Should School Close When the Flu Hits? New Evidence for Educators - Inside School Research

Should School Close When the Flu Hits? New Evidence for Educators - Inside School Research:

"A study described today in the 'Science Daily' blog offers some timely advice for educators on the optimal time for shutting down schools when a flu outbreak strikes.
'You'd want to get a school closed before an epidemic peaks, to prevent transmission of the virus, but you also don't want to close a school unnecessarily,' explains John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and study co-author. However, he says, most schools base those decisions on fear, expediency, or politics.

To develop some evidence-based guidance for schools, Brownstein and colleagues from the Children's Hospital Boston Informatics Program and the University of Nigata in Japan analyzed data from 54 Japanese elementary schools over four consecutive flu seasons. They tested dozens of school-closing scenarios and finally decided that the ideal early-warning trigger should be when a school has an absentee rate of 4 percent or more for two days in a row."

Education Week: Texas Moves to Tighten Education School Standards

Education Week: Texas Moves to Tighten Education School Standards:

"Texas is among the first states to toughen its standards for colleges of education and other teacher-training programs amid criticism that too many are 'cash cows' that produce weak instructors.

Under a proposed new rating system, the programs would be held accountable for their graduates' effectiveness on the job especially regarding student achievement. Teacher programs that repeatedly fall short of the standards could lose their state accreditation.

'Those programs that are doing poorly and the result is poor teachers ought to get sanctioned,' said state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, who authored the bill this year requiring the more rigorous accreditation system."

(Re)Inspecting the STEM Pipeline - Curriculum Matters

(Re)Inspecting the STEM Pipeline - Curriculum Matters:

"Last week I wrote about a study that drew some intriguing conclusions about the state of the 'pipeline' of students entering math and science studies and fields. The analysis, by Hal Salzman of Rutgers University and Lindsay Lowell of Georgetown University, found that the flow of students from K-12 schools to the workforce appears to be quite strong, contrary to the assertions of many policymakers today.

To the extent that students are leaving the pipeline, the authors found, they tend to be high-achieving students. In other words, young people don't seem to be fleeing those fields because of lack of ability, but because of other factors—such as that they don't find those jobs attractive for whatever reason."

Education Week: States Slow Standards Work Amid 'Common Core' Push

Education Week: States Slow Standards Work Amid 'Common Core' Push:

"As they wait to see how the latest push for common national standards plays out, some states are putting off or slowing the revision of their own academic standards to avoid wasted effort and spending.

At least four states—Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania—have halted revision of their standards for mathematics or English/language arts, the subjects that standards writers for the national initiative are turning to first. At least three other states have throttled back similar efforts until the grade-by-grade, K-12 common standards are made final in the coming months."

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, which are overseeing the “Common Core” effort to develop more-uniform expectations for the nation’s students, have already released a draft of college- and career-readiness standards for math and English/language arts. ("New Standards Draft Offers More Details," Sept. 30, 2009.)

Family Engagement as a Shared Responsibility

Family Engagement as a Shared Responsibility

Family involvement is a shared responsibility, consisting of three major dimensions: the opportunities that schools and communities offer parents and other family members to support and enrich their children's learning; mutually agreed upon, or co-constructed, roles; and learning from personal experiences, peers, research, and other resources about how to engage families in children's learning. In this issue, we apply our new, broader definition of family engagement to the ways in which families, communities, and schools work together to share responsibility for student learning.

Two new articles illustrate how co-constructed roles can work in practice: Voices from the field recounts the story of a parent, school principal, and family advocate sharing responsibility for creating a solution to a school problem, and our featured teaching case describes how a mother enlisted the help of a community organization to communicate with a school principal after her son was suspended. In addition, we introduce a tool to help school districts and other organizations think through the development of systemic family engagement policies and programs.

We also introduce a newly developed section of our website that houses all of Harvard Family Research Project's policy-related work in one convenient location. And, as always, we provide a listing of new family involvement articles, news, and resources.

Read the complete FINE Newsletter online.

Family Engagement: A Shared Responsibility
Seeing is Believing: Promising Practices for How School Districts Promote Family Engagement
How to Develop a Logic Model for Districtwide Family Engagement Strategies
Family Engagement Policy Resources
Featured Teaching Case: Suspension at Aurora Middle School Engagement
Co-Constructing Family Engagement Roles in Federal Way, Washington
Family Involvement News

Forget about rating teachers---rate schools instead. - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Forget about rating teachers---rate schools instead. - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"Those unfortunate people in the District may worry about the quality of their teachers, and wait anxiously for the results of the school system’s controversial new evaluation of classroom techniques and test score improvement. But those of us in the Washington area suburbs don’t have to worry because we already know that close to 100 percent of our teachers are entirely satisfactory. How? Our school districts say so.

I asked suburban school officials to share the latest results from their teacher evaluations, which are usually done by principals and subject specialists. Here are the percentages of teachers rated satisfactory, in some cases called meeting or exceeding the standard: Alexandria 99 percent, Calvert 99.8 percent, Charles 98.4 percent, Culpeper 97 percent, Fairfax 99.1 percent, Falls Church 99.55 percent, Loudoun 99 percent, Montgomery 95 percent, Prince George’s 95.56 percent, and Prince William 98.3 percent."

Change IDEA, task force says: CITIZEN JOURNALISM: FYI - Washington Times

CITIZEN JOURNALISM: FYI - Washington Times:

Change IDEA, task force says

"The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is up for congressional reauthorization in 2010, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) last week released a report that offers data and insight and makes recommendations. For example, between 1995 and 2004, the number of students receiving IDEA services rose from 5.1 million to more than 6.1 million, 'and the largest increase occurred for students in middle level and high schools,' the report says.

The study also points out that English-language learners are overrepresented in special education classes, suggesting that most teachers have difficulty distinguishing students with learning disabilities from students struggling for other reasons, such as limited English."

NASSP - IDEA Legislative Recommendations

NASSP - IDEA Legislative Recommendations:

"On Nov. 3, 2009, NASSP released its Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Task Force Legislative Recommendations. The nine recommendations were developed by the IDEA Task Force, which is composed of 11 active middle level and high school principals or assistant principals and four representatives from institutions of higher education from across the country.

The mission of the task force was to study the effects of the federal IDEA law and regulatory language on school leaders and propose recommendations regarding the changes that should be incorporated into a newly reauthorized law."

click here to read NASSP Legislative Recommendations: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/15441864/IDEA-Legislative-Recommendations-National-Association-of-Secondary-School-Principals

The Chez Panisse Foundation

Cultivating a New Generation

The Chez Panisse Foundation envisions a school curriculum and school lunch program where growing, cooking, and sharing food at the table gives students the knowledge and values to build a humane and sustainable future.

The Edible Schoolyard (ESY), established in 1995, is a one-acre garden and kitchen classroom at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California. It is a program of the Chez Panisse Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by chef and author Alice Waters.
The garden started as a cover crop in a vacant lot with once-monthly student participation. More than a decade later, it is a thriving acre of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Now, each student at King Middle School attends 12 to 30 sessions in ESY kitchen and garden classrooms, depending on grade level. ESY reaches each of the nearly 1,000 students at King Middle School.
The visibility of ESY has also increased. The program hosts over 1,000 visitors each year—from educators, to health professionals, to international delegates—and has inspired countless kitchen and garden programs. In 2005, we launched our first affiliate program in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today, we have a small network of Edible Schoolyard affiliate programs in cities across the country.

Bullying in Schools

Bullying in Schools:

"Online bullying has gotten a lot of attention lately, but a new study by the U.S. Justice Department and the C-D-C shows that the old fashioned kind of bullying hasn't gone away. According to the report, more than one in five of our children is physically bullied by other kids.

Alison was bullied in middle school. 'I'd be walking down the, walking down the hallway and they'd be like, 'Alison, you can take your mask off, it's not Halloween anymore.' Or, 'Alison, you're so ugly, no guy would ever kiss you',' she remembers.

Two students taunted Michelle in high school. 'Her and this boy were calling me a fat a-s-s, and the boy finally said 'man, fat people sure do stink', and so I said well why don't you take a bath?'

How do you help your child?"

Think B4 You Speak.com

The Civil Rights-Black Power Nexus in African American History

The Civil Rights-Black Power Nexus in African American History

A View from the East offers a detailed account of the development, operations and significance of the East Organization. Those who have studied the African-centered education movement and are familiar with events that shaped the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Experimental School District in New York City know of The East as the parent organization of Uhuru Sasa Shule (Freedom Now School). Taking the reader inside The East to explore dynamics of the organization and the personalities that shaped it, I contextualize them historically within the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and explore continuities between the two movements. For instance, 1967 marked the publication of Dr. King’s Where Do We Go from Here and also the emergence of the community control and independent Black school movements in urban centers across the country. These two movements grew almost simultaneously from the Freedom School efforts of the Civil Rights movement and an earlier tradition of establishing independent Black educational institutions predating the U.S. Civil War. The community control of public schools and the independent Black school movements of the 1960s situated themselves on what Dr. King called “political and social action” marked by a nebulous distinction between schooling and education, decision-making power and parental involvement, and divergent arguments advanced by African American educators and activists who advocated the transformation of urban schools and “making them work” and others who supported the idea of and forged independent Black schools. Former Civil Rights activists transformed by the Black Power movement and Black nationalists of the period constituted the latter group of independent Black school forgers in the 1960s, and quite a number of these schools still exist today.

Anti-taxers on school boards voted out | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

Anti-taxers on school boards voted out cincinnati.com Cincinnati.Com:

"The reign of the anti-school tax activists on area school boards was a short one."

One four-year term - starting with their taking office in January 2006 - and now voters decided last week that some of the region's highest profile activist board members are out.

Their one-and-done political trend was mainly focused in Greater Cincinnati's northern suburban districts, where four years ago an anti-school tax movement had grown to win enough voters to put like-minded candidates on the governing boards of a handful of Butler and Warren county school systems.

Fairfield School Board incumbent Arnie Engel, who tried four times to get elected to Fairfield Schools governing board before finally winning in fall 2005, this time finished a distant fourth in the race for three open seats.

In Warren County's Mason School Board race, self-proclaimed "Christian conservative" incumbent Jennifer Miller ended up fifth out of eight candidates vying for three seats.
In the Monroe school board race, fiscal conservative Mike Irwin lost his re-election bid, finishing dead last among five candidates.

Interactive Map: Leaders and Laggards

Interactive Map: Leaders and Laggards:

"Overview

Two years ago, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute came together to grade the states on school performance. In that first Leaders and Laggards report, we found much to applaud but even more that requires urgent improvement. In this follow-up report, we turn our attention to the future, looking not at how states are performing today, but at what they are doing to prepare themselves for the challenges that lie ahead. Thus, some states with positive academic results receive poor grades on our measures of innovation, while others with lackluster scholarly achievement nevertheless earn high marks for policies that are creating an entrepreneurial culture in their schools. We chose this focus because, regardless of current academic accomplishment in each state, we believe innovative educational practices are vital to laying the groundwork for continuous and transformational change."

And change is essential. Put bluntly, we believe our education system needs to be reinvented. After decades of political inaction and ineffective reforms, our schools consistently produce students unready for the rigors of the modern workplace. The lack of preparedness is staggering. Roughly one in three eighth graders is proficient in reading. Most high schools graduate little more than two-thirds of their students on time. And even the students who do receive a high school diploma lack adequate skills: More than 33% of first-year college students require remediation in either math or English.
'
But we also believe that reinvention will never be accomplished with silver bullets. Our school system needs far-reaching innovation. It is archaic and broken, a relic of a time when high school graduates could expect to live prosperous lives, when steel and auto factories formed the backbone of the American economy, and when laptop computers and the Internet were the preserve of science fiction writers. And while the challenges are many--inflexible regulations, excessive bureaucracy, a dearth of fresh thinking--the bottom line is that most education institutions simply lack the tools, incentives, and opportunities to reinvent themselves in profoundly more effective ways.

By "innovation" we do not mean blindly celebrating every nifty-sounding reform. If anything, we have had too much of such educational innovation over the years, as evidenced by the sequential embrace of fads and the hurried cycling from one new "best practice" to another that so often characterizes K-12 schooling. States and school systems, in other words, have too long confused the novel with the useful. Rather, we believe innovation to be the process of leveraging new tools, talent, and management strategies to craft solutions that were not possible or necessary in an earlier era.

No more senior year of high school | detnews.com | The Detroit News

No more senior year of high school detnews.com The Detroit News:

"No more senior year of high school

Idea 34: Eliminate the senior year of high school.

Why: For far too many of Michigan's students, the 12th grade has become nothing more than state-subsidized dating. Educators and parents frequently discuss this 'senioritis,' the so-called disease when students stop worrying about their grades because they have already been accepted to a university or are more concerned about social activities during their last year of high school. Our children have matured at a faster pace, and technological advances have accelerated learning and knowledge exponentially.

AdvertisementBenefits: With the state investing about $1 billion per grade in K-12 education, a portion of these resources could be redirected to our community colleges and universities with a far better outcome for the individual and state."

The 'reform math' problem | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/09/2009

The 'reform math' problem Philadelphia Inquirer 11/09/2009:

"Recent reports put the number of children with autism spectrum disorders at one in 100. Also in the news, following the latest national and state test results, is math education. What has escaped the media's attention is that these two topics are connected.

Their connection begins in the classrooms into which an ever higher proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders are being mainstreamed. More and more of these regular K-12 classrooms are using new 'reform math' programs such as Everyday Math, Investigations, and Connected Mathematics. In the Philadelphia area in particular, it's hard to find a public, private, or charter school that doesn't use reform math.

The prevalence of this curriculum is coinciding with widespread special needs. Students on the autism spectrum, however much they vary, share several basic traits. They don't perform well in unsupervised groups of peers. Many have trouble putting words together, and nearly all struggle with verbal comprehension to some extent."

Mayor at mid-term: How's he doing? | Philadelphia Daily News | 11/09/2009

Mayor at mid-term: How's he doing? Philadelphia Daily News 11/09/2009:

"IN 1991, WHEN Ed Rendell won election as mayor by a landslide, his chief political strategist, Neil Oxman, wrote in a memo: 'Remember, Ed Rendell has won a huge mandate for change. You can take over everything.'

Oxman could have written the same to another client, Michael Nutter, who won his own landslide two years ago last Friday as a wildly popular reformer with no help from labor or any other special-interest groups to succeed John Street.

Rendell, faced with a city on the brink of bankruptcy, charged in, taking on the unions, winning concessions and earning their ire, which didn't derail his future political aspirations.

Street, in his first 12 months, quickly settled his four municipal-union contracts, then did battle with the powerful Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, winning a longer school day and the beginning of a process that made a dent in seniority-based teacher assignments."

The American Spectator : Leaving Parents Behind

The American Spectator : Leaving Parents Behind:

"But school reformers have a long way to go where it counts: Addressing the interests of America's parents, who actually choose the schools to which they entrust their children, and helping them pick the best schools for their children in the first place.

At the moment, school reformers aren't considering situations such as that of the middle-class black couple in East Ridge, Tenn., just outside of Chattanooga, now deciding where to send their four-year-old son once he reaches kindergarten. They are skipping the schools offered by the local school district, Hamilton County Schools, for a private school option, but not because of the district's academic performance. Instead, it's because they don't want their son, who currently attends a nearly-all-white preschool, to continue being the only black male in his school."

Duncan Urges ‘More Active’ Business Role in Education Overhaul - Bloomberg.com

Duncan Urges ‘More Active’ Business Role in Education Overhaul - Bloomberg.com:

"Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who is using $100 billion in stimulus funds to overhaul public schools and expand access to college, urged U.S. businesses to play a “more active” role in the effort.

“You can invest in education, because it’s the best return on investment you will ever make,” Duncan said in prepared remarks for a speech today at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. “You can help train administrators to run schools efficiently. You can give young people work experience -- both paid and unpaid.”"

Lessons for LAUSD -- latimes.com

Lessons for LAUSD -- latimes.com:

"It's hard to imagine a more trying time for students and teachers at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Even more difficult is determining how much of the current woe was brought on by the district itself and how much reflects the vagaries of demographics, politics and the economy."

Consider the dismal budget year, the large-scale layoffs and the declining population of school-age students, then add to these troubles the students lost to charter schools and the resulting reduction in public school funding from the state. Enrollment in charters doesn't happen in smooth, predictable ways; it's not like an entire class from one school moves to another, with a resulting loss of one teacher position. Instead, it's a few from one school, a few from another, in scattered grades, and suddenly none of those schools can afford all of their teachers. And the students who move to charters aren't usually the most challenging ones to educate; those students tend to remain in the public schools.

That's how the district ended up with situations like the one at Mulholland Middle School, reported on last week by Times staff writer Howard Blume. The Van Nuys school has lost 100 students and 10 teachers. Its teachers and administrators took on heavy new workloads to reduce the number of layoffs. Students feel the pain too, in the form of more restricted course offerings and larger class sizes.

Dan Walters: It's time for a hard look at California tax dodges - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

Dan Walters: It's time for a hard look at California tax dodges - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

"Last June, the Public Policy Institute of California released a highly critical report on California's 'enterprise zone' program that provides big tax breaks to businesses for supposedly hiring workers in areas of high unemployment.

PPIC's study of the 42 zones, which are created by local governments with approval from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, concluded that state and local governments were losing about a half-billion dollars in revenue each year without any discernible impact on joblessness.

'The state can ill-afford to continue the to continue the enterprise zone program without clearer evidence of its benefits or a well-defined plan to make it more effective," said Jed Kolko, co-author of the PPIC study. "

Kids' latest aerosol of choice

Kids' latest aerosol of choice:

"The popularity of the personal computer is having an odd and dangerous side-effect.

'Huffing,' using inhalants to get high, has been known to health practitioners and police for decades, but an article in the current issue of Medtox Journal, published by a drug-testing company, reports that a relatively new form of inhalant abuse called 'dusting' is becoming widespread. It's the practice of inhaling products made to dust off your computer screen, products easily available in office supply and department stores."

The effects of "dusting" are similar in some ways to alcohol intoxication, but the high occurs quickly and wears off within minutes. "Dusters" might spray up to 10 times an hour, inhaling through the thin plastic straw provided with the can. Repeated inhalations can damage the lungs, brain, liver, heart and kidneys. Irreversible hearing loss and brain damage may occur.

High levels of inhalants can cause death by suffocation or heart failure. Children have been found dead with a plastic tube dangling from their lips, victims of "sudden sniffing death," which is possible even after a single session of "dusting."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/08/EDMH1AAQNT.DTL#ixzz0WN004uSU

Massachusetts charter school conflict, it's all about the money

Massachusetts charter school conflict, it's all about the money:

"The debate continues between Gloucester and the State of Massachusetts over the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School. This debate began the moment that the charter school's application became public and will not end until the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education makes a final decision on revoking the charter they granted back May 7,2009.

On Saturday the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a special meeting to determine if they should revoke the charter and if so, exactly what basis they needed. This is not simple because of the laws that are in place to protect charter schools from losing their charter."

Tempest over a teacup's worth of federal funding for schools - San Jose Mercury News

Tempest over a teacup's worth of federal funding for schools - San Jose Mercury News:

"Into the kettle that is California's $35.7 billion education budget, Uncle Sam may offer to pour a teacup's worth of specialized stimulus funds to help the most struggling schools.

But to hear the rhetoric as the state tries to grab a share of so-called Race to the Top funds, the teacup might as well be a barrel. Behind the brouhaha is the Obama administration's attempt to not only overhaul failing schools, but also to change how educators confront failure, placing responsibility on teachers, administrators and school boards.

The draft regulations announced for Race to the Top 'challenge the status quo in almost every way,' Ted Mitchell, chair of the state Board of Education, said approvingly. Other supporters include Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senate Democrats, including Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, who authored a bill that spells out reforms for low-performing schools, such as permitting takeovers by outside groups and allowing children to transfer elsewhere. Romero is sponsoring an informational hearing today in San Jose to discuss Race to the Top."

Gay marriage foes win with message about schools :: EDGE Boston

Gay marriage foes win with message about schools :: EDGE Boston:

"In Maine and California, voters were besieged with ad images of what would supposedly happen if same-sex marriage were legal: students going on a field trip to a lesbian wedding, elementary school kids reading books featuring gay couples, kindergartners learning about homosexuality from their teachers - all without any say from parents.

Critics assailed the messages as blatantly misleading fear-mongering.

'It’s drawing on the fears of the unknown,' said Sandy Maisel, director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Maine’s Colby College. 'There’s no evidence that it’s going to happen, but there’s very clear evidence that it’s an effective campaign tactic.'

Gay marriage opponents discovered the effectiveness in last year’s successful effort to pass Proposition 8 to outlaw gay marriage in California."

The Gouverneur Times - Your Online News Source

The Gouverneur Times - Your Online News Source:

"What is going on with our children?

In one high school in Palo Alto, Calif., four teenagers, acting separately, killed themselves recently by stepping in front of a train.

And who wasn't stunned by the recent reports, also from California, about a group of 20 high school kids either participating in or standing around watching the brutal two-hour-long gang rape of one of their female classmates? The attack took place outside Richmond High School during the homecoming dance. Not one person bothered to call 911. Police are still struggling to identify those involved."

Class Acts: A Q&A with Dave Fry - Local - Modbee.com

Class Acts: A Q&A with Dave Fry - Local - Modbee.com:

"Jordan Stroud nominated Dave Fry for Class Acts. Stroud said that when he was at Argus High School he could tell just by listening to Fry that he cared about the students. Fry isn't there just for a job, he is there to help a younger generation find a better future, Stroud said.

Name: Dave Fry"

The Associated Press: Industry pushes chocolate milk in schools

The Associated Press: Industry pushes chocolate milk in schools:

"MILWAUKEE — The creators of the 'Got Milk?' campaign are getting ready to make a big push to keep chocolate milk on kids' minds and on school lunch menus, a plan that has some educators and obesity activists none too pleased.

The new ad campaign from the dairy industry, set to launch Monday, emphasizes that sugary flavorings are ways to get kids to drink milk. Without them, some youngsters won't drink regular milk and won't get its nutrients, the ads say.

The 'Raise your hand for chocolate milk' campaign starts Monday with an ad in USA Today featuring chocolatey brown colors and the launch of a Web site that asks people to sign a petition declaring their support for chocolate milk in school."

Forget about rating teachers---rate schools instead. - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Forget about rating teachers---rate schools instead. - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"Those unfortunate people in the District may worry about the quality of their teachers, and wait anxiously for the results of the school system’s controversial new evaluation of classroom techniques and test score improvement. But those of us in the Washington area suburbs don’t have to worry because we already know that close to 100 percent of our teachers are entirely satisfactory. How? Our school districts say so.

I asked suburban school officials to share the latest results from their teacher evaluations, which are usually done by principals and subject specialists. Here are the percentages of teachers rated satisfactory, in some cases called meeting or exceeding the standard: Alexandria 99 percent, Calvert 99.8 percent, Charles 98.4 percent, Culpeper 97 percent, Fairfax 99.1 percent, Falls Church 99.55 percent, Loudoun 99 percent, Montgomery 95 percent, Prince George’s 95.56 percent, and Prince William 98.3 percent."

'Cult' program in NYC schools

'Cult' program in NYC schools:

"Thousands of city public-school students and teachers are participating in a 'Brain Education' program run by a group with ties to an alleged cult.

For the past three years, the Department of Education has shelled out nearly $400,000 for 44 schools to participate in the Power Brain Education company's lessons and workshops.
But dozens of former employees of an organization called Dahn Yoga -- whose founder developed the teachings for Brain Education -- said the school program is run by a group that is part of a vast web of interrelated companies conning participants into investing all their time and money in unproven health and healing activities."

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Korean-American School Reformer Engaged to Former NBA Star

The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Korean-American School Reformer Engaged to Former NBA Star:

"Michelle Rhee, the Korean-American chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public school system, is engaged to former NBA star and current Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Rhee gained fame and controversy for her tough-minded reforms of the city's school system, which involved laying off hundreds of teachers in 2008, including the principal of her daughter's school. Johnson was a point guard for the Phoenix Suns from the late 1980s to the late 1990s."

JOSE DE LA ISLA: The Hoover or Roosevelt of education » Standard-Times

JOSE DE LA ISLA: The Hoover or Roosevelt of education » Standard-Times:

"This is no small question. Marc Tucker, in the same publication, points out that the United States has one of the highest-cost, lowest-performing education systems in the industrial world. He focuses on better teachers being put in charge, in a similar way that doctors run hospitals. He champions a new system that is, mercifully, not called “reform” but “redesign.”
The old matrix of looking at how much money is to be spent is a deceptive measure because we allocate twice as much to secondary education.

Measuring high school graduates, we slide to 18th among the 36 industrialized nations, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But why expect anything different when our public education was intended for an industrial society that is passing from the scene? Tucker calls it a “dysfunctional design.”

Many Latino advocacy groups and individuals have been either on the wrong side of this debate or they are not up to speed with cutting-edge thinking. This matters because they will soon be invited to the policy casino and asked to turn their nearly 70 percent vote for Obama into chips to play administration poker."

Mogul: How public education changed - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News

Mogul: How public education changed - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News:

"Forty years ago this month, the Task Force on Children out of School held its first meeting to investigate the on-the-street evidence of many children not attending the Boston Public Schools. The Task Force was a citizen-driven body, led by Hubie Jones (then executive director of the Roxbury Multi-Service Center) but it also had the blessing and participation of key city and state officials.

One year later, on Oct. 14, 1970, headlines blared throughout the city of a newly uncovered scandal. Ten thousand or more children were either being systematically excluded from Boston's public education system or warehoused in classrooms or schools that provided inferior or custodial care. The bulk of these children were Spanish-speaking, mainly from Puerto Rico. Thousands were misclassified as mentally retarded. Others had behavior problems too difficult to handle or had been branded as 'unteachable' because of their physical handicaps or other disabilities. Some were girls who had been barred from school simply because they had become pregnant."

Suozzi wants control of schools, wins criticism

Suozzi wants control of schools, wins criticism:

"A proposal by Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi for the executive to control school districts was dismissed out of hand by superintendents and local politicians Saturday.

In an op-ed piece in Newsday Sunday, Suozzi argues Tuesday's election convinced him that the county executive should be in charge of public schools.

Democrat Suozzi, whose re-election race against Republican Edward Mangano will be decided by more than 6,000 absentee ballots, said he believes voters blame him for Nassau's high property taxes even though schools account for 65 percent of their bill.

He suggests using Mayor Michael Bloomberg's takeover of the New York City school system in 2002 as a model for Nassau to achieve savings, though he acknowledges the move needs state approval. 'I'm sure this will be the beginning of a long debate,' Suozzi said Saturday. 'I encourage others to present additional ideas on how to address our property tax problem.'"

A year after election, Obama focuses on schools - Political Intelligence - A national political and campaign blog from The Boston Globe - Boston.com

A year after election, Obama focuses on schools - Political Intelligence - A national political and campaign blog from The Boston Globe - Boston.com:

"Speaking one year to the day he was elected, President Obama this afternoon used the anniversary to call for 'a national mission' to improve public education and build it into a pillar -- along with an overhauled health care system and clean energy jobs -- of the new economy.

'One year ago, Americans all across this country went to the polls and cast ballots for the future they wanted to see. Election Day was a day of hope, it was a day of possibility, but it was also a sobering one because we knew even then that we faced an array of challenges that would test us as a country. We had a financial crisis that threatened to plunge our economy into a Great Depression, the worst we had seen in generations. We had record deficits, two wars, frayed alliances around the world,' Obama said at Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisc."

An immediate impact, a lifelong example | Delawareonline.com | The News Journal

An immediate impact, a lifelong example Delawareonline.com The News Journal:

"WILMINGTON -- Nine-year-old Abdullah Brown, wearing his Bancroft Elementary uniform, was munching on fries and chicken nuggets at McDonald's recently when two teenage boys in sagging pants and T-shirts slid into a nearby booth."

They recognized Abdullah from the neighborhood.

"Where's your father?" one of the teenagers said to the boy, taunting him.

"I don't know, in jail," Abdullah said, staring down at his chicken nuggets. His father has been in and out of prison most of Abdullah's life.

As Abdullah tried to disappear into the seat, an arm slid around his shoulder, bringing a slight smile to his face.

The teens, failing to get a rise out of Abdullah, stood up and left the restaurant.

It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to Abdullah.

The arm did not belong to a relative or a neighbor, but to Maurice Pritchett, a retired educator who has been making a difference with Wilmington youth for 40 years, first as a teacher, then as the 30-year principal at Bancroft, where he now mentors Abdullah.

"I want him to know that just because his dad is in jail doesn't mean that he doesn't have anyone," Pritchett said later. "He has me."

Pritchett, 67, grew up on the city's east side without a father. When he wasn't in school, he spent his time playing basketball at the Walnut Street YMCA. As an adolescent, he had attitude problems.

South Bend Tribune: No Parent Left Behind: Federal money expanding efforts in South Bend schools

South Bend Tribune: No Parent Left Behind: Federal money expanding efforts in South Bend schools:

"It's part of a two-year effort at the South Bend Community School Corp. to tackle one of the most daunting challenges of students who fall behind: How do you get their parents more involved?

Henson is paid with federal stimulus money in the district's new Helping Hands program, which this fall began hiring parents of struggling students in various jobs at 11 of its Title I schools, which contain large numbers of poor kids. For $10 an hour, parents help up to 20 hours a week in the cafeteria, at recess, in the classroom, whatever is needed.

'By osmosis, they will learn how the school works,' says James Husband, program coordinator.

Deeper lessons, though, come from a partner program that's also fueled by stimulus money, Parent University, where parents at the same schools learn to help their children learn.

'We believe parents care; they just don't know how to help,' says Husband, who'd served as assistant principal at Jefferson and Marshall intermediate centers."

West Seattle Blog… » Drawing a line: West Seattle parents air school-boundary concerns

West Seattle Blog… » Drawing a line: West Seattle parents air school-boundary concerns:

"“You’re taking something that’s actually working and breaking it.”

That critique of the latest proposed Seattle Public Schools attendance-area maps came from one of the two dozen-plus people who attended School Board rep Steve Sundquist’s community meeting Saturday afternoon at High Point Library.

Sundquist has this type of meeting monthly, as do other members, with no agenda except Q/A with whomever shows up, but he’s made them more frequent as the board approaches a scheduled vote on the attendance maps (and in fact his next one is just hours before that vote).

Several in the room Saturday afternoon wanted to discuss the concern reported here Friday night - the observation that the newest revision to the West Seattle attendance-areas map seems to draw a sharp line largely following West Seattle’s north-south economic divide, with the feeder-school list for Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth High School dominated by those with more students from lower-income families, while the feeder-school list for Madison Middle School and West Seattle High School is dominated by those with more students from higher-income families."

Budget proposals an easier sell than constitutional convention? - ContraCostaTimes.com

Budget proposals an easier sell than constitutional convention? - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"SACRAMENTO — Bob Hertzberg, the former state Assembly speaker who now co-chairs the government-reform coalition California Forward, says he is convinced he has a pair of ballot measures on reform that voters can get behind.

And government fixes would happen at least a year sooner than anything that comes out of a proposed constitutional convention, he said.

A pair of ballot measures — being pushed by the Bay Area Council — would create a constitutional convention, but even if it's successful, it wouldn't be until 2012 that changes would begin to take effect.

'I have a lot of respect for what they're doing — I see the energy they're creating,' said Hertzberg from his Los Angeles law office. 'But I'm concerned about the speed of the market.'"

Parents call on state to revoke charter - The Boston Globe

Parents call on state to revoke charter - The Boston Globe:

"GLOUCESTER - Angry parents staged a boisterous protest in front of City Hall, where the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a special meeting yesterday to discuss its approval of a new charter school during which a top education official apologized for sending an e-mail last February that ignited controversy."

Children chanted “CSO Said No Go,’’ a call to the state’s Charter School Office not to recommend approval of the new Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, a recommendation that was disregarded by the board that approved it last winter.

Parents held signs that read, “Do The Right Thing Revoke,’’ and “Charter Group Tells Tall Tales,’’ in a spirited protest that prompted state Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester to briefly address the crowd of about 30 people, who believe the charter approval process was politically motivated.

“All I can tell you is that for me . . . my calculus was based on one thing, the merits of the application,’’ Chester said, speaking calmly surrounded by protesters.


The meeting was scheduled to review the process the board used to approve the charter for the school, which proponents said is needed to provide an alternative form of public education for Gloucester families. The elementary school would provide an arts-based curriculum and would be located downtown, where many of the city’s economically disadvantaged students live.

“Gloucester suffers, just as much as other [communities] with an achievement gap,’’ said Amy Ballin, a charter school organizer. ’’ A significant population of our children is being underserved.’’

The gathering also provided a forum for state Education Secretary Paul Reveille to address the contents of an e-mail he sent Feb. 5 to Chester, which opponents say shows the charter was approved to further Governor Deval Patrick’s education reform agenda, rather than for sound education reasons. Patrick has since twice called on the board to review its decision.
During the meeting, Reveille apologized to anyone in Gloucester who may have been offended by the e-mail.

School sabotage | detnews.com | The Detroit News

School sabotage detnews.com The Detroit News:

"With Michigan schools facing an enormous funding gap, the Michigan Education Association is attempting to sabotage an effort that could bring in more than $600 million in federal education money.

State policymakers are working to put together one of the essential pieces of legislation required to win federal 'Race to the Top' grant money. President Barack Obama is using the money to give states an incentive to enact long-overdue education reforms.

Next month state school Superintendent Mike Flanagan must turn in the application for the competition, now being watched by U.S. foundations for signals about which states are serious about education reform and merit even more funding."

Haley: Denver's school board needs to lead - The Denver Post

Haley: Denver's school board needs to lead - The Denver Post:

"Was that giant sucking sound you heard last week Denver voters flushing half a billion dollars down the toilet?

By handing control of Denver's school board to candidates backed by the teachers union, voters may have unwittingly ended Colorado's bid for Race to the Top money.
But more importantly, did they also upend the district's promising reform efforts?

The easy answer is yes. But the easy answer isn't always the correct one. No one knows for sure what direction the new Denver Public Schools board will take."

Virginia poses challenges for charter school advocates - washingtonpost.com

Virginia poses challenges for charter school advocates - washingtonpost.com:

"Tuesday's elections in Virginia swept a staunch supporter of charter schools into the governor's mansion, raising hopes for advocates in a state that has been skeptical of the publicly funded, privately run alternatives to regular public schools.

But despite Republican victories in the governor's race and some key legislative contests, significant hurdles stand in the way of any quick moves to ease approval of charter schools, education activists say."

Parental involvement still the best teacher of all | Delawareonline.com | The News Journal

Parental involvement still the best teacher of all Delawareonline.com The News Journal:

"Budget-strapped lawmakers and educators say increasing parental involvement is the best way to improve Delaware public schools."

Rep. Darryl Scott, D-Dover, wants to give working parents up to 16 hours of unpaid leave each school year so they can participate in parent-teacher conferences, volunteer in their child's school and attend after-school activities.

"More and more families have both parents working, and they aren't able to get away from work to attend school conferences and be directly involved in their kids' education," said Scott, who served on the Capital School Board from 2005 to 2008.

Longtime educator Maurice Pritchett hopes the bill will become law.

"Increasing parent involvement is a critical component to improving inner-city public schools," said Pritchett, who was the 30-year principal at Christina's Bancroft Elementary before taking a district community engagement post in 2005. He retired last year. "They're more inclined to look in their child's backpack and check to see what they have for homework or help them prepare for a quiz or test."

Fresh hope for city kids | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

Fresh hope for city kids APP.com Asbury Park Press:

"We were delighted, though hardly surprised, by Gov.-elect Chris Christie's pledge during an appearance in Newark the day after his election victory that improving urban education would rank behind only reducing taxes and government spending as a priority."

During his most recent editorial board appearance at the Press, there was no topic he spoke more passionately about than providing children in the state's cities with a chance to succeed. As a former prosecutor, he fully understands the social and economic consequences of a failed educational system.

Unlike Gov. Jon Corzine and the New Jersey Education Association, who have insisted that schools in New Jersey and its cities are the envy of the nation, Christie argues improvements in test scores in urban districts aren't coming fast enough, and certainly not commensurate with the billions of dollars that have been poured into city schools — a view shared by growing numbers of community leaders and parents in Newark, Camden and elsewhere.

Christie, like President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, wants to expand the number of charter schools.

Native American students seek recognition and test-score reporting - Vallejo Times Herald

Native American students seek recognition and test-score reporting - Vallejo Times Herald:

"Reports about Native American students' test scores, good or bad, typically include no mention of their performance, said Melissa Mendoza, parent advisory chairwoman for the Vallejo school district's Native American Studies Program.

Schools can be light on their history but heavy with what some consider offensive representations of her people, she said.
Vallejo's Native American students, parents and families need more, Mendoza said.

'This is a culture that has donated so much to society as it is,' she said. 'It's not about casinos. It's about knowing who you are and being a part of the American culture and American tapestry.'"

California libraries - where the action is

California libraries - where the action is:

"Libraries are 'one of the last great civic spaces in our society,' as Berkeley librarian Jack Baur aptly puts it - a place where anyone can read the newspaper, check e-mails, do homework or just sit and enjoy a safe and quiet space."


The traditional role of libraries as repositories and purveyors of print materials is shrinking in this digitalizing age. Like newspapers, libraries are trying to figure out how to reinvent themselves beyond the world of hard-copy print. One way they're doing that is to enhance their role as community gathering places. In libraries throughout the state, there's an increased emphasis on providing stimulating programs for people of all ages.

The new library is a kind of community living room, a welcome oasis in an era of social isolation.

The Lafayette Public Library is taking a bold step in that direction on Saturday when it officially opens its sprawling new quarters, a $46 million facility that's a combination library and learning center. The Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium will feature programs from a dozen Bay Area organizations, including the Oakland Zoo, St. Mary's College and the Lawrence Hall of Science. On opening day, the Chabot Space & Science Center will help kids build rockets they can launch into a simulated version of outer space. On Dec. 1, the Commonwealth Club will bring in political satirist Will Durst.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/08/INJK1ACL2S.DTL#ixzz0WHGm2EXy

Power to maintain educational excellence belongs to voters - Pasadena Star-News

Power to maintain educational excellence belongs to voters - Pasadena Star-News:

"For decades, California has been on the cutting edge of America's social and economic evolution. We are the state that has launched new technologies, a green business climate, personal fitness and entertainment. Californians led the nation in breaking down outdated social mores and advancing equity and social responsibility.

This success story is rooted in education. We built the world's premier multi-tiered public education system, designed to create affordable opportunities for everyone to advance themselves and their families.

The system works when it is a universal priority. An educated workforce gives back by creating jobs that support public funding. But we are now facing a cataclysmic change in priorities, putting California's future at risk."

Sac Schools Open Their Doors - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

Sac Schools Open Their Doors - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Sacramento public high schools opened their doors to parents and students Saturday so they could get the opportunity to learn more about what curriculum they have to offer.
At Sacramento's Serna Center, 13-year-old Megan Mengell is shopping for a new high school.

'I'm kind of nervous to go to high school because my school, we are like a family, and so I'm looking around. I have no idea about any of the high schools,' Megan said.
With so many schools and so little time, parents like Mark Mengell said they feel overwhelmed.

'Actually it is pretty challenging. You have a lot of different choices. The philosophies behind some of these schools are extremely different,' Mengell said."