Sacramento Press / Funding California's Future

Sacramento Press / Funding California's Future:

"Times are tough for college students in California.

State grants are being cut drastically due to budget cuts and Furloughs are closing down entire campuses on non-holidays. It is looking grim for the future of higher education.
Assembly Bill 656, introduced by Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, proposes a gas and oil severance tax in California that could make for a brighter future.

AB 656 was introduced on Feb. 25 and had minor alterations since, the last being on July 7. Currently states with oil supplies, such as Alaska and Texas, have oil severance taxes that help fund higher education and proponents of AB 656 are looking to do the same."

Imperial Valley News - California Recognizes Three Schools for Exemplary Independent Study Programs

Imperial Valley News - California Recognizes Three Schools for Exemplary Independent Study Programs:

"Sacramento, California - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today congratulated three California public schools selected by a joint project of the California Consortium for Independent Study and the California Department of Education to receive the Exemplary Independent Study Recognition Award (EISRA).

'California's public school system provides viable options that parents can use to create the best learning environment for their children,' said O'Connell. 'The Classical Academy, La Entrada High School, and Tamiscal High School have exemplary independent study programs that challenge students with a rigorous academic program, and provide flexibility and personalization. This individualized approach is the right fit for some students, and these schools have a great track record of helping such students succeed academically. By receiving this award, these schools are designated as shining examples for other independent study programs to emulate.'"

Paly Voice - Cut policy violates state educational codes

Paly Voice - Cut policy violates state educational codes:

"The Palo Alto High School administration has initiated a truancy policy to discourage Paly students from cutting classes.

The policy currently states that any student with an unexcused absence is required to attend one hour of Saturday School for each unexcused absence. During the 2008-09 school year, 69 percent of Paly students were legally considered truants.

The administration arranged the new policy in response to these statics.

'A group of teachers got together with the attendance office and we discussed ways to get kids to go to class,' Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said."

Palo Alto Online : Experts to discuss special ed in hard $$ times

Palo Alto Online : Experts to discuss special ed in hard $$ times:

"Providing for special needs children in lean times -- such as facing state budget cuts -- will be the topic at a gathering of experts in Palo Alto Thursday.

'Crisis and Opportunity: A Policy Forum about Early Intervention Services for Children with Special Needs' will begin at 6 p.m. at the Koret Family Resource Center of Jewish Family and Children's Services, 200 Channing Ave.

The forum's target audience is education professionals and policymakers, but is open to the public, according to organizers.

State funding for services for children with special needs has been cut."

Symbolism? German Solar Team Bests U.S. In Shadow of U.S. Capitol - Scitizen

Symbolism? German Solar Team Bests U.S. In Shadow of U.S. Capitol - Scitizen:

"Team Germany has emerged victorious from the three-week Solar Decathlon that overtook the National Mall in D.C., shedding a solar-powered spotlight on young clean technology innovators. But the German victory in a U.S. dominated competition may be a portent for the future of U.S. leadership in clean energy innovation."

The Solar Decathlon, in its fourth iteration, involved twenty teams of college students from all over the U.S. as well as Germany, Spain, and Canada. Each team submitted a solar-powered house for competition in 10 individual contests. Importantly, Team Germany succeeded in edging out the closest competition, Illinois and Team California in the net-metering contest, which a test to see how much power a house generates relative to how much it consumes.

The victory, while certainly well deserved, seems particularly poignant in the context of concerns about U.S. economic competitiveness in clean energy technology innovation. Given that this year is the first in which international teams competed in the Solar Decathlon, it seems to be a harbinger of what's to come in the clean energy sector as technologies mature and the markets continue to develop.

'Ingredients' takes aim at food giants - Hawaii Features - Starbulletin.com

'Ingredients' takes aim at food giants - Hawaii Features - Starbulletin.com:

"Lush with rolling, green hills dotted with free-ranging sheep and flourishing crops punctuated by the vibrant oranges, purples and reds of ripe produce, director/screenwriter Robert Bates' 'Ingredients' articulates visually the fecundity of possibility for America's food system. The documentary travels coast to coast — from California and Oregon to Ohio and New York — to offer a comprehensive view of the local food movement that's taken hold nationally."

The film offers the viewpoints of farmers, chefs, activists, educators and scholars who discuss looming issues of food security in the United States and demonstrate how the growing, selling and consuming of food raised within a 100-mile radius promotes food sustainability, supports local economies and nurtures the environment.

"Ingredients" also delivers the bad news about our current farming system, which it defines as "agribusiness." Based on scientific advances, agribusiness was born during the age of industrialization to feed the masses. The paradigm of agribusiness is big business, relying on the use of chemicals in the fields and fossil fuels to transport food hundreds of miles from where it grows.

Back-yard bounty | StarTribune.com

Back-yard bounty StarTribune.com:

"Mark Campbell has been gardening since he planted a lily of the valley in second grade. But he never planned to make money from it. Or to spend six months living in a tent so he could study sustainable agriculture. Or to fill his Edina yard with so many fruit trees and hostas that he'd need a spreadsheet to keep track of them all.

In many ways, Campbell is an accidental gardener.

He's the kind of guy who worked a stint at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on a whim. 'I went out to buy apples one day and got a job,' he said."

And it was a love affair with herbs that led him to start a garden-based business in the mid- 1980s.

"I was way into herbs," he said. "I had 13 kinds of basil. I had edible flowers and heirloom tomatoes. I was growing back then the varieties you see now."

The "oddball" offerings from his garden attracted the attention of Lucia Watson, who bought them for her Minneapolis restaurant. And somehow Campbell ended up supplementing his herb business by cooking at Lucia's Restaurant.

Daily Commercial

Daily Commercial:

"Average tuition prices rose sharply again this fall as colleges passed much of the burden of their own financial problems on to recession-battered students and parents.

Average tuition at four-year public colleges rose 6.5 percent, or $429, to $7,020 this fall, according to the College Board's annual 'Trends in College Pricing' report, released Tuesday. At private colleges, the average list price for a year of coursework rose 4.4 percent to $26,273.

Those figures hide wide variations -- public college students in California, Florida, New York and Washington have seen double-digit percentage increases, while the University of Maryland used federal stimulus funds to freeze tuition this year."

UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Receives $1 Million to Enhance K-12 Teaching

UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Receives $1 Million to Enhance K-12 Teaching:

"The UC Davis School of Education has been awarded a $1 million grant to help small teams of K-12 teachers develop projects that enhance teaching and learning in the classrooms.

The grant from the California Postsecondary Education Commission provides funding for a three-year project headed by Joanne Bookmyer, director of teacher research at the Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools (CRESS) Center. The funds will enable the center, working with partners from Humboldt State University and West Sacramento Early College Prep, to manage what it has dubbed the Pacific Coast Teacher Innovation Network.

Through the program, faculty from the schools of education and other departments at both universities will work with teams of teachers at public, private and charter schools to improve their teaching skills and mastery of the subjects they teach."

Montessori Building Deemed Unfit - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Montessori Building Deemed Unfit - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Safety concerns will force students from the Capitol Campus of the California Montessori Project in Sacramento.

Students moved into the Old Marshall School in August from a smaller church space. California Montessori Project leases the building from the Sacramento City Unified School District, which also oversees the charter school.

A top-to-bottom review found the midtown Sacramento building doesn't meet current state building codes or earthquake specifications for building safety, new Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said.

Parents found that out Monday.

Obama gets a flu shot, but not for swine flu | 44 | washingtonpost.com

Obama gets a flu shot, but not for swine flu 44 washingtonpost.com:
"President Obama received a seasonal flu shot Tuesday afternoon, a White House official said. A White House physician administered the shot while accompanying the president on a trip to New York, where he is attending fund-raisers for the Democratic Party and a House candidate.

The first lady and Obama girls had received their seasonal flu vaccines previously.

The seasonal flu shot does not vaccinate against the H1N1 swine flu virus, and Obama is not in one of the groups -- such as pregnant women, health-care workers and those under age 24 -- designated as high-priority for receiving the scarce H1N1 vaccine."

East Bay LGBTQ Welcoming & Inclusive School Forum

East Bay LGBTQ Welcoming & Inclusive School Forum


HELP GET MORE LGBTQ PARENTS AT YOUR SCHOOL AND MAKE IT MORE WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE!

Parents, Teachers, Administrators and other School Staff Invited

Alameda Unified Experience Highlighted!

Our Family Coalition is pleased to invite you to participate in our annual East Bay Welcoming and Inclusive School Forums. This forum is designed to give school administrators, teachers and parents an introduction to some of the innovative and groundbreaking strategies to creating inclusive and welcoming environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) parents and their children which is needed now more than ever. There will also be an opportunity for incoming Kindergarten parents to get to talk with parents, teachers and administrators associated with schools in their district.

Register: Click here!

When: Thursday, November 5, 5:30pm-8:30pm

Where: Malcolm X Elementary School, 1731 Prince Street, Berkeley (map it)

Help us promote this important event!

We need your help to encourage your schools parents, teachers, and administrators to attend this important event. Please click on the flyers below to print.
East Bay School Forum
English flyer
Spanish flyer

Go to web site: http://www.ourfamily.org/

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... 'Bad to Catastrophic'

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled... 'Bad to Catastrophic':

"San Diego Unified will have to cut between $119 million and $175 million from its 2010-2011 budget and shave another $16.6 million from its spending this school year after running up unbudgeted expenses, staff told the school board this morning.

Pinning down the exact amounts of the future cuts still involves some guessing: Depending on the economy and what the legislature decides, the state deficit could force between $3 billion and $6.4 billion in educational cuts statewide. That could translate into as much as $175 million, according to staff estimates."

San Diego Unified had earlier estimated its deficit for 2010-2011 at $64 million. The district was already trying to avoid unpopular cuts it had tentatively planned to reduce that sum, such as ending magnet programs and high school athletics, closing schools and eliminating librarians. It was able to avoid those cuts last year by shooing senior employees out with a golden handshake and using stimulus dollars.

UC Davis study of kids' blood mercury levels finds no autism link - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

UC Davis study of kids' blood mercury levels finds no autism link - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"In one of the largest studies yet, UC Davis researchers said Monday that they found no real difference in blood mercury levels of children with, and without, autism.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, measured blood mercury levels of 452 children, 249 of whom had autism. Those with autism had lower levels, but it was because they eat less fish. Once researchers took fish consumption into account, the difference disappeared."

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Lights On! Open House: October 22

Greetings!
Please join us for Lights On! Open House. We will showcase an original dramatic production of sin and redemption called Metamorphosis. This world premiere is accompanied by an original student guitar and vocal composition. After the show you invited to visit the classrooms to experience the high school program. You will have a chance to meet the teachers, students, and learn more about Carver.We hope to see you at the high school Thursday night from 6-8 pm.

Allegra Alessandri, Principal
George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science

Lights on! Open House: October 22

World Premiere of an original student production:

Metamorphosis

Open House

Classroom visits
School Tour
Meet the faculty
High School Program Highlights
Everyone welcome of all ages.

10101Systems ParkwaySacramento, CA 95827

6:00 PM-8:00PM

Community Event:

Rosemont Neighborhood Parade

Please join us Friday, October 23 for the first annual neighborhood parade from 4-6.

We meet the the corner of Southport and Keifer between 3:30 and 4:00.

After the parade we will meet back at the high school for a family pot luck and Haunted House.

Remeber to bring a dish to share and your own plates, utensils and cups.

Carver's Website
George Washington Carver (GWC) School of Arts and Science is a public Waldorf-Methods High School.
Our school is located within the Sacramento City Unified School District near the city of Rancho Cordova and Mather Air Force Base.
Our school is located on a brand new 13.5-acre campus.

Applebatch: Are books needed in schools?

Applebatch: Are books needed in schools?:

"James Tracy, the headmaster of Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Connecticut, told the Boston Globe that “the last thing a school library needs these days is books. What it really needs is a good cappuccino machine.” This, as you could imagine, is stirring up a lot of controversy among parents of the New England prep school."

Administrators at the prep school have given away many of the library’s collection of classic novels, popular poetry books, and several reference books. They are trashing the books and purchasing a $500,000 digital learning center. The digital learning center will include flat screen TV’s, cubbies for laptops and a small coffee shop with a $12,000 cappuccino machine. For those of you that don’t know what a digital learning center is, it is over 10,000 novels in a 5 pound lap top form folder. The librarian who has been at the prep school for over 17 years told the Globe she will miss the books that have been a part of her life for over the past decade. She says “there’s a sensual side to them - - the smell, feel. The physicality of a book is something really special.”

Are states following stimulus plan rules for schools? - CNN.com

Are states following stimulus plan rules for schools? - CNN.com:

"Creating and saving jobs while boosting investment in the future are among the top goals of the Obama administration's $787 billion economic stimulus plan."

And according to a preliminary report on stimulus funding for schools by the Department of Education and the Domestic Policy Council, the stimulus plan has created jobs.
State governments have created and saved at least 250,000 education jobs -- and restored nearly all their projected education budget shortfalls for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 -- according to preliminary findings released Monday by the White House.

But some states that used the funds to fill existing budget gaps could face a crisis when the money runs out after 2010. And the Department of Education has chastised certain states for their stimulus funding programs and warned them that they risk their chances at getting other DOE grants down the road.

The stimulus funds appropriated $48.6 billion for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to help keep and create jobs and advance education reforms over a period of two years, the report said. The program dedicates $39.8 billion for public elementary, secondary and higher education and other services. Another $8.8 billion will go for other activities such as public safety or government services.

"To date, $35.5 billion of the SFSF allotment has been obligated and $13.2 [billion] is forthcoming," the report added.

Open Doors, Lots of Them - PTOToday.com

Open Doors, Lots of Them - PTOToday.com

It's important to make it as easy as possible for parents to get involved. Are you doing all you can?
Written by Tim Sullivan

The dawning of a new school year is the perfect time to set goals and commit to making change for your group. In that spirit, I have a simple question for you: Is it easy for parents to get involved at your school?

Before you answer, take some time to think. We parent group leader types always think that the answer is yes. But we have to put ourselves in others’ shoes. For most of the parent groups I work with, it’s really easy to get involved if meetings on the second Tuesday of the month are good for you. It’s really easy if Teacher Appreciation Week is up your alley. It’s really easy if you have an outgoing, joiner personality.

In other words, it’s really easy for people to get involved if their skills, interests, and schedules are just like ours.
But what about all those parents who have very different schedules? What about those parents with amazing talents who don’t fit into your current involvement offerings or those parents less comfortable in big social settings?

In this coming school year, how can you create opportunities for these folks to get involved? Maybe it’s a weekend morning event. Or perhaps it’s a "share your passion" night or international night, when parents can show off their hobbies or cultures (you’ll be amazed at the variety of unique experts in even a small sampling of families). Can you create opportunities for people to help from home? Give folks the chance to get involved on their own terms and you’ll broaden your connections.
And what about those parents, especially dads, who’d prefer to do anything over attending a traditional PTO meeting?

Pushed Out | Teaching Tolerance

Pushed Out Teaching Tolerance


Pushed Out
Number 36: Fall 2009
Eight year-old “Jenny” was suspended from her third-grade class for two days for bringing a pair of cuticle scissors to open the wrapper on her school breakfast. Under the school’s zero tolerance policy, Jenny’s teacher believed she had no choice but to report Jenny to the principal. Humiliated and traumatized, Jenny missed two days of school, and now has a suspension on her permanent school record.

“Joseph” was 13 when the bullying against him started. Under his school’s strict discipline rules, all students involved in a fight received the same punishment, regardless of who started it. After several fights that resulted in repeated, multi-day, out-of-school suspensions, Joseph fell further and further behind, failed the seventh grade, and became increasingly alienated from his school. He eventually dropped out.

These stories are all too typical of what is happening in schools across America. Significant numbers of students are being pushed out of school as a result of “zero tolerance” school discipline policies. While nobody questions the need to keep our schools safe, teachers, students, and parents are questioning the methods we are using in pursuit of that goal.

Initially enacted to counter violent behavior and drug use, zero tolerance school disciplinary policies have expanded to cover more minor misbehavior. As a result, the U.S. has experienced dramatic increases in the number of students suspended, expelled and referred to law enforcement for school-based incidents.
These practices are paving the way for higher dropout rates and involvement in the criminal justice system, a pathway often referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline.” Likewise, these practices have been shown to worsen the climates of our schools, leading to teacher burnout.

Zero tolerance is a failed approach. Zero tolerance policies — policies that mandate predetermined consequences for rule infractions, regardless of the circumstances — were initially aimed at making schools safe. The best way to prevent serious violence at school, the theory went, was to ban any and all weapons or threats of violence, and to accept no excuses.

Over the past decade, however, many school districts have enacted harsh disciplinary consequences — suspensions, expulsions, alternative schools and referrals to law enforcement — for a broad array of student actions. These “one-size-fits-all” policies often apply not only to possession of weapons, drugs and alcohol, but also to possession of medications legitimately possessed by students, school supplies and common objects such as nail clippers and scissors. Zero tolerance policies have also been applied to behaviors like truancy, tardiness and vague catch-all categories such as “insubordination” and “disrespect.”

State Campaigns - Skills2Compete

State Campaigns - Skills2Compete:

"The Skills2Compete-California campaign seeks to raise awareness of the need to train California residents for middle-skill jobs, which require more than high school but less than a four-year degree. These jobs make up the largest portion of California’s labor market. Prior to the recession, California was already experiencing shortages of middle-skill workers in crucial industries. With high unemployment throughout the nation, this is precisely the time to ensure California is training the middle-skill workforce that will be critical to economic recovery and long-term success."

For more information go to:
http://21stcenturyapprenticeship.workforce3one.org/view/2000929242073528346/info
http://www.skills2compete.org/site/c.fhLIKYPLLuF/b.5540699/k.9C1B/State_Campaigns.htm
http://www.californiaedgecampaign.org/

Better training could help fill technical jobs

Better training could help fill technical jobs:

"California must improve adult education and community college programs to help laid-off workers retrain for technical positions that will open up in the next several years due mainly to retirements, according to a report issued Monday."

The study, titled "California's Forgotten Middle-Skill Jobs," uses federal data to look at current and projected employment in the state.

It divides jobs into three categories: 25 percent that can be done with a high-school diploma, 35 percent that require a bachelor's degree or higher, and 40 percent that require a post-high-school certificate or two-year degree.

Issued by a coalition including labor and business interests, the report looks at what it will take to retrain adults already in the workforce for that 40 percent of middle-skills occupations such as licensed vocational nursing, heating and air-conditioning installation, and paralegal work.

Although the report comes at a time when high unemployment has created a glut of workers, it anticipates that when the economy recovers in a few years, employers could be hobbled by a shortage of skilled technicians.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/20/BUFF1A6FAI.DTL#ixzz0UUbHCSOn

For more information go to:

http://21stcenturyapprenticeship.workforce3one.org/view/2000929242073528346/info

http://www.skills2compete.org/site/c.fhLIKYPLLuF/b.5540699/k.9C1B/State_Campaigns.htm

http://www.californiaedgecampaign.org/

L.A. Unified takes anti-truancy effort door-to-door -- latimes.com

L.A. Unified takes anti-truancy effort door-to-door -- latimes.com:

"Los Angeles' top education official went door to door Monday to urge teens to return to school, netting about a dozen students with the effort and drawing attention to a growing problem.

Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines was among 150 staffers and school board members who joined campus employees in the first-time, broad-based initiative, which targeted 10 truancy-plagued middle and high schools. This school year, about 20,000 of the district's 680,000 students have failed to show up as expected, officials said.

Cortines and others who took part in Monday's friendly sweep emphasized that their main goal was to help students, but said another reason was this month's deadline for districts to provide final enrollment figures to the state."

Report: Students need more veggies, fewer calories - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Report: Students need more veggies, fewer calories - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"WASHINGTON -- School lunches need more fruits, veggies and whole grains and a limit on calories, says a report urging an update of the nation's 14-year-old standards for cafeteria fare.

But the changes won't come cheaply.

Schools can't put just anything on a kid's lunch tray. They must follow federal standards, because the government's school lunch program subsidizes lunch and breakfast for needy kids in nearly every public school and many private ones.

Yet those standards are lacking, according to an Institute of Medicine report released Tuesday. They don't restrict the number of calories kids are offered, even though childhood obesity keeps climbing."

Sikh Coalition mislead Sikhs in America? | Global Sikh News

Sikh Coalition mislead Sikhs in America? Global Sikh News:

"Sacramento, California: Sikh Coalition’s press release’s on the so called “First Bill on Kirpan” are misleading and sweeping in thin air, by saying this again and again, that, this is a kirpan bill, without clarifying that this is only an education bill …for the kirpan, has resulted in a mockery of the Sikhs, not only in California but worldwide. The Indian media has made statements, stating that the Sikhs in California will not be able to wear a kirpan any longer based on their chain of mis-informing press releases.

The community should issue a strong and a serious warning to the Sikh Coalition to stop issuing misleading spin stories, in order to gain attention.Spread this message around. Put this out on various forums to inform the sangat of the truth, regarding the mis-quoted Kirpan Bill and what it really stood for."

Sacramento Press / Committee to recommend council/manager system

Sacramento Press / Committee to recommend council/manager system:

"The Sacramento Charter Review Committee decided Monday to adopt its draft recommendation that the city continue to use its council/manager system of government. This means that the 11-member committee’s final recommendation to the City Council will oppose a “strong mayor” form of government.

The committee will deliver its final recommendations to the City Council on Nov. 3.

An initiative to create a strong mayor system that would give the mayor many new powers will go before voters in June. Mayor Kevin Johnson backs the initiative, which was led by Sacramentans for Accountable Government.

The committee also suggested that the city change its system for hiring the city manager. Currently, the City Council appoints the city manager. The committee recommended that the mayor appoint the city manager. The mayor’s choice for city manager would need to be approved by a majority of the council."

Contact City Council to Stop Nestlé Raid on Sacramento Water : Indybay

Contact City Council to Stop Nestlé Raid on Sacramento Water : Indybay:

"Save Our Water, the coalition of Grassroots community activists mobilizing against the Nestlé Corporation's plan to build a new bottling plant in south Sacramento, is asking the Sacramento City Council to quickly adopt an urgency ordinance requiring a special permit for water bottling facilities in the city in order to stop the internationally boycotted corporate giant from coming to the Capital City.

Councilmember Kevin McCarty at last Tuesday's city council meeting asked for the issue to be agendized for a future city council meeting so that an 'urgency ordinance' can be passed. This would require this type of project to come before the city council and be subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

'We are excited about this development, but concerned about the timeline,' said Evan Tucker, an activist with Save Our Water. 'If the council does not agendize this issue soon, it could be too late for the new law to affect Nestle. We want to make sure the ordinance would affect Nestle, not just bottling plants in the future.'

Vice Mayor Lauren Hammond also said she was concerned about water bottling in this city and wanted this issue addressed by the council, noted Tucker. However, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson supports the proposal by Nestlé to open up the plant, claiming it would bring 'jobs' to Sacramento."

Education: The best evidence shows that class size matters | The Stump - - OregonLive.com

Education: The best evidence shows that class size matters The Stump - - OregonLive.com:

"The Oregonian reported last week that Oregon ranks almost at the bottom among states in terms of class size in public K-12 education. This raises the question, should Oregonians be concerned about large sized classes? The answer is yes.

The effect of class size on student achievement is the subject of intense debate among economists and education researchers. The reason has much to do with the difficulty of isolating the effect of class size when examining average achievement differences across classes, schools, districts and states.

The fact that the students and teachers do not end up in smaller classes by chance will render the findings of these studies unreliable. For example, if wealthier districts have both smaller classrooms and higher achievement scores we would not be able to reliably say that the achievement differential is due to class size, socioeconomic background of the students, teacher ability, etc. Fortunately there is one study that represents the gold standard in social science research, a randomized experiment. In 1985 the state of Tennessee undertook a study of class size effects that gave participating districts funds for the reduction of class sizes as long as they maintained both large and small classes and randomly assigned students and teachers to both types of classes."

Yale Daily News - NYMag.com: 'Where the News Comes From'

Yale Daily News - NYMag.com: 'Where the News Comes From':

"In the latest addition to the nationwide newspapers-versus-new-media debate, New York magazine published an unconventional report Sunday that analyzes how different media outlets report, and misreport, the news of the day. One of their case studies: coverage of the Annie Le murder.

From New York magazine: 'We took a random Monday— September 21, 2009—and gathered all the news that was reported that day from 84 news sources across the spectrum, including sixteen major papers; thirteen magazines; many prominent network, cable, and radio news shows; and eighteen news-focused websites. Then we chose seven stories and set out to determine who was responsible for the individual pieces of original reporting that advanced each one.'"

College enrollments reflect class stratification | Oregon Education - OregonLive.com

College enrollments reflect class stratification Oregon Education - OregonLive.com:

"Our higher education system is becoming increasingly stratified along social class lines, with a growing share of low-income high school graduates choosing two-year community colleges over four-year universities, a recent report shows.

Thomas Mortenson, a higher education policy analyst who runs an organization called Postsecondary Education Opportunity, recently documented the trend by looking at where high school graduates receiving Pell Grants choose to attend college. Federal Pell Grants are awarded to students from lower-income families on the basis of economic need.

Mortenson found the share of Pell Grant recipients nationwide enrolled in public or private four-year colleges dropped from 60 percent in the 1970s to a record low of 44 percent in 2007-08, though rates vary widely among states. About 52 percent of Oregon Pell Grant recipients attended a public or private four-year college in 2007-08.

The trend, writes Mortenson in a report released last month, is the result not only of recession but also of states shifting more of the burden for higher education to student tuition, and of financial aid for needy students failing to kept pace with tuition increases."

Surprise! Obama shows up at Sasha’s parent-teacher conference | csmonitor.com

Surprise! Obama shows up at Sasha’s parent-teacher conference csmonitor.com:

"Behind the scenes Monday, presidential advisers focused on US policy in Afghanistan and efforts to meld multiple healthcare reform bills into a single version for each chamber. But President Obama was making two surprise visits to Maryland schools, chatting about his daughter and playing book critic with grade-schoolers.

Mr. Obama’s day began with an early morning motorcade to the private Sidwell Friends School in nearby Bethesda, Md., for a parent-teacher conference for daughter Sasha. The school had been told Michelle Obama would be on hand, but the president’s presence was a surprise, the White House press office said. The half hour trip was not accompanied by the usual sirens and blocked intersections, with the first family stopping at red lights along the route."

WSAU | Doyle pushes for education reform

WSAU Doyle pushes for education reform:

"WAUSAU, Wis (WSAU) Governor Jim Doyle is traveling around Wisconsin today to push for major educational reforms. He and state superintendent Tony Evers are urging legislators to pass a bill letting teachers be evaluated in part by the results their students achieve.

The Obama White House requires that change before the state can get a share of four-and-a-third billion dollars in federal stimulus cash in the president’s “Race to the Top” program. Doyle also wants to make it easier for schools to lengthen their school days and their school years – which Obama has also been talking about lately. The governor is also calling for new methods of student testing – giving them more flexibility under the state’s revenue limits – and creating special “children’s zones” in Milwaukee to help kids in poor neighborhoods."

Granholm signs bill cutting school funding by $165 per student | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Granholm signs bill cutting school funding by $165 per student detnews.com The Detroit News:

"Lansing -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a public school aid bill late Monday that spells double trouble for some local districts -- a cut of $165 per student and elimination of money designed to protect them when property tax reform was passed.

The governor vetoed $51.5 million for 51 eligible districts -- including some of the highest spending in the state -- that have received payments since Proposal A reform was approved 16 years ago. Proposal A aimed to eliminate property taxes as the source of funding for school districts and replaced it with basic foundation grants.

The largest cuts among the 26 districts from Metro Detroit will be felt by Dearborn and Livonia, being slashed $4.9 million each, Walled Lake, which would lose $4.7 million, and Warren Consolidated, by $3.7 million."

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency:

"Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education research and consulting organization, has been awarded a five-year contract for Charter School Research and Technical Assistance by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement.

The first task under this umbrella contract is to establish the National Charter School Resource Center, which will provide services and support for the continued development of high-quality, effective charter schools. The charter school center, led by Learning Point Associates, brings together a range of partners with extensive experience both in addressing the unique management needs of the charter school community and in working more broadly with high-need districts and schools to substantially improve teaching and learning.

“We believe in effective systems for all learners. Clearly, effective charter schools are part of the landscape for bringing innovation into high-need communities,” said Gina Burkhardt, chief executive officer of Learning Point Associates. “Improving the quality of charter schools is a priority in the administration’s reform strategy. We are excited to be working with our partners on this unprecedented opportunity to provide access to the best information and tools to help ensure the effectiveness of our nation’s charter schools"

City ineligible for school reform funds- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

City ineligible for school reform funds- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut:

"Under current guidelines, districts seeking federal Investing in Innovation funds for school reform must meet No Child Left Behind standards for two consecutive years, disqualifying nearly all urban districts in Connecticut.

If left unchanged, the requirement would be a major blow to New Haven, where leaders have closely eyed the Investing in Innovation fund to support school reform.

U.S. Department of Education officials have said legislation has been proposed to change the congressional requirement, but until changes are adopted, the department must proceed with the restriction in place"

Research Indicates Vegetable Juice Can Make It Easy and Enjoyable for People to Increase Vegetable Intake

Research Indicates Vegetable Juice Can Make It Easy and Enjoyable for People to Increase Vegetable Intake:

"Decades of studies have documented the link between eating a diet rich in vegetables and multiple health benefits, yet nearly eight out of 10 people worldwide fall short of the daily recommendation.

1 Research presented at the International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables suggests the best approach may be to focus on the factors that are often behind this vegetable gap.

convenience and enjoyment."

Two studies

2 presented at the symposium found that the addition of vegetable juice in people’s diets was a successful strategy to help them reach the vegetable guidelines (at least 4 servings per day).

3 In fact, the addition of a portable drink, such as V8 ® 100% vegetable juice, was more successful than an approach that focused solely on nutrition education, or offering dietary counseling on ways to increase vegetable intake.Researchers at the University of California-Davis conducted a 12-week study among adults ages 40-65 years.

4 All of the people in the study who drank at least two cups of vegetable juice met daily vegetable recommendations, yet only seven percent of the non-juice drinkers met the goal. The participants in the study with borderline high blood pressure who drank one to two servings of V8 juice lowered their blood pressure significantly.

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency:

"(Media-Newswire.com) - The Center to Champion Nursing in America, a joint initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in collaboration with the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, will convene leaders from 11 states to demonstrate innovative models of nursing education. These models are helping increase the numbers of new nurses and address the looming national nursing shortage which threatens the quality and safety of health care of hundreds of millions of Americans.

The Nursing Education Redesign Conference will showcase education redesign solutions from Oregon, California, Hawaii, New York and North Carolina. Featured initiatives include collaborative partnerships between university and community college nursing programs, the redesign of clinical education, and strategies to increase the number and specific capabilities of faculty to educate nursing students for the challenges of the 21st century health care system.

Why: There is an urgent need to reform nursing education to reflect the realities of providing quality health care to an increasingly diverse patient population, including a rapidly aging citizenry and a changing, evolving health care system. The nursing shortage is being caused, in part, because tens of thousands of qualified applicants are turned away each year due to a lack of enough faculty to teach them. In addition, university and community college curricula are rarely aligned, creating a bottleneck that ultimately prevents new nurses from entering the workforce and diminishes the pool of nurses qualified to become nursing faculty."

Our View: State moves on federal school grants - Our View - Merced Sun-Star

Our View: State moves on federal school grants - Our View - Merced Sun-Star:

"It took the push of money, but President Obama's new 'Race to the Top' competitive grants are getting California's political and educational leaders to act with some urgency on areas long-identified for change.

If testimony at a state Senate education committee hearing last Tuesday is any indication, consensus is building among these leaders that California can leap ahead in the national competition if it demonstrates a sharp focus on turning around the state's chronically underperforming schools.

These are schools where a full range of interventions have failed to raise student performance to acceptable levels and fundamental change is needed to break the cycle of dysfunction."

New Hartnell College mural depicts local education pioneer | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

New Hartnell College mural depicts local education pioneer thecalifornian.com The Salinas Californian:

"More than 100 people gathered Monday morning at Hartnell College in Salinas for a ceremony to unveil a new mural on the south side of the Merrill Hall science building."

Local muralist John Cerney was commissioned to create the colorful piece, which depicts William Hartnell and his wife, Maria Teresa de la Guerra. Cerney's larger-than-life plywood portraits of everyday characters and local workers grace fields and walls around Monterey County.

Cerney worked closely with Penelope Hartnell, one of William Hartnell's great-great-granddaughters, to ensure the historical accuracy of the 16-foot-by-14-foot mural. Six panels arranged in an arc behind Hartnell and his wife illustrate scenes spanning Hartnell history. A printed metal guide near the mural describes each scene.

The mural is "a link between the past and future of Hartnell," said Juan Martinez, a member of the Hartnell College board of trustees and of a committee that oversaw the mural's production and installation.

Education foundation, 3M honor high school teacher - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Education foundation, 3M honor high school teacher - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Galt High School teacher Debra Crane is one of 10 Project Lead the Way teachers nationwide who will be honored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation and 3M at a ceremony in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 12.

The teachers will be honored for 'inspiring students to pursue careers in science, technology and math,' according to a news release from Project Lead the Way.

The organization trains middle and high school teachers to implement hands-on, project-based curriculum.

Crane began the Project Lead the Way program at Galt High eight years ago. She teaches introduction to engineering, digital electronics, computer-integrated manufacturing, civil engineering and architecture to ninth- through 12th-graders.

She will receive $1,000, as well as an interactive white board and digital projector for the classroom."

ABCs of reorganizing spelled out for district - Auburn Journal

ABCs of reorganizing spelled out for district - Auburn Journal:

"Area educators got a crash course in school district reorganization Monday.

The Placer County Office of Education hosted a workshop presented by School Innovation and Advocacy, focusing on the subject.
“This is a discussion that has been going on for years,” Gayle Garbolino-Mojica, Placer County superintendent of schools, said Monday. “We here, at the county office of education, feel we are in a position of support.”

Bill McGuire, School Innovation and Advocacy vice president of professional and fiscal services, started the presentation by saying it isn’t his company’s role to tell districts how to proceed, if considering reorganization.

“What we’re here to tell you is all the things that go into it,” he said.

McGuire and colleague Terry Bradley, vice president of facilities, boundaries and enrollment, gave a brief history of California’s school district organization, discussed trends among the state’s districts and schools, organization and responsibilities of different agencies involved in a potential reorganization, criteria and conditions for reorganization approval, election procedures and other topics pertaining to the subject.

The presentation included case studies involving reorganization between the Fresno Unified and Clovis Unified districts, Trinity Alps Unified and Sacramento County’s Twin Rivers Unified, in addition to the merge between Placer County’s Ophir Elementary and Loomis Union school"

General education may be hit again by the California Budget

General education may be hit again by the California Budget:

"A few years back, when California was having financial trouble the Governor borrowed against Proposition 98, the minimum guarantee for education funding in our state. Essentially money was taken from all school age children in California. However, when the money was repaid a special categorical was set up – The Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) and the money was allocated to the lowest achieving schools.

Taking from all and giving to a few seems to be the pattern again in Sacramento. Last week the Senate approved a bill and sent it on to the Assembly that would use the last of the federal support from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) to backfill cuts made last year to QEIA."

Arianna Huffington: How About a Little Coverage of the Millions of At-Risk Kids Not Trapped in a Balloon (or Hiding in the Attic)?

Arianna Huffington: How About a Little Coverage of the Millions of At-Risk Kids Not Trapped in a Balloon (or Hiding in the Attic)?:

"No matter what happens in the unfolding legal saga of the Heene family, the most appropriate response to the whole matter was that of Falcon Heene. He vomited. Twice. On national TV. Well, let me just say that Falcon speaks for me.

I had to stifle the same urge as I watched so much of the media devote so much of their resources to the story of the boy NOT in the balloon."

And, sure, I know that asking the media to have some sense of perspective on a story like this is like asking a dog not to bark. It's in their nature to give breathless, wall-to-wall coverage to these kinds of stories. But, even knowing this, I was shocked how little changed in the volume and tone of the coverage even after it was known the boy wasn't in the balloon. Even then, after we knew the balloon was empty, they kept running footage of the balloon, hour after hour.

As Bill Maher said on Real Time, "they're calling him Balloon Boy, which is so stupid, because the one thing we know about this kid, is that he was not in a balloon.

"Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/how-about-a-little-covera_b_326472.html

Old Soul coffee house Press Conference, 10.19.09

Old Soul Press Conference

Mayor Johnson announces that the Oak Park space formerly occupied by Starbucks will be housing the new Old Soul coffee house in January 2010

Gov.Schwarzenegger UC Merced Exceeds Enrollment Projections, Topping 2,700 Students

U C Merced - UC Merced Exceeds Enrollment Projections, Topping 2,700 Students:

Chancellor Sung-Mo meets with Governor Schwarzenegger

"Largest freshman class to date means full residence halls, full classrooms, full labs and a bustling campus culture

MERCED - For the second consecutive year, student enrollment at the University of California, Merced, has risen 45 percent compared with the prior year, university officials announced today, Oct. 1.

There are 2,718 students enrolled this fall, up from 1,871 in the fall of 2007 and 875 in the university's inaugural year of 2005. The current total includes 925 new freshmen, 139 new transfer students and 66 new graduate students. Last year's totals were 669 new freshmen, 116 new transfers and 52 new graduate students. Based upon admissions numbers and traditional yield rates, UC Merced officials expected 2,625 students on campus this semester."

Chancellor Sung-Mo

Steve Kang was appointed chancellor of the University of California, Merced, on January 17, 2007 in a regular meeting of the UC Regents. He began his duties in Merced on March 1.

Obama makes surprise visit to Silver Spring school | 44 | washingtonpost.com

Obama makes surprise visit to Silver Spring school 44 washingtonpost.com:

"President Obama paid a surprise lunchtime visit to Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring Monday.

Montgomery County schools spokeswoman Kate Harrison said the visit lasted just 30 to 45 minutes, and that officials had been told to keep it secret. Obama 'really just wanted to interact with students and he wanted to do it during lunch,' Harrison said.

According to a pool report, the president visited with third- and fifth-graders. Ben Finkenbinder, a White House press aide, said Obama chose Viers Mill because in 2005 it became the first Montgomery County school with a large population of low-income students to be designated a National Blue Ribbon School for significantly closing the achievement gap. Such schools qualify for Title I federal funding."

"It's wonderful. I'm just so happy for the kids," Harrison said. "What a thrill. To be just sitting there eating your lunch, and all of a sudden the president of the United States walks in. It's so exciting."

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"YOUR BEST PARENT INVOLVEMENT YEAR EVER!
CREATING WELCOMING SCHOOLS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS"


Who Should Attend?

The Training is recommended for participants from all schools.

School teams (and individuals) are encouraged to attend. Teams may include: administrators, teachers, front office and school support staff, parent liaisons and parent leaders. School Site Council members, PTA/parent organization members, and community representatives should also attend.

Training Content:

Success in increasing the involvement of parents in their children’s education is directly tied to the actions and policies that schools have in place to welcome all families. One key factor that determines whether parents choose to become involved with their children’s schools is whether they feel their participation is welcomed and needed by the school. This half-day training will position your school to have the best parent involvement year ever! You will:

¨ Learn what research says about the connection of school environment to increasing parent involvement.

¨ Find out how to assess your school’s family friendly factors, including assessing how welcoming your school’s front office is to all families.

¨ Learn how to improve “friendliness” factors and two-way communication between home and school.

¨ Identify the strengths of your diverse school community for building a welcoming school climate.

¨ Learn outreach strategies to connect with under-involved families to improve student outcomes.
¨ Receive ideas, resources and materials to use immediately.

¨ Have opportunities to meet other parent and school leaders to learn about their successful practices.

Contact: Manuel Guillot at (916) 643-7912 or Email: manuelguillot@sac-city.ca.us

SCUSD Observer: Listening or lecturing?

SCUSD Observer: Listening or lecturing?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Listening or lecturing?

This evening, SCUSD Superintendent Jonathan Raymond will visit the Pocket area as part of a continuing campaign of outreach to district stakeholders. Councilman Robbie Waters, Board President Ray Grimes and Raymond will partner to present the "listening and learning tour of the district" tonight at John F. Kennedy High School from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.An opinion piece in the Sacramento Bee yesterday urged local communities to assert a "count us in" approach by informing state legislators of the "barriers that need to be removed in order to achieve dramatic turnaround of the lowest performing schools." The feel-good ideas of reconstitution, transformation, and culture change are bandied about, yet the crux of the matter centers on a very ugly couple of words -- school closures.

Today, the Bee's editorial page is touting the "reconstitution" of Jonas Salk Middle School (San Juan Unified) as a dramatic fix to that particular school's problems of low API scores and chronic underperformance. The editorial, in no small way, credits the miraculous and swift turnaround to performance-based pay for teachers and a corporate partnership with Apple Computer, Inc.

...Continue reading this story at the SCUSD Observer