'USF Steps Up' to Offer Half Price Courses | Reuters

'USF Steps Up' to Offer Half Price Courses Reuters:

"The University of San Francisco, a private Jesuit university, will offer a limited number of general
education courses for half price at its regional campuses starting in January
2010. The courses are offered through USF Steps Up, a new program to help
non-USF students trapped by the devastating budget cuts at California's public
universities and give them the classes they need to graduate.

Budget cuts at the University of California and California State University
systems have resulted in layoffs, course reductions, and higher fees and left
students scrambling for classes, many of which have been cancelled. 'I've
heard heartbreaking stories from my colleagues at state schools,' says
Jennifer Turpin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of
San Francisco. 'Students are begging to get into classes, but they can't
graduate because they can't get the classes they need. We realized we could
help these students and California by offering these classes at our regional
campuses, where USF already has a presence.'"

Opinion: What California, New York can learn from one another - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: What California, New York can learn from one another - San Jose Mercury News:

"What New York teaches California, in turn, is that a constitutional convention can fail to achieve any reform at all, as happened in the Empire State in 1967. New Yorkers called a convention charged with reapportioning the state's legislative districts, but the debate quickly expanded into bitter fights over welfare policy, state funding of religious schools and racial discrimination in education. Voters split along partisan and geographic lines when convention delegates presented them with an omnibus package of proposed constitutional changes, and they rejected it at the polls.

California cannot afford to waste this moment of reform by failing to learn the lessons of New York. That is why scholars and political practitioners from New York and across the country are coming to Sacramento this week to inform California's constitutional debate at a conference, jointly convened by Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley and Sacramento State University and to be broadcast on the California Channel."

BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » School Beat: The Fiduciary Responsibility of School Administrators

BeyondChron: San Francisco's Alternative Online Daily News » School Beat: The Fiduciary Responsibility of School Administrators:

"Last year, the principal of Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, Sandy Leigh, and teacher Kelly Clark, walked 109 miles to Sacramento to bring attention to the fact that their school site had only 32 dollars in the budget for school supplies for the whole year. 32 dollars for all the paper, pencils, erasers, markers, and everything else the 215 children at their school would require for an entire year. So Ms. Leigh, Ms. Clark, and a few parents walked, for 5 days, with blistered feet, in 90-degree heat, to let our governor know that this situation was unacceptable."

Through a recent standard “request for Information" form request resulting in 450 pages and a $45 charge at 10 cents per page, San Francisco public school parents have uncovered a host of indefensible spending practices that have occurred at the same moment when our schools are too strapped to cover the basics.For instance, just one month before Ms. Leigh began her walk to Sacramento, seven SFUSD administrators were at the Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley, to “discuss” leadership. This lavish weekend retreat cost the students of SFUSD thousands of dollars. They ordered a 200-dollar cheese tray and a 120-dollar dessert platter. An elementary school in SFUSD had only 15 cents per student for supplies -- yet SFUSD administrators sat on the veranda at the Claremont Resort, ordering seven deluxe “boxed lunches” at 35 dollars each and 6-dollar bottles of water.

Dear Richard Riordan -- latimes.com

Dear Richard Riordan -- latimes.com:

Dear Richard Riordan
An open letter to the former L.A. mayor on making parenting education part of public school reform.

"What's needed -- the sine qua non of improved learning -- is parenting education. Honestly and truly, in terms of real literacy, the home is more important than the school.

You know you can't build a good house without a good foundation. Similarly, family literacy is all the activity in the home that provides kids with the foundational experiences on which comprehending the written word is based.

What parents need to be taught specifically is how to support the linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional development of their children. That means no-cost activities such as conversing with kids, asking thoughtful questions, reading aloud, modeling reading and writing, exposing them to the larger world, showing them how to find and use resources, loving them, hugging them and speaking kindly to them.

I believe young parents can be shown, taught, encouraged and supported in learning to do these things. They love their kids deeply. They want success for them. Often they just don't know the best ways to help them, and that goes for wealthy parents as well as poor ones."

Teaching: Missionary Stint or Profession? | The Cornell Daily Sun

Teaching: Missionary Stint or Profession? The Cornell Daily Sun:

"Two year teaching stints may be gratifying for the bright, well-meaning young adults who sign up for them. They may learn important life lessons that will guide them for years to come. But if socially aware, good hearted, intelligent novice teachers really want to help our neediest youngsters I suggest they sign on for the long haul. Only by remaining in the classroom can they develop into the master teachers they may very well have the potential to become. And in time that may ultimately lead to a genuine revolution in the quality of our schools."

Op-Ed Columnist - Our Three Bombs - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Our Three Bombs - NYTimes.com:

"I am a 56-year-old baby boomer, and looking around today it’s very clear that my generation had it easy: We grew up in the shadow of just one bomb — the nuclear bomb. That is, in our day, it seemed as if there was just one big threat that could trigger a nonlinear, 180-degree change in the trajectory of our lives: the Soviets hitting us with a nuke. My girls are not so lucky.

Today’s youth are growing up in the shadow of three bombs — any one of which could go off at any time and set in motion a truly nonlinear, radical change in the trajectory of their lives."

The first, of course, is still the nuclear threat, which, for my generation, basically came from just one seemingly rational enemy, the Soviet Union, with which we shared a doctrine of mutual assured destruction. Today, the nuclear threat can be delivered by all kinds of states or terrorists, including suicidal jihadists for whom mutual assured destruction is a delight, not a deterrent.

But there are now two other bombs our children have hanging over them: the debt bomb and the climate bomb.

Think before you speak. Don't say "That's So Gay."

Think before you speak. Don't say "That's So Gay.":

"LATEST STORIES & VIDEOS
Have you been reminding others to 'Think B4 You Speak' at school or in your community? Tell Us Your Story. Or come up with a video to tell people it's not ok to say 'that's so gay', and it could end up right here. It's easy... Upload Your Video."

Parents play a crucial role in teaching their children about the negative impact of bullying and harassment. Talk about these issues with your children and within your community. Parents are also encouraged to Say Something Original and pledge to support safe schools efforts, and speak to your children’s teachers about using the Teacher's Guide to the Campaign (available in the For Educators section of this site).

GLSEN has created a teacher’s guide to assist middle and high school educators in presenting the various components of this campaign to students, framing and discussing the ads in class, and extending student learning about the negative consequences of homophobic language and anti-LGBT bias. The core of the guide consists of six educational activities that increase awareness and knowledge of the issues, develop skills for addressing them and promote social action. The activities can be used sequentially or as stand-alone experiences in the classroom, as part of Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) meetings, with students in diversity clubs, as part of a school diversity day or as part of other extracurricular activities that promote respect and equality.

City Insider : Newsom gives KJ lots and lots of San Francisco treats

City Insider : Newsom gives KJ lots and lots of San Francisco treats:

"There's yet another development in the ongoing saga of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and his lost garment bag - and it involves an eye-popping array of 'We're sorry' gifts.
We told you earlier this week that Johnson lost his bag while helping an elderly man into a taxicab in Union Square - and then blogged that he would give Mayor Gavin Newsom his word nothing like this would happen in Sacramento.

Well, Newsom's aides not only recovered the bag, but found unnamed friends of the mayor to deliver it to Johnson personally in his Sacramento office. And, apparently to make sure all is forgiven (and maybe score a gubernatorial endorsement from the former NBA star?), Newsom tapped his business friends to put together a very, very nice gift basket."

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... School Board Backs Rule Reversal on SDSU Admissions

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... School Board Backs Rule Reversal on SDSU Admissions:

"The San Diego Unified school board unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday night urging San Diego State University to keep giving local students an edge in admissions to the school this year. The university has announced it would stop allowing local students to get in with lower test scores and grades than outside applicants.

SDSU has argued that local students will still get priority because of a new system that gives them extra points during the admissions process. SDSU President Stephen Weber sent a letter to the school board explaining the changes as a way to keep a good mix of local and outside students while the freshman class shrinks due to state budget cuts."

Education Week: Meetings Are Just Tip of Iceberg

Education Week: Meetings Are Just Tip of Iceberg:

"I have spent a career scrutinizing and analyzing events and topics in education, writing literally millions of words about my observations in books and articles. I confess that I took school boards for granted, regarding them as appendages to the process of teaching and learning. Then, in 2008, driven by a sense of curiosity and public service, I got elected to my local school board in central New Jersey, providing me with a box-seat view that even the most informed observer cannot obtain."

Politics K-12: Duncan to CA: Don't Count Your Race to the Top Funds Yet

Politics K-12: Duncan to CA: Don't Count Your Race to the Top Funds Yet:

"Duncan to CA: Don't Count Your Race to the Top Funds Yet

Just because California has removed its teacher-student data fire wall, thereby making itself eligible to compete for Race to the Top Fund grants, that doesn't mean the state is a shoe-in for the money.

In fact, it seems that Education Secretary Arne Duncan is trying to temper expectations by building a larger narrative that any changes prompted by Race to the Top also could put states in better position for other stimulus-related education grant competitions. After all, the Education Department realizes it can't give $4 billion in Race to the Top money to every state. (But, it's worth pointing out that California was often singled out by Duncan for having the firewall, and did act swiftly to get rid of it.)"

Education Week: Pre-K Lessons Tied to TV Shows Found to Spur Gains

Education Week: Pre-K Lessons Tied to TV Shows Found to Spur Gains:

"Video and interactive games are effective in teaching disadvantaged preschoolers the literacy skills they need for kindergarten, according to a large-scale evaluation financed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The randomized controlled study looks at a technology-supported literacy curriculum that involved video from “Super Why!,” “Sesame Street,” and “Between the Lions,” programs that are produced by PBS as part of the Education Department’s Ready to Learn Initiative. The study also included online games produced by the programs' producers, which targeted some of the same literacy skills as the shows themselves."

Education Week: Successful Schools Avoid False Choices

Education Week: Successful Schools Avoid False Choices:

"I know I am not the first to notice that education as a field tends to get whipsawed between what seem like incompatible alternatives: We can teach phonics or surround children with literature; we can teach skills or content; we can prepare students for the workforce or for college; we can provide schools that are equitable or schools that are excellent. The examples are endless."

For the past five years, I have been examining schools that have, for the most part, sidestepped these battles. They are schools I have visited as part of my work for the Education Trust, a Washington-based nonprofit organization. The job involves identifying and writing about schools with significant populations of low-income children and children of color that are also high-achieving or rapidly improving. In many of these, just about all of the students meet or exceed state standards, and achievement gaps are narrow, or sometimes nonexistent.

Ultimately, there’s no magic to how these schools achieve success. As one teacher told me, “It’s not rocket science. You figure out what you need to teach, and then you teach it.” She makes teaching sound easy, the way Tiger Woods makes golf look easy.

Education Week: NAEP Math Scores Idle at 4th Grade, Advance at 8th

Education Week: NAEP Math Scores Idle at 4th Grade, Advance at 8th:

"After marching steadily upward for the past two decades, students’ scores in 4th grade mathematics have stagnated on a prominent nationwide exam. That result seems likely to prompt calls for an inspection of state and federal efforts to boost elementary instruction in the subject.

Scores among 8th graders on the exam, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, continued to rise, meanwhile—a fairly consistent trend since the early 1990s.

Yet the scores on the 4th grade NAEP, a federally administered test touted as “the nation’s report card,” are bound to receive close scrutiny. Federal officials released the results at both grade levels today."

TEACHER ASKS FOR HELP

Friends, can you help? Our kids don't have jackets.

If you have an old jacket of your own child or can spare some time to buy some used jackets from Goodwill for kids, let me know. I can collect them.

Here's the request: PLEASE HELP--I WILL TOO

e-mail me: hkernan@mills.edu

Hey Holly-

I have a HUGE request that has recently come to my attention. Many of my students do not have jackets.

When I asked them why they did not bring a jacket today-(freezing and rainy) they said they didnt have one.

I almost started crying.

Any sort of donations of jackets, sweaters, rain boots, clothing etc. would be greatly appreciated. I know that kids grow like weeds-so maybe parents have items that just don't fit their child anymore.

Our students could really use them.

I appreciate your concern and caring so much.

Many thanks and Hopes-

Tracy

School lunches test Congress' appetite for spending | SouthCoastToday.com

School lunches test Congress' appetite for spending SouthCoastToday.com:

"Here's what everyone agrees on: Too many kids are fat. The food they get at school, which provides 35 percent of most schoolchildren's calories, is not nutritious enough and tastes lousy, to boot. And there's not enough money to change this unwholesome picture.

So here's the question: How much will it cost to fix school lunch?

Congress will seek the answer this fall as it budgets for childhood nutrition programs, which include about $12 billion annually for school meals. There is no lack of proposals. The nonprofit School Nutrition Association is asking for a 35-cent-per-lunch increase in the federal reimbursement rate, which now stands at $2.68. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., wants a 70-cent raise. Berkeley, Calif., chef and local-food pioneer Alice Waters is lobbying to bring the total to $5 per student. The administration, too, supports improving school food, at least rhetorically: President Obama has proposed an additional $1 billion for child nutrition programs, including school lunch, in his 2010 budget. Michelle Obama is promoting healthful eating as a signature issue."

Homosexuality 'not a civil right' (OneNewsNow.com)

Homosexuality 'not a civil right' (OneNewsNow.com):

"The chairman of the Orange County (California) Board of Education says she is 'appalled' that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking schools to set aside a day to honor a controversial homosexual activist.

Schwarzenegger signed a bill earlier this week creating an annual day of recognition for Harvey Milk. The designation of each May 22 as 'Harvey Milk Day' encourages schools around the state to commemorate the murdered homosexual politician and activist. (See earlier story)

Last month, the Orange County Board of Education voted unanimously (5-0) to oppose the creation of Harvey Milk Day. Dr. Alexandria Coronado, chairman of that board, says she is 'absolutely furious' that the homosexual community is claiming that passage of the Harvey Milk bill is a civil rights victory."

Morgan Freeman helps friend in Miss. gov's race - Wire Entertainment - sacbee.com

Morgan Freeman helps friend in Miss. gov's race - Wire Entertainment - sacbee.com:

"CLARKSDALE, Miss. -- Academy-Award winner Morgan Freeman says Mississippi is 'starving' for the right leadership, so the actor is using his celebrity status to help his friend run for governor in 2011.

Freeman has written a fundraising letter and is one of the hosts for a cocktail party in Los Angeles next week for Bill Luckett, an attorney seeking the Democratic nomination. Term limits prevent Republican Gov. Haley Barbour from seeking a third term."

A time for ideas, not illegal raids - Vallejo Times Herald

A time for ideas, not illegal raids - Vallejo Times Herald:

"Anyone who made even a cursory examination of last July's state budget agreement could see that it was a sham. It made unreasonable assumptions, desperate raids on local revenues that have to be repaid and relied on illegal transfers of special-purpose funds.

As time goes on, the shortcomings of the budget agreement are becoming even more apparent. The latest blow to the state's budgeting shenanigans comes from the California Supreme Court. It upheld a lower-court ruling that raids on funding for bus and train service are illegal.

The court rejected an appeal by the Schwarzenegger administration, which sought the right to divert $3.4 billion in transit funds to the general fund to help fill a gaping deficit hole."

PSLweb (Party for Socialism and Liberation): San Francisco Forum: Why Socialism?

PSLweb (Party for Socialism and Liberation): San Francisco Forum: Why Socialism?:

"It is during a moment of crisis that the true nature of capitalism is revealed.

Capitalism puts making profits over the needs of working people. Under capitalism, we see an endless cycle of war, environmental destruction, unemployment, people living on the streets and many dying of illnesses because they cannot afford health care.

Socialism, on the other hand, is the type of society whose main goal is to cover the needs of people. Under socialism, everyone will have a job, free high-quality health care, affordable housing and a free education. Join us for a talk and discussion on how this can be achieved."

Overcrowding impacts nursing students - News

Overcrowding impacts nursing students - News:

"Student enrollments in nursing programs in California have increased over the last few years, but shortage of well-trained nurses remains a problem because of budget cuts to higher education.

California colleges and universities will need to graduate more than 40,000 nurses within the next decade to meet projected demand, according to a report from the Legislative Analyst's Office.

However, because of the budget crisis, funds needed to expand or maintain nursing programs in state universities and community colleges are either cut or unchanged, said Sara Bachez, consultant for the Assembly Budget Committee."

O'Neill, Deukmejian campaign in support of tax hike to benefit LBUSD - Press-Telegram

O'Neill, Deukmejian campaign in support of tax hike to benefit LBUSD - Press-Telegram:

"LONG BEACH - Two prominent political figures from opposing parties are jointly campaigning in favor of a Nov. 3 property tax increase that would fund the Long Beach Unified School District.

Former Mayor Beverly O'Neill, a Democrat, and former Gov. George Deukmejian, a Republican, are urging voters to support the Nov. 3 ballot measure that would assess all properties $92 annually for five years. The measure would raise about $12.5 million a year toward a $95 million shortfall expected over the next two years.
Deukmejian and O'Neill also urged absentee voters to support the initiative.

'We can no longer depend upon Sacramento to provide the funds necessary to maintain a high-quality educational program here in Long Beach,' Deukmejian said in an interview. 'In my opinion, those of us who live here need to do everything we possibly can to maintain as a high a level of educational programs as possible.'"

Queer history month - News

Queer history month - News:

"The Sacramento State PRIDE Center is celebrating Queer History Month throughout October, striving to promote awareness and education of the queer community on campus and at large.

Gay Lesbian Bi-Sexual Transgender Month, as it is known nationally, has been recognized every October in countries around the world for nearly 50 years. Today queer communities around the world will commemorate National Coming Out Day, a holiday focused on promoting awareness of GLBT persons living honest and open lives.

National Coming Out Day was established in 1988 by Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary. The day was created to celebrate the second national march in Washington, D.C., the year before, when more than 500,000 people marched for queer rights."

Three special sessions mean another busy fall for California Legislature - San Jose Mercury News

Three special sessions mean another busy fall for California Legislature - San Jose Mercury News:

"In what's become an increasingly common routine under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's watch, legislators are once again giving up their traditional autumn vacations in hopes of tackling a host of issues lost amid another bad year of budget cuts.

This time, Schwarzenegger has summoned them back for three special sessions — the 12th, 13th and 14th since he's taken office — asking lawmakers in each instance to swing for the fences on subjects that have long divided the state: an overhaul of the state's crumbling water system, fundamental education reform and a proposal to dramatically alter California's tax code."

California's data-tracking system on students misfires - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

California's data-tracking system on students misfires - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"After years of effort, California has launched a statewide system that can track all manner of data for individual public school students as they move from kindergarten through high school.

But it's off to a shaky start.

Debbie Bennett at Black Oak Mine Unified School District in Georgetown kept getting the same message last week when she tried to log into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System: 'Please bear with us while we correct this.'"

California joins race for school stimulus funds - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

California joins race for school stimulus funds - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"California is back in the race.

Sunday afternoon Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that took away the biggest obstacle to the state winning a share of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top funds for education.
Senate Bill 19, authored by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, eliminates a statewide ban against tying student test scores to teacher evaluations."

Genevieve Shiroma Endorses Patrick for City Council

Patrick Kennedy:

"SMUD Director Genevieve Shiroma has endorsed Patrick Kennedy for Sacramento City Council.

Genevieve has served the SMUD Board of Directors with distinction since 1998, representing the Fourth Ward, which includes Curtis Park. She also serves on the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board.

“Genevieve understands the plight of the working people in the 5th District. As the daughter of a farm worker, she understands the hardships of low income families and has spent her public career as a voice for those who are often voiceless. Having her support is truly humbling,” said Patrick upon announcing the endorsement."

Mayor Johnson's missing garment bag is recovered in San Francisco - Latest News - sacbee.com

Mayor Johnson's missing garment bag is recovered in San Francisco - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"The bag was apparently found by a young man who was walking to a restaurant near Union Square with his girlfriend. That man called Johnson's office on Tuesday and described the contents of the bag, Johnson wrote on his blog.

The suit was on its way back to Sacramento, Johnson wrote."

OPINION Blog | The Dallas Morning News

OPINION Blog The Dallas Morning News:


"It places the responsibility on the universities to compete and maintain standards before receiving funding as they upgrade to the Tier One level. The program's success could provide future Texans the educational opportunities that many Californians have, and the industrial development that California had before it began taxing and regulating itself to death.

Industry, investment and jobs are leaving California each year, so why not give them an incentive to relocate to Texas? This amendment does not affect taxes, and the funding has already been set aside."

Students urge Sodexo to go “cage-free” : The Temple News

Students urge Sodexo to go “cage-free” : The Temple News:

"The University of Pennsylvania and the State of California are cage-free. Organizations gathered 4,000 signatures for Temple to follow suit.

CORY POPP TTN The Sexy Green Truck outside the Student Center touts its use of cage-free eggs. Temple Dining Services plans to add cage-free to next year’s budget.

Three Temple student organizations are campaigning against university dining services’ use of battery-caged eggs in the cafeteria.

The Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, Environmental Law Society and the Promoters of Animal Welfare issued a policy paper imploring the university to go cage-free, according to a new Web site, cagefreetemple.com ."

Removal of educational "firewall" praised | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Removal of educational "firewall" praised L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times:

"The nation’s top education official praised Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today for signing a bill that will make California eligible for competitive federal education funding.

Schwarzenegger signed the bill, SB 19 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), on Sunday, striking a clause in a 2006 law Simitian wrote that bars state use of testing data to determine educator pay or promotion.

Obama administration officials have said that states applying for $4.35 billion in education funding cannot have any 'firewalls' between student achievement data and teachers.
“This is a victory for children,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a telephone interview this afternoon."

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Virginia Group Challenges School Labor Pact

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... Virginia Group Challenges School Labor Pact:

"A Virginia-based organization filed federal charges of unfair labor practices against San Diego Unified last week, arguing that a labor agreement on its $2.1 billion school construction bond 'enriches union officials (and) punishes nonunion workers and employers.' The agreement requires employers to provide healthcare largely through union plans, sets steep goals for local hiring, and gives apprentices from union programs the first shot at jobs to build their skills.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation sent out a press release stating that it had filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board on the behalf of a nonunion employee:"

Foundation attorneys are providing free legal aid to and filing the federal charges for Wesley Fuller, a Brady Company employee who hangs drywall and has completed all state apprenticeship requirements, and all similarly situated employees. But, because Fuller’s particular apprenticeship program was not established through union monopoly bargaining, he is being illegally denied access to employment.

Reliable Source - Top News Item

Reliable Source - Top News Item:

"There's much more important Michelle Rhee news these days, like, say, her controversial firing of nearly 400 school employees. You can read about that in other sections. We just want to point out that she has a sharp new haircut -- seen here, at a conference hosted Friday by Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education. That's all."

Closing the Achievement Gap: Partnerships Resource Kit

Closing the Achievement Gap: Partnerships Resource Kit

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Offers Education Agencies a New Toolto Combat the Achievement Gap


SACRAMENTO - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today announced that a key recommendation by his CaliforniaP-16 Council is being implemented with the release of a new online tool called the Resource Kit for Developing Partnerships to Close the Achievement Gap (Resource Kit).

"Family and community partners are powerful and critical allies for schools working to improve student success and close the achievement gap," said O'Connell. "The success of our students is directly connected to the success of our state and national economy. That’s why I urge businesses, faith-based organizations, parents, community groups, and others to get involved in their local schools. We all have a stake in preparing all students to compete in the hypercompetitive global economy, and schools need our support and assistance to reach that goal."

The Resource Kit may be used by families, communities, and organizations to develop partnerships with schools that can help narrow the academic achievement gap that exists between higher-performing and lower-performing students. This online tool can help anyone understand the importance of partnerships, how to create them, and help existing partnerships improve. Users may access links to information on different types of partnerships with families, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, business, government agencies, institutions of higher learning, and youth service organizations. The Resource Kit also offers examples of real-life successful partnerships.

The Resource Kit is a result of one of the recommendations made in January by O'Connell's California P-16 Council. The P-16 Council was formed in 2004 to examine ways to improve student achievement and create a comprehensive, integrated system of student learning from preschool through higher education. The Council researched factors that inhibit successful student learning and grouped them into four themes called ACES:

1. Access: Do students have equal access to good teachers and rigorous curriculum?

2. Culture and Climate: Are students' learning environment safe and promote a sense of belonging?

3. Expectations: Does a culture of excellence exist for students and adults alike, so that a common, high standard is the norm for all students?

4. Strategies: Are proven teaching practices being used?

One of the ACES recommendations is to develop partnerships to close the achievement gap. The P-16 Council found that connecting schools with educational organizations, city and county agencies, faith-based organizations, parent groups, and businesses is necessary to foster partnerships that will support a well-defined student support system. Such partnerships recognize that students have needs outside the classroom that, if unmet, can significantly and adversely affect their ability to learn. Breaking down barriers and creating partnerships throughout California is an important step toward implementing a consistent approach to a high-quality and inclusive educational program.

"Too often in government, when recommendations are made by task forces or blue ribbon commissions on complex issues, they are forgotten as soon as the group disbands," added O'Connell. "The Resource Kit is one of 14 recommendations by the P-16 Council to narrow the achievement gap that we are engaged in implementing. I fully intend to implement all 14 recommendations before my term in office expires so that we can improve conditions at the state level that help close the gap. We must ensure that every child has a chance to succeed academically and in life."

The Coordinated School Health Work Group Steering Committee worked with the statewide P-16 Council to create the Resource Kit. The Committee represents education and community health partners, and other state-level stakeholders. The Resource Kit is available online through the California Department of Education's Closing the Achievement Gap Web site at www.closingtheachievementgap.org/partnerships. For more information on the P-16 Council, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/pc/. The California Department of Education is a state agency led by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. The core purpose of CDE is to lead and support the continuous improvement of student achievement, with a specific focus on closing achievement gaps. For more information, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ or by mobile device at http://m.cde.ca.gov/. You may also follow Superintendent O'Connell (@SSPIJack) on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sspijack.

Gavin Newsom: Shake the System

Gavin Newsom: Shake the System:

"This is a tremendous opportunity to create real, long-term reform.

Let's repeal the two-thirds vote requirement to pass a budget so a few members of the minority party can't hold up the budget process and California won't have to issue IOUs. Let's consider instituting a more robust rainy day fund, so we save when times are good for those times when things aren't so good. We need to think about a multi-year budget cycle, something that will force the legislature to take a longer view when considering priorities. And it's time to give more local control to counties and municipalities - after all, they know what is best for their communities, and they should have more discretion on how to spend funds.

There is nothing that is stopping us from building a new foundation."

Sacramento State president nominated to Student Aid Commission - Sacramento Business Journal:

Sacramento State president nominated to Student Aid Commission - Sacramento Business Journal::


"The president of California State University Sacramento has been tagged to serve on the California Student Aid Commission.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment of Alexander Gonzalez needs state Senate confirmation. Gonzalez would serve through next October.

The commission’s mission is to make education beyond high school financially accessible to all Californians. The commission, which consists of 15 appointed members, manages financial aid initiatives such as the Cal Grant program.

“I have seen thousands of students achieve their dreams through higher education, and I look forward to working with the commission so future generations can go to college and make positive contributions to California’s culture and economy,” Gonzalez said in a news release."

Saving California - California Progress Report

Saving California - California Progress Report:

"Even the state’s leading historian, Dr. Kevin Starr, has his doubts about California’s ability to recover from its current downward spiral. Quoted in a recent article in Great Britain’s Sunday Guardian, Starr warned that California may become “America’s first failed state.”

Foreclosures have leveled suburbs from Riverside to Merced. California is home to one of every four mortgages in the country where the loan is worth more than the property.

Employment numbers have plunged even more dramatically. At 12.2 percent, the state’s unemployment rate is the highest it has been since the 1940s. In many areas of the state, the job picture is almost surreal. The central valley town of Mendota, for example, is grappling with 38 percent unemployment. Nearly 5,000 East Bay jobs will disappear in one broad stroke when Fremont’s NUMMI auto plant closes early next year.

There are other alarming crisis indicators as well. The poverty rate in Los Angeles has climbed to 20 percent. Our schools, once the backbone of California’s ingenuity and progress, are now ranked 47th out of 50 states. This, coupled with spiraling higher education costs, has resulted in a 13-percent reduction over eight years in the number of 19-year-old Californians enrolled in college."

CSU Enrollment Cuts Leave Prospective Transfer Students Uncertain - The Daily Californian

CSU Enrollment Cuts Leave Prospective Transfer Students Uncertain - The Daily Californian:

"Students looking to transfer from Berkeley City College to a CSU next school year are going to be facing an uphill battle.

All CSUs are cutting their enrollment by approximately 10 percent and campuses on the semester system have stopped offering spring admission and moved up fall application deadlines in an effort to close budget gaps and counteract overcrowding. The cuts have left many prospective transfer students worried for their futures.

Amela Alijagic, a Berkeley City College freshman who hopes to transfer to San Francisco State University and study medicine, initially attended Cal State Sacramento but was unhappy there, so she came to Berkeley to 'start over.' Now she is not sure she will get that chance."

College professor, a breast cancer survivor, will replace Moran on debate panel | Politicker NJ

College professor, a breast cancer survivor, will replace Moran on debate panel Politicker NJ:

"The addition of Lee to the debate panel potentially offers an interesting dynamic to a campaign that has seen coverage of the cost of mammograms emerge as a major issue: in 2003, Lee resigned as the journalism dean at the University of Nevada, Reno after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her cancer was discovered early during a routine mammography. She had a partial mastectomy a month after taking her new job, and returned to the New York area to be closer to her family during her radiation treatments. She joined William Paterson in 2007.

Prior to her career in education, Lee was CNN's first New York correspondent. She also worked as a reporter for ABC and CBS local affiliates in Sacramento, Chicago and Philadelphia. She chairs the William Paterson University Communications Department."

CSUB faculty question administrator numbers - Bakersfield.com

CSUB faculty question administrator numbers - Bakersfield.com:

"This year CSUB employs 71 administrators, compared to 57 in 2002, according to the university. That's a 25 percent jump.

Faculty numbers have decreased from 550 to 465, or 15 percent, in that time.

Over seven years, full-time student enrollment has grown slowly, by about 400 students, to 6,948 in 2008."

Governor Schwarzenegger takes on tax reform in California for the 21st Century Economy | The Gov Monitor

Governor Schwarzenegger takes on tax reform in California for the 21st Century Economy The Gov Monitor:

"The people elected me to fix what was broken in Sacramento. Together, we have tackled the big issues, whether it is workers’ compensation, infrastructure, redistricting or the budget.

Now, we have a historic opportunity to reform another broken system and help unleash a new wave of prosperity across our state.
California’s tax system was created nearly 100 years ago, before the Great Depression. It is outdated and antiquated, and no longer works in our technology and information-based economy.
That’s why last October, I joined Democrat and Republican leaders to form a bipartisan Commission on the 21st Century Economy."

Education Week: States Stung by Criticism on Use of Stimulus Aid

Education Week: States Stung by Criticism on Use of Stimulus Aid:

"Several states are defending their use of federal stimulus money after receiving an official scolding from the U.S. Department of Education’s internal watchdog.

The memorandum issued by the department’s inspector general pointed to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania as examples of how states are undermining the school improvement aims of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in their use of fiscal-stabilization funds to avert or minimize cuts to their education budgets."

Education Week: Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role

Education Week: Education Secretary Leads Chorus Calling for Big City-Hall Role:

"The troubles that plague many local school boards prompt some observers to throw up their hands. But when it comes to big-city districts, there’s a popular remedy that continues to gain momentum: mayoral control.

This governance arrangement sidelines school boards, for the most part, in favor of a strong chief executive handpicked by the mayor."

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who for seven years ran Chicago’s public schools under Mayor Richard M. Daley, is using his bully pulpit to aggressively promote the approach as a necessity for reversing decades of abysmal academic performance in some cities. In a speech to mayors and school superintendents last spring, in fact, Duncan said he would consider his time as education secretary a “failure” if more mayors didn’t take over city school systems by the end of his tenure.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"“Two people working together who have the best interest of the child in mind
lead to better outcomes for students.”

Parent-Teacher Conferences:
Oct 23 – Nov 24, 2009

ELEMENTARY SHORTENED DAYS
Check with your school"