States Compete for Federal School Dollars - NYTimes.com

States Compete for Federal School Dollars - NYTimes.com:

"DENVER — Colorado’s lieutenant governor, Barbara O’Brien, has been parsing every public statement by Education Secretary Arne Duncan for nuances that could help her position the state as a winner in the $4 billion competition for federal school dollars known as Race to the Top."

And officials in dozens of other states have been doing the same, said Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, a nonpartisan association of state superintendents of education.

“Whenever we have a conversation about any issue these days, Race to the Top is the gorilla in the room,” Mr. Wilhoit said.

The last time education officials were reading tea leaves so obsessively was after the 2001 No Child Left Behind law reshaped America’s public school landscape. Now Race to the Top is again redefining what Washington calls reform, setting in motion a new cycle of federal school

Schools lose 500 aides at end of week despite tough fight from union

Schools lose 500 aides at end of week despite tough fight from union:

"Friday will be the last day for more than 500 low-paid public school aides.

Despite a tough fight from their union, the city told principals on Tuesday that the aides, who make an average of $20,000 a year, were losing their jobs.

The leader of District Council 37 said the layoffs are devastating, not only for the workers, but students as well.

'Thousands of children in the city's poorest communities have lost the support staff they need to make the most of their educational experience,' said District Council 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts."

Valley Star - Rally Against the Machine: Students Protest Budget Cuts

Valley Star - Rally Against the Machine: Students Protest Budget Cuts:

"Students gathered in Valley’s main entrance Wednesday to rally against rising fees, expensive textbooks, the cutting of numerous classes, and other consequences caused by cuts to education.
The Political Action Coalition organized students and teachers to speak at the rally while collecting signatures on petition cards that are to be sent to Sacramento.

“When they say cut back, we say fight back!” students chanted. Others held up banners reading, “Don’t budget our education.”

Budget cuts affect every sector, not just colleges and universities. Students cannot transfer on time because of cuts to classes, increased fees and overcrowded classes."

Chicago changes criteria for admission to magnet, selective schools -- chicagotribune.com

Chicago changes criteria for admission to magnet, selective schools -- chicagotribune.com:

"In the wake of a federal order placing race off-limits as a key admissions criterion to the city's most competitive schools, the Chicago Public Schools will use a battery of socioeconomic factors to distribute the coveted spots -- a strategy officials hope will maintain racial integration while enhancing economic integration.

It is unclear what the impact of the new policy will be. The district is only putting it in place for a year, after which officials will assess the results.

Skeptics long have been cynical about moves from racial to socioeconomic integration, pointing to other districts where schools became more segregated after the lifting of a federal order to racially integrate, such as in San Francisco, Denver and Norfolk, Va. They think Chicago's plan will be no different."

California finances plummet less than three months after budget passage

California finances plummet less than three months after budget passage:

"California finance officials have announced that the state has a current budget deficit of $1.1 billion. News of the shortfall comes less than 10 weeks after a balanced budget deal was reached by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the State Legislature.

An October report released by State Controller John Chiang announced that the latest budget deficit was mainly due to a large drop in third quarter income tax collection; revenues were 11 percent lower than initially projected.

The California Department of Finance is also expecting a deficit of $7.4 billion at the start of fiscal year 2010-2011, which begins next July. This could climb to as high as $20 billion by the start of fiscal year 2011-2012."

School closures capture attention from across globe - Hawaii News - Starbulletin.com

School closures capture attention from across globe - Hawaii News - Starbulletin.com:

"It is not the kind of publicity Hawaii wants, but the state's decision to shut public schools for 17 Furlough Fridays has made a big media splash."

"Hawaii's Children, Left Behind," declared the headline of a New York Times editorial. At the Washington Post, education columnist Jay Mathews wrote a piece with the scathing title "Idiocy in Paradise: Hawaii Handles School Budget Cuts Badly."

National television networks have spotlighted the story, along with TIME, the Wall Street Journal and National Public Radio. And the news has gone global. The Guardian of London and the BBC both covered it. A Chinese-language Web site highlighted "Hawaii's Budget Cut: No School Fridays." And Radio Australia recently interviewed the head of the state Board of Education.

Board Chairman Garrett Toguchi said the news coverage tends to sensationalize the issue, but "if the negative press encourages our leaders to put education at the top of our priority list, I'm more than happy to accept it.

"Nobody's happy with having to furlough teachers and have less instructional days," Toguchi said. "But that ignores the economic reality. The economy is not getting any better. So instead of worrying about what we don't have, we need to figure out how we're going to mitigate the continuing negative impacts on the budget next year."

Schwarzenegger creates preschool panel - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

Schwarzenegger creates preschool panel - Sacramento Politics - California Politics Sacramento Bee:

"California now has a California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and a better chance at a share of $100 million in Head Start stimulus funds.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order Monday that established the council to make the state eligible for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money.

The program is offering grants of at least $500,000 to support states establishing these councils and developing early childhood education plans, according to a news release from the Governor's Office. California is expected to receive as much as $10.7 million over three years through the program, according to state officials."

Editorial: Assembly must work quickly to pass Race to the Top education reforms - San Jose Mercury News

Editorial: Assembly must work quickly to pass Race to the Top education reforms - San Jose Mercury News:

"The California Senate last week passed a bill paving the way for the state to get its share of $4.35 billion in education grants from the Obama administration — the largest pool of money ever created for education reform.

The Assembly must quickly follow suit. Speaker Karen Bass needs to call members back into session by next month to act — not wait until January, as she's suggested.

The Senate bill, SBX5 1, was proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ensure that the state meets qualifications for a federal Race to the Top grant. Passing easily on a bipartisan vote, it would eliminate a cap on the number of new charter schools; make it easier for students to transfer out of failing schools; allow the state to tie student test scores to teacher reviews, and lay out specific ways to fix failing schools."

CSU to ask state for $884 million more

CSU to ask state for $884 million more:

"As California State University prepares to close its doors to tens of thousands of qualified students next year, Chancellor Charles Reed said Tuesday he will ask Sacramento for $884 million to meet CSU's budget needs - a long-shot request from the cash-strapped state."

At the same time, a dozen popular CSU campuses - including San Francisco, Sonoma and San Jose in the Bay Area - will limit enrollment by making it harder for certain applicants to qualify, and by setting the application deadline for fall 2010 weeks early, at midnight Nov. 30.

"The California dream is access to higher education," Reed told reporters who asked how he would make his case for a 2010-11 budget that is two-thirds new money, and one-third restoration of funds cut out of the last state budget.

He said he'll ask lawmakers to readjust their priorities.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/11/BAQL1AI2AH.DTL#ixzz0WYVOAmLW

Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act | Alliance for Excellent Education

Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act Alliance for Excellent Education:

"Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act

Senate Bill Number: S. 2740
Date of Introduction: November 5, 2009
Sponsor(s): Murray (D-WA)
Co-Sponsor(s): Franken (D-MN), Brown (D-OH)

House Bill Number: H.R. 4037
Date of Introduction: November 6, 2009
Sponsor(s): Yarmuth (D-KY)
Co-Sponsor(s): Miller (D-CA), Polis (D-CO)"

The Literacy Education for All, Results for the Nation (LEARN) Act is a comprehensive literacy bill that would authorize $2.35 billion to support state and local programs to ensure that children from birth through grade twelve have the reading and writing skills necessary for success in school and beyond.

More information on the LEARN Act is available in the two-page summary.

Read a letter of support for the LEARN Act signed by the Alliance for Excellent Education, the International Reading Association, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National PTA, the National School Boards Association, and others.

Read a statement from Senator Patty Murray and Representatives John Yarmuth, Jared Polis, and George Miller on the LEARN Act.

Read a statement on the LEARN Act from Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia.

'Hmong Voices' film festival premiers today in Sacramento - Latest News - sacbee.com

'Hmong Voices' film festival premiers today in Sacramento - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"Sacramento's first ever 'Hmong Voices' film festival -- produced by 25 Hmong teens -- premieres at 5:30 p.m. today in the Florin Creek Recreation Center, 7460 Persimmon Avenue.

The public is invited to the event hosted by the Center for Multicultural Cooperation and supported by the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

The free event features seven short films made this summer by students at Hiram Johnson and Luther Burbank high schools, said program coordinator Stephanie Xiong."

Contact your Senator tell them to pass Health Care Reform

Urgent: Take Action for Health Care Reform with no retreat on Women's health

We made history on November 7th when the House of Representatives passed sweeping health care reform legislation.

The health insurance industry is fighting back hard. The Senate will soon vote for its own version of the bill, and we need you to contact your Senator and ask to keep the Senate version as strong as the version just passed by the House.

Contact your U.S. Senator NOW

Search for your senators by name, state, or congressional class; and visit their websites.

Sizing up school safety - Find a school | GreatSchools

Sizing up school safety - Find a school GreatSchools:

"How do you know if a school is safe? Pretty paint jobs won't tell you! Let these six steps help you research the most fundamental issue for every school."

“We’re thrilled,” declared my friend when I called to find out what school they’d chosen for their 5-year-old daughter. “There’s this beautiful garden, and the teachers seem brilliant. There are science and art projects everywhere you look.”

My friend was one of those übermoms — she’d toured a bazillion private and public schools. She thought carefully about what would be right for her little learning sponge.

From dream to nightmare

But within a few weeks of school starting, she left me a message: “We’ve been in kindergarten hell!” Her daughter loved the new school and was learning like gangbusters, but something wasn’t working. “We’re switching schools."

What could justify a parent summarily yanking her child out of a school she loves?

How unsafe schools affect student learning

In a word: safety. For most parents, school security is the place where the rubber meets the rule book. If your child isn’t safe from violence, bullying, sexual harassment, and fear — even if everything else is perfect — brilliant teachers and gorgeous gardens just can’t balance it out. After all, studies suggest that when children feel threatened, both their academic performance and emotional health suffer. Stress hormones impair kids’ neurological development, and they are literally unable to learn in the same way.

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"Hello DAC Members & Interested Parties:

This is your friendly reminder that today is the District Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting, November 10, 2009 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Serna Center.

Dinner and childcare will be provided. Dinner will begin at 6:15pm.

Wanda Yañez Chairperson
District Advisory Committee (DAC)
Sacramento City Unified School District
Work: (916) 654-7729"

Parent Involvement 2009

Parent Involvement 2009

What happens … begins in the council chamber, the school board meeting room, the state house, the U.S. Capitol, and the White House. "Every decision is a political decision," says NEA President Reg Weaver (speaking of teachers but applies even more for parents). "We should no longer accept people making decisions for us, about us, and without us."How Can Schools, Families and Community Groups Put these Goals into Action?

• Recognize that all parents, regardless of income, education or cultural background, are involved in their children's learning and want their children to do well.

• Design programs that will support families to guide their children's learning, from preschool through high school.

• Develop the capacity of school staff and families to work together.

• Link activities and programs for families to improving student learning.

• Focus on developing trusting and respectful relationships among staff and families.

• Build families' social and political connections.

• Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power.

• Make sure that parents, school staff, and community members understand that the responsibility for children's educational development is a collaborative enterprise.

• Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.

• Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap between white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color.

When parents talk to their children about school, expect them to do well, help them plan for college, and make sure that out-of-school activities are constructive, their children do better in school. When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improving learning, and support parent involvement at home and school, students make greater gains. When schools build partnerships with families that respond to their concerns, honor their contributions, and share power, they are able to sustain connections that are aimed at improving student achievement. And when families and communities organize to hold poorly performing schools accountable, school districts make positive changes in policy, practice, and resources.


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~~ Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978)

Come And Play: 'Sesame Street' Celebrates 40 Years : NPR

Come And Play: 'Sesame Street' Celebrates 40 Years : NPR:

"When first lady Michelle Obama popped in on Sesame Street to hang out with Elmo, Big Bird and some kids, she came to demonstrate one of her pet projects: how to plant your own vegetable garden. Her point was that from very small seeds, some delicious and wonderful things can grow. And in TV terms, Sesame Street 40 years ago was one of those seeds — and it has ended up feeding many generations of young viewers."

On Nov. 10, 1969, when we first heard the theme to Sesame Street, public television itself was a new and largely unproven entity. There was no cable TV then, no Fox — by and large, just three commercial networks and, in each TV market, a local station or two. Children's television wasn't very regulated, and certainly, by the end of the 1960s, wasn't very good. Sesame Street, with its simple mandate of educating children as it entertained them, changed all that.

We live in such a different technological world now that one of the basic principles of Sesame Street has been, quite recently, overthrown. Sesame Street was available to any family, no matter how poor, so long as it had electricity and a TV set. Tune in, and even the most disadvantaged preschooler could learn his or her ABCs and count to 10 and begin attending school without feeling left behind.

voiceofsandiego.org: Education... My Day as Principal

EMILY ALPERT

voiceofsandiego.org: Education... My Day as Principal:

"Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 I hoofed it up the sidewalk to Bell Middle School in my heels, alongside preteens in maroon and navy polos. 'Plenty of time. Plenty of time,' the vice principal reassured us as we poured into the school, a vast spread of tile and stucco atop a hill that faces a dark, distant wash of mountains.

There are more than 1,100 students at Bell, a diverse school in the southeastern corner of San Diego Unified where roughly two-thirds of students are poor enough to eat lunch for free.

And I was in charge for a day.

I had been tapped for Principal for a Day, an event that aims to bring business and community leaders into schools to better understand the work of principals. I was hoping I might actually make decisions in that day -- not just tag along."

Outrage over new SDSU admissions rules

Outrage over new SDSU admissions rules:

"SAN DIEGO — Kevin Yabes couldn’t help but get excited when he received confirmation this week that SDSU received his college application. But he’s not so sure he’ll ever get the letter that really counts.

With a 3.53 grade-point average, the Mira Mesa High School senior would have been a guaranteed a spot at San Diego State University under a 10-year-old local admissions policy. But the agreement was abruptly rescinded last month, sending many students into a panic and angering community members.

“I was really hoping to avoid community college,” Kevin said. “But now I’m not sure what I’m going to do next year.”

Kevin was among dozens of students, parents, teachers and community members who spoke out against the policy change Monday night at a hearing by the San Diego Unified School District. Angry and emotional speakers lashed out at SDSU for the decision they called everything from racist to irresponsible."

L.A. Unified magnet school application deadline is Dec. 18 -- latimes.com

L.A. Unified magnet school application deadline is Dec. 18 -- latimes.com:

"The application deadline for the popular local magnet-school program is three weeks earlier this school year. Parents will have until Dec. 18 to turn in applications for their choice among 173 magnet programs in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Magnets were established in the late 1970s to promote voluntary integration -- and in that aspect they have achieved limited success. But many have become wildly popular academic showcases for the nation's second-largest school system. And they attract far more applicants than can be accommodated.

Not long ago, the deadline for applications was in late January. Last year, it was Jan. 9, said Almarie Polk, an administrative assistant with the magnet division. The earlier deadline means parents will find out sooner, probably in April, about whether their child gets into a requested magnet, Polk added."

AdelaideNow... True school performance levels at last

AdelaideNow... True school performance levels at last:

"BY promising basic information on the performance of our schools, Education Minister, Julia Gillard has landed a blow for common sense and for parents.

For too long, the argument about whether national testing on literacy and numeracy should even be done, let alone published, has been deadlocked.

Education experts, state education departments, teachers and their professional bodies, have long resisted the move arguing that such comparisons were worse than meaningless, they would be misleading."

Less than 'courage' in New Haven - washingtonpost.com

Less than 'courage' in New Haven - washingtonpost.com:

"EDUCATION Secretary Arne Duncan is a big advocate of the need for educators to set high expectations. So when he singled out the recently ratified teacher contract in New Haven, Conn., as a model for the nation, we assumed it contained bold reforms. In fact, there's little that's remarkable about the contract. We hope that's not a sign Mr. Duncan is getting timid in bringing about the real changes needed in teacher labor agreements.

Praise of the New Haven contract has been effusive. Mr. Duncan told the Wall Street Journal that it is 'a really important progressive labor agreement' that showed 'real courage on the union's part.' American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, who helped broker the deal, said: 'I rarely say that something is a model or a template for something else, but this is both.' Even President Obama got in on the act as he complimented New Haven for 'coming together' to find smarter ways to improve learning."

Statement from president of Wausau Education Association - WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, Sports

Statement from president of Wausau Education Association - WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, Sports:

"This is a statement from Wausau Education Association President Mary Jarvis:

'Thank you to the members of the board, Board President, and Superintendent (Steve) Murley.
I am the president of the Wausau Education Association.

The teachers of the Wausau School District have carefully followed the budget situation in this district.
We are very alarmed and concerned by the lack of planning for the educational impact on our students."

Bad eighth grade math placements--an update - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Bad eighth grade math placements--an update - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"A thoughtful reader who signs on as 'raging moderate' (my own self-concept too) asked two good questions about my recent Local Living column on bad timing in placing students in Algebra 1. Here is raging moderate's query, followed by the answer from Brookings Institution scholar Tom Loveless, who supplied me the data.

[Raging moderate first quoted my piece:] 'But Loveless showed that we are also missing students ready for algebra. Among the top 10 percent of eighth-graders, 18 percent are not in algebra or above, and that percentage is 24.6 for top black, Hispanic and low-income students.'

I have two questions, Jay:"

The Tipping Point: Texas Textbook Politics Meets the Digital Revolution | The Texas Tribune

The Tipping Point: Texas Textbook Politics Meets the Digital Revolution The Texas Tribune:

"Under new legislation, school districts for the first time can spend a portion of state “book” money on computer hardware and digital content. And the state can stockpile and open-source electronic material, made available free to all schools. Some, including State Board of Education members, fear the explosion of choice will produce an erosion of quality content.

AUSTIN – In a historic shift, Texas public schools will soon start tapping the state’s multi-billion-dollar textbook fund for laptops and e-readers. A “book,” meanwhile, could become a living reservoir of content, freely edited and updated by educators and beamed to the classrooms, homes and handhelds of students statewide."

Rather than replacing untold thousands of dead-tree editions every two years — for hundreds of millions of dollars — the state could own libraries of electronic content, some of which it might even get for free. Students could carry all that material on a laptop or an e-reader, amassing an on-demand virtual library over multiple years in school.

That scenario represents the ideal — to some, at least — and may yet be years away. The changes thus far have come slowly, navigating a thicket of big-money politics and curriculum wars surrounding the nation’s second biggest textbook market. At the core of the new order, resulting from new legislation, lie three fundamental transfers of power and money:

From 19th-Century View, Desegregation Is a Test

From 19th-Century View, Desegregation Is a Test

If there is a topic Justice Antonin Scalia does not relish discussing, it is how he would have voted in Brown v. Board of Education had he been on the Supreme Court when it was decided in 1954.

The question came up last month at the University of Arizona in what was billed as a conversation between Justice Scalia and Justice Stephen G. Breyer. The discussion, between the court’s two primary intellectual antagonists, bore the relationship to a conversation that a fistfight does to a handshake. The justices know how to get under each other’s skin, and they punctuated their debate with exasperation, eye-rolling and venomous sarcasm.

The Brown decision, which said the 14th Amendment prohibited segregation in public schools, is hard to square with Justice Scalia’s commitment to originalism, the theory of constitutional interpretation that says judges must apply the original understanding of the constitutional text.

Brown presents originalists with a problem. The weight of the historical evidence is that the people who drafted, proposed and ratified the 14th Amendment from 1866 to 1868 did not believe themselves to be doing away with segregated schools.

Blame parents, not SATs, for inequities#ixzz0WS0f3YHN#ixzz0WS0f3YHN

Blame parents, not SATs, for inequities#ixzz0WS0f3YHN#ixzz0WS0f3YHN:

"Yes, Virginia, the colleges do prefer knowledgeable students who are already fluent in trigonometry and calculus, who have a reasonably rich lexicon and who can convey their thoughts in the form of an essay. Otherwise, the students will have to spend two out of four college years taking remedial classes. Our society does not need engineers who study engineering subjects proper for only the two remaining years.

The same applies to any field of endeavor: baseball, skating, saxophone playing or journalism. A baseball coach might feel sorry for an unskillful candidate who just has not had a chance to play the game with his parents. But usually a coach simply cannot afford to take such candidates in the hope that they might catch up later."

Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind : NPR

Digital School Library Leaves Book Stacks Behind : NPR:

"An elite boarding school in Ashburnham, Mass., just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovating its library. But Cushing Academy wasn't just redoing its walls and carpets. The school is getting rid of the actual, physical books in favor of going digital.

And the move — thought to be the first of its kind in the country — is worrying some librarians and book lovers."

Bill on mayoral control could affect hiring of MPS superintendent - JSOnline

Bill on mayoral control could affect hiring of MPS superintendent - JSOnline:

"The search for the next superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools is about to collide with the fight over mayoral governance, now that lawmakers are putting the final touches on legislation that would allow Milwaukee's mayor to lead the system and appoint the superintendent.

The application deadline for would-be superintendents is Nov. 19, and School Board members aren't slowing down their search.

'We're taking the search day by day and proceeding until we get notice to do otherwise,' School Board President Michael Bonds said last week. 'We're still in charge.'"

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Public education is a liberal value

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - Public education is a liberal value:

"'Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. ... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.'
-Thomas Jefferson

Now that our local elections are over for school and water board races, I believe it is prudent to reflect on how these races are conducted in our valley. They, like City Council races, are supposed to be non-partisan but clearly they are not."

As Tim Myers noted recently, there is a "Republican Machine" ("Is Boydston a game-changer?" Nov. 1) that controls the politics here. We even have our own "Karl Rove" in Santa Clarita Valley, master of dirty politics who orchestrates hit mailers, telephone smear campaigns and other tricks and ploys to make sure only those in the Machine are elected.

Lynn Vakay wrote before the election in "Right Here Right Now" who the Republican school board candidates were, strongly intimating that people should vote only for them because they espoused the Republican education platform which I read as a thinly disguised call for privatization, dismantling the public school system through systematic starvation, not educating "them" (immigrants) and vilifying public school unions. Vakay's attack on our public school system strikes me as odd since she is a public school teacher and enjoys a living wage, health care benefits and retirement because of her public school union. She clearly unveiled any attempt by the Machine to pretend these elections are "non-partisan."

Denver Daily - Colorado’s economy: We are not California

Denver Daily - Colorado’s economy: We are not California:

"For some reason I am on the mailing lists for some of the GOP candidates. (Of course after this column, I may get purged). It makes for interesting reading as you watch the contortions of truth and ideology.

For example, a recent essay written by a GOP gubernatorial candidate compared Colorado to California in terms of budgets and spending. His sniping remarks continue to remind us that he is young and relatively inexperienced in governance.

The economy is an issue in this country as we fight ourselves out of the cumulative mess of years of mismanagement. As I talk with my counterparts across the country, I know that Colorado has suffered far less than other states. But tell that to my neighbor who works at the Albertson’s in Lafayette. The store is closing. The same store we have been using for 15 years. And the grocery workers are looking for jobs."

Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger Takes Action to Secure Available Recovery Act Funds for Early Childhood Education : Mon, 09 Nov 2009 : California Newswire™

Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger Takes Action to Secure Available Recovery Act Funds for Early Childhood Education : Mon, 09 Nov 2009 : California Newswire™:

"SACRAMENTO /California Newswire/ — Building on his commitment to both high-quality early childhood education and bringing available American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funding to California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued Executive Order S-23-09 establishing the California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. This is the first step in making California eligible to compete for a share of $100 million in federal Head Start funds available through President Obama’s Recovery Act."

“A high-quality early childhood education is a critical building block in a student’s social and educational foundation,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “This action will help bring California funding to support our state’s high-quality preschool programs and help ensure our state’s neediest children will be prepared for success on their very first day of elementary school.”
The federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 requires that states establish State Advisory Councils in order to receive Head Start grants designed to increase collaboration among early childhood education providers. The Recovery Act provides grants of at least $500,000 to support states in establishing these councils and in developing statewide early childhood education plans. Following the Governor’s action today, California is expected to receive as much as $10.7 million over three years.

Funding applications must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by August 1, 2010, and must include an explanation of California’s strategy to improve coordination and collaboration among California’s Head Start agencies, preschool programs and other early childhood education providers. This enhanced coordination will help California expand access so that early childhood education providers can serve more needy children. The California State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care established today will plan-for and ensure California’s application process meets federal requirements and make the state competitive for the funds.

San Mateo Daily Journal

San Mateo Daily Journal:

"Halloween is a generally accepted idea in America including dressing in costumes.

But Lillian Meng and Caroline Zheng were a bit uncomfortable donning a Cat in the Hat and a chicken outfit respectively. The elementary school principals visiting from Shanghai were unsure of the reaction others would give, but were pleasantly surprised to see the outfits were commonplace on All Hallow’s Eve.

The experience is one of many the two women will have while working through Nov. 23 at College Park Elementary School in San Mateo as part of the Shanghai-California Principal Exchange Program. The program is put together through the partnership of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the California School Boards Association. During that time, Meng and Zheng will work and live along side College Park Principal Diana Hallock while observing the way things run at the school, which offers a Mandarin immersion program"

Junk food is your responsibility. – A Quick Bite - The Lakeland Ledger - Lakeland, FL - Archive

Junk food is your responsibility. – A Quick Bite - The Lakeland Ledger - Lakeland, FL - Archive:

"A new study has found that advertising on childrens’ TV networks is far higher on ads for high-fat, high-sugar foods than on other networks.

The study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, put the figure at 76 percent.

Researchers at University of California Davis dissected ads on Saturday mornings and after-school hours on English and Spanish programs.

“Study after study has documented the adverse health effects of food advertising targeting children and adolscents,” they wrote."

English teacher at Bronx School of Law and Finance, Van Voorhis, suspended for assigning material to students about masturbation

English teacher at Bronx School of Law and Finance, Van Voorhis, suspended for assigning material to students about masturbation:

"The first rule about having an edgy English teacher is don't talk about your edgy English teacher.

A beloved city schoolteacher has been suspended by the Department of Education after giving his 11th-grade students a copy of a graphic short story about masturbation written by 'Fight Club' author Chuck Palahniuk.

Greg Van Voorhis, 30, handed out copies of Palahniuk's 'Guts' late last month to about 100 students studying for the English Regents exam at The Bronx School of Law and Finance in Marble Hill."

"While Van Voorhis took the copies back at the end of class, students blabbed about the ribald tale, and school officials soon caught wind of the lesson in self-love. "

"Schwartz stopped short of calling the story inappropriate but said he was required to act."

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bronx/teacher_suspended_for_giving_self_nV6xCRYzrjDVUIZFbdXD2L#ixzz0WPtlh8HO

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Real Oklahoma Students Ace Citizenship Exam; Strategic Vision Survey Was Likely Fabricated

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Real Oklahoma Students Ace Citizenship Exam; Strategic Vision Survey Was Likely Fabricated:

"In detailing some of the evidence against Strategic Vision LLC, a pollster I am now almost certain is disreputable and fraudulent, I pointed in particular to a poll that they conducted on behalf of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, an conservative-leaning educational thinktank. The poll purported to show that Oklahoma's high school citizens were deficient in some of the most basic aspects of citizenship. Only 23 percent of them knew that George Washington was the first president, the poll claimed! Just 43 percent knew that the Democrats and Republicans are the two major political parties!"

These conclusions seemed dubious to me on their face. Several years ago, at my old consulting job, I participated in a project for the State of Ohio's public schools which involved sitting down in a third or fifth grade classroom for the better part of a day and seeing how the students were learning. Most of these observations took place in poor, post-industrial towns, which were still suffering the effects of the steel mill or the axle plant that had long ago left town. What struck me, most of all, was how smart the kids were, relative to my expectations. These kids might not have been the highest achievers -- but I'm pretty sure that more than 90 percent of them would have known who George Washington was. And these were third and fifth graders.

A Study on Parenting Beliefs and Behaviors

A Study on Parenting Beliefs and Behaviors

Harvard Dept. of Psychology Survey

Thanks for your interest in this online study of parenting beliefs and behaviors. NOTE: This study is for parents who have at least one child who is between the ages of 3 and 10 years of age. If you do not have a child in this age range, any responses you provide will not be analyzed. Please read the following page carefully so that you understand your rights. If you wish to proceed, you can do so by indicating that you consent to participate in this study (see bottom of page).

Survey Information

Purpose of the research: To understand the choices parents make about how to handle children's wrongdoings (e.g., behaviors like grabbing, pushing, and teasing).

What you will do in this research: If you decide to participate, you will complete this one survey. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete the survey.

Risks: There are no anticipated risks associated with participating in this study.

Benefits: There are no direct benefits, but we hope that you will find it interesting to think about the questions in the survey.

Also, we will make the results of this study available to those who are interested.

Compensation: No pay is offered. However, later you will be given the chance to enter a drawing for one of four $50 Target gift cards. The gift card drawing will take place after 250 parents have participated in the survey.

Confidentiality: Your responses will be kept confidential. Your name will not be requested, your IP address will not be tracked, and it will be impossible to learn your identity with the data that are collected in this study. When research results are reported, responses will be described in summary. Again, the data collected for this study will not include any identifying information from you. Still, in order to ensure a respect for privacy, all data collected with this survey will be erased five years after data collection is complete.

Participation and withdrawal: Your participation is completely voluntary. You may skip questions that you prefer not to answer.

You may quit at any time during the survey by simply closing your web browser. If you decide to quit early, you may still enter the drawing for one of four Target gift cards.

The link for the drawing is here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=v_2bjEYAXIyCUQ1TUXIV_2bzsg_3d_3d

Contact: If you have questions or concerns about this research, please contact:

Craig Smith, Ed.D.

Phone: (617) 875-9469

33 Kirkland St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Email: cesmith@fas.harvard.edu

You may also contact the Harvard faculty member supervising this work: Paul L. Harris, harrispa@gse.harvard.edu

Whom to contact about your rights in this research, for questions, concerns, suggestions, or complaints that are not being addressed by the researcher, or research-related harm:

Jane Calhoun Harvard University Committee on the Use of Human Subjects in Research

1414 Massachusetts Avenue, Second Floor Cambridge, MA 02138

617-495-5459

jcalhoun@fas.harvard.edu

We suggest that you print or save a copy of the survey page for your records

http://harvard.psr.keysurvey.com/survey/276769/17b2/

Community Continues to Grapple With Rape - NYTimes.com

Community Continues to Grapple With Rape - NYTimes.com:

"As Richmond High School tried to absorb the wrenching reality of a gang rape of a student on school grounds, the predominant reactions — horror or sympathy or even fear — were understood by the school’s principal, Julio Franco."

But there was another reaction that Mr. Franco has difficulty processing: sentiments like those voiced by Fonz Leon, a junior, as he stood in the school parking lot one recent afternoon: “She got drunk one time and messed with the wrong crowd and provoked some dude and got raped, that’s it.”

Mr. Franco said: “Even girls said this was O.K. because she went on her own. I tell them, ‘What if this was your sister? What if this was your mom?’ Then they realize, ‘Oh.’ ”
It has been two weeks since a 16-year-old girl was raped after a homecoming dance by at least six young men in front of a group of onlookers. Yet reactions like Fonz’s linger. It is as if some of the virulent culture that gave rise to the attack itself, with all its cruelty and degradation, is defiantly asserting itself, despite efforts to contain it.

District Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting, November 10, 2009 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Serna Center.

Hello DAC Members & Interested Parties:

This is your friendly reminder that tomorrow is the District Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting, November 10, 2009 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm at the Serna Center.

Dinner and childcare will be provided. Dinner will begin at 6:15pm.

Please read the minutes and check the spelling of your name. I was difficult to make out the handwriting. Also check if we missed anyone.

Wanda Yañez Chairperson
District Advisory Committee (DAC)
Sacramento City Unified School District
Work: (916) 654-7729

About the CSPC

About the CSPC:

"Vision

People in the Sacramento Region have information, resources and opportunities to improve the quality of life for themselves, their families and their communities.

Mission Statement

To help people turn ideas into community action through information, planning, civic engagement and advocacy for human needs in the Sacramento Region."

Strategic Goals

To enable the people of the Sacramento Region access to and use of community resources through quality information and referral services.
To transform people and communities through volunteer service and civic engagement.
To enhance public dialogue and decision-making by providing factual information and reports and offering people the opportunity to study and influence public policy.
To improve individual and community conditions through planning, services coordination, program development and coalition building.
To enhance the capability of the organization by building strong leadership, developing discretionary resources, and planning for the future.

CSPC Values
1. Commitment to community and involvement of a broad and diverse constituency
2. Comprehensive perspective reflected in decisions and actions
3. Inclusive decision-making that strives for consensus
4. Diverse viewpoints respected and encouraged in decisions and actions
5. Positive working relationships with all sectors of the community
6. Objective data and information used to support decisions and action
7. Focus on systems change and sustainable, long-term solutions
8. Principled leadership producing measurable results

Center for American Progress

Support the Center for American Progress

Today's Cartoon: It's Time to Innovate

A state-by-state report card on educational innovation from CAP, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute.
More: Leaders and Laggards

EdSource | Multiple Pathways in California: An Emerging Option for High School Reform

EdSource Multiple Pathways in California: An Emerging Option for High School Reform:

PDF Download $6 Add to Cart (Download)

"High schools are the culmination of the K-12 education experience. But how can high schools keep their students motivated, prepare them well to pursue further academics or careers, and ensure that all students have equal access to a quality education?

One approach to meeting these goals challenges the very nature of the traditional high school curriculum. Currently known as 'multiple pathways,' this approach strives to make high school a more engaging and effective experience for students by integrating academics and career technical education, building partnerships between schools and communities, and providing academic and other support services.

This EdSource report describes California’s efforts to more broadly implement the multiple pathways approach, which is already being explored in earnest by several large school districts in California. The report also addresses critical questions about the potential of this reform effort.

Highlights in this report:

The multiple pathways approach attempts to better engage and prepare high school students by integrating academic and career education.
A number of pathway models—such as Partnership Academies—offer high school alternatives that have demonstrated some success.

Several initiatives are exploring practices and policies that could bring pathway programs to more students and ensure their quality.
The pathways option holds promise; but to bring it to scale, reformers must address implementation issues and differing views regarding educational goals for students."

Other Reports on Mulitple Pathways:

Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways Pipelines, Pathways, and Payoffs:

Economic Challenges and Returns toChanging Demographics in California

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5648663/Multiple-Perspectives-on-Multiple-Pathways-Pipelines-Pathways-and-PayoffsEconomic-Challenges-and-Returns-toChanging-Demographics-in-California

Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways Restructuring and Reculturing Schoolsto Provide Students withMultiple Pathways to College and Career

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5648669/Multiple-Perspectives-on-Multiple-Pathways-Restructuring-and-Reculturing-Schoolsto-Provide-Students-withMultiple-Pathways-to-College-and-Career

A Fact Sheet on Multiple Pathways

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5802848/A-Fact-Sheet-on-Multiple-Pathways

Datos Básicos Sobre Multiple Pathways

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5802847/Datos-Básicos-Sobre-Multiple-Pathways

What's Really up With Online Study Scholarships? -- baltimoresun.com

What's Really up With Online Study Scholarships? -- baltimoresun.com:

"DEAR JOYCE: I must have landed on an Internet marketing list, because I receive so many e-mails pitching my chances to win a scholarship to an online college. Like: 'Hey, mom, apply for a full-tuition scholarship, earn your degree and have a career!' Are these scholarships for real? -- B.R.

A few people will win these scholarships, but the advertised financial-aid awards are really hooks cast by companies in the lead-aggregation industry. They're marketing ploys.

Notice that virtually all the schools offering these scholarships are for-profit colleges. Higher-education experts tell me that on average, online for-profit colleges cost three times more than online nonprofit colleges."

Here' the inside story. Lead-generating marketers require scholarship seekers to provide their personal information on a scholarship application -- in reality, a "lead form." The marketers aggregate the forms and sell them to participating schools at a price of up to $100 per qualified lead. It's little wonder that you're receiving so many scholarship pitches.The next step happens when scholarship hopefuls are contacted by sales reps under the guise of following up on a "scholarship application."

Community Journalism at it's Best Sacramento Press Workshops

Community Journalism at it's Best

Hello Sac Press readers,

Thanks so much for contributing to our site, whether it be reading the stories, commenting, or writing your very own articles.For the month of November, we have a couple of workshops to look forward to.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 we will have a Intro to Photography workshop taught by Anthony Bento. We will serve food at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will begin at 6:45 and end around 8.

Bento has a B.A in film and digital media from UC Santa Cruz, where he photographed and reported on the 2004 presidential campaign and other political events. He has also worked as a product photographer in New York City and here in Sacramento as a freelance photojournalist for Sacramento News & Review, and as a community contributor to the Sacramento Press.

Bring your own camera so we can look at the various settings and help you take better photos. Bento will go over the basics of photography, including the rule of thirds, confidence and lighting. He will answer any of your individual questions about taking photos and can give you tips based on what kind of camera you use.

A big part of journalism is photography, and we want to motivate you to take more photos to supplement your stories.Later this month, we'll also have a workshop on Facebook and how to utilize it for both business and personal fun. Check your e-mail for that invitation in the next week.

Our office is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking.

If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.Please RSVP by clicking on the RSVP button below.If you have any trouble finding our office, you can give us a call at (916) 443-5403.Thanks, and we hope to see you there!

Join us at: Sacramento Press431 I Street, Suite 107Sacramento, CA

Google Map & Directions >

RSVP to reserve your spot : journalism@sacramentopress.com

La Raza Network Meeting November 11

La Raza Network Meeting November 11

Our meeting is still on for November 11, 2009.

Please be sure to come and discuss the status of our organization. We will have a full agenda, so please arrive on time. Agendas will be available at the meeting.

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Place: Voter Registration Office at

7000 65th StreetSacramento, CA 95823 Southgate Shopping Center

Map it with google:
7000 65th St
Sacramento, CA 95823

Thanks. Teresa

Revise the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

The California Department of Education (CDE) is currently in the process of revising the Guide and Template for the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) and would like your input. Improving academic performance and ensuring equity of achievement of all students is the top priority of the education system in California.

The California Education Code (EC) sections 41507, 41572, and 64001 and the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) require each school to consolidate school planning requirements into the SPSA for all programs funded through the Consolidated Application, ESEA Program Improvement, the School and Library Improvement Block Grant, Economic Impact Aid (EIA), the Pupil Retention Block Grant, and the Quality Education Investment Act (QEIA) into the SPSA. EC section 11502 requires the integration of parent involvement programs into the school plan.

It is very important to the CDE that all interested stakeholders have an opportunity to provide input. The CDE will be conducting this revision process over the next few months.

The current Guide and Template for the SPSA can be viewed on the CDE SPSA Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/sr/le/singleplan.asp.

Please e-mail your comments and recommendations to spsa@cde.ca.gov before November 30, 2009.

Educated Guess » Blaming the state is losing parcel tax strategy

Educated Guess » Blaming the state is losing parcel tax strategy:

"Denouncing Sacramento for a school district’s financial troubles may be satisfying — and valid – but it’s a poor strategy for convincing voters to pass a parcel tax, according to pollsters who surveyed voters in Santa Clara County last month. Their advice to school trustees looking to a parcel tax to help survive the bleak next few years: Don’t whine and don’t scapegoat.
It won’t cut it to blame the state for your district’s financial troubles. Instead, convince voters that you have a plan to improve core academic programs.

The pollsters’ conclusion, that passing a parcel tax would be tough but doable, follows last Tuesday’s election in which seven of 11 parcel taxes passed statewide. Parcel taxes in two districts got less than the requisite two-thirds majority but more than the 55 percent threshold that Sen. Joe Simitian is proposing with a stalled proposed constitutional amendment SCA 6. (Only parcel taxes in Long Beach and Oxnard failed to get even majority support.)

EMC Research of Oakland and TBWB Strategies of San Francisco surveyed 900 likely voters in 2010. Their message is counterintuitive: It might seem obvious to stress the severe impact on programs of further cuts in state aid.

But dire warnings, Janet Bernstein of EMC and Jared Boigon of TBWB said, tend to reinforce negative impressions of schools, particularly among the 76 percent of voters without kids in public schools. In the survey, 49 percent of voters said that state budget cuts were not the real of problem with education quality, compared with 38 percent who recent cuts have “severely impacted” local schools."

Four Southwestern teachers return to class

Four Southwestern teachers return to class:

"CHULA VISTA:Four Southwestern College teachers who were suspended with pay after an Oct. 22 rally to protest class cuts have returned to work, college officials said yesterday.

The college would not provide their names.

The faculty’s union identified them as Phil Lopez, an English teacher;Janet Mazzarella, a math teacher;Dinorah Guadiana-Costa, a Spanish teacher; and Andrew Rempt, a creative writing teacher. Three of the teachers returned Thursday and the other Oct. 26, said Andrew MacNeill, the union’s vice president.

The college said it placed the teachers on leave while it investigated a personnel matter unrelated to the protest.MacNeill said he believes the suspensions were the result of tensions between the union and the college administration. Lopez is president of the Southwestern College Education Association and Mazzarella and Rempt are active members, he said."

Audit details ousted East Side schools Superintendent Bob Nunez's expenses - San Jose Mercury News

Audit details ousted East Side schools Superintendent Bob Nunez's expenses - San Jose Mercury News:

"Ousted Superintendent Bob Nunez routinely spent $1,000 a month for meals, travel and lodging and sometimes charged the cash-strapped East Side Union High School District as much as $4,000 a month.

The details were revealed for the first time Friday in a lengthy report into Nunez's spending habits that led to his departure last week from the struggling San Jose school district — complete with a $120,000 severance check.

The revelations were outlined in a 2,100-page report by the San Francisco law firm Hanson Bridgett, which reviewed two years' worth of Nunez's credit card spending. The report, commissioned by the East Side board, also concluded that Nunez did not improperly receive vacation pay or commit a conflict of interest."

Education Week: Lawmaker Wants Probe of E. Coli and School Lunches

Education Week: Lawmaker Wants Probe of E. Coli and School Lunches:

"The chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee wants an investigation into the risk of deadly E. coli getting into school lunches.
Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., is worried about a recent outbreak that killed at least two people and sickened about two dozen others in 11 states.
The E. coli outbreak was linked to ground beef produced by Fairbank Farms of Ashville, N.Y.

No schools were involved in the outbreak. But Miller said he's worried that tainted food might be purchased for school meal programs."