Curriculum Matters: New Chair, Board Members Named to Top NAEP Panel

Curriculum Matters: New Chair, Board Members Named to Top NAEP Panel:

"David Driscoll, a former Massachusetts commissioner of education, has been named the new chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, the independent panel that sets policy for the test known as the 'nation's report card.' Driscoll was named to the position by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who also appointed five members to the board, which oversees much of the crucial behind-the-scenes work on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP."

The School Law Blog: Justices Decline Review of Pledge, Other School Cases

The School Law Blog: Justices Decline Review of Pledge, Other School Cases:

"The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied review of several appeals involving public education, including cases about the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, T-shirts bearing Confederate symbols, peer sexual harassment, and special education.

The cases were among several hundred denied by the justices in orders issued on the first formal day of the 2009-10 term of the court. Several of the denials came in cases dealing with hot-button social issues, which I previewed here last month."

World Teachers’ Day 2009: “Build the future: invest in teachers now!” - | UNESCO.ORG

World Teachers’ Day 2009: “Build the future: invest in teachers now!” - UNESCO.ORG:

"Globally, 10.3 million teachers − 1.3 million teachers each year − need to be recruited over eight years (2007-2015) just to provide universal primary education by 2015, according to new figures released by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics on World Teachers’ Day, celebrated on 5 October.

This year, World Teachers’ Day puts the spotlight on the global teacher shortage and the challenge of increasing the teaching force and its capacity to provide quality education, at a time when the financial and economic crisis is placing increasing strain on education budgets."

Education Week: The Charter School Express

Education Week: The Charter School Express:

"The latest policy train gathering steam in education focuses on lifting caps, or limits, to charter school expansion. Currently, 24 states and the District of Columbia have some type of limit on charter school growth. These limits, some charter school supporters say, interfere with the goal of a thriving school marketplace.

The latest institution to jump on the expansion express is the U.S. Department of Education. In its July guidelines for the $4 billion Race to the Top program, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that funding priority would be given to those states that lifted or removed caps on charter expansion. In reaction, legislatures around the country began doing just that."

D.C. School Layoffs Are Instructive Step Toward Improving Classrooms

D.C. School Layoffs Are Instructive Step Toward Improving Classrooms:

"Of course, these examples are not the norm for D.C. teachers. Every day, smart, caring teachers do unimaginably hard work; they, too, are helped when teachers who don't belong in a classroom are made to leave. We wish that Ms. Rhee could have timed the layoffs to lessen the disruption for students and made it easier for dismissed workers to make other plans. And we hope she provides as much information as personnel rules allow to show who exactly lost their jobs and why."

Memphis City Schools plans to hire teachers early : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal

Memphis City Schools plans to hire teachers early : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal:

"For years, Memphis City Schools has filled the majority of its teacher vacancies a month before school starts, essentially forcing it to hire many applicants others didn't want."

More than half of MCS teacher applicants have GPAs of less than 3.0 and as a whole, score in the bottom quartile on the state teacher licensure test.

Beginning this spring, Supt. Kriner Cash intends to offer new teachers contracts by early April, putting the district in position to hire the strongest teachers before applicants are hired by other districts.

"We're scheduling briefing sessions with MEA (the teachers' union) reps," Cash told the board of education in September. "There has got to be a clarity about what we are doing. There can be no misunderstanding about this initiative."

While Cash has declined further comment, the district's proposal for $100 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation outlines particulars, including that it intends to pay $6,000 in retention bonuses to keep first-rate new teachers for at least four years.

School reform splits : Editorials : Memphis Commercial Appeal

School reform splits : Editorials : Memphis Commercial Appeal:

"Reforming public education in Memphis is a work in progress. Students, teachers, board members, superintendents, even partners, come and go.

One partner that has worked particularly hard over the past 15 years is the collection of individuals known as Partners in Public Education (PIPE), who have raised $23 million for the schools."

Thomas Elias: No new taxes for California residents? Not exactly | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

Thomas Elias: No new taxes for California residents? Not exactly thecalifornian.com The Salinas Californian:

"Few state lawmakers felt they had accomplished more in the Legislature's last regular session than the Republicans who make up just over one-third of both the Senate and Assembly.

They went home proud of the fact they had kept their pledge and assessed no new taxes, as Democrats and a very few of their GOP cohorts did last winter.They felt happy that no more of them would be subjected to the perils of possible recall campaigns and serious 2010 primary election challenges like those that either now afflict or will soon hit most of the dissidents among them who voted for February's budget compromise, with its temporary increases in income, sales and vehicle taxes."

Autism Figures Rising: 1 In 100 | Latest Newspaper Headlines | Current Events

Autism Figures Rising: 1 In 100 Latest Newspaper Headlines Current Events:

"Two new government studies suggest autism spectrum disorders are becoming increasingly more common in children in the USA, an increase from 1 in 150 as previously estimated to the current figures of 1 in 100-children with the condition. However, it is not clear how much of the increase can be put down to more frequent and earlier diagnoses and how much due to a real rise in the conditions.

The study results, of which one stems from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, released Monday have been published in the October issue of Paediatrics.

Based on a telephone survey of over 78,000 parents with children aged 3 to 17, parents participating in the study reported about 1 in 91-children had autism, including milder forms like Asperger's syndrome. The survey dealing with many health issues, included two questions on autism i. e. parents were questioned whether any doctor or other health care provider had told them that their child had autism, Asperger's syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder or other autism spectrum disorder, and whether their child currently had autism or an autism spectrum disorder. If, the answer was yes to both questions, the child was considered to be autistic."

2theadvocate.com | News | Lomotey edits book on education — Baton Rouge, LA

2theadvocate.com News Lomotey edits book on education — Baton Rouge, LA:

"From illegal teaching lessons during slavery to Brown v. Board of Education to modern classrooms, Southern University Chancellor Kofi Lomotey’s new “encyclopedia” is intended to touch everything about African-American education.

Lomotey’s new two-volume, 1,152-page “Encyclopedia of African American Education” will appear on some bookshelves beginning Oct. 20.
“A lot of success and challenges and failures in African-American education parallel our history and overall experiences,” Lomotey said."

Suit looming against California over school funding - San Jose Mercury News

Suit looming against California over school funding - San Jose Mercury News:

"Top California school leaders said they soon will sue the state over chronically underfunded schools—a move that in other states has infused billions of dollars into school systems.

California spends $35.7 billion, or about 30 percent of its budget, on its 1,000 public K-12 schools. Like other state programs, education has suffered waves of cuts in two years as state revenues have shrunk. In per-pupil spending, California ranks anywhere from 30th to 47th among states, depending on how cost of living is adjusted.

The California Constitution requires the Legislature 'to provide for a system of common schools by which a free school shall be kept up and supported.' The suit will allege that the state violates that provision by not ensuring adequate support."

Stretching School Dollars: Create a bridge for Delta schools - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Stretching School Dollars: Create a bridge for Delta schools - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee: "The Rockefeller Institute of Government projects that pre-recession revenues for states won't recover until 2014. And California is among the states with the highest per-capita state revenue declines since 2007. Recovery may be longer in coming here.
To be sure, a generous federal stimulus package softened the blow of cuts to education, health care and more. But it is one-time money. And the governor and Legislature have pushed billions of dollars of spending into the future � deepening the budget hole."

Critic says Sacramento strong-mayor initiative would 'create a king' - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Critic says Sacramento strong-mayor initiative would 'create a king' - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"'It creates way too much power for one individual,' said initiative opponent Kevin McCarty, a member of the Sacramento City Council and a candidate for the state Assembly seat being vacated by Dave Jones in 2010. 'It will essentially create a king here in Sacramento.'"

Bill Maher Slams GOP Climate Change Skeptics: They're "So Stupid They Make Me Question Evolution" (VIDEO)

Bill Maher Slams GOP Climate Change Skeptics: They're "So Stupid They Make Me Question Evolution" (VIDEO):

"Maher directed his criticism at Republicans such as Sen. James Inhofe, who has previously referred to global warming as the 'greatest hoax,' despite having no science background. He also called out Republicans who, while no longer insisting that the issue of global warming 'needed more study,' now insist that it's probably too late anyhow and so need to change our ways. Maher cited the example of GOP Rep. Joe Barton, who has claimed that we will simply 'adapt' to massive climate change.

'These people are so stupid they make me question evolution,' Maher said."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/03/bill-maher-slams-gop-clim_n_308501.html

About Joe Sacramento | Joe Sacramento

About Joe Sacramento Joe Sacramento:

"In closing, I would like to address early concerns about this site being a store front for an ulterior political agenda. Note true. I have never been affiliated with or directly influenced by Kevin Johnson or any other political or commercial entity whatsoever. From day one this site was one man and one opinion, and it will persist in that tradition for the foreseeable future."

Julia Steiny: Report: Good luck trying to succeed as a kid in America | Julia Steiny | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Julia Steiny: Report: Good luck trying to succeed as a kid in America Julia Steiny projo.com The Providence Journal:

"However, the U.S. has a sky-high rate of childhood poverty, topped only by Poland, Mexico and Turkey. Roughly 21 percent of America’s kids are born and raised under the poverty level set by the federal government, a ridiculously low threshold of $22,000 for a family of four. Do the math. You can’t live on that here. A more realistic measure would greatly raise the percentage of children in poverty. The average childhood-poverty rate among the ODEC countries was 12 percent. Unlikely countries like Hungary and the Czech Republic beat the pants off us."

http://www.oecd.org/document/12/0,3343,en_2649_34819_43545036_1_1_1_1,00.html

Good educators all differ - JSOnline

Good educators all differ - JSOnline:

"Some of the most valuable skills of an education professional are never learned in a class or seminar. Some of the most effective actions have nothing to do with academic skills, grades or anything that can be measured. They're just things you do because you understand what works, how kids think, what can turn a mess into something good. Because you've got the knack for running a classroom or a school well. Because you really can be a role model.

I've seen some really good principals in the last decade or so as I've visited a lot of schools in the Milwaukee area. I'm struck by how much they didn't have in common."

We newspaper columnists in Texas are smart

We newspaper columnists in Texas are smart:

"It’s like the wacko right-wing nutjobs don’t understand that your children are our future; they are human resources of the State. The State needs our public schools to produce store clerks and janitors; it doesn’t need kids versed in Shakespeare, who can actually balance a checkbook and know a little bit about our history and culture.

Our kids will fill that latter role, thankyouverymuch. They’re in private school.

Like we said, we’re smarter than you are."

Is Milk that bad for students?

Daily Pilot - Serving Newport Beach & Costa Mesa, California:

"SB 572, which recently passed the Legislature, would establish a day of “special significance” in schools to honor Milk, along with other days honoring teachers, the California poppy and environmentalist John Muir. When the board voted last month, its members said the celebrations would detract from instructional time and force districts to pay expenses.

We know educational time is precious, but when Coronado voiced her feelings about sexual orientation, we were appalled."

San Mateo school joins worldwide reading effort - Inside Bay Area

San Mateo school joins worldwide reading effort - Inside Bay Area:

"GEORGE HALL ELEMENTARY in San Mateo will join others from across the world in a reading effort to improve students' literacy skills.

The school and Franklin Templeton Investments will participate in the Jump-start Read for the Record campaign on Thursday.

Volunteers will read Eric Carle's 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' to preschool and kindergarten students.

'The partnership between George Hall and Franklin Templeton continues to support our goal to ensure academic success for all of our students,' said George Hall Principal Pamela Bartfield."

Revising History: What Happens In Texas Won’t Stay In Texas

Revising History: What Happens In Texas Won’t Stay In Texas:

"But the Texas board appears to be divided over how to characterize the role of religion — specifically Protestant Christianity — in our nation’s founding. Reviewers on the left ignore the question, which is unfortunate because the current curriculum says far too little about religion in U.S. history.

But worse than ignoring religion in history is using the curriculum to promote religion. And that’s what two reviewers on the right, David Barton and Peter Marshall, sound like they’re trying to do by calling for teaching the “biblical foundations” of a “Christian America.”

The Texas Freedom Network, an advocacy group that works to counteract the influence of the Religious Right in the state, charges that Barton, Marshall and the board members who appointed them are pushing a religious agenda in public schools that would violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment."

Q&A: Teachers need to have more of a say | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Register

Q&A: Teachers need to have more of a say DesMoinesRegister.com The Des Moines Register:

"Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommon Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she started the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute and the School Redesign Network. She is former president of the American Educational Research Association and was executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future from 1994 to 2001. Darling-Hammond began her career as a high school English teacher. She is the lead author of a February 2009 report, 'Professional Learning in the Learning Profession: A Status Report on Teacher Development in the United States and Abroad,' Editorial-page Editor Linda Lantor Fandel interviewed her."

Democracy And Capitalism: It's A Love - Hate Relationship For Michael Moore | Open Media Boston

Democracy And Capitalism: It's A Love - Hate Relationship For Michael Moore Open Media Boston:

"Because as many citizens as possible should view the devastating effects of home foreclosures on families throughout this country. Because people need to see what happens when municipalities cede public service functions to private for-profit corporations (like the privately owned reform school in Wilkes Barre, PA that made a deal with a juvenile court judge to “buy” wayward kids and warehouse them long past a reasonable sentence.)

Because every American voter needs to hear the Congresspersons interviewed in Moore’s film who describe how Bush administration officials - and the leadership of the Democratic Party, such as Chris Dodd and Barney Frank – frightened their colleagues into voting for the bank bailout with tactics including admonitions that “martial law [presumably to quell a violent revolution of the masses] might be necessary” if the bailout money was not approved."

Illegal immigrants burden Portland-area schools | The Stump - - OregonLive.com

Illegal immigrants burden Portland-area schools The Stump - - OregonLive.com:

"In 1982, in its Plyler v. Doe ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court obligated America's public elementary and secondary schools to educate children who are illegal immigrants. Since then, Americans have doled out untold billions to this end.

With a new school year recently begun, let's look at what Plyler costs taxpayers in one Portland-area school district: No. 48 in Beaverton. As children from Latin America comprise the great majority of students here illegally, we'll start by examining some national statistics regarding Hispanics and work our way down to the local level.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 34 percent of the more than 45 million Hispanics residing in America are under 18. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that Mexico and its southern neighbors contribute four-fifths of our illegal immigrants (commonly believed to number 12 million to 20 million); the Federation for American Immigration Reform, that some 15 percent of illegal immigrants are school-aged children. However sensitive the fact may be, what all this means is that between 9.4 percent and 15.6 percent of Hispanic children in America are here illegally."

GOP lowest in favor for some very good reasons | thenewsstar.com | The News Star

GOP lowest in favor for some very good reasons thenewsstar.com The News Star:

"Republicans are making history, and not in a good way.On Wednesday night, my favorite Congresswoman, Michelle Bachman, spoke to Congress about how health-care reform will turn school-based health centers into 'sex clinics.'Bachmann believes health-care reform will bring Planned Parenthood into the classroom, offer abortions to 13-year-olds, and put them on the bus before mom and dad know what happened. Bachmann is the same representative who claims the Census will be used to put Americans in concentration camps."

School Governance Councils: Making Parents Partners -- Courant.com

School Governance Councils: Making Parents Partners -- Courant.com:

"On an objective basis, something very different must be happening in Hartford's schools; something good. Connecticut's achievement gap between poor and affluent school systems — the largest in the nation — is closing for Hartford's students.

Yet, I regularly find myself defending our school reform efforts and speaking up for the systemic changes that we believe improved the test results. I'm used to defending our decisions to a parent weary of all the changes or to a teacher who feels we are pushing too hard. 'Hartford's schools are on the rise, making serious gains, so what are you upset about?' Some critics complain that we are moving too fast and not bringing enough people into the reform. That's why we're forming school governance councils."

$1.1 million to CSU campus for rural teacher training - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

$1.1 million to CSU campus for rural teacher training - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"A program at California State University, Chico, has been granted $1.1 million from the federal government to train new teachers to work in rural schools.

Chico State is one of 28 colleges around the country � and four in California � to receive the U.S. Department of Education grants intended to improve teaching in needy schools.

The grants 'will improve students' academic achievement by strengthening teacher preparation, training and effectiveness and help school districts attract potential educators from a wide-range of professional backgrounds,' U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement.

Chico State will use the funds for its Collaboration for Student Achievement in Rural Schools project."

Daggett's plan rearranges taxes | app.com | Asbury Park Press

Daggett's plan rearranges taxes app.com Asbury Park Press:

"One of the top three candidates for governor came out with details for helping the state's long-beleaguered property taxpayers. Unfortunately, it is a plan to rearrange taxes, not cut spending.

Independent Chris Daggett proposes to expand the state's 7 percent sales tax to personal, professional and household services — ranging from lawyers to haircuts, for instance — and use that new sales tax money to cut property taxes.It would max out at $2,500 so if you pay more than $10,000 you would get less than the 25 percent cut he is promising. All seniors would get $2,500 regardless of their tax bill, he says."

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Local schools feel the squeeze

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Local schools feel the squeeze: "In the William S. Hart Union High School District the maximum number of students at the high schools is 39 students per class, an increase of three students over last year, and the most classrooms can hold, said Vicki Engbrecht, assistant superintendent of educational services. Junior highs have a maximum of 38 students.

The Newhall district came up with a plan so that first and second-grade classes have 22 students, an increase by two students.

Third-grade classes have 24 students. Kindergarten classes have 30 students with two teachers."

Changing the standard » Evansville Courier & Press

Changing the standard » Evansville Courier & Press:

"That's a suggestion that has been met with praise from many who say teachers with better knowledge of the subjects they teach will lead to higher quality education.

But it's also been peppered with criticism from teachers who say that successfully reaching students who struggle with learning disabilities, language difficulties and discipline issues requires much more than content knowledge.

By unveiling the new teacher licensing requirements he is asking the state Professional Standards Advisory Board to consider, Bennett has opened the floor for debate on the issue of how Indiana should train its future teachers."

Untraditionally trained teachers getting mixed reviews | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Untraditionally trained teachers getting mixed reviews IndyStar.com The Indianapolis Star:


"Other educators, though, question whether the teachers, especially those who have had only fast-track five-week training courses, are equipped to handle situations that require detailed knowledge of child psychology or to work with special cases, such as a child who struggles to read.What is clear is that political support for these programs has never been stronger. Both Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican, and President Barack Obama, a Democrat, are pushing for more opportunities for those without education degrees to become educators."

An education problem looms -- latimes.com

An education problem looms -- latimes.com:

"As thousands of laid off California teachers sit out the school year, educators are worried about the long-term effect of losing so many teachers. Some instructors are considering leaving the state or even the profession, and if history is any indication, fewer young people will pursue careers in teaching.

'The pipeline issue is one of the most significant challenges that we're dealing with, with the layoff situation or the pink-slipping,' said Margaret Gaston, executive director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit focused on strengthening California's teacher workforce."

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com:

"Villaraigosa issued a statement saying, 'The city of Los Angeles has lost one of its most dedicated and passionate philanthropists. Nancy Daly spent her life advocating for children and ensuring that our future generations are not forgotten. Her commitment to children -- especially foster children -- across the country led to the establishment of countless organizations, committees and even legislation for increased funding for children's rights. Nancy was a friend and inspiration to us all. She will truly be missed.'"

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair | News | OnlineAthens.com

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair News OnlineAthens.com:

"In once failing Sacramento public schools, for example, teacher turnover was at an all-time high before an outside community group encouraged the teachers' union and superintendent to work together to give teachers stipends. The extra pay allowed teachers to work longer hours making weekly home visits to get to know students and their families outside school.

In roughly a year, teacher turnover dropped, and the program became so effective that the California Department of Education has considered implementing the program statewide, Henderson said.

'In some cases, there is no other way to reach out and build a relationship with some of our most fragile families,' Henderson said.
Still, schools can only do so much to help, she said."

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Service Employees International Union Local 1000 has told its members to stay home the second Monday of this month in keeping with the holiday provisions in its last contract and the law.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says the law has changed. Now employees who want Oct. 12 off must use personal leave time or their pay will be docked and they'll be disciplined."

Will California become America's first failed state? | World news | The Observer

Will California become America's first failed state? World news The Observer:

"But the state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. From its politics to its economy to its environment and way of life, California is like a patient on life support. At the start of summer the state government was so deeply in debt that it began to issue IOUs instead of wages. Its unemployment rate has soared to more than 12%, the highest figure in 70 years. Desperate to pay off a crippling budget deficit, California is slashing spending in education and healthcare, laying off vast numbers of workers and forcing others to take unpaid leave. In a state made up of sprawling suburbs the collapse of the housing bubble has impoverished millions and kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes. Its political system is locked in paralysis and the two-term rule of former movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen as a disaster – his approval ratings having sunk to levels that would make George W Bush blush. The crisis is so deep that Professor Kenneth Starr, who has written an acclaimed history of the state, recently declared: 'California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America.'"

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure:

"They said the school covered up its fraudulent practices in a number of ways, including code words for the number of enrollments required to win a contest. Instead of saying 50 enrollments were needed, the lawsuit says a middle-aged manager said, 'You know how old I am.'

'There's clear evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong and did it nonetheless, essentially trying to pull the wool over the Department of Education and by extension you and me, the taxpayers who are footing the bill for a university that has abysmally low completion rates,' said San Francisco lawyer Robert Nelson, the lead attorney for the enrollment counselors, in an interview before the settlement talks were announced.

Their attorney denied requests to interview Albertson and Hendow."

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"In 2002, the Legislature's updated Master Plan for Education called upon the state to take steps to bring all school districts into unified K-12 structures. The separate elementary and high school districts, it said, 'perpetuate isolated approaches to education delivery.'

A prime example is the multiple districts in Sacramento's north area. Between 1949 and 1972, unification proposals for these fragmented districts went to voters six times and were defeated � the casualty of conflict, distrust and mismanagement.

Voters in the Natomas elementary district finally became so frustrated with the Grant high school district, where they sent kids to middle and high school, that they created a breakaway K-12 district in 1991."

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The not-so-good news? Quantities are limited and will target certain age groups.

Health officials are saying, though, just wait. The vaccines will eventually be plentiful. The federal government has ordered from five companies 250 million doses, which will arrive in weekly waves."

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area:

"Such 'two-way language immersion' programs, in which children are instructed throughout the day in two languages, are cropping up in public and private schools throughout the state. More than 20 of the programs operate in Alameda and Contra Costa counties alone, from Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg to Burbank Elementary School in Hayward."

Thursday night the school was featured on National Television--Telemundo--one of the largest Spanish Television station in the United States!
The interview is in Spanish.


http://msnlatino.telemundo.com/shows/Noticiero_Telemundo/video_player?uuid=e66ff530-4f10-4308-87eb-5facff906076

DAC Chair Update & News

DAC Chair Update & News:

Message from Wanda

Welcome back to the new school year. The District Advisory Committee (DAC) Board has been busy this summer planning for the school year.

DAC First Meeting: Tuesday, October 20th meeting I recommend all DAC members attend this meeting. We got a fantastic speaker. You will also receive a special packet that incorporates all the handouts with information that you'll need to learn or know. We do not have enough time during the meeting to discuss. At this meeting we have the following:* Our new district superintendent, Mr. Jonathan Raymond will be there to greet you and introduce himself and his vision for the district.

"Guest Speaker Dr. Geni Boyer, the Director of Cambridge Academies/California Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) 2. She will be speaking about parental engagement, school policies, Section 1118, school compacts, accountability and how school site councils can lead improvement at school sites. She is dedicated to promoting, supporting and sustaining educational opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk students. Check out PIRC 2 website for helpful information: http://www.calpirc.org/. Dr. Boyer is very knowledgeable. Ask your questions."

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Harold L. Doherty asks a really good question in his blog Facing Autism in New Brunswick. He asks: Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned? and I think he makes a good argument – more eloquently than I can, but I’m going to try anyway.

The spectrum is much broader than it once was, now including Asperger’s Syndrome with what I call classic autism, as identified by Leo Kanner in 1943. Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is also included in the group called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

People with autism or autistic disorder are quite different than people with Aspergers Syndrome. The most obvious difference is that those with autistic disorder are much more like to have speech delays or never to speak at all, but there are other differences. There are also many similarities, and that is what makes the question difficult to answer.

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com:

"Many of the 14,000 or so students who have taken Harvard’s wildly popular course “Justice” with Michael J. Sandel over the years have heard the rumor that their professor has a television avatar: Montgomery Burns, Homer Simpson’s soulless ghoul of a boss at Springfield’s nuclear power plant."

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"When education pundits like me talk about the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif., the conversation is always about the middle school's leader, Ben Chavis. He is very different from us data-sifting eggheads. It is not an exaggeration to call him a wild man. He delights in upbraiding lazy students, outraging inattentive teachers and making wrong-headed visitors to the school wish they had stayed home.

He has the independent spirit of someone who had a successful career in construction, teaching and business before the then-woebegone AIPCS board asked him to rescue the school. He didn’t need the job. He did it mostly as a favor to fellow Native Americans--he was born into a Lumbee Indian family of sharecroppers in North Carolina--and as a challenge. He has many of the habits of some of the best educators I know--a wicked sense of humor, a weakness for shocking the conventionally wise and a deep love of children, particularly those who have had difficult lives."

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?:

"It sounds like a great plot to a movie for kids: A security company that provides guards to public schools goes bankrupt overnight. Anxiety and confusion rule the day when kids go to school and discover that about 300 guards aren’t there. Some kids even get sent home because nobody can monitor the entrances! What fun!

But, as we know, this did just happen in Washington D.C.-- here’s the Post story. And once again we find ourselves asking: Who in the city could or should have foreseen this and why didn’t they?

This line of questioning gets tiresome."

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com:

"In one of the most turbulent days in its recent history, the D.C. public schools system laid off more than 200 teachers Friday and coped with the abrupt loss of its 300 security guards, whose company went out of business overnight Thursday.

The combination of events, which included a skirmish between students and police at McKinley Technology High School that resulted in two arrests, highlighted the challenges faced by Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) as they struggle to reform the troubled system in lean economic times. The layoffs were the deepest cuts for the school system since 2003."

Free online books available

Free online books available:

"A story I wrote last week on a program for free online textbooks has generated a lot of interest from readers, and many have asked where they can go to see all the free books.
The web site for Orange Grove Texts Plus is now up and running and available at www.theorangegrove.org. You can browse the list of more than 120 titles and even read them online if you’d like. You don’t even have to be a student.

Among the selections are “Core Concepts of Marketing,” “Latino American Literature in the Classroom,” “Reading Music: Common Notation” and “Mathematical Tools for Physics.” There’s even one I plan to check out, “Handbook of Independent Journalism.”"

Schools revist absentee policies

Schools revist absentee policies:

"Texas Education Agency officials are encouraging school districts to establish thresholds for what absentee rate would trigger the closing of schools. Meanwhile, Central Texas districts on their own have begun assessing their absence policies, including those that might encourage students to come to school sick.

'We're working on another letter that's working its way through our approvals process this week,' agency spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe said. State financing is based on daily student attendance, but districts may apply for waivers to allow them to shorten the number of instructional days without suffering a financial penalty.

Officials with Austin-area districts say that their attendance rates exceed 90 percent in most cases. Ratcliffe said the school districts that have closed have tended to have attendance rates of less than 80 percent."

Solving the teacher pay issue could help students | Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com

Solving the teacher pay issue could help students Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com:

"Consider, for instance, that teacher pay now is typically based on seniority and whether the teacher has a master’s degree. Yet a teacher with five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree may well be superior to the 20-year veteran with a master’s.

Likewise, teacher contracts tend to treat employees the same regardless of what they teach or how they teach. That makes it hard to recruit teachers in math and science — fields with many other, more lucrative career options. It also is arguably unfair to English teachers who have a tremendous homework load if they are serious about writing instruction — you try grading 120 research papers. And what’s the incentive to assign those papers if the English teacher next door is showing movies — and making the same salary as his hard-working colleague?"

College degree no longer spells immunity from unemployment - BostonHerald.com

College degree no longer spells immunity from unemployment - BostonHerald.com:

"'Recessions are becoming a bit more egalitarian,' Adams said. 'It certainly has been hitting people of all education levels. And no longer is it the case that just having a bachelor’s degree shields you from economic downturns.'

After four months of reports in which analysts cited an easing up of recession, the release Friday signaled a setback.

U.S. employers cut another 263,000 jobs last month, up more than 40 percent from what analysts had forecast and another reminder that, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has suggested, the recession might be over technically but its fallout will linger."