US: Universities should prepare for postdoc unions:

"Research universities should prepare for the possibility that postdoctoral researchers will work to form unions by developing consistent policies on how postdocs are treated and establishing student support groups as alternatives to unions, a panel of deans said on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools, writes Josh Keller for The Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus blog.

Postdocs have only recently started to organise into unions at American public universities, starting in Connecticut, California and New Jersey. The push for postdoctoral unions may extend elsewhere, forcing universities to deal with a variety of academic and workplace issues at the bargaining table, the panelists said."

Claudia Grossi: Adult Education program deserves a better fate - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Claudia Grossi: Adult Education program deserves a better fate - Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"For a number of years, adult education funds have been kept separate from the regular K-12 funding sources, and adult education has 'paid it own way.' Traditionally the adult school has been funded by an ADA average daily attendance formula by the state and has also received federal grant monies based on goal attainment and special programs. In a sense, Adult Education has been a form of the original 'charter school' design that is now being so loudly acclaimed by our governor and president.

The charter of adult education dates back into the 19th century when in a land of immigrants it became obvious that the best way to unite this country was to have all people speaking the English language and understanding the principles and opportunities of citizenship. Over the years, the opportunities surrounding upgrading vocational skills and job readiness have been assumed by adult educators, as has been enrichment for the older population all at no cost to the student and reimbursed by the state and remediation and second chances for the many young adults who have dropped out/kicked out of high school."

Students seek clout beyond campuses

Students seek clout beyond campuses:

"An earlier generation of college students took on the Vietnam War. Now a new generation is poised to take on the mess in Sacramento."

This Christmas break, students from University of California and state and community college campuses will fan out across the state to collect signatures in support of an initiative that would free the Legislature from its two-thirds vote requirement on budget and revenue matters. Their goal is to collect enough signatures by April 15 to qualify for the November 2010 ballot.
Amid a welter of sit-ins, teach-ins and building takeovers, this is a bold effort to reach beyond the campuses and address the chronic problems of a dysfunctional Legislature and the state's fiscal crisis. If it passes, the California Democracy Act will allow a simple majority in the Legislature to pass a budget and balance it if necessary with new revenue sources.
The effort no doubt will be greeted with a great deal of cynicism. But, really, who better than a bunch of raw, politically inexperienced students to tackle the mess in Sacramento? Who else has the sense of urgency, the bulletproof optimism, needed for such an undertaking?
The initiative was written by Berkeley linguistics Professor George Lakoff, and its frontline troops are those directly affected by the state's budget mess: students whose futures and careers are being compromised by a 32 percent fee increase over the next


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/20/IND51B4RBI.DTL#ixzz0aEdNJMWz

UC regents president betray California students

UC regents president betray California students:

"When I served as director of undergraduate admission at UC Berkeley from 1993 through 1999, I viewed the admission process at Berkeley as a public trust. The principal satisfaction I got was from helping ensure that as wide a range of California students as possible got access to the world-class education that Berkeley offered."

ow, however, the UC Board of Regents and UC President Mark Yudof have made disastrous changes in fee and enrollment policies that will sharply limit opportunities for California residents and severely damage the already meager enrollment levels of African American, Latino and Native American students, and the enrollment of low-income students in general.

Fee increases

The widely publicized 32 percent undergraduate fee increase passed by the UC regents Nov. 19 will severely damage opportunity for large numbers of California students and their families.
To begin with, Yudof implies that UC fees are the only financial problem UC students and their parents confront. The real issue, as the table at right


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/20/INFQ1ATDSL.DTL#ixzz0aEcriXNb

Editorial: Mayor's first year a work in progress - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Mayor's first year a work in progress - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee:

"Triumph and tumult tend to follow Mayor Kevin Johnson around like cabooses on a train.

In 2009, there were moments of both for the new mayor. It started after Johnson scored a sizable victory over incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo. He then moved on an agenda of increasing the power of his office, protecting public safety from cuts, exploring options for the homeless and building coalitions around issues such as the arts, volunteerism and education.

During his campaign, and now, Johnson has been dogged by allegations of past personal misconduct. Then, as now, he has charged ahead on multiple fronts, sometimes spreading himself too thin."

California Education Reform: School Choice

California Education Reform: School Choice

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - One percent of U.S. children have autism: study

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - One percent of U.S. children have autism: study:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Autism, a brain disorder that interferes with communication and social skills, affected an estimated one in 110 American 8-year-olds in 2006, according to a federal study released Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the medical diagnoses of 307,790 children who were age 8 in 2006. They found 2,757, or 0.9 percent, had been diagnosed with autism.

The CDC team found that autism cases were four to five times higher among boys than girls, with 1 in 70 boys and 1 in 315 girls identified.

The overall ratio is far higher than previous estimates that the incurable family of conditions affected 1 in 150 U.S. children. A few decades ago autism was thought to be rare."

Democrats Kill School Choice for the Poor - WSJ.com

Democrats Kill School Choice for the Poor - WSJ.com:

"The waiting is finally over for some of the District of Columbia's most ambitious school children and their parents. Democrats in Congress voted to kill the District's Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides 1,700 disadvantaged kids with vouchers worth up to $7,500 per year to attend a private school.

On Sunday the Senate approved a spending bill that phases out funding for the five-year-old program. Several prominent Senators this week sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid pleading for a reconsideration. Signed by Independent-Democrat Joe Lieberman, Democrats Robert Byrd and Dianne Feinstein, and Republicans Susan Collins and John Ensign, it asked to save a program that has 'provided a lifeline to many low-income students in the District of Columbia.' President Obama signed the bill Thursday."

Defense launched for kids sex books:

CZAR WARS

Defense launched for kids sex books

Library group official: Jennings critics 'undermining' democracy

"EDITOR'S NOTE: The following includes descriptions of adult themes and objectionable subject material.

The chairman of the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee has launched a defense of Kevin Jennings and the sexually explicit books recommended for children by the homosexual advocacy organization that Jennings started, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network.

'Though Jennings' and GLSEN's critics claim to be upholding American morals and values by condemning the GLSEN book list, they are actually undermining the values of tolerance, free inquiry, and self-determination that inform and sustain our democratic way of life in the United States,' said Martin Garnar in a statement."

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - UPTON SINCLAIR WINNERS- 2009

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - UPTON SINCLAIR WINNERS- 2009:

"As we look today at education in America, we would concur that today's teaching profession is the product of a mid-twentieth-century labor model; we need to rethink what the teaching profession should look like in the twenty-first century.I am sure UPTON SINCLAIR would agree.

UPTON SINCLAIR WINNERS- 2009

Delia Stafford - Michael F. Shaughessy

As we look today at education in America, we would concur that today's teaching profession is the product of a mid-twentieth-century labor model; we need to rethink what the teaching profession should look like in the twenty-first century.I am sure UPTON SINCLAIR would agree. We know that $68 billion was spent on education in fiscal 2009. What has the economic-stimulus funding actually bought? What would Upton Sinclair say? He would probably conclude, “yes, this is way too much, especially since we have 7,000 students dropping out of school every day in America and many of our schools have become noted as dropout factories.” We need to rethink our schools and find ways to make them client centered, for the sake of the children. Do you think Oprah would help us?”:~)"

Grizzly Youth Academy Graduation - Local - SanLuisObispo.com

Grizzly Youth Academy Graduation - Local - SanLuisObispo.com:

"On a sunny Friday morning in a Cal Poly parking lot, families from across California gathered to watch 164 Grizzly Youth Academy cadets at the culmination of an intensive program intended to change their lives.

As the uniformed cadets marched proudly in military-style unison, chanting with heads high, it was hard to imagine that six months ago these same youths were at risk of or had already dropped out of high school — some with histories of drug or alcohol abuse or brushes with the law.

In a ceremony that followed at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly, about 55 students were presented with high school diplomas. An additional 10 earned GEDs, six achieved high school proficiency, and the rest will carry 55 high school credits home with them."

Arts center gets new operating plan - North County - SignOnSanDiego.com

Arts center gets new operating plan - North County - SignOnSanDiego.com

Arts center gets new operating plan

Foundation’s board opposes the change

BY ANGELA LAU, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2009 AT MIDNIGHT

CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

What: The Escondido City Council this week approved a new management structure for the arts center, putting the two weakest performers — the theater and the conference concern — under the city manager’s control.

Why: The arts center has lost money every year since it opened in 1994, except for three years. The city, which owns the facility, has had to pay off millions of dollars in debt and loans. In July, the council began negotiating with the Center for the Arts Foundation, which is contracted to operate the city-owned facility, to hand over financial control of the theater and conference center to the city. The board resisted.

What’s next: The board continues to resist, but the city can terminate its contract with the board and find another operator, council members said.

The Escondido City Council has adopted a new management model for the insolvent California Center for the Arts that would place the center’s two weakest performers — the theater and conference center — under the city’s control.

The new model, however, will not take effect until the Center for the Arts Foundation, which is contracted by the city to operate the city-owned facility, signs on.

So far, the foundation’s board has resisted the change, first broached in July. This week, it reaffirmed its refusal to sign the new contract in a letter to council members.

“While we remain willing to work with the city to come to terms that we believe will enable us to continue as the management team for the center, we cannot agree to sign the contracts as proposed,” board Chairwoman Kathy Rubesha wrote. She did not return a telephone call seeking elaboration on her comment. Councilman Dick Daniels, who is one of two council members appointed to the Arts Center Subcommittee to negotiate with the foundation board, said he was puzzled by the board’s “last-minute reticence” after months of talks, although he said he is confident that both sides will work something out.

The other subcommittee member, Councilwoman Olga Diaz, said that if the foundation refuses to sign the agreement, the city could terminate its relationship with the board when the current contract ends in September.

12.18.2009 - Five UC Berkeley academics among new AAAS fellows

12.18.2009 - Five UC Berkeley academics among new AAAS fellows:

"BERKELEY — Four University of California, Berkeley, faculty members, plus an educator with the campus's Museum of Paleontology, have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society in the world.

The 2009 fellows are among 531 new members selected 'because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications,' according to a press release from the AAAS. They were announced in the Dec. 18 issue of the journal Science.

The new fellows from UC Berkeley are:"

• W. Zacheus Cande, professor of molecular and cell biology, for "important contributions to our understanding of cell division in eukaryotes."

• Donald J. DePaolo, professor of earth and planetary science and director of the Berkeley Center for Isotope Geochemistry, a center jointly operated by UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), "for sustained contributions in the application of isotope geochemistry to fundamental problems in earth sciences."

• Jeffrey Allen Reimer, the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and a faculty scientist at LBNL, "for contributions to understanding materials chemistry through the application of sophisticated spectroscopic and physical measurements."

• Judy Scotchmoor, academic coordinator for the UC Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley

• Yuen-Ron Shen, professor emeritus of physics and LBNL faculty scientist, "for his pioneering use of lasers to investigate nonlinear interactions of light and matter."

New fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin representing, respectively, science and engineering, on Feb. 20 during the 2010 AAAS annual meeting in San Diego.

Founded in 1848, the non-profit AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Part of its mission is to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in areas such as science policy; international programs and science education.

DelMarTimes.net | EDUCATION MATTERS: Parent fees for public education come under scrutiny

DelMarTimes.net | EDUCATION MATTERS: Parent fees for public education come under scrutiny:

"One woman with a simple mission has made life very complicated for administrators in the San Diego Unified School District. And what she's stirred up has far-reaching ramifications for all other San Diego County school districts.

A hero to some and a villain to others, Sally Arguilez Smith has challenged San Diego Unified to follow the law and to cease charging parents for curricular and extracurricular materials and activities, including supplies for required courses.

In an interview on the subject, Dan McAllister, San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector, said the issue deserves close attention by the other 41 school districts in the county.

'Other districts must in fact take note of the actions by the largest school district in the county of San Diego, San Diego Unified,' he said."

Berkeley thuggery / Assault on chancellor’s home is outrageous - SignOnSanDiego Newsletter - SignOnSanDiego.com

Berkeley thuggery / Assault on chancellor’s home is outrageous - SignOnSanDiego Newsletter - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"On the night of Dec. 11, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and his wife were nearly killed in their on-campus residence. About 50 to 70 thugs assaulted their home, some smashing its windows, some trying to light it on fire and some trying to break in. A Berkeley spokesman said it was only a “matter of luck” that police arrived before the thugs could get inside. When officers did arrive, some thugs tried to light the police cars on fire.

Now here’s the disgusting twist: The thugs thought they held the moral high ground, chanting “no justice, no peace” as they went about their violent assault. Their anger over UC tuition hikes and budget cuts, you see, meant that terrorizing the Birgeneaus amounted to justice."

Richmond, California, teachers union pushes through concessions contract

Richmond, California, teachers union pushes through concessions contract:

"On December 14, teachers in California’s West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) narrowly passed a contract that includes a pay freeze, larger class sizes and a sharp cut in health care benefits.

The WCCUSD includes several cities in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, including Richmond, Hercules, Pinole, El Cerrito, San Pablo and parts of El Sobrante and Kensington. The district had insisted on concessions to help close a deficit of about $16 million."

Accompanied by charges of irregularities, the 423-415 vote came after 18 months of discussions in which teachers continued to work without a contract. There is broad opposition to the concessions, which will hurt teachers and students alike.

In August, teachers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, which the union—the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR), an affiliate of the California Teachers Association (CTA)—never called. In November, teachers rejected a very similar contract by a vote of 701-671. That “No” vote was only affirmed after the union acceded to teachers’ demands for a recount.

Only a month later, the UTR leadership returned with a new agreement, and the contract vote was called on extremely short notice. The contract was pushed through in part due to a significant decline in the number of teachers voting. The 423 teachers who voted yes amount to less than one quarter of the membership.