Bridging Differences: What Does the Best and Wisest Parent Want?

Bridging Differences: What Does the Best and Wisest Parent Want?:

"Dear Deborah,

Well, I certainly agree with you that all kids should have the quality of education now available only for students in the best schools. Given how much our nation spends on education, this should not be a pipe dream, but we know that it is not happening and has not happened in the past.

We both recall that John Dewey wrote that what the best and wisest parent wants for his own child is what the community should want for all its children. That's a good starting point. What does the best and wisest parent want for his or her own child?"

Education Week: Turnover in Principalship Focus of Research

Education Week: Turnover in Principalship Focus of Research:

"On good days, Jamie Gillespie loves her job as a high school principal in Edenton, N.C. On bad days, she contemplates switching careers.

Ms. Gillespie has been a principal for six years: one year at Edenton’s John A. Holmes High School and five years previously in Evansville, Wis. New research suggests that she may be one of the survivors in her profession.

Data available from a handful of states suggest that only about half of beginning principals remain in the same job five years later, and that many leave the principalship altogether when they go."

Message to Educonomists: You Can't Ignore the Important Stuff | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Message to Educonomists: You Can't Ignore the Important Stuff LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

"Emily and Bryan Hassel have an idea: Don't get too hung up on plans to make teachers better. Instead, figure out how to help the best teachers reach far more students. After all, they argue, the top 20 percent of teachers are three times as effective as the bottom 20 percent.

Try as they might, though, they cannot escape the need to support teachers through good old fashioned staff development, curriculum and assessment. It's time the education economists paid much closer attention to these critical areas, which are just so déclassé these days.

Of course, the Hassels' argument raises all sorts of questions. How do you identify the top 20 percent of teachers? Do we trust test scores? Will teachers stay in the top 20 percent from year to year? Are the 'top' teachers good in every kind of school? Are they effective with every kind of student?"

LAUSD plan to have outsiders run 36 of its schools nears reality - The Daily Breeze

LAUSD plan to have outsiders run 36 of its schools nears reality - The Daily Breeze:

"Pushing aside the threat of lawsuits and complaints about the process, Los Angeles Unified officials today will begin finalizing a controversial reform plan that allows the outside operation of three dozen schools.

The school board will meet today to finalize an application that could be released Wednesday to charter operators and other nonprofit organizations seeking to run 36 new and under-performing campuses.

Locally, Gardena and San Pedro high schools - two of the lowest-performing schools in the South Bay and Harbor Area - are targeted for takeover by outsiders.
District leaders said they refused to see their reform effort derailed by the threat of lawsuits by employee unions and concerns of charter school advocates."

Sacramento Press / Agencies plan to set up 419 winter shelter beds

Sacramento Press / Agencies plan to set up 419 winter shelter beds:

"Despite Sacramento County’s financial crisis, the city and county intend to provide 151 more beds for the homeless this winter than last.

That’s because city officials expect 419 winter shelter beds to be funded through a variety of entities, including the city, nonprofit organizations, the federal government, the county and private donors. Last year, there were 268 winter shelter beds for the homeless.

“The strategy provides for a collaborative public and private solution to increasing winter shelter options for the region's most vulnerable population during the coldest months of the year,” according to an Oct. 27 report to the City Council from Cassandra Jennings, assistant city manager, and La Shelle Dozier, executive director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency."

New Haven teachers pact: message to Rhee? - D.C. Wire -

New Haven teachers pact: message to Rhee? - D.C. Wire -:

"Education Secretary Arne Duncan and American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten have been pounding the blackboard in praise of the recently completed New Haven teachers contract, hailing it as a model for what's possible when unions and elected officials collaborate in good faith.

The agreement calls for teacher evaluations that use student growth as one of many measures, flexible work rules to help turn around failing schools and peer assistance for struggling educators. It is also described as a not-so-subtle rebuke to Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee over the District's inability to close a deal with its union.

The New Haven contract, approved by membership October 13 by an 842-39 margin, took about four months to complete, AFT officials said. Talks in the District, plagued by accusations of bad faith, are headed for the two-year mark."

voiceofsandiego.org: Education... How a Controversial Rule Played Out in Other Schools

voiceofsandiego.org: Education... How a Controversial Rule Played Out in Other Schools:

By EMILY ALPERT

"Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 As bargaining grinds on between San Diego Unified and its teachers union over its expired contract, a public debate has erupted over a few paragraphs of legalese.

Teachers and their union say a new proposal will help kids by preventing teachers from being overloaded with new duties. Opponents say it will allow the union to veto any changes to what teachers do -- even small ones -- by enshrining all existing practices in the contract. It has pitted the principals union against the teachers union, divided and perplexed parents."

Yet both its backers and its critics point out that the proposal, known as "maintenance of standards," is nothing new. Similar rules show up in teachers union agreements as early as the 1970s in New York and have cropped up across Wisconsin and Michigan, spreading to Colorado and even Alaska. They typically state that working conditions "shall be maintained at not less than the highest minimum standards in effect" at the time -- language that isn't always clear to the average person.

Editorial: Gov. Granholm's attack on Prop A misdirected | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Editorial: Gov. Granholm's attack on Prop A misdirected detnews.com The Detroit News:

"Gov. Jennifer Granholm told a Grand Rapids audience last week she wants to rejigger the state school aid funding formula because it no longer is working. But the real problem is Michigan's moribund economy, which has led to a shortage of money from many tax sources.

Granholm argues that the continual decline in school aid revenue is caused by Proposal A, the landmark 1994 property tax reform that switched the majority of school funding from local districts to state government.

In these tough times, all revenues are shrinking. Michigan's educational property tax revenue is down 16 percent. Revenue from the sales tax, three-quarters of which funds schools, has declined 10 percent."

New Haven teachers’ pact sets standard for school reform - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

New Haven teachers’ pact sets standard for school reform - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star:

"New Haven, Conn., is 800 miles away, but we’re excited about a groundbreaking agreement there last week on a teacher contract.

Education Week said the New Haven contract could be a model for the nation.

What’s important about the contract is its flexibility and potential to advance school reform goals. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told The Wall Street Journal: “I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both.”"

DPS evaluates school remedies - The Denver Post

DPS evaluates school remedies - The Denver Post:

"Denver Public Schools is the first district in Colorado set to deploy stern academic reforms pushed by a White House education-stimulus program to fix the nation's worst schools.
DPS also is the first to feel the heat.

The district is eyeing federally suggested turnaround strategies that could shut down school programs or remove staff and principals at Greenlee and Philips elementary schools and Lake Middle School. It also is scrutinizing the renewals of three low-performing charter schools: P.S. 1 Charter, Northeast Academy and Skyland Community High School.

Recommendations will be made Nov. 9. The board will vote Nov. 30 on changes to schools."

Nearly 900 California Schools Implement Reading Program -- THE Journal

Nearly 900 California Schools Implement Reading Program -- THE Journal:

"Seeking to make reading proficiency and comprehension a priority, nearly 900 schools throughout California have implemented the Lexia Reading program, which helps students in grades pre-K through 12 improve their reading skills while offering teachers a tool for fully integrated assessment reporting.

Lexia's technology offers more than 800 activities for reading skills development, all of which are age- and skill-specific and conform to federal reading guidelines. A notable feature is the individualized 'branching' technology that determines when a student needs additional practice in each skill and ensures mastery of the skill before the student progresses to the next one."

CalPERS tweets back at 'misinformation' - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

CalPERS tweets back at 'misinformation' - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals::

"The California Public Employees’ Retirement System wants to get its message out directly, so it launched a Web site that links to its social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

CalPERS said CalPERSResponds.com offers the nation’s largest public pension fund a way to let its members, employees, employers and others keep up with issues in national health care reform, pensions investments and security.

“There’s a lot of information and misinformation about CalPERS,” said Patricia Macht, CalPERS director of external affairs. “We hope this site will help separate the facts from fiction and provide some education, insight and clarity to these issues.”"

Democrats go back to the well for taxes - ContraCostaTimes.com

Democrats go back to the well for taxes - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"SACRAMENTO — As oil companies continue to reap record profits amid strained state revenues, a pair of Democratic lawmakers are hoping to tap into their deep pockets by installing an oil severance tax that could relieve growing pressures to cut more state services.

Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Long Beach, introduced a bill Monday called the Fair Share Act, that would impose a 10 percent oil severance fee on extractions from California wells to bring in $1.5 billion to the state's coffers.

A similar bill that has already cleared one committee, by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, would impose a 9.9 percent fee, but would earmark the revenues to higher education funding."

Poor Math Scores Come as Education Cuts Continue - 10/27/2009 - School Library Journal

Poor Math Scores Come as Education Cuts Continue - 10/27/2009 - School Library Journal:

"California’s budget crisis has come home to roost as the 2009 Nation’s Report Card puts the state lower than the nation’s average for fourth graders and eighth graders on the biennial National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)."

California’s fourth graders earned 232 out of 500 points, compared to an average of 239 for U.S. students overall. The state’s eighth graders averaged 270 points out of 500, still below the nation’s 282 average score.

The $6.1 billion California cut from public school funds during its budget crisis this year can’t help. Already, teachers, school librarians, superintendents, and even parents and students are scrambling as schools lay off educators and increase class size.

David Driscoll, chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which administers the NAEP, says that math instruction has to be better—and that starts with teacher comprehension. “Classroom teachers, especially at the elementary school level, are crucial to math instruction in many ways,” he says in a statement. “We’re clearly not requiring enough of our math teachers, and we’re not challenging them in pre-service or equipping them as well as we should.”

@issue: the walkout : The Collegian Online

@issue: the walkout : The Collegian Online:

"On last Wednesday afternoon, an estimated 400 student-activists marched on California State University, Fresno’s campus, protesting budget cuts, higher fees and class cuts. The “walkout” was an impressive show of solidarity and as The Fresno Bee put it, “succeeded in publicizing complaints about rising costs and reduced benefits.”

And I, like the majority of my peers, did not participate in it.

Not to be a “Debbie Downer,” but 400 students out of the more than 20,000 that are enrolled at Fresno State is not a very inspiring number."

Tufts Daily - Editorial | Cutting costs, compromising education

Tufts Daily - Editorial Cutting costs, compromising education:

"Universities both public and private are struggling to deal with the financial realities of this national recession without compromising their commitment to education. Economic constraints have made budget cuts unavoidable for most universities, and the California State University (CSU) system, hamstrung by a particularly tight state budget, has cut costs in ways that directly harm student education.

The CSU’s decision was unwise, but all the blame cannot be placed on the schools, subject as they are to California’s capricious state funding.

In response to major funding cuts from the state, professors in the CSU system are now required to take off two teaching days per month and accept a 10 percent salary cut. Students’ testimonies indicate that they are feeling the effects of this decision, and they are not pleased. Teachers faced with less classroom time are forced to slash entire sections from their curricula. In short, students are losing out."

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Literacy program’s future uncertain

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Literacy program’s future uncertain:

"Alma Vega wants to create a better future for her two children, ages 2 and 1.

The 17-year-old is struggling to learn English and how to take care of her children. That led her to the Newhall School District's Even Start program earlier this year, where she has been able to learn and befriend other families who face similar struggles.

'I feel comfortable here,' she said. 'I don't feel alone.'"

Is Mayor Bloomberg caving on the UFT contract? | GothamSchools

Is Mayor Bloomberg caving on the UFT contract? GothamSchools:

"New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — up by 18 points over his opponent in the latest polls and with Election Day next week — apparently is not willing to use his position to forge new ground with the teacher contract he is negotiating with the United Federation of Teachers. The current contract expires Saturday.

In the first apparent “leak” from the tight-lipped Bloomberg camp, Chris Cerf, now a Bloomberg campaign education advisor and until recently Joel Klein’s deputy chancellor, announced in a WNYC interview yesterday that the Mayor agreed with Bill Thompson that performance bonuses should be handed out to teachers on a school-wide basis, rather than based on the individual merit of teachers. This disclosure, first covered by GothamSchools, likely was a calculated move to dampen expectations before a contract agreement is announced."

The Women's Conference | GlamNest

The Women's Conference GlamNest:

"Today is the 2009 Women’s Conference in Long Beach, California. The annual affair founded and hosted by Maria Shriver is a day of empowerment, inspiration, and transformation for women all around the world. Attendees are fortunate to participate in education and motivational sessions and listen to speeches given by powerful men and women in politics, business, arts, medicine, and pop culture. Madeline Albright, Katie Couric, Elizabeth Edwards, Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger, Alicia Keys, and Maria Shriver are just a few of this year’s speakers.

Shriver encourages women to be “architects of change” and shape the world around them. She wants women to voice their opinions and join the conversation.

Follow the Women’s Conference live HERE, and stay tuned for coverage on Glam."

UCs Governed by Well-Paid Gravedigger - Daily Nexus

UCs Governed by Well-Paid Gravedigger - Daily Nexus:

"Dear President Yudof,

In a recent New York Times interview, you shared your view that “being president of the University of California is like being manager of a cemetery: There are many people under you, but no one is listening.” This is a particularly interesting image; it might be more accurate, however, had you not so detached yourself from the UC’s demise. You are not the manager who thrives above ground. In fact, you are a much more sinister, capitalistic figure who has destroyed the UC system. If we are underground, you are most certainly down under with us, demanding more money for fee hikes. I picture you in the role of the mythological Greek character Charon, who ferried souls across the River Styx to their final resting place in Hades. Charon, however, would only admit the deceased to the underworld after collecting a compensation of one coin from each of the deceased."

Barnidge: There's a reason for legislators' low approval ratings - ContraCostaTimes.com

Barnidge: There's a reason for legislators' low approval ratings - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"BECAUSE legislative gridlock has become an institutional tradition in Sacramento, it would have been a tall order for Darrell Steinberg to remedy the problem in the course of a 75-minute presentation to the Commonwealth Club in Lafayette last week.

Instead, the California Senate president pro tem touched on the root causes. An unwieldy two-thirds-vote requirement annually turns the state budget into a months-long marathon.

Adherence to party ideology — Republicans' aversion to taxes and Democrats' to budget cuts — heightens partisanship. He also mentioned the 'lost art of legislating,' which can be loosely translated as an inability to compromise.
Add it all up, and what do you get?"

Losing Faith - The Daily Californian

Losing Faith - The Daily Californian:

"Facing an increasingly unhelpful (and unreliable) partner in the state government, the University of California is gradually turning to other sources for needed funds. Though ideally public support would be sufficient to fund the university, the decision to seek more private donations demonstrates that administrators are taking the necessary steps to address budget cuts in a realistic way.

On Friday, UC President Mark Yudof announced the kick-off of Project You Can, a systemwide scholarship campaign to raise $1 billion in four years for financial aid. This effort is unprecedented, given that the campuses collectively raise only about $100 million annually in private donations to support students and it indicates how doubtful university leaders are that they can count on government support. And with reason-there's little extra money going around in Sacramento for anything, let alone for a low priority like higher education."

The Challenge in Counting Stimulus Returns - WSJ.com

The Challenge in Counting Stimulus Returns - WSJ.com:

"The Wichita, Kan., government is slated to get more than $26 million from the U.S. economic-stimulus program. By early October, eight months after the stimulus program was signed into law, it had received only about 2% of those funds.

And much of that money went toward cats and dogs.

The city recently launched a $55,000 project to spay and neuter pets owned by low-income residents. Unwanted pets ultimately cost $240 apiece to collect, board and euthanize, the city estimates, so the program covering 800 animals should save taxpayers money in the long run."

Obamas rockin’ White House with music series - MUSIC- msnbc.com

Obamas rockin’ White House with music series - MUSIC- msnbc.com:

"WASHINGTON - Michelle and Barack Obama sat one table over from J. Lo and Marc Anthony, and all four of them were rocking in their seats as Sheila E. shook the house — well, really the tent.

The latest installment of the White House music series was too big for the East Room, so a high-wattage assortment of Latin musicians sent pulsating, can’t-help-but-bob-along rhythms tumbling out of a giant tent on the mansion’s South Lawn.

As it happens, music of all sorts — rock, jazz, country, classical — has been busting out of the White House all year long."

My Teacher, My Hero | True Stories of Great Teachers

My Teacher, My Hero True Stories of Great Teachers:

"Did you have a great teacher inspire you and change your life?

We all did.

My Teacher, My Hero celebrates those teachers.

See stories from leaders around the world and share one of your own!"

Sacramento Bee -- Capitol Alert

Sacramento Bee -- Capitol Alert:

Boxer, Feinstein pushing for public option

"As the Senate prepares to debate a massive health care overhaul, California Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are pushing hard for a public option, which would allow the federal government to compete with private insurers.

The two senators are included in a group of 30 who wrote a letter earlier this month to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, asking that a public option be included in the Senate bill.

The senators got their wish today, when Reid announced that the Senate bill will indeed include a public option. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco says the final House bill will include a public option, too.

But there still are plenty of details to be worked out."

Reid: "The Public Option With An Opt-Out Is The One That's Fair"

Reid: "The Public Option With An Opt-Out Is The One That's Fair":

"The public option lives.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Monday that the bill he will bring to the Senate floor will include a public health insurance option that individual states could decline to participate in.

'I've concluded --with the support of the White House, Senators Dodd and Baucus -- that the best way to move forward is to include a public option with the opt-out provision for states,' said Reid, referring to the Senate health and finance committee representatives, respectively, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.). 'The public option, with an opt-out, is the one that's fair.'"

The Women's Conference - Empowerment, Inspiration and Education for Women - The Home for Architects of Change

The Women's Conference - Empowerment, Inspiration and Education for Women - The Home for Architects of Change

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27

8:00 - 10:00 AM

NATIONAL ANTHEM WITH ANGEL BLUE

Opera Singer

WELCOME WITH PAULA ZAHN

Host and Executive Producer, Discovery ID, On the Case with Paula Zahn and Co-Host, WNET’s Sunday Arts

ARCHITECTS OF CHANGE: THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE VIDEO

LAREE RENDA

Executive Vice President, Chief Strategist and Administrative Officer, Safeway Inc.

GEENA DAVIS

Founder, See Jane

ANNE SWEENEY

Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney/ABC Television Group

ROBIN ROBERTS INTRODUCES A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONVERSATION: TOUGH LEADERSHIP DECISIONS IN TOUGH TIMES

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sheila C. Bair, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Sir Richard Branson, Founder and President,The Virgin Group

Moderated by Robin Roberts, Co-Anchor, ABC News’ Good Morning America

CHERYL SABANAuthor and Founder, The Women’s Self Worth Foundation

EVE ENSLERPlaywright, Performer, V-Day Founder

SOMALY MAMFounder, AFESIP, President, The Somaly Mam Foundation

CLOSING WITH PAULA ZAHN

MORNING BREAKOUT CONVERSATION
10:30 -11:30 AM
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CONVERSATION: LEGEND TO LEGEND

HOST: PATRICIA CLAREY

Senior Vice President, Chief Regulatory and External Relations Officer, Health Net, Inc.

MODERATOR: KATIE COURIC

Anchor & Managing Editor, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

ANNIE LEIBOVITZPhotographer

Links

Conference Overview
Meet the Speakers
A Day of Transformation
Night at The Village
The Minerva Awards
Maria's Page
How I Did It{ Tips from Women Entrepreneurs }
Our Kitchen Table
The XX Effect
Sponsors

Universities urge parental activity | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger

Universities urge parental activity clarionledger.com The Clarion-Ledger:

"Maureen Edwards is getting a little help with the transition from high school to college, but she's not a student."

Edwards' daughter, Arielle, is the one who started college at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall.

"We've always been involved," Edwards said of her daughter's high school years. "I think it's really important to continue that."

While some may question parental involvement beyond high school, USM is one of several universities now hoping to aid parents like Edwards with the transition, and hopefully gain something from their eagerness: improved student success rates.

"We are putting a lot of emphasis on creating a climate of academic success," USM President Martha Saunders said. "Working with parents is very helpful and a very important part of the process."

The university recently held a "Parents University" workshop, providing information on subjects ranging from midsemester check-ups to campus resources.

The (political) dangers of H1N1 | 44 | washingtonpost.com

The (political) dangers of H1N1 44 washingtonpost.com:

"President Obama's decision to declare the H1N1 flu a national emergency over the weekend is a recognition of the political peril the virus could inflict on the White House.
The declaration came after 72 hours of stories -- both locally and nationally -- focused on the long lines for the swine flu vaccine and the mounting fear surrounding the illness.
And, it came just days after a Washington Post/ABC national poll showed that a majority (52 percent) of Americans were worried that they or someone in their family would contract H1N1 -- up from 39 percent who said the same in a mid-August survey."

Sacramento Press / Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!

Sacramento Press / Welcome to The Sacramento Press Journalism Open!:

"We're so glad you're interested in The Sacramento Press Journalism Open! Not only can you win some great prizes, you can also have an effect on your community and gain some skills in the bargain! Contributing to our site is quick and easy - we can show you everything you need to know to take the act of making journalism into your own hands!

I'm David Watts Barton, the managing editor of The Sacramento Press, our area's top hyper-local, citizen-written news website, where we focus on up-close, in-depth coverage of neighborhoods like yours. We aim to spread the traditional habits of good journalism - accuracy, fairness and a diversity of opinion - across the Web. We do it with a mix of professional and amateur writing from around the community."

Ed Week: What Works for Rich Kids Works for All Kids

"What Works for Rich Kids Works for All Kids"

Dear Diane,

We've got to stop agreeing so much! I can't wait to read your new book so I can go into "attack mode" again. I always wonder, however, whether our disagreements are "fundamental" or based on our very different entries into the world of schooling. I think it's a bit of both. Your view that progressive education ideas became dominant at any time defied what I witnessed in schools I subbed in, sent my kids to, etc. (Even as it may well have swept the elite schools of education.) Your belief that there can be a curriculum that all could follow seems puzzling to me given what I also know about the kind of teachers and teaching you sought for your own kids, and even your reaction to CPESS. I just don't believe that if you were a classroom teacher you'd agree to follow someone's curriculum if you didn't agree with it. I'd rather impose a pedagogy than a curriculum, and you the other way around. But I suspect we both have in our head versions of each other's ideas that are not quite what the other means. We'll see.

Imagine Schools' View of Charter Boards Draws Fire

Imagine Schools

The chief of national charter-school operator Imagine Schools advocates controlling school boards and limiting their authority in an e-mail obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Dennis Bakke, who is CEO of the Arlington, Va.-based company, told his employees in the September 2008 missive that they should select board members who will "go along with Imagine." He also recommends in the three-page e-mail that employees obtain undated letters of resignation from school board members "that can be acted on by us at any time." (Read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch story.)

The e-mail from Bakke appears to violate a primary tenet of the charter school movement, which is that schools should be independently governed by local leaders. It also appears to run afoul of nonprofit law and state charter school statutes.

"That is appalling. I am appalled," Jocelyn Strand, Missouri's state director of charter schools, said after reading the memo.

Bakke notes in the e-mail that it is just his "thoughts, observations and suggestions," not "an announcement of official policy" for the national company. It says on its Web site that it runs 74 public charter schools in 12 states, including Missouri, as well as the District of Columbia.

His executives said the company followed the law in each state and that the memo was nothing more than a discussion item.

Education Week: Education Issues Bidding for Voters' Attention

Education Week: Education Issues Bidding for Voters' Attention:

"In a relatively quiet electoral season, education is making some noise in a number of campaigns around the country, from the New York City mayoral race and New Jersey governor’s contest to ballot measures in Washington state and Maine.

Voters in Maine, for instance, will consider measures with big implications for public schools, including a proposal to repeal a 2007 law requiring consolidation of many small school districts and an initiative designed to rein in state and local spending that could constrain education aid."

Group: Baby Einstein video refunds prove point

Group: Baby Einstein video refunds prove point:

"Parent alert: The Walt Disney Co. is now offering refunds for all those 'Baby Einstein' videos that did not make children into geniuses."

They may have been a great electronic babysitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.

"We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds," said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which has been pushing the issue for years.

Baby Einstein, founded in 1997, was one of the earliest players in what became a huge electronic media market for babies and toddlers. Acquired by Disney in 2001, the company expanded to a full line of books, toys, flashcards and apparel, along with DVDs including "Baby Mozart," "Baby Shakespeare" and "Baby Galileo.

"Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/24/MN7O1AA5E0.DTL&type=education#ixzz0V3fKWiSZ

Southwestern College instructors suspended following rally - SignOnSanDiego.com

Southwestern College instructors suspended following rally - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"CHULA VISTA — At least four Southwestern College instructors have been suspended following a recent campus rally to protest plans to eliminate more than 400 course offerings and to demonstrate growing dissatisfaction with the administration.

A crowd of about 300 assembled on the Chula Vista campus Thursday to demonstrate against the cuts. The group of mostly students walked across campus and circled the president's office before breaking up.

It wasn't until 25 students showed up for their 9 a.m. creative writing class Friday that they realized instructors – including their own – had been suspended. When the students walked toward the president's office, they said campus police intervened and accused them of participating in an unlawful assembly."

College president Raj Chopra is on vacation. His executive assistant, Mary Ganio, released a statement saying Southwestern is investigating a personnel matter that is unrelated to Thursday's protest.

Make Mine Freedom (1948)

Fun and Facts About America, John Sutherland Productions. Creative Commons license: Public Domain. This Cold War-era cartoon uses humor to tout the dangers of Communism and the benefits of capitalism. For more great vintage animation check out www.animationstation.info and subscribe to our podcast.

David Ellison: Education secretary may be giving up on school reform - San Jose Mercury News

David Ellison: Education secretary may be giving up on school reform - San Jose Mercury News:

"TO CHARTER OR not to charter? That is the question.

Hamlet pondered whether to battle 'the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' or to just give up. My fear is that, in pushing for more charter schools, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has given up.

Charters never really became laboratories for innovation.

They simply adopted the 'new ideas' all public schools would if they had the freedom and the funds: longer school days and years, smaller schools and class sizes, careful selection of motivated, gifted teachers, strict accountability for both students and their parents, site-based management. '..."

They simply adopted the "new ideas" all public schools would if they had the freedom and the funds: longer school days and years, smaller schools and class sizes, careful selection of motivated, gifted teachers, strict accountability for both students and their parents, site-based management. "...

Charters have such freedom. But their claims to operate with less state funds than most public schools are spurious.

For one, charters usually receive substantial outside support. Even more significant, since salaries account for more than 90 percent of most schools' budgets, charters typically employ younger, far-less expensive faculty, and turn them over after only four years, thus keeping expenses artificially low.

In other words, charters attract our best new teachers but quickly burn them out.

This is reform?

Gingrich Must Sever Ties With Sharpton | National Legal and Policy Center

Gingrich Must Sever Ties With Sharpton National Legal and Policy Center:

"It is time for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to end his association with Al Sharpton. The two have been appearing together around the country as part of something called the Education Equality Project.

As Dr. Carl Horowitz of our staff has documented in a Special Report released earlier this year, Sharpton has promoted fake hate crimes against blacks, and has inspired racial antagonism against whites and Jews. Indeed, this long-established pattern of behavior continues to the present.

Just last week, the purported victim of a 2007 racially-motivated attack in West Virginia recanted her story that she had been kidnapped and raped in a backwoods trailer by white men. Sharpton had championed her plight, descending on Charleston to lead an anti-hate rally, much as he rallied to the side of the accuser of the Duke lacrosse players in 2006."

National Journal Online -- Education Experts -- Should Private Money Fund Public Schools?

National Journal Online -- Education Experts -- Should Private Money Fund Public Schools?:

"Hard economic times have prompted public schools to look for or accept private financial support. Education Week reported that private donations are covering $18,000 of the $225,000 annual salary paid to a school superintendent in Indiana. In Boston, public schools worked with corporations, along with pro and collegiate sports teams, to boost school athletic budgets by more than 60 percent over the next three years ($4 million to $6.5 million).

Even with federal stimulus dollars, which won't last forever, many schools are struggling financially and must seek alternative solutions. Should public-private partnerships be formed to shore up gaps in school budgets? Does this pose ethical concerns?

-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com"

Laughed Out of the Room | GothamSchools

Laughed Out of the Room GothamSchools:

"I missed Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s speech at Teachers College on Thursday because I was working on his behalf in Washington. I was one of about 17 researchers on a panel evaluating a batch of research proposals on school reform for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the research arm of the federal Department of Education. IES seeks to identify malleable factors (e.g., education programs, policies and practices) that can improve education outcomes. To do so, IES has developed a progressive goal structure for research projects.

Goal One projects are exploratory, and intended to inform the development of interventions by examining existing relationships between policies and practices and educational outcomes.

Goal Two projects are intended to develop innovative educational interventions that can be implemented in school settings, and to collect some preliminary data on the educational outcomes observed in a pilot implementation of the intervention"

Its record mixed, DPS pulled both ways on reform | INDenverTimes

Its record mixed, DPS pulled both ways on reform INDenverTimes:

"Denver Public Schools’ record of dramatic changes to improve its lowest-performing schools has produced mixed results, though district leaders report hundreds of students are scoring higher on state tests.

Since 2005, DPS has closed nine schools, sending students to what district leaders promised would be better schools, and redesigned ten more, typically replacing the principal and most teachers. Another two schools are being phased out.

Friday, DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said one in five of the students who had attended the nine closed schools did not return to a district school the following year.
Of the 79 percent who did, however, their overall average state reading, writing and math exam results were better.

“We did see striking improvement,” Boasberg told members of the A+ Denver citizens’ advisory panel."

Ten Facts About California

Ten Facts About California:

"(1) Family of four median income in California ranks 15th among the states. Regardless of how income is measured, in California it is somewhat above average, but not extraordinarily so.

(2) Among the 50 states, California ranks 4th in per capita spending; add DC, and it ranks 5th.

(3) Per capita spending on K-12 education is about average.

(4) California’s high school graduation rate is 10th from the bottom.

(5) This can be explained partially by the fact that California leads the nation in foreign born population.

(6) But even after controlling for foreign born population, educational attainment in California is average.

(7) California’s incarceration rate is a bit above average, but not extraordinary by US standards.

(8) California relies less on property tax revenue to finance its government than the average state. Economists generally find the property tax to be less distortionary and unstable than other types of taxes.

(9) in 2005-06 (the last year for which I have data), California had more net business creation than any other state. After scaling for size, California’s business creation was comparable to Texas’.

(10) California relies disproportionately on Information Technology and Professional and Technical Services for employment. These are high paying jobs that require a well educated labor force."

SFSU holds first general assembly | SocialistWorker.org

SFSU holds first general assembly SocialistWorker.org:

"SAN FRANCISCO--On October 21, San Francisco State University (SFSU) held its first General Assembly as a way to endorse a call for a statewide conference following a September walkout at University of California (UC) campuses, and to discuss ways of advancing the fight against budget cuts affecting public education.

More than 8,000 students, professors and workers across the UC system delivered the opening blow in the struggle for the state's future on September 24, with a one-day walkout at UC campuses. The success necessitated the call for a statewide conference, aimed at coalescing the different sectors of public education in hopes of coordinating a sustained response.

Modeled after the successful assemblies held at UC-Berkeley prior to the walkout, the Assembly saw over 100 students, faculty, and staff participate in a way that SFSU hasn't experienced in decades. Organizing the assembly brought together the main forces of the campus left, who for the first time, have come together in a meaningful way in response to the severity of the crisis."

How to Fix Our Education System - WSJ.com

How to Fix Our Education System - WSJ.com:

"The problem is well-known: The U.S. lags far behind other developed countries at the K-12 level in terms of measured performance in math and science courses."

What can be done to change that? The Wall Street Journal's Alan Murray posed that question to three experts: Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education; Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania; and Christopher Edley Jr., dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley, who was also a member of the Obama administration transition team working on education issues.

Here are edited excerpts of their discussion:

It's the Teachers

A Fundamental Reworking

The Federal Role

Signed, sealed and delivered to state Senate - News

Signed, sealed and delivered to state Senate - News:

"Students gathered in the Campus Village quad Thursday evening to write letters for a campaign designed to address California State University budget cuts and fee increases.

'We're trying to get students to write to their senators about their own experiences,' said Julian Rosenberg, a senior political science major and president of Students for Quality Education. 'This way the people who are making the decisions know who it is affecting.'

The group organized the event, along with the Resident Hall Association, said Quacy Superville, a junior business marketing major and vice president of the Resident Hall Association."

California Legislators Got Drunk on Stock Market Gains -- Seeking Alpha

California Legislators Got Drunk on Stock Market Gains -- Seeking Alpha:

"I've been studying California's budget. From 1998 to 2009, California added over 80,000 full-time government employees. That means future taxpayers must pay for an additional 80,000+ pensions, lifetime medical benefits, and annual salaries. However, adding 80,000 more government employees is not the major problem, as long as we reform their generous long-term benefits.

The biggest problem is that starting in 1999, California's legislators assumed revenue/tax numbers based on stock market gains/sales and spent accordingly. From 1998 to 2000, spending jumped dramatically, but from 1999 to 2008, expenditures declined only once--when the tech bubble popped, in 2003/2004. Basically, it seems our legislators banked on an ever-increasing stock market to finance spending. Oops."

The Badger Herald: News: Illegal immigrants offered tuition

The Badger Herald: News: Illegal immigrants offered tuition:

For the first time, tuition this fall is being offered and accepted by undocumented residents within the University of Wisconsin System after Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed into effect a change of law that allows undocumented residents to receive in-state tuition, making Wisconsin one of 11 states that support this.

The other 10 states that give illegal immigrants in-state tuition are California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington."

Currently, the federal government has the right to punish states that provide in-state tuition to undocumented students by obligating those states to provide the same benefits as undocumented students to those who don’t live in the state, according to the terms of the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

However, the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act is currently before Congress, which would revoke that section of the law.

California Sales Tax Bonds May Yield Less Than 5% This Week - Bloomberg.com

California Sales Tax Bonds May Yield Less Than 5% This Week - Bloomberg.com:

"Oct. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The state of California, returning to the bond market for the third time in a month, may pay yields of less than 5 percent this week to sell revenue bonds backed by sales taxes.

The most populous U.S. state, whose general pledge to repay debt carries the lowest credit rankings among its peers, is refinancing $3 billion in tax-exempt bonds issued in 2004 and 2008 to patch budget deficits. An 11 percent annual drop in sales-tax collections through June led to this deal, intended to smooth out repayment for the next 14 years.

California is facing resurgent fiscal strains brought on by the worst recession since World War II. Since February, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers have cut $32 billion from spending, raised taxes by $12.5 billion and covered $6 billion more with accounting maneuvers. State officials predict a total of $38 billion in deficits in the next three fiscal years."

Daily 49er - Students must be involved speaking out for higher education

Daily 49er - Students must be involved speaking out for higher education:

"As students of the higher education system in California, we have rights and responsibilities, but we have given our silent consent to others. We are not taking the initiative to become active in determining our future.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard students say, “All I want is a C because C’s get degrees.” In my opinion, this is pathetic. This is an example of students not wanting to make an effort to distinguish themselves.

To parallel this argument, I want to connect the lack of effort and complacency with the financial crisis we’re experiencing. Many people think we can sit on our hands and allow others to make decisions for us because it’s easier to blame them for their misdeeds than it is to blame ourselves for not taking action.

I never imagined myself writing or saying anything like this in public; I am terrified of speaking out to the public for fear of rejection, but I find this problem worth the effort and criticism."