Sunday, May 16, 2010

Schools Matter: The Astounding Hypocrisy of Chris "Mad Dog" Christie

The Astounding Hypocrisy of Chris "Mad Dog" Christie

by Jim Horn

One of the most humane social programs that New Jersey offers its citizens is the supplemental prescription drug coverage for those retirees trying to make it on Social Security. The new governor now wants oldsters to pay a $310 up front deductible to take advantage of the program. As a result many retired folks living on Social Security will be cut out of the program, which, of course, is what the deductible is about in the first place.

Meanwhile, His Bloatedness continues to talk tough about that "privileged class" fat cat

DC teachers union election. “Randi almost fell off the chair.” � Fred Klonsky's blog

DC teachers union election. “Randi almost fell off the chair.”

by preaprez

Bill Turque is a Washington Post reporter who follows school and teacher union developments in DC.
In his column, DC School Insider, published late last week he offered the following news:

Union members will begin voting on their contract on Wednesday and for two weeks after.
The ratification vote will be followed by a scheduled election for union president.
The present prez, George Parker, is being challenged by two members including current VP Nathan Saunders.
Saunders has been vocal in his criticism of Parker’s relationship with DC schools boss Michelle Rhee.

Conn. schools urged to join reform effort - Boston.com

Conn. schools urged to join reform effort

May 16, 2010

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HARTFORD, Conn.—Connecticut public school districts are being urged to endorse the state's application for special federal funding under President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" education competition.

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Education Commissioner Mark McQuillan says school districts have until Wednesday to submit documentation that shows they'll participate in the state's far-reaching package of proposed education reforms.

Connecticut was not among the finalists for the first round of funding. State officials have worked to improve their application for the second round. They say the state's chances to receive $175 million in federal funding will be helped by

2010 Election Parent Picks SAC City DAC Web Site

2010 Election Parent Picks

SAC City DAC Editor Mike Simpson recommends parents join me and vote for

Parent Political Picks by the Big Education Ape

Our Area 7 School Board Member and 1st Vice President

Patrick Kennedy

for Sacramento City Council Area 5

A Parent with a plan for Sacramento

Patrick Kennedy Sacramento City Council 5

Go to SAC City DAC Web Site

The Washington Teacher: WTU's George Parker Fails To Submit Petition For Re-Election Bid For Union President

WTU's George Parker Fails To Submit Petition For Re-Election Bid For Union President

by The Wash. Teacher

Breaking News

According to a press release issued today:

For the first time in the history of the Washington Teachers Union (WTU), a sitting union president has failed to submit petitions to run for office in accordance with the requirement of the WTU Constitution and By-Laws rendering him ineligible to run for office. On May 10, 2010, during a special meeting at the headquarters of the American Federation of Teachers, George Parker, current President of the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU), announced to Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Nathan Saunders, presidential candidate for WTU 2010 election and Candi Peterson, general vice presidential candidate for WTU 2010 election and others others that he failed to submit nominating petitions for the upcoming General Election of WTU officers.

As per the WTU Constitution and By-Laws (Article 7, paragraph 2.C) “Official nominating petitions shall be made available to the membership at the March meeting or at the WTU office. Petitions must be returned to the office of the Washington Teachers’ Union on or before the

Understanding shut-down learners - Academic Skills | GreatSchools

Mad, bored, or just plain brokenhearted

You've seen them before: The bright child totally zoned out in class. The insolent know-it-all who drives his teachers nuts. These kids did fine in lower grades, so why are they failing now?

According to child psychologist Richard Selznick, these are classic examples of demoralized learners on the path to an academic meltdown. But don't panic: Learn the expert's top seven strategies for opening shut-down minds.

Home > Academics & Activities > Academic Skills

Understanding shut-down learners

Seven strategies to help your child climb from struggles to success.

By Dr. Richard Selznick

Throughout preschool and her early elementary grades, Emma was sunny, confident, and engaged in school. Now 12 and in sixth grade, her teacher’s comments paint a different picture: “Emma enters class pleasantly, and she seems to get along nicely with the other kids. During class, however, Emma never participates, and it seems that her mind is elsewhere. Emma’s work reflects a general lack of effort. It’s almost as if she doesn’t care.”

What happened to the sunny, confident, and engaged Emma?

Jacob, age 9, loves playing with Legos and other hands-on materials. Building elaborate cities and complex scenes, he is confident and very capable. In class, though, Jacob is unenthusiastic. An observer watching Jacob’s lack of connection and energy would probably think his light bulb was dim. Often he looks pained in class — particularly during open-ended writing assignments.

Poverty has a Powerful Impact on Educational Attainment, or, Don't Trust Ed Trust | FairTest

Poverty has a Powerful Impact on Educational Attainment, or, Don't Trust Ed Trust

Issue:

Jan 2002

by Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern California. Published in February 2002 Substance (5132 W. Berteau Ave., Chicago, IL 60641; csubstance@aol.com) and reprinted with permission.

Two critical responses exposing flaws in a report by Education Trust that claims to have found thousands of schools across the U.S. which serve large numbers of low-income children and which score high on standardized tests. See also FairTest Examiner summary and discussion (Winter 2001-02). Richard Rothstein also critiqued the Ed Trust report, with very similar results. His column is at
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/10/education/10LESS.html?pagewanted=print&pos

The powerful impact of poverty on literacy development has been well documented. Children of poverty, in addition to the obvious problems they face, have very little access to reading material ; they have fewer books in the home, inferior public libraries, inferior school libraries,and inferior classroom libraries, (e.g. Duke, 2000; Neuman and Celano, 2001). This means, of course, that they have fewer opportunities to read, and therefore make less progress in developing literacy.

The recent report from Educational Trust West (Ali and Jerald, 2001) appears, at first glance, to show that a significant number of children in poverty have overcome this problem. The report claimed to find 3,592 schools in the US that were "high-performing-high poverty" schools. In California alone, there were 355 high-performing-high poverty school. This result was considered sufficient to "dispel the myth" about

We’re all individuals! | Reflections on Teaching

We’re all individuals!

by alicemercer

My autistic family ain’t your autistic family

This one is subtitled, why “least restrictive environment” should not be used as a weapon. First, some background. There are lots of rumors swirling around my district lately. Many of them around moving students out of SDC or small self-contained special ed classes, and “mainstreaming” students into regular education classes, with a bit of time each day in a pull-out special ed class. I was discussing this with a colleague who had one of the first “mainstreamed” developmentally disabled students in her high school class in her second year of teaching. Since she was new, didn’t know much, and didn’t get any guidance or support, she wasn’t sure if the students had gotten much academically from the experience, but she said that what struck her later was that she had intuited that this mainstreaming provided socialization with “normal” peers for the student, but, what struck her was how this had affected those “normal” kids. They had gone along all four years of high school and included the student in things like Prom. By not shutting this student away in a “special” class, this helped

Schools Matter: Why to Fight SB 191, and How to Get Even With the Prostisuits Who Support It

Why to Fight SB 191, and How to Get Even With the Prostisuits Who Support It

Great primer here by Angela Engel on how to get smart, get angry, and get even against corporate prosti-suits of the Colorado legislature and teacher unions:

Don't just get mad, Get Even - Senate Bill 191 passes colorado legislature

by: Angela Engel

Thu May 13, 2010 at 19:45:19 PM MDT

Corporate Takeover of Public Education
The Formula

Evaluate school according to an unattainable goal (NCLB - 100% proficiency of every student according to a single measure) to ensure the label of "failing schools."

-Standardize all curriculum, nationalizing pu

College M.I.A.'s #6 - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

College M.I.A.'s #6

"Some of the people coming out of those apprenticeships are in more demand than college graduates," he said, "because they've actually managed things in the workplace."
--- Robert I. Lerman, American University

Not Everyone is College Material
The List: No College or College Dropout

Those of you who have been following The Daily Riff series, College M.I.A.'s -- showcasing notable and/or extremely successful talents who never attended or dropped out of college -- understand our point that college may not be for everyone for a variety of reasons (see previous M.I.A.'s below).

Today's New York Times features this same topic in "top ten most emailed" story aptly titledPlan B: Skip College, well-worth the read in light of the premise stated as: "The idea that four years of higher education will translate into a better job, higher earnings and a happier life - a refrain sure to be repeated this month at graduation ceremonies across the country - has been pounded into the heads of schoolchildren, parents and

The IEA is just not that into collective bargaining training. � Fred Klonsky's blog

The IEA is just not that into collective bargaining training.

by preaprez

With membership down, attacks on seniority and evaluation procedures increasing and charter school teachers looking for union protection, you would think that the IEA would see the present moment as a prime opportunity for collective bargaining training.
But a number of people who attended this weekend’s IEA Board of Director’s meeting tell me that IEA President Ken Swanson moved to do away with the Collective Bargaining Committee.
Some remember when former IEA President Anne Davis did away with the Winter Bargaining Conference and

2010 Sac & SCUSD Elections

2010 Elections

SCUSD Board

Area 1, President
Ellyne Bell
11/06 – 11/10

Thank You Dr. Housman for your past 100 years of EducationExcellence and Service

SCUSD Parents and Community will Miss You!

Area 2
Jerry Houseman, Ed.D
11/04 – 11/10

Schools Scooping Up Outside Money to Keep Moving in Tough Times

Sam Hodgson
Point Loma High School's football team currently works out in old batting cages with rusting equipment. But the school is using grant money to build a new facility.

Posted: Monday, May 10, 2010 4:14 pm | Updated: 4:24 pm, Fri May 14, 2010.

By EMILY ALPERT

Rusting weight machines sit in batting cages next to the football field at Point Loma High School, exiled from a classroom trailer that was condemned and then removed.

Parents are relieved that's finally going to change. Point Loma High is getting a new weight room -- but not because budget cuts have let up in San Diego Unified schools. The school snagged a $90,000 grant from a NASCAR racing champion and Lowe's Home Improvement after teens made their case in a pleading video and parents wrote an application.

It isn't the only bright spot on campus in the midst of budget cuts: New buildings for filmmaking, music and athletics are cropping up thanks to state grants for career education. Another grant pays for science tutoring, dance troupes, field trips and other activities after school. Grants were rare at Point Loma High before, Principal Bobbie Samilson said, but in this economy it's the way to go.

Grants to help schools are nothing new. There are government grants from California and the feds. There are private grants from big corporations and little nonprofits. Grants have long fed money to schools to launch or temporarily try out programs that go beyond the basics, such as surveying teens about their drug and alcohol use or buy supplies that will outlast the temporary money.

But grants are playing an increasingly important role for schools as traditional funding sources continue to dry up and principals brace for future cuts.

School leaders say that year by year, as state funding has been cut, the quest for other funds has grown more pressing. Some parents and principals have taken to hunting for funding like entrepreneurs, devoting hours to shining up their applications and seeking other funds. Schools have even turned to grants to cover the costs of books or other basics that their ordinary funding would once have covered.

"It's just a reality of the job," said Scott Giusti, principal of Mira Mesa High School. When he interviewed for his job, parents and community members grilled him about how he would get funding. "I thought it'd be all about instruction and the safety of the kids. Now it's like being a CEO. Go out and get money."