Monday, May 3, 2010

NorthJersey.com: Wyckoff teachers' union claims school officials violated labor practices

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Wyckoff teachers' union claims school officials violated labor practices

Monday, May 3, 2010

BY CHRIS NESI

WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS

OF SUBURBAN NEWS

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Wyckoff — The Wyckoff Education Association last week filed an unfair labor practices charge against the Board of Education, as well as former president Daniel Moynihan, claiming they violated labor law prohibiting direct negotiations with teachers’ union members.
Beginning March 24, Moynihan reached out to teachers’ union president Kathy Bowers to assess the willingness of union members to either accept a pay freeze, a reduction in a scheduled pay hike of 4.4 percent, or begin contributing 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health benefits.
Although Bowers had previously indicated in an interview with Suburban News that the union was "open to conversation" with the school board on ways to reduce expenditures, she expressed an unwillingness to put the matter to a membership vote in a follow-up e-mail to Moynihan that was obtained by Suburban News.
"I am not sure if that will help or hinder the cause," Bowers said in an e-mail to Moynihan dated March 30.
Among the concerns she cited in the e-mail were appearing to bow to Governor Christie’s call for union concessions and a possible backlash by the community if the union voted against contractual changes.
Moynihan repeated his inquiry about possible concessions by the union in an e-mail on April 7 and again on April 22, two days after voters rejected the district’s $32 million tax levy.
Moynihan asked the union to hold a vote on the concessions to ascertain where membership stood. He indicated that based on a small, informal poll he conducted of teachers, he believed "many may be willing to open the contract and help the district."
The next day, Moynihan e-mailed all union members through the internal e-mail system for district

The Rancho Cordova Post — Bike Month in May Means Plenty of Cycling Opportunities

The Rancho Cordova Post — Local News, Events, Things to Do

Bike Month in May Means Plenty of Cycling Opportunities

by ANNE LOWE on MAY 3, 2010 · 0 COMMENTS

in LIFESTYLE

May is National Bike Month, and events planned in Rancho Cordova throughout the month will help residents get out of their homes and on to the bike trails.

In addition to regional events such as the Bicycle Film Festival and the Amgen Tour of California, Rancho Cordova will be home to the Project 680 bike ride for socks on May 8 and the Walk, Wag & Roll on May 22. The bike ride for socks will be held at Hagan Park at 9:30 a.m. and will consist of two bike rides– the first ride will be a short 20 minute ride, and the second will be a 30 mile ride for more experienced cyclists. The Walk, Wag & Roll is presented by the Bicycling Advocates of Rancho Cordova and will be held at Stone Creek Park at 9 a.m.; there will be a 5k fun run or walk as well as a 10 mile bike ride at the event.

Erik Johnson, the media affairs coordinator for the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, is directing all residents and workers in the Sacramento area to

The Sounds of Silence: NEA’s Trusteeship in South Carolina Goes Unnoticed | Intercepts

The Sounds of Silence: NEA’s Trusteeship in South Carolina Goes Unnoticed

by Mike Antonucci

Click here to read:
1) The Sounds of Silence: NEA’s Trusteeship in South Carolina Goes Unnoticed
2) How Race to the Top “Buy-In” Is Working in Maine
3) Last Week’s Intercepts
4) Quote of the Week

Charter bill may pass Senate today, faces uphill battle in Assembly | GothamSchools

Charter bill may pass Senate today, faces uphill battle in Assembly

by Philissa Cramer

New York State’s Senate is heading for a vote on a bill that would more than double the charter school cap today, but Albany observers said it’s unlikely the bill will make it through the Assembly unchanged.
Introduced last Friday by the Senate Rules Committee, which is chaired by Senator Malcolm Smith, the bill is part of the state’s second bid for $700 million in Race to the Top money. Sources in Albany said the Senate is likely to vote on the bill this afternoon — it’s being pushed by Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson and won the endorsement of Governor David Paterson — but the bill’s chances in the Assembly are considerably less certain.
Though Assemblyman Karim Camara introduced Sampson’s bill today, Assemblyman Alan Maisel said he doesn’t think the bill has enough support to reach the floor, especially because it doesn’t give the state comptroller the power to audit charter schools.
“I don’t think it will be going to the Assembly,” Maisel said. “People who are pushing this bill are making it sound

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

Vocabulary Challenges and Perks

Intrigued by the vocabulary program we wrote about today? Here is some more food for thought:

• We focused mainly on why vocabulary is a problem for poorer children. Unsurprisingly, it's also a problem for English learners who don't hear English at home at all. Schools sometimes aggravate it by focusing too much on conversational English for new speakers, instead of the more academic language they need to understand textbooks and tests, said Patricia Gandara, a University of California Los Angeles education professor.

"If kids don't get the language of the classroom, they don't understand the lesson," Gandara said.

Gandara believes it can also be problematic when English learners are relabeled as fluent speakers in the early grades, because while they may seem to speak English well, they don't

East Bay middle schools among top three in National Science Bowl - ContraCostaTimes.com

East Bay middle schools among top three in National Science Bowl

By Eric Louie
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 05/03/2010 02:09:26 PM PDT

Updated: 05/03/2010 02:29:58 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

WASHINGTON - MAY 03: First lady Michelle Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu... ( Mark Wilson )

Gale Ranch Middle School of San Ramon placed second in the National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. today, losing to a New Mexico school in a battle between the top two teams that featured questioning from first lady Michelle Obama.

Hopkins Junior High in Fremont placed third. High school teams from Palo Alto and San Jose were eliminated in earlier rounds.

The U.S. Department of Energy's 20th annual National Science Bowl featured competition between 37 middle schools for the middle school division title, and 68 high schools.

The competing school teams had qualified, and received all-expense paid trips to the competition by winning regional contests — a total of 20,000 students took part this year.

Students were quizzed on a range of subjects including math, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics and astronomy. Teams were eliminated in competitions over the weekend before Gale Ranch and Albuquerque Academy faced off his morning.

The top eight middle schools each received $1,000 for their school. Each member of the top three middle school teams received a Texas Instruments Nspire calculator.

The Gale Ranch team members are Rishi Krishnan, Ayush Rath, Saran Prembabu, Sijung-Jason Kim, Augustine Chemparathy, and coach George Chemparathy. The Hopkins team was Krishna

Students from Lake Oswego and Florence among nation's top youth volunteers | OregonLive.com

Students from Lake Oswego and Florence among nation's top youth volunteers

By Phil Manzano, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 12:50PM

Prudential Spirit of Community AwardsAmy Carlton, center, and Taylor Graham, right, meet with former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in Washington D.C. Monday where they received the national Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.Two Oregon students, Amy Carlton of Lake Oswego, and Taylor Graham of Florence, were named two of the nation's top 10 youth volunteers today for their work combating hunger.

Ten students from across the nation received the national Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for outstanding community service Monday. Prudential received more than 21,000 applications and two students were chosen from each state and flown to Washington D.C. to be considered for the national award.

Officials said it was rare for two of the 10 national award winners to come from the same state.

Carlton, a senior at Lake Oswego High School, started a non-profit called Teens Fighting Hunger when she was 15. In three years, the group has raised more than $63,000 to combat hunger.

After learning about the number of children going hungry in the U.S. during a freshman history class, Carlton started raising money by selling jewelry she had been making as a hobby. She met with lawyers and accountants to create the nonprofit and recruited other teens to make jewelry, hats, scarves, greeting cards and other items to sell. She founded "Hunger Fight Club" which has more than 70 students.

Carlton said meeting other students and hearing about their projects inspired and humbled her. One student in particular, Alie B. Gorrie of

Too Fast and Too Furious When It Comes to Teacher Evaluation :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Too Fast and Too Furious When It Comes to Teacher Evaluation

by Frederick M. Hess • May 3, 2010 at 11:14 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Much as I'd feared, preparations for round two of Race to the Top (RTT) seem to be impelling states to overshoot the mark when it comes to teacher evaluation and pay. Generally laudable proposals like Florida's Senate Bill 6 and Colorado's Senate Bill 10-191 suffer from the "fix the world in one pass" syndrome. Advocates who are waging an admirable fight to end or dramatically scale back hyper-rigid, industrial-era state policies governing teacher tenure and compensation display a worrisome tendency to mandate that, henceforth, teachers will be evaluated in large part on (thus far) largely nonexistent, hyper-rigid, value-added metrics. This is all playing out in Colorado right now, where SB 10-191 passed the state senate on Friday and goes to the state house this week.

Now, don't get me wrong. I supported Florida's Senate Bill 6 and heartily support Colorado's more measured 10-191, but the impatient rush to "fix" teacher quality in one furious burst of legislating is leading to troublesome overreaching and putting the cart before the horse. The result: hugely promising efforts to uproot outdated and stifling arrangements get enveloped in crudely drawn, sketchily considered, and potentially self-destructive

Teacher Appreciation Week: share your stories of favorite teachers | OregonLive.com

Teacher Appreciation Week: share your stories of favorite teachers

By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 12:17PM

Today is the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week and in celebration of all the teachers who have made a difference in a student's life, no matter how small, The Oregonian's five education reporters decided to share stories of our favorite teachers.

We'll run one every day this week, and we invite readers to tell us their stories as well.

Here's my story:

There was something about my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. (Ruth) Ronning.

A tall, slender distinguished woman, she never once raised her voice. She didn't have to. No one wanted to disappoint her. We wanted to make her proud.

Mrs. Ronning -- I still can't call her by her first name -- taught at Poly Drive School in Billings, Mont.

She wasn't a motherly or snuggly type of teacher. In fact, Mrs. Ronning was a tough cookie, who in her quiet, sweet way insisted on independence.

Sure, you could ask her a question, but she rarely offered an answer. Instead, she encouraged you to find it yourself. When you figured it out, Mrs. Ronning sat you down and made sure you understood how proud she was of you.

"I knew you could do it," she would quietly say as if you were the only one in the world.

Independence, of course, builds confidence, which I was sorely lacking.

I stopped by the school to visit Mrs. Ronning a few times before she retired in the 1990s. Each time, she sat me down and wanted to know what I'd

BREAKING: Large Air Spill at Wind Farm

Living | First lady: math, science important to nation | Seattle Times Newspaper

Living | First lady: math, science important to nation| Seattle Times Newspaper

First lady: math, science important to nation

First lady Michelle Obama told middle and high school science teams Monday that the nation will need their skills and enthusiasm to prosper in the future.

By NATASHA T. METZLER

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON —

First lady Michelle Obama told middle and high school science teams Monday that the nation will need their skills and enthusiasm to prosper in the future.

Mrs. Obama visited the Energy Department's National Science Bowl and read bonus questions during the middle school championship match.

"We want young people energized in the way that you all are, because we know that American brainpower in science and math has always driven this country's prosperity," she told the group after the two winning teams had received their trophies. "We are going to need you."

Mrs. Obama said that the nation depends on the next generation of innovation and challenged the students to help build the future of medicine, clean energy and security.

During the middle school competition Mrs. Obama asked 17 bonus questions of the two finalist teams. Her

The Educated Reporter: David who?

David who?

from The Educated Reporter by Linda Perlstein

I spent the last few days at the AERA conference in Denver, meeting with researchers to talk over a project we are thinking of doing at EWA. I had never met most of these people before, so I spent a lot of time walking from lobby to lobby for prearranged meetings, saying “Are you Dick?” or “Are you Bob?”

For my final meeting, with David Plank of PACE, I went to the lobby of the Marriott.

“Are you David?” I said to the only guy there.

“Yes.”

“Hi, I’m Linda.”

We had a good talk, with David giving very helpful input on how EWA might implement this idea, on the nature of educational researchers, and so on. As I stood up to go, he gave me his card.

Education Research Report: Young Latino children show strong classroom skills, despite many growing up in poverty

Young Latino children show strong classroom skills, despite many growing up in poverty

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Ω

But for teens, peer pressure, mediocre schools undercut initial gains

Immigrant Latinos display strong parenting practices and raise socially agile children, but these early gains are likely to be eroded by mediocre schools and peer pressure in poor neighborhoods, according to findings published by the American Psychological Association.

In a special section of the journal Developmental Psychology, a team of researchers examines how no-nonsense parenting practices – especially Latino traditions of strict discipline, respect for adults and strong family bonds – shape children's social and cognitive growth and their assimilation into mainstream culture.

"Immigrant kids begin school with surprisingly good social skills, eager to engage teachers and classroom tasks, even though many are raised in poor households," said Bruce Fuller, PhD, of the University of California at Berkeley, who co-edited the special section. "This stems from tight families and tough-headed parenting. Our findings shatter the myth that immigrant or low-income parents necessarily produce troubled children."

One study, based on 19,500 kindergartners nationwide, found that Latino children engaged in classroom activities and displayed cooperative skills at levels equal to those of white non-Latino children, despite vast differences in family income between the groups. In addition, Latino children's social skills contributed to their

Presidential scholars: Oregon scores three | OregonLive.com

Presidential scholars: Oregon scores three

By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 11:56AM

Three Oregon high school seniors have been named Presidential Scholars in honor of their outstanding academic achievement, leadership and contribution to school and community, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today.

Every state automatically gets two scholars: one boy and one girl. But 15 additional "at large" top achievers are named from all states, and Oregon had one of those, too, this year.

Oregon's winners are:

Eva Koeller, senior at Lincoln High in Portland.
Evan Wu, a senior at Crescent Valley High in Corvallis.
Torrin Rudeen, a senior at South Eugene High.

They and the 138 other national winners will be honored in Washington, D.C., in June.

Koeller, a racketball player as well as top scholar, chose

Sac State-run civics program earns national honors - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sac State-run civics program earns national honors

By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com

Published: Monday, May. 3, 2010 - 10:28 am

A high school civics program run by Sacramento State has received national recognition for promoting voter participation and civic engagement in winning the Medallion award from the National Association of Secretaries of State.

The LegisSchool Project is run by Sac State's Center for California Studies. It coordinates discussions about policy issues between high school students and state lawmakers. It also runs civics internships, which pair high school students with college-level legislative interns. The program involves about 50,000 students from across California.

"LegiSchool's goal is to create opportunities for students and state leaders to meet and learn from each other," Megan Thorall, the project's

Can a simple strawberry be a catalyst for change? Sacramento City Unified School District

Sacramento City Unified School District

Dear Colleagues:

Can a simple strawberry be a catalyst for change?

This week, as our students take the California Standards Test, I want to once again thank our dedicated employees for all you do to put children first. These tests are a crucial component in the federal and state accountability models by which we are judged as a district. Test scores are used to track student achievement, and therefore are vital to assessing our services. But we cannot forget that the tests are just one measurement of our work with children. We should also be assessing ourselves on our much larger goal: To take a holistic approach to education.

Which brings me to the strawberry.

Starting May 10, our nutrition services staff will begin giving fresh, locally grown strawberries to elementary school children at lunch, courtesy of a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. While that may seem minor, it represents an important step toward thinking about children in terms of serving their needs on many fronts so they can grow as learners.

Research shows that healthy kids perform better academically. Eating nutritious food is essential to staying healthy, one reason we are excited to offer our children – especially those who rely on our lunch program every day -- fresh strawberries. In addition, the district has launched a Healthy Food Task Force, co-chaired by Board of Education member Patrick Kennedy, my wife, Julie Raymond as parent liaison, and George Washington Carver High School Principal Allegra Alessandri, to find creative ways we can provide healthier, locally produced food for the children in our district. The district has an obligation to teach our children about food, nutrition and the environment. It’s the right thing to do as we work to put kids on a college- and careerbound trajectory, which is one of the foundational pillars of our overall approach to educating our kids. If eating better helps them learn, we must improve the meals they get from us.

Exercise can also improve a child’s academic performance, as well as teach life-long lessons about self-discipline and perseverance. Competitive sports, too, give children a sense of identity and purpose. Sometimes, being on a team is the hook that keeps an otherwise wayward teen in school. Perhaps most importantly in these times of financial crisis is this: Healthy kids spend fewer days at home sick. At a time when every dollar counts, improving the health of our students will impact the bottom line.

With that in mind, I am proud that our district is one of only seven in California to win the 2010 Governor’s Fitness Challenge, a contest among the state’s K-12 schools that encourages students, parents and staff to get active, healthy and fit. Participants register with the program then record their “active days” – days spent exercising for at least 30minutes – on a spreadsheet. As the weather warms, now is the perfect time to begin or step up a regimen of regular exercise. I urge every employee to be a health-conscious role model for our children by staying fit and healthy. In our district, 40,402 students are signed up for the Governor’s Fitness Challenge. Each school has a designated Fitness Challenge coordinator who works with students to help them keep track of their activity levels. These timesheets and calendars are being filled out now and will be turned into the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at the end of May. By winning this competition, we will receive a Live Positively Fitness Center with a retail value of more than $100,000. The school to receive this fitness center will be announced later in the year.

No matter which campus gets the equipment, everyone inspired by this program to exercise more regularly wins the gift of health and soaring self-esteem. Can a strawberry change the way we do business? Maybe not. But seeing each child as a whole human being – not just a mind for testing – will get us closer to the transformation we seek.

Sincerely,

Jonathan P. Raymond

Superintendent

usa education compared to japan | Educational New York

usa education compared to japan

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Latest News and Comment from Education

Monday, May 3, 2010

Bike Month in May Means Plenty of Cycling Opportunities

East Bay middle schools among top three in National Science Bowl

Students from Lake Oswego and Florence among nation's top youth volunteers

By Phil Manzano, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 12:50PM

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

Too Fast and Too Furious When It Comes to Teacher Evaluation

Teacher Appreciation Week: share your stories of favorite teachers

By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 12:17PM

BREAKING: Large Air Spill at Wind Farm

First lady: math, science important to nation

Presidential scholars: Oregon scores three

By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

May 03, 2010, 11:56AM

Sac State-run civics program earns national honors