Sacramento State, UC Davis stress flu shots for students - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento State, UC Davis stress flu shots for students - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee

There was a carnival atmosphere inside the University Union at Sacramento State on Wednesday, with jugglers, magicians, fortune tellers, balloon artists … and nurses giving flu shots.
An annual campus festival designed to expose students to all the food and fun available in the union included a decidedly practical activity this year. Nurses from the student health center administered 200 seasonal flu shots at a satellite operation inside the union.

School reform: The Arne-and-Arnold agenda - California Progress Report

School reform: The Arne-and-Arnold agenda - California Progress Report:

"The ambitious school reform demands Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped on the legislature a couple of weeks ago come with a lot of points in their favor. But careful review and input from California’s education community isn’t one of them. Again, the governor parachuted into an issue that he’s never showed much interest in and that his office has little capacity for."

Van Jones and the Boycott of Glenn Beck | CommonDreams.org

Van Jones and the Boycott of Glenn Beck CommonDreams.org:

"Glenn Beck was mad. He’s the right-wing talk radio host who has a television program on the Fox News Channel. Advertisers were fleeing his Fox program en masse after the civil rights group Color of Change mounted a campaign urging advertisers to boycott Beck, who labeled President Barack Obama a “racist.” As the campaign progressed, Beck began his attacks against Van Jones. Jones was appointed by Obama in March to be special adviser for green jobs. He co-founded Color of Change four years ago. After weeks of attacks from Beck, Jones resigned his position at the White House last Sunday."

Elk Grove Citizen : News

Elk Grove Citizen : News:

"Joe and Lynda Tallerico are examples of community volunteerism, and this is how they explain the work that they do:

“We were both raised in small communities in northern California, Joe in McCloud, and Lynda in Mount Shasta. In a small town, you know everyone and everyone knows you.

We both had careers in education, Joe as a teacher and administrator in Sacramento City Unified, and Lynda with the California School Boards Association.

We have met so many wonderful and committed people by being involved in SPOTLIGHT. The work of the Elk Grove Community Foundation is something that we truly believe in, and we thank everyone who has made our volunteer time such a wonderful experience.

We are proud to be part of Elk Grove.”"

THE OAKBOOK - Not So Fast

THE OAKBOOK - Not So Fast:

"Oakland Unified School District’s Governing Board will hear a charter petition Wednesday evening for California Connections Academy @ VIMS, a proposed online “learning community” that’s similar to a petition Sacramento’s Board of Education nixed earlier this year."

Sacramento Schools Chief: Test Scores Only One Measure | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Sacramento Schools Chief: Test Scores Only One Measure News10.net Sacramento, California News:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - The new superintendent for the Sacramento City Unified School District said test scores will be only one measure of student achievement.

Jonathan Raymond appeared on Wednesday's Live_Online with News10's Sharon Ito as part of our forum with local superintendents. He told viewers he will also be looking at qualitative measures, such as a school's culture and whether the public feels welcome on campus."

http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=1247788483

GUIDANCE Using Title I, Part A ARRA Funds for Grants to Local Educational Agencies

GUIDANCE Using Title I, Part A ARRA Funds for Grants to Local Educational Agencies:

"GUIDANCE Using Title I, Part A ARRA Funds for Grants to Local Educational Agencies

PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDANCE

The purpose of this document is to provide assistance to State educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), and schools in determining how to identify, create, and structure
opportunities and strategies to strengthen education, drive school reform, and improve the
academic achievement of at-risk students using funds under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) made available through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)."

SFGate: Politics Blog : Schwarzenegger's government transparency Web site - Take 2!

SFGate: Politics Blog : Schwarzenegger's government transparency Web site - Take 2!:

"State Inspector General Laura Chick today asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to expand his government transparency Web site to include more internal audits of state and local agencies, and to overhaul the Web site to make it more user-friendly.

The governor responded quickly, announcing an executive order that requires state agencies and departments to post 'all program reviews, monitoring and accountability reports, evaluations, inspections, assessments and studies of audits' for public viewing on the transparency site.

Schwarzenegger initially ordered state agencies to post all external and internal audits, as well as government contracts totaling more than $5,000 to be posted on www.reportingtransparency.ca.gov ."

Curriculum Matters: As the World Economy Slumps, Ed Investment Brings a Payoff, OECD Says

Curriculum Matters: As the World Economy Slumps, Ed Investment Brings a Payoff, OECD Says:


As nations around the globe, including the United States, attempt to crawl out of a deep recession, the evidence suggests they would be wise to invest in education because of the strong economic payoff it brings across their societies and to individual workers, a new report says.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, makes that case in a new report, 'Education at a Glance,” which offers comparisons across countries in various educational and economic indicators.

Part of the reason that encouraging students to stick with K-12 education"

On Special Education: Ed. Dept. Gives Guidance on Providing Special Education During a Swine Flu Outbreak

On Special Education: Ed. Dept. Gives Guidance on Providing Special Education During a Swine Flu Outbreak:


"The U.S. Department of Education has offered some legal guidance to schools about their requirements to educate special education students in times of a swine flu outbreak.
Some schools closed their doors after cases of swine flu first appeared last spring. Not much was known about how schools would handle educating students with disabilities if there were ever long school closures or long absences by students because of the H1N1 virus. With a new school year under way, the U.S. Department of Education released legal guidelines Sept. 1."

First thoughts: Obama's three audiences - First Read - msnbc.com

First thoughts: Obama's three audiences - First Read - msnbc.com:

"Obama's three audiences: Perhaps the best way to view (and also judge) President Obama's health-care address tonight is to consider that he's speaking to three audiences. The first is ordinary American voters -- call them Joe and Jane from Kansas City. What we've picked up from the White House is that the president isn’t expected to get into the legislative weeds in tonight’s speech, but instead hopes to explain to Joe and Jane that his health-care reform will 1) cover nearly everyone and 2) cut costs in the long run. If that message isn’t hammered home to Joe and Jane, then the White House will consider tonight’s speech a failure. By the way, Joe and Jane in Kansas City live in the geographic AND political middle."

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > KJ vs City Attorney flap gets nastier > September 8, 2009

Sacramento News & Review > Blogs > SNOG > KJ vs City Attorney flap gets nastier > September 8, 2009:

"KJ vs City Attorney flap gets nastier

So the Fair Political Practices Commission today said that mayor Kevin Johnson is off the hook for any legal conflict of interest regarding an upcoming council vote to help along his strong mayor initiative. As I reported last week (and in tomorrow’s Bites column, the wonders of weekly journalism), City Attorney Eileen Teichert figured that KJ had a conflict because he loaned $25,000 to Sacramentans for Accountable Government, the committee running his strong mayor campaign. And, as reported, Johnson got around the problem, at least in part, by forgiving the loan and making it a gift."

Local News | Kent teachers defy court order, still on strike | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News Kent teachers defy court order, still on strike Seattle Times Newspaper:

"Kent teachers were supposed to be in school Tuesday, preparing for the first day of class Wednesday, but instead were still on the picket line in defiance of a court order.

Denisha Saucedo, a sixth-grade teacher at Kent Elementary, said it was a difficult decision between continuing to fight for smaller class sizes and defying the judge who ruled the strike that began Aug. 31 was illegal.

'I became a teacher to try to make a difference,' Saucedo said. After growing up in the same school district and learning in a classroom with as many as 40 students, she said she didn't want to see her students have the same experience."

Education Week: Calif. Budget Troubles Fuel Curriculum Crisis

Education Week: Calif. Budget Troubles Fuel Curriculum Crisis:

"School administrators in California are getting greater flexibility in how they spend more than $300 million dollars intended for instructional materials, along with encouragement to use some free digital textbooks for high school courses, as a result of cost-cutting measures brought on by the state’s budget crisis.

But extensive changes to the state’s curriculum policies have raised concerns among many educators that they will not have the guidance or resources they need to choose the best textbooks and teaching strategies for their students."

LAUSD schools open under $140M budget cloud - The Daily Breeze

LAUSD schools open under $140M budget cloud - The Daily Breeze:

"Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles Unified students Wednesday head back to school, where they'll find crowded classrooms, fewer teachers and limited services thanks to a year of tough budget cuts.

And the students won't be the only ones with a homework assignment.

District officials say state lawmakers have given them a vexing math problem to start the year: Subtract about $140 million - the equivalent of closing down seven high schools - from this year's budget.

The hit, which looks certain unless emergency legislation proposed this week passes, comes as the district is still smarting from $869 million in cuts over the past year."

Obama addresses public school students

Obama addresses public school students:

"Obama addresses public school students
By Jerry White

As most public schools in the US opened for the first day of classes Tuesday, President Obama delivered a speech at a high school in Arlington, Virginia, which was broadcast to public school students around the country.

The event had been the subject of a hysterical campaign by right-wing talk show hosts and Republican politicians who warned that the president would use it to indoctrinate children in his “socialistic” agenda. The news media gave wide coverage to these semi-fascistic elements demanding that schools prohibit the airing of the president’s remarks and exaggerated the impact of their campaign. In the end, only a small number of districts, primarily Republican-voting regions in the South and West, did not show the speech or left the decision up to teachers."

The Answer Sheet - Teach Your Child to Be Their Own Advocate

The Answer Sheet - Teach Your Child to Be Their Own Advocate:

"There are many things that experts tell parents they ought to do for their child at the start of the school year:

*Help kids create a schedule to do homework and outside activities.

*Create a quiet work space for them to do homework.

*Make sure they get enough sleep each night.

*Insist they eat a healthy breakfast—even if they don’t want to-- because they won’t do their best work without it.

But one stands out as having especially far-reaching consequences: Teach your child how to advocate for themselves--starting with their teachers.
This may sound painfully obvious (the right thing to do often is but we still don’t do it)."

2theadvocate.com | News | ACLU sues middle school — Baton Rouge, LA

2theadvocate.com News ACLU sues middle school — Baton Rouge, LA:

"The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a new same-sex classroom plan at a Vermilion Parish middle school.

The suit was filed on behalf of an unnamed parent and her two children, whom attend Rene A. Rost Middle School. The suit alleges the students were placed in sex-segregated classrooms without being offered equal co-educational options as required by law.

“Everyone has the right to the same quality education,” Marjorie Esman, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said Tuesday in a statement. “Opportunities must be available to all students based on their abilities, rather than their gender.”"

Complications With New York Teacher Report Cards - NYTimes.com

Complications With New York Teacher Report Cards - NYTimes.com:

"During the last school year, education officials distributed some 12,000 reports that considered how well teachers did in educating students, producing a report for any teacher who taught fourth through eighth grade for the last two years. The reports put New York at the center of a national debate over ways to measure the effectiveness of individual teachers and the role that test scores should play in the evaluations."

The school on the old Ambassador Hotel site offers an education in L.A. sociopolitics -- latimes.com

The school on the old Ambassador Hotel site offers an education in L.A. sociopolitics -- latimes.com:

"Like a kindergarten teacher kneeling down to meet her 3-foot-tall charges at eye level, the new elementary school at the Ambassador Hotel site, set to open today, is impeccably attuned to the importance of a first impression.

Designed by the Pasadena firm Gonzalez Goodale Architects, the school extends a friendly, crisply proportioned façade along 8th Street, on the southern edge of the sprawling 76-acre site over which the hotel long presided. Inside, the two-story school wraps 46 classrooms around a pair of generously sized courtyards. It accents its combination of zinc panels and expanses of glass with a number of walls painted Creamsicle orange."

Paul Peterson: What the Public Thinks of Public Schools - WSJ.com

Paul Peterson: What the Public Thinks of Public Schools - WSJ.com:

"Yesterday President Barack Obama delivered a pep talk to America's schoolchildren. The president owes a separate speech to America's parents. They deserve some straight talk on the state of our public schools.

According to the just released Education Next poll put out by the Hoover Institution, public assessment of schools has fallen to the lowest level recorded since Americans were first asked to grade schools in 1981. Just 18% of those surveyed gave schools a grade of an A or a B, down from 30% reported by a Gallup poll as recently as 2005.

No less than 25% of those polled by Education Next gave the schools either an F or a D. (In 2005, only 20% gave schools such low marks.)"

Milwaukee Democrats speak out against mayoral takeover of MPS - JSOnline

Milwaukee Democrats speak out against mayoral takeover of MPS - JSOnline:

"U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, state Democratic lawmakers from Milwaukee and a host of labor and civil rights leaders joined forces Tuesday to speak out against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's proposal for the mayor to control the Milwaukee Public Schools system.

But because there's no proposed legislation yet in Madison to change state law and transfer power over MPS from the School Board to the mayor, critics such as Moore and several state legislators - Sen. Spencer Coggs, Rep. Fred Kessler, Rep. Barbara Toles and Rep. Annette Polly Williams - were left with few new arguments to make against the plan."

Commentary: Obama on risky ground on schools - CNN.com

Commentary: Obama on risky ground on schools - CNN.com:

"The president's commitment to education is truly remarkable, considering the enormous array of policy challenges confronting the administration. From health care and the economic crisis, to global warming and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the administration is beset by controversies that will not be easily resolved.

The fact that the president and his education secretary, Arne Duncan, have not allowed education to be ignored or placed on the back burner says a great deal about their recognition of its central importance to our nation."

The Associated Press: Gates brings education message to MTV, Nickelodeon

The Associated Press: Gates brings education message to MTV, Nickelodeon:

"People should understand how the system is falling short today and how it really contradicts our commitment to equal opportunity,' Gates told The Associated Press. 'If we don't change it now, it will hurt the future of the country as a whole.'

Only one-third of American high school students graduate with the skills necessary to succeed in college and the nation's workplaces, he said."

Bloomberg's bogus school report cards destroy real progress

Bloomberg's bogus school report cards destroy real progress:

"The latest school grades released by the city's Education Department are bogus. An astonishing 84% of 1,058 elementary and middle schools received an A (compared with 38% last year and 23% in 2007). Another 13% got a B. Only seven schools rated a D or an F.

Four schools labeled 'persistently dangerous' by the state got an A from the city, and three of these deeply troubled schools got a B. Three schools that the city wants to close because of low performance got an A. Every school that got an F last year got an A or B this year."

The Economics Of Education - Forbes.com

The Economics Of Education - Forbes.com:

"On Tuesday President Barack Obama addressed school children across America. Political emotions are running hot, the Drudge Report has highlighted the speech for days and it has been daily fodder for blogs, radio and television.

Personally, we believe that our children should learn to respect and honor the Office of the President of the United States of America--no matter who sits in that office or what their politics are."

In Flatbush, the Campaign Turns Negative (Gotham Gazette, September 9, 2009)

In Flatbush, the Campaign Turns Negative (Gotham Gazette, September 9, 2009):


"To say the Democratic primary for the 40th district City Council seat has gotten ugly is a bit of an understatement. Incumbent Mathieu Eugene and challengers Rock Hackshaw and Leithland Tulloch, while not exactly far apart on the issues, have challenged each other's ability to lead, and things have quickly gotten personal.

An Aug. 26 debate hosted by the New York Post was dominated by accusations of poor leadership and ineffectiveness. Hackshaw, who describes himself as a community activist, has worked as a political adviser, a lecturer and a journalist, among other trades, and also is a popular blogger. He insists Tulloch began the fusillade of negative campaigning. 'Tulloch spent the race spreading lots of lies and beating up me and Eugene. I didn't start the fight but I'm gonna end it,' he said."

Free speech can teach - The York Daily Record

Free speech can teach - The York Daily Record:

"Well now, that wasn't so bad, was it?
In fact, it was pretty good.
Reading through President Obama's speech to schoolchildren Tuesday, it's hard to fathom what all the uproar was about.
Work hard.
Stay in school.
Do your homework.
Don't watch too much TV.
Take personal responsibility for your actions.
Not exactly radical, 'socialist' stuff.
In fact, much of it was boilerplate conservative rhetoric."

Mike Thomas: Will Obama follow through on education? -- OrlandoSentinel.com

Mike Thomas: Will Obama follow through on education? -- OrlandoSentinel.com:

"So Tuesday they saw a black student-body president introduce a black president of the United States of America. He told them that there is value in education, that if they work hard, it can take them anywhere, including the White House.

Obama is a badly needed male role model in a culture that relies far too heavily on sports stars to fill that role.

That makes the symbolic value of his speech incalculable."

Inside City Hall: Sacramento Mayor Johnson wants bigger school role - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com

Inside City Hall: Sacramento Mayor Johnson wants bigger school role - Sacramento City News - sacbee.com:

"Mayor Kevin Johnson has made it very clear he wants to have a bigger hand in the city's public schools than his predecessors in City Hall.

He has held an education summit with policymakers and big thinkers from around the country, helped bring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to town and has met many times with the heads of the city's public school districts."

Obama speech part of tradition - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Obama speech part of tradition - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The U.S. president has many roles, and among them is expressing moral leadership and values, inspiring people to action. So it should not be surprising that the nation's presidents have taken to the bully pulpit to inspire young children to excel in school, the great engine of opportunity and prosperity in this country.

Here are some excerpts from recent presidents, without names. See if you can match the remarks with the president."

Sacramento students take Obama message to heart: Never give up - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento students take Obama message to heart: Never give up - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"At 9 a.m. Tuesday, a stream of third-graders filed into Room 5 at Sequoia Elementary School in Sacramento.
'Have a seat, we've got the president on the computer right now,' teacher Kelle Marshall told her students as they set their backpacks by the door. 'You've got to listen.'"

Superintendent dishes it out - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Superintendent dishes it out - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee

Jonathan Raymond, Sacramento City Unified School District's new superintendent, serves beans during lunch Tuesday at Woodbine Elementary's cafeteria.

School board member Diana Rodriguez, left, dishes out apple slices and applesauce, and food services assistant Danielle Hilliard, right, serves corn dogs to round out the menu.

Robert Reich Public Option Video

Robert Reich speaks directly on what the 'public option' is and why it is so important to health care reform.

Hometown Station AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio - State Top Educator Weighs In On Obama Speech

Hometown Station AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio - State Top Educator Weighs In On Obama Speech:

"State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today watched President Obama's back-to-school message with students at Sequoia Elementary School in Sacramento.

'I would like to commend and thank President Obama for taking the time to address our nation's students. These are trying times for America as millions of people continue to cope with the effects of the global economic downturn."

"Unfortunately, our students and educators are not immune to this phenomenon, and cutbacks in education funding across the country - especially here in California - illustrate this reality all too well.

"But the President's message today is just the sort of infusion of inspiration and confidence that I believe can propel our schools to do even more, even better with fewer resources. Furthermore, the President could not be more right in encouraging students to set their educational goals high and commit themselves to reaching and even exceeding those benchmarks.

Obama speech delivered to school students - Latest News - sacbee.com

Obama speech delivered to school students - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"Students in Sacramento City Unified School District returned to school this morning."

And at Sequoia Elementary School, they were joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell, parents, school administrators and a throng of media to watch President Barack Obama's back-to-school speech.

The speech about the importance of a good education created a furor among some parents, prompting some Sacramento-area school officials to allow students to skip the nationally televised speech.

Mrs. Marshall's third-grade class at Sequoia Elementary school in Sacramento watches President Barack Obama's televised address on Tuesday morning.

Pres. Obama National Address to Students

Pres. Obama delivered a national address to students across the country to talk to them about the importance of education. He spoke to a group of students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA.

Obama invokes Ghandi as a personal hero in speech to students | Top of the Ticket | Los Angeles Times

Obama invokes Ghandi as a personal hero in speech to students Top of the Ticket Los Angeles Times:

"The summer of President Obama’s political discontent is drawing to a close, but for those seeking to understand how he wields power as he maneuvers through the tricky maze of autumn’s healthcare battles, he dropped a few clues when he talked to ninth-graders in Virginia.

Obama went to Wakefield High School in Arlington to give a national speech welcoming students back to school. He called for students to take responsibility and to learn from their failures so that they succeed in the end. Despite some conservative misgivings, Obama’s comments were far from controversial. After all, calling on students to work hard and get ahead is as close to mom and apple pie as one can get."

PostPartisan - Staying in School and the 'Socialist Agenda'

PostPartisan - Staying in School and the 'Socialist Agenda':

"We have just gone through one of the most shameful episodes of the young Obama presidency -- shameful because of the behavior of the right wing, shameful because the media played into an extremist agenda, shameful because we proved that our political system has become so dysfunctional that a president gets punished for doing the right thing.

Upon Barack Obama’s election, even my most conservative friends who supported John McCain said Obama could do a world of good for poor children in the country by stressing the importance of education, hard work, staying in school and taking responsibility. Yes, those are often thought of as conservative values."

President Obama's Back to School Event comes to pass

President Obama's Back to School Event comes to pass:

"Don't let your country down. This is part of President Obama's message to school children across the country today."

ll good advice. These statements do have merit. However, delivery has had much to be desired by many. Parents from coast to coast have spent the weekend discussing the anticipated speech.

The President's remarks were posted on Monday for the world to see, however, that did not seem to be enough to calm to raging waters.

Was it really the content of the speech that caused so much to say? Chris McKenna of the Times Herald-Record reported on September 4, 2009 that New Windsor parent, James Petro says, “If you believe anything this White House says, you need to see a psychiatrist”.

Or was it the omission of the parents in the participation of the speech? PTA Councilperson, Cara Mendelsohn of Dallas, TX says that this approach is, "cutting out the parent".

Or is it the timing as the students and staff are just getting settled in to their new academic year, (unless they start tomorrow, September 9, 2009). Ann Sanner of the AP reports that Loudeoun County, VA school superintendent, Edgar Hatrick told WTOP News in Washington, "I think it is a very good speech,but it's just not on the first day of school very convenient for everybody to stop in the middle of lunch and to stop everything else they're doing and hear the live broadcast."

Davis Food Company-Op Receives 2009 Best of Davis Award

Davis Food Company-Op Receives 2009 Best of Davis Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

WASHINGTON D.C., June 8, 2009 -- Davis Food Company-Op has been selected for the 2009 Best of Davis Award in the Health Foods category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2009 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

CONTACT:U.S. Commerce Association

Email: PublicRelations@us-ca.org

URL: http://www.us-ca.org

Politics K-12: UPDATED: How Will Critics Respond After Obama Gives His Back-to-School Speech?

Politics K-12: UPDATED: How Will Critics Respond After Obama Gives His Back-to-School Speech?:

"UPDATED: How Will Critics Respond After Obama Gives His Back-to-School Speech?

When President Obama addresses the nation's students today (or at least those who are allowed to watch), he'll deliver a back-to-school pep talk that surely doesn't live up to the controversy it created.

In prepared remarks, he takes a walk down his own memory lane by recalling early morning tutoring sessions and a dad that wasn't around. He acknowledges that many students out there aren't learning under the best of conditions—that they may live in neighborhoods that aren't safe, or in families affected by job losses."

Education Week: ELL Graduation Rates Often a Mystery

Education Week: ELL Graduation Rates Often a Mystery:

"Across the country, high school graduation rates are bemoaned with regularity. But many states and districts aren’t even tracking the rate for the fastest-growing population of students, or if they are, they aren’t telling the public how many English-language learners are leaving school with a diploma.

The No Child Left Behind Act was supposed to rectify that. Now, nearly eight years after its passage, 13 states and numerous districts still don’t report that information to the U.S. Department of Education. And some of those that do are offering numbers that may not be entirely accurate."

High marks for English immersion program - Local - fresnobee.com

High marks for English immersion program - Local - fresnobee.com:

"A growing number of school districts in the Valley and around the country are reporting dramatic success with an English-immersion program developed by a Clovis educational consultant.

Officials say the program works because it focuses on teaching the language to students with limited English skills -- instead of trying to teach the language as part of instruction in other subjects."

Damage fixed -- Bay Bridge is open - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Damage fixed -- Bay Bridge is open - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The Bay Bridge opened today after damage to part of the structure was repaired, bridge officials said this morning.
'They have completed all the work,' said Tom Wood of Caltrans' Traffic Management Center."

So far, traffic on the span from Oakland in the East Bay to the San Francisco peninsula has been relatively light, Wood said. "There is no slowdown spot," he said.

The bridge had been shut in both directions since Thursday night as part of a major seismic project and was expected to reopen for today's morning commute.

However, discovery Saturday of a large crack in a steel beam forced emergency repairs requiring the bridge to remain closed and leading to predictiosn that the bridge would not be ready to carry traffic until Wednesday.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:


"THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO STUDENTS

Watch Live on sacdac.org September 8 At 9 AM PT"

Schools Post More on Internet in Push to Go Paperless - NYTimes.com

Schools Post More on Internet in Push to Go Paperless - NYTimes.com:

"The back-to-school packets sent to all 7,800 students here in this hamlet on Long Island’s North Shore grew thicker each year with dozens of pages of notices, fliers and forms — adding up to more than $12,000 in postage alone last year."

But this year, amid a lingering recession and increasing online activity, school officials decided to stop the madness. Teachers and principals were given strict instructions: Limit mailings to a single, first-class envelope per student — and post the overflow on the district’s Web site, in a newly created back-to-school section. The savings: $9,000 in stamps plus $12,000 in salaries for clerks who used to spend up to two weeks assembling the packets.

And, for parents like Debra Miller, a shrinking pile of paperwork to keep up with.

“Since the kids have been in school, there’s never been a pile less than 12 inches high on my kitchen counter,” said Mrs. Miller, a mother of two, who shoves the unsightly pile into a cabinet when she has company. “I can never get out from under the pile, and I’m not alone. We all talk about it.”

New campaign questions reliance on testing - USATODAY.com

New campaign questions reliance on testing - USATODAY.com:

"WASHINGTON — If public schools were baseball teams, says Sam Chaltain, Americans wouldn't have a clue who should be in the playoffs.

That's because our current rating system relies heavily on a single set of test scores for nearly 50 million students, showing how a sample of them perform on a one-day math or reading test each spring."

To Chaltain, director of the Washington-based think tank Forum for Education & Democracy, that's like picking playoff teams based on one game's box score.

As Congress gears up to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the 2002 law that spells out how federal, state and local governments rate schools and spend billions of dollars, Chaltain is leading a new and unlikely campaign to shift the USA's education conversation away from one-day tests and toward a larger one, focused on "powerful learning and highly effective teaching."

The forum, along with a handful of education and civil rights groups, launches an online campaign today, asking Americans to write in with personal stories about how and when they got excited about learning — did a teacher get you interested in dinosaurs when you were 9? In politics when you were in middle school? The forum will present it to lawmakers as they rewrite the law.

In its current incarnation, NCLB, which uses the tests to prod improved achievement of low-income and minority students, requires virtually all students in grades 3 through 8 (and one grade in high school) to take annual, state-approved math and reading tests. Based on the percentage of students who score "proficient" or higher, schools get ratings that affect how they can spend federal dollars and whether teachers and administrators keep their jobs. Other factors, such as attendance and graduation rates, matter to a lesser degree.

The new effort aims to change the focus of the reauthorized law.

National Journal Online -- Insider Interviews -- Using NCLB To Retool Struggling Schools

National Journal Online -- Insider Interviews -- Using NCLB To Retool Struggling Schools:

"The third thing is you've got to go mobilize the parents. You can't do it to them, you've got to do it with them. They are ready. My experience has been, in the poorest areas of Los Angeles and the South Bronx, that parents have never been asked to be involved, and when they are asked to be involved, it's usually in something that doesn't have that much meaning to it. I think we have a different population where parents really care, every parent cares for their kids' education. They are willing to roll up their sleeves."

The Associated Press: Report: Obama administration improves openness

The Associated Press: Report: Obama administration improves openness:

"WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's policies on secrecy get higher grades for openness than those of President George W. Bush, yet there's still room for improvement, says a coalition of public interest groups.

In a report issued Tuesday, the coalition says the new administration has made major strides toward more disclosure, including the recent release of Justice Department memos on Bush administration interrogation policies and Obama's embrace of greater openness under the Freedom of Information Act."